To the Start of a New World

3.7

Yesterday, Lu Hao's parents had returned home. Lu Hao and Hong Sheng waited until the next day to visit.

The Lu family home was in an old neighborhood, the kind that made you feel like you'd breathe in dust just by walking through it. It was far from the wealthier, bustling city sectors. Most of the people who lived here belonged to ordinary, aging families. Some of them were better off, and some of them, like Hong Sheng's old family, were worse.

The Lu family stood out in the sense that they shouldn't have belonged in a community like this. They were the kind of rich that could afford to let their son spend hundreds of thousands over a fantasy, and fly overseas to another country on a whim. But their home was surprisingly low-key from the outside, feeling just as warm and inviting as the people themselves. This had been the home his parents had bought when they were young and just married, and even when their business took off and they could afford something better, they stayed.

Hong Sheng's former house wasn't far, and the old park where he and Lu Hao used to play was only a few streets away. Lu Hao almost wished he could see the shadow of that tiny Hong Sheng again, crouching in a corner somewhere.

But for right now, Lu Hao and Hong Sheng stood outside the gate of the Lu family home. Both of them stared at the closed metal frame.

Though one would think Lu Hao was calm and relaxed as he raised his hand to unlock the gate, inside was another story.

He was bringing Hong Sheng home.

Lu Hao input the code. The gate unlocked with a beep, and Lu Hao pushed open the metal, which swung smoothly on its hinges. "Let's go."

Hong Sheng was holding the gifts they'd bought yesterday, so when they arrived at the front door, Lu Hao opened the door for him. He had thought Hong Sheng would be nervous as he stepped in, maybe even need reassurance.

But Hong Sheng didn't even hesitate. He stepped inside and started toeing off his shoes with practiced ease, the same way as he'd done ten years ago, giving the illusion that not a moment had passed since then.

Instead, it was Lu Hao who hesitated at the door. He felt, yet again, that things had truly changed; but they were only slotting back into place, returning to the way they should have been.

Lu Hao stepped inside. Closing the door behind him, he called out, "Mom, dad? I'm here to visit. And I've brought someone with me." Hong Sheng was already walking ahead to the living room. He was going toward the table where the snacks were kept, ready to put down the gifts in his arms like he'd only just come back home from a shopping trip. Helplessly, Lu Hao reached out and tugged the back of Hong Sheng's shirt collar, stopping him in place.

"Little Hao! Perfect timing, I was just about to cook lunch." The sound of footsteps came from the other side of the house, and Lu Hao's mother appeared in the kitchen doorway. "Who have you brought with you? You—"

She stopped in her tracks.

Hong Sheng was back.

It took a long time for Ma to move again.

Ma had a happy smile on her face. Keeping this expression for Hong Sheng had become a long-ingrained habit.

Back when little Hong Sheng had first come to their house, when he saw her smile, he'd have this look in his eyes—this awed, tentatively happy look. Like he couldn't believe her happiness was for him.

So she had decided from then on to smile at him as much as she could. She treated him gently and lovingly, as if wrapping him in soft cotton to rest in the cradle of her heart. She wanted to make him feel like her motherly smile wasn't precious. It wasn't a treasure. He didn't have to look so vulnerable every time he saw it. It should be as normal as a cloud in the sky. Her love for him was always there, a commonplace fact.