Sweet Nostalgia of the 80s

”And then what happened...” Ji Chuan held his breath, his heart already anticipating what would happen next.

”By the time my mom remembered school was out and rushed to pick up Huanhuan, she realized the child was already gone.” Yan Ye said in a low voice.

He could never forget that day, as if the sky over their home had collapsed.

His mother frantically searched inside and outside the school for Yan Huan countless times, sent a telegram to his father Yan Luquan’s military unit, and even reported it to the police.

But no matter what, they couldn’t find Yan Huan.

”She was taken away, wasn’t she?” Ji Chuan asked.

”Yes.” Yan Ye took a deep breath, ”My parents didn’t sleep for several nights. The house was shrouded in a bleak atmosphere. After the military and the police joined forces in the search for a full half month, suddenly, one day, a message came back from faraway Jiangning, and my excited parents almost jumped up. They said the child was found.”

”Jiangning?” Ji Chuan frowned and asked, ”How did she end up in Jiangning?”

”The traffickers took her to Jiangning!” Yan Ye said through gritted teeth, ”She was found unconscious in the bushes, and only then was taken to the police! After the police questioned her, they learned about Yan Huan’s situation, and that’s how they called here, and my parents brought her back!”

”I can’t believe such a thing happened.” Ji Chuan seemed to understand something, and he continued to press Yan Ye, ”Can you tell me, did Yan Huan mention anything to the family after she returned?”

”No.” Yan Ye closed his eyes, still feeling a pain in his heart when he recalled those days.

After Yan Huan returned home, she curled up alone in the room.

The room’s lights were on all night; she wouldn’t allow them to be turned off, afraid of being approached, and wouldn’t even allow contact with him and their father, except her mother, who was slightly better accepted.

Yan Huan lay there staring unblinkingly at the ceiling, refusing to close her eyes, staying that way for a whole day and night, until she was so exhausted she couldn’t keep her eyes open and fell into a deep sleep.

But even then, she didn’t sleep peacefully.

She would always scream and cry in her dreams, then open her eyes and refuse to close them again.

Her mother Feng Yuzhi, out of options, had to stop working and stayed by Yan Huan’s side day and night.

The mother and daughter stayed inseparable, and this went on for a long time.

The deeply withdrawn Yan Huan gradually got better, and life slowly returned to normal.

That incident was a pain for the whole family.

So, everyone deliberately chose to forget.

In her earlier years, Feng Yuzhi was not someone who spoiled her children, on the contrary, coming from a scholarly family, she was quite strict with them. But after going through that incident, it was as if she had changed.

She was excessively indulgent towards Yan Huan.

It seemed that she wanted to make up for the past she caused Yan Huan.

Yan Huan’s temper grew bigger and bigger, leading to the way she is now.

Ji Chuan remained silent for a long time, a sudden rush of heat reaching his fingertips. The cigarette between his fingers had burned to the end, and his hand shook as he flicked it away.

When he raised his head, his eyes carried an indescribable pain, ”Yan Ye, after Yan Huan returned, did she suffer any harm?”

”No.” Yan Ye said confidently.

”Why are you so sure?”

”Her terrifying reactions after returning left our parents in constant anguish, and the first thing they did was take Yan Huan to the hospital for an examination.” Yan Ye truthfully told Ji Chuan the facts, ”The doctor only said that Yan Huan was overly scared!”