The crowd was bustling here and here in the Greenwood town; it was a particular day today, many people were waiting for their children coming out of the gate from the examination center ‘Greenwood high school’. Indeed, it was the end of the last day of the National examination to decide these young people's future, some of them were full of depression not happy with what they have done, while other were smiling assuredly as if everything was under control.

Among these children there was a young man about eighteen, he looked above average with medium short hair but didn’t stand out very much from the other young people around him ; he was wearing a brown coat and a grey trousers that seemed to be melting in the background. Li Yun showed a face full of relief and care freeness; he was finally freed from all of this hell and could relax and enjoy an idle life style. This last year wasn't easy for him, living just for these small few days, his buttock stitched to a hard chair from the moment he woke up to the end of the days they were feeling sore even now, but it was now the time to go wild with his life, in his bedroom before his computer and phone obviously. While he was daydreaming about all the games, comics, animes and novels that he missed this year and welcoming the great days of freedom and happiness waiting for him, he heard his name shouted from someone not far away outside the gate:

“Li Yun! Here!” It was coming from a pot bellied middle aged man wearing a black suite that seemed stretched, he had a rather short stature and a worrying case of receding hair line; he was waving his chubby hand at him enthusiastically with a smile, hinting at him to go over there beside his car. Li Yun was surprised seeing him, but he walked through the crowd hurriedly heading to the middle aged man; when he arrived before him he asked pleasantly:

“Father! How come you are here right now? Don’t you have work today?” This middle aged man was Li Yun’s father Li Cheng, he was a middle aged man in his early fifties, and he owned a business in carpentry, making woods furniture, it was doing rather well recently racking many commands so he was busy day and night leading the operation. He didn’t have much free time so Li Yun didn’t expect to see him coming today.

His father Li Cheng was still smiling at him as he answered :

“It's an important day, so I took a leave early from work today. Get in the car and let’s go home quickly; your mother made a good feast for you at home, she will scold me again if we comeback late.”

“Let’s go then!” Li Yun said happily before entering the car’s front door.

His father also went into the conductor’s seat and the car sped up on the road going further and further away.

…………………………………………..

In the same Greenwood town, before a small street, there a two stories house colored in white with a small garden outside and a garage on the side; it was a house like any other in the town. Outside the door there was a fat old cat which was sleeping lazily while basking under setting sun, it had a mix of white and orange fur and was about to stretch a little bit and turn it’s sleeping position when

"Li Ya!! Come help me in the kitchen."

Such a shout suddenly came out from the direction of the house, the cat was so startled it nearly had a heart attack jumping three feet high in the sky; after calming down it shot an accusatory glance to the house before walking to the side of the window, it then jumped on it while struggling a little to bring its fat ass on it and entering the house.

In the house it saw a middle aged woman in her late forty busying herself in the kitchen; she was rather thin and had her hair bundled on her head like a bun, her face was rather well preserved for her age but it didn’t have any softness but rather a stricter feeling instead showing that she was someone who held the rein in the household; she was Li Yun’s mother Li Ying. The shout that startled the cat came from her as she was calling her daughter to come help her in the kitchen, the father and son duo and their guests were coming home soon and dinner needed to be ready earlier.

After a while, a noise came from the staircases beside the kitchen as someone descended it, and soon a figure entered the kitchen, it was a girl in her early twenty wearing a white T-shirt and a black under sportswear, she had a long hair in a ponytail and a face that took after her mother but instead of strictness, she radiated a rather careless and casual feeling unlike a girl in university looked like.

Her mother Li Ying didn’t turn around and tasked her directly:

“Li Ya, go ready the table for six people, the other are coming back soon.”

Li Ya was used to her mother’s way of speaking so she turned around and went to ready the table with a ‘got it’ when something that her mother said felt strange to her so she asked with a puzzled expression:

“Mother, did you say for six people?”

Her mother let a soft laugh as she answered her:

“Yes for six people.” She paused for a bit before continuing: ”Your elder brother said he was coming with someone.”

Li Ya was confused for a while before asking her with a strange voice:

“The guest; don’t tell me it’s a woman?”

Mother Li answered her with a “Yes.” before continuing her cooking.

Li Ya didn’t ask any more and went to ready the table for six.

…………………………………….

A brown car was speeding on the road to the Li family’s house , in it a young man in his mid to late twenty was driving with the sound of the music from the radio; he was wearing a neat black suit and a white shirt with a pair of glasses with a silver frame which were reflecting the light from the car passing by from time to time. He was alone in the car and was surprisingly showing a depressed look like someone who just got dumped, this man was the Li family’s eldest son Li Kun; he graduated from university 4 years ago and was now working in a large company with a stable income and bright prospect in the future, such a young man should be living in high spirit but life was fair…

"To think she dumped me just like that, and it had to be today." While muttering that Li Kun turned his car on the crossroad when the song playing on the radio stopped and a energetic female voice came from it :

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

” Good evening everyone, your host Meng Lin here, today is Friday and Friday evening mean ‘My Broken Heart’. Talk about your lost love, your past relationship; you will follow this program with me your host … Pac Pac ….”

The radio stopped abruptly. Li Kun looked speechlessly outside the window; ‘the heaven is making fun of me’ he thought silently and continued to drive in silence. He soon saw his parents’ house coming closer and began to think about what to say to them when a familiar car came from the road on the opposite side. It was his father’s car which stopped before the house. Soon, he saw his father and brother coming out of the car when they turned in his direction; they too recognized him so he could only drive there and go home with them.

…………….

Li Yun and his father descended from the car to go home when they saw another car coming from the other side, they recognized it as Li Kun’s so they waited to go home with him. Li Kun soon parked in front of the house and descended from his car, he greeted his father and brother:

“Father, brother, long time not see!”

He was living alone in the city where he work and only came home occasionally, it have been a while since he saw his family so he began to catch up with them while going home.

“How is your work doing recently?” asked his father.

“It’s doing well, we were pretty busy last month but things are calming down right now.” answered Li Kun. Then he asked back knowing the answer already:

“Your business, is it also going well recently?”

“Well, it’s pretty good indeed.” answered his father with a light smile.

Li Kun then turned to Li Yun and said to him:

“I bought you the last P*5, it’s in the car. You can go get it later.”

Li Yun laughed as he answered:

”Thanks brother! “

They then entered the house where their mother Li Ying and Li Ya were waiting.

…………….

In the house, the table was already set as mother Li and Li Ya were bringing the dishes from the kitchen, there were steamed fish giving a light fragrance and braised pork giving a mouthwatering smell, they were about to continue when the door opened, from there, the three men of the household walked in one after the other. Mother Li looked over and saw her husband coming in, she was about to say welcome back when the other two walked inside from behind him. She wasn't surprised looking at them together but when she remarked that only three people walked in the look on her eyes became rather sharp.

Li Kun gulped his saliva when he saw his mother's look, but running away wasn't possible so he could only brace himself saying general greeting to begin his word:

"Good evening mother and sister, it had been some time since we last saw each other, how have you been?"

Mother Li looked at him with one eye before replying:

"Good evening, It's good that you get back home from time to time, I didn't expect you to come alone though."

The man could only give a wry smile hearing her, it was meaningless to try any trick so he sighed saying the truth:

"I came alone today, she and I went on our separate way."

Li Ying didn't say anything to him a as she also gave a sigh before giving a look stating that the talk wasn't over but would be put later, her eldest son was receptive so he acquiesced with a small nod. Seeing their exchange father Li and Li Yum were puzzled looking at each other quizzically, but they could only see confusion in the other's eyes. Li Ya interrupted the weird atmosphere as she said energetically unlike her usual lazy attitude:

"Welcome back elder brother! Farther and Li Yun too! You should hurry up and take a seat, the dinner is already served, the dishes will grow cold."

Hearing her the trio acknowledged the mother and daughter with a:" We're home."

Before putting their bags and what not in the living room and going to the dining table and seat themselves. On their way Li Kun shot a grateful look to his sister who responded with a grin that suggested that he owed her one and went to the kitchen following her mother to get the rest of the dishes.

…………

On the table the atmosphere was lively once again, as they talked about their day, saying that there was a fasto in the same examination room as Li Yun who cried miserably as he skipped a question on the answer sheet, or Li Ya talking about the new fashion of girls in the university wearing shorts that reached their buttocks prompting Father Li to choke his foods and coughing, before lamenting at the change in time. Li Kun gave a huge nod in approval, raising his voice under the effect of alcohol saying:

"Women nowadays are indeed different from before! How good would it be if there was a caring and humble one like mother, she is a great model for all be it the adults or children. You should learn from her Li Ya."

His bootlicking was very obvious but Li Ya didn't retort and said:

"Mom is indeed the best, I will always take you as a model."

Mother Li wasn't moved to tears by their obviously bad acting but she gave a light smile nonetheless.

Seeing this, Father Li didn't want to be outdone as he began his usual talk about their encounter him and their mother, he was feeling a bit drunk as he said:

"It was almost thirty years ago, I was only a young man who just began his life as an adult, that was when I saw the most beautiful woman in the world….." He continued his nonsense for a while more while the other stopped listening since it was the same old story he recounted every now and then, mother Li wasn't disrespectful of her husband but she had something to ask to her youngest son so she turned to Li Yun saying:

"So how did your exam go? I believe in you, but as a mother I will still ask you the question."

Li Yun gave a light smile as he said:

"Mother, your son won't disappoint you, I have confidence in what I have done there, at least it won't be a problem to go to the same university as big brother and sister."

Li Ying smiled back hearing his words, this kid was not the type to give empty talk so if he said so then, there was indeed nothing to worry about. She was about to give some word of encouragement when, Father Li who was a bit overexited by the alcohol began to talk passionately:

"...It was at that time that I had a confrontation with Wang Dafei to fight for your mother's affection…."

He couldn't continue as a hand was posed on his shoulder making him swallow the words that were about to come out, Li Ying then said in a calm tone:

"Your father seems to be tired from work, I will bring him to sleep. Li Ya, clean the table after you are done, Li Yun help her."

The two answered with a "Yes" As Mrs Li brought Mr Li upstairs like a prisoner to the execution ground.

………………..

After cleaning the table, the three sibling were the only one left downstairs. Li Kun was seated on the sofa while looking at the T.v., he was feeling a bit blue but didn't want to affect the atmosphere with his family; but now that he was alone, it came back again. It was then that Li Yun entered in the living bringing a box with him before exclaiming:

"Big brother, let's have a a match, I have waited to test this since a long time now."

Seeing his little brother coming with the P*5 he bought he could only give a wry smile while feeling a bit gratified inside, he then said:

"I may be rusty, but I would still win against someone who didn't touch game for a year."

Li Yun answered with a:

"Bring it on!"

Before long their bickering echoed in the house as they played against each other, and soon Li Ya walked in with the cat Hong Xi on her arms. They played until late in the night, before going to sleep.

At about two in the morning, their house disappeared in a white flash from the surface of the earth unbeknownst to the people sleeping inside.