If the Deep Sea Forgets You

“I’ll take you home for you to take a look after we’re done eating. Your mother is waiting for you at home.”

Xia Qingyi was still expressionless. The food she was eating was tasteless to her. The three of them forcedly finished eating in a weird and quiet atmosphere.

After they were done eating, Xia Qingyi quickly got into the car alone when they were outside. Mo Han, who had been walking behind her, whispered into Han Liang’s ear before he got into the car, “Don’t forget what I told you just now.”

Han Liang stared straightly at Xia Qingyi, who was sitting in the car. He smiled slightly. “I’m still going to say those words, Barrister Mo. Don’t be too confident.”

Mo Han replied, “It seems like your ears don’t work too well. In that case, I don’t mind repeating my words again. My tolerance for you will only hold up until tonight. I hope you won’t weave such a lie with so many loopholes to try and make us believe you in the future.”

Han Liang smiled, as if he had made up his mind. “Alright. You’ll know who’s the liar tonight.”

Not long after they had got on the car, Han Liang had drove to an intricate Western-style bungalow. The Western-style bungalow had a good-sized courtyard with a fence around it.

“We’re here. You should get out of the car. This is your house.”

Xia Qingyi got out of the car and stepped on the grass patch in the courtyard. She kept staring at the small cross at the third floor of the bungalow. She did not feel much at her first glance, though as she continued to stare in more detail and the more she looked at the surrounding, Xia Qingyi’s heart started to beat faster.

It felt like she had been here before. This place was very familiar to her, so familiar that every cell in her body was clamoring to wake up.

“That… cross…” Xia Qingyi felt like she was in a dream, even her voice had sounded unreal.

Mo Han turned his head to see her staring at the cross on the Western-style bungalow intensely.

“Do you remember something…?” Han Liang seemed very excited.

Xia Qingyi slowly woke up from her dream-like state at the sight of an excited Han Liang. She looked away, as her legs stepped forward on the soft grass. She walked towards the door in the middle.

Right as she had just started to walk over, the door opened from inside. There was a woman who had her hair loosely tied at the back.

That woman was wearing a dark red long dress that ended at her ankles. She had a beige shawl with tassels wrapped around her upper body. She smiled faintly at Xia Qingyi, not able to hide the thin wrinkles at the end of her eyes.

She was a beauty even in her old age. Even though she had aged, Xia Qingyi could still see very clearly with a glance that she looked very similar to the woman.

No one would question that they were mother and daughter.

“You’re here… It’s good that you’re back…” that woman’s eyes were full of tears.

Xia Qingyi stared at that woman silently, watching as that woman slowly closed the distance between them step by step.

She held onto Xia Qingyi’s hands lightly as large droplets of tears fell against the back of Xia Qingyi’s hand. She could hear the sobs that the woman was trying so hard to hold back. “You’re finally back… you’re finally back…”

If she had believed 50% of the words Han Liang had told her when Xiao Mei had showed her those photos at the restaurant, then she believed 90% of his words now that she had seen this woman.

Because, she had cried.

She did not know why she had cried either. Her heart had started to ache at the sight of that droplet of tear falling onto the back of her hand. Afterwards, her vision became a complete blur and she could no longer see the pair of wrinkled old hands holding her hands softly.

This woman in front of her looked very familiar to her. Her voice was familiar too, even the temperature of the woman’s pair of hands holding onto her hands was familiar too. But she could not remember anything.

At this thought, Xia Qingyi started to cry even harder.

She extended both of her arms to hug her at the sight of Xia Qingyi crying. She hugged her in an extremely protective posture as she gently patted her back. “Mother has been waiting for you for a long time… Mother won’t let you leave again…”

Xia Qingyi started to cry uncontrollably as she leaned on her shoulder. Every breath she took in at the tip of her nose was full of the familiar and warm smell on her. It was a smell that made her feel at ease.