At night, a small wooden boat slowly floated down the river.

Liu Xin and Liu Hua stood on the boat, wearing plain clothes and had complex expressions on their faces.

Each of them held a lantern made of white paper and shouted Liu Xiao's name loudly at intervals.

Wang Baochang and I stood on the riverbank. Behind us, we had dug a deep pit in advance, where Liu Xiaoyong's remains were placed.

This pit was meant for cremation later. Although it was cruel, we had no choice but to do it.

I looked at the boat gradually drifting into the darkness and worriedly asked, "Will they be okay?"

Wang Baochang said, "The one who caused this trouble must resolve it. Liu Xiao is their daughter, and if they want to eliminate her resentment, only her parents can personally confront her!"

As he finished speaking, Wang Baochang paused for a moment and said in a solemn voice, "Look, Liu Xiao has appeared!"

Gurgling sounds were heard, and the water around the wooden boat seemed to boil, with bubbles rising to the surface.

Liu Xin, with a tense face, shouted, "Xiao Xiao, is that you? Xiao Xiao, I'm your father!"

A head slowly emerged from the water, and it was Liu Xiao with her hair braided into horns.

Liu Xiao's face was dark, her eyes reflecting a terrifying gray color. She looked just like a sinister river spirit, truly frightening.

Liu Hua screamed in fright and sat down in the boat. The white paper lantern in her hand almost fell into the river.

In a cold voice, Liu Xiao said, "Mom, am I so terrifying?"

Liu Hua shook her head and couldn't hold back her tears, crying while covering her face.

As a mother, she couldn't bear to see her daughter in such a ghostly appearance, and her heart was filled with immense sorrow.

Liu Xin's eyes turned red, but he held back his tears and asked in a choked voice, "Xiao Xiao, how did you end up like this?"

Liu Xiao replied coldly, "Why did I end up like this? Isn't it all because of you?"

Wang Baochang and I exchanged glances. From Liu Xiao's tone, it was not difficult to hear that she held deep resentment towards her parents.

Liu Xin didn't expect Liu Xiao to say such things. He was stunned for a moment before wiping away his tears. Choking on his words, he said, "Yes, Xiao Xiao, Mom and Dad are sorry. It's our fault. It's because we didn't accompany you and let you...turn out like this..."

Liu Xiao's tone was cold, "Dad, it's too late to apologize now, don't you think? The deed has already been done. It's useless to say anything!"

Liu Xin felt miserable and bit his lip tightly.

Liu Xiao continued, "If I remember correctly, you haven't come home for three years, right?"

Liu Hua interrupted, "The first year, we couldn't buy train tickets. If we bought them from scalpers, they were expensive, and we couldn't bear it. The second year, the construction site needed people to work during the Chinese New Year, and the overtime pay was several times higher than usual. To earn more money, we chose to stay. This year, we planned to come back..."

"Don't explain! I don't want to hear your explanations!" Liu Xiao screamed, her voice piercing.

Liu Xin sighed, "Xiao Xiao, your mom was telling the truth!"

"Money! Your hearts are only filled with money! Besides money, what else is in your hearts? I'm afraid you can't even remember how my brother and I looked!" Liu Xiao roared.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Liu Xin and Liu Hua glanced at each other, their emotions complicated. After not going home for three years, they may have truly forgotten what their children looked like.

But did their hearts only hold money?

No! The reason they worked so hard to make money was also to support their children, to keep their family going!

However, from Liu Xiao's perspective, at her age, she couldn't understand her parents' actions. What she desired most was for the family to be together every day, happily. That was happiness to her.

Liu Xin spoke earnestly, "Xiao Xiao, Dad knows that all these years Mom and I have been busy making money. We didn't take good care of you or accompany you properly. We have been terrible parents and failed to fulfill our responsibilities. But our family is just too poor. You know Grandpa is bedridden, and Grandma is getting older. If your mom and I don't work outside, how can we afford to send you to school?"

Liu Xiao fell silent for a moment. Two lines of bloody tears flowed from her terrifying eyes.

Crying, Liu Xiao said, "Mom and Dad, I know you have suffered, but do you know how much suffering I and Xiaoyong have endured? Every day after school, we would wait at the village entrance for a while. Although we knew you wouldn't come back, we still hoped for a miracle, hoping to see you suddenly appear at the village entrance, holding gifts and happily embracing us, and then go home together.

One time, Xiaoyong had a high fever and was in a delirious state, continuously calling for Mom. At his most helpless moment, where was Mom?

When Xiaoyong and I fell into the river and knew we were about to die, how much I wished Dad would appear and pull us out. But where was Dad?

You will never know how it feels for us when we see other kids being picked up and dropped off at school by their parents.

You will never know how it feels for us when we see other kids sitting together with their parents, enjoying meals during holidays.

You will never know how it feels for us when we see other kids' parents coming home with bags of gifts and visiting them.

You don't know anything!

During the past two Spring Festivals, do you know how Xiaoyong and I spent them?

On New Year's Eve, every household sat together, eating, drinking, talking, and laughing.

And what about our family?

Grandpa was bedridden, and only the three of us, me, Xiaoyong, and Grandma, sat at the table to eat.

Grandma stewed a chicken, but Xiaoyong started crying while eating, saying he missed Mom and Dad, saying how much he wished that for 365 days a year, even if only for one day, our family could sit together and have a meal, that would be so good!

Grandma also cried and wiped away tears with her apron.

Throughout the Spring Festival, Xiaoyong and I didn't dare to go out to play because we were afraid. We were afraid of seeing other kids holding hands with their parents, going from house to house to visit relatives. We were afraid of seeing other kids showing off the firecrackers their dad bought them, saying, 'Look, my dad bought me these!'

You will never know how we suffered during these years..."

Liu Xiao kept talking, and Liu Xin and Liu Hua had already burst into tears, embracing each other and crying.

Wang Baochang and I stood on the riverbank, listening to Liu Xiao's heartfelt words, and couldn't help but have tears fill our eyes.

The loneliness and pain of left-behind children, who besides heaven, would understand?