May 2nd—Zhou Xiaozheng and Zhou Jiao's shared birthday. Eighteen years ago, this day welcomed the most precious daughter into Zhou Xiaozheng's life. Similarly, forty-two years ago, his mother, in the depths of despair from losing her lover, gave birth to him.
That morning, father and daughter stood before the graves of Zhou Jinyu and Gu Mingzhu, burning paper money with heavy hearts. This was their private time for healing, and once they returned to the foot of the mountain, everything would start anew.
"Those who are gone are gone, the living must continue"—after the tears and the pain, life must go on.
Upon returning to the foot of the mountain, the driver took them to the restaurant. By then, the private room was filled with three tables of people, all quietly awaiting the arrival of the father and daughter.
