Chapter 47: Separation and Departure 2
“That’s good, it’s quiet here,” Sun Rongfang said to her daughter.
Xie Wanying nodded in agreement.
They unlocked the door and entered the dormitory room, which had two bunk beds for four people without being cramped. It was unclear whether the other freshmen hadn’t arrived yet or had come earlier because no one else could be seen inside.
One of the bunk beds had a mattress and a mosquito net hanging over it, indicating that someone was already living there.
Xie Wanying chose a top bunk among the remaining beds because the top bunk was quieter and more suitable for studying. She and her mother made the bed together, arranging the sheets, mattress, and pillows.
Items like buckets and washbasins needed to be purchased at the small convenience store within the school. The mother and daughter planned to buy the other necessities there while on their way to eat at the school cafeteria.
Since finding the dormitory had taken some time, by the time mother and daughter went to the cafeteria, they found that almost all the food was gone, leaving only scraps and leftovers.
“See, I told you, if you encounter this situation in the future, remember to ‘open a small stove’ outside, got it?” Sun Rongfang reminded her daughter again not to let her studies affect her health.
This time, Xie Wanying heeded her mother’s advice and nodded.
After a simple lunch, they browsed the convenience store inside the school and found that items were more expensive there, so they went to a commercial supermarket outside the school to shop instead. After helping her daughter acquire all the necessities, Sun Rongfang felt she had fulfilled her mission of accompanying her daughter on this trip.
With nothing else to do and the teachers seeming nice, Sun Rongfang planned to follow her original plan and take the train home the next day. Back at home, her younger son was not good at studying, and her husband was unreliable—it was up to her alone to return home and take care of things.
“If only your dad could give me peace of mind, I could stay with you a few more days,” Sun Rongfang said to her daughter, her voice laden with deep guilt. She knew this was her daughter’s first long journey away from home, studying alone in a foreign place, which must have inevitably led to many days of loneliness and helplessness—a time when she needed family. However, she was helpless against her good-for-nothing husband and son.
“Mom, it’s fine, I can manage on my own,” Xie Wanying said as she hugged and held her mother’s hand like she did when she was a child.
“All right, stay with me for one more night tonight,” Sun Rongfang said, patting the back of her daughter’s hand reassuringly.
The mother and daughter walked back to the guest house together. Xie Wanying knew that after tonight, it would be a long time before she could see her mother again. It might often be the case in the future since her medical studies would take eight long years. She felt somewhat sad about this.
Before leaving her daughter, Sun Rongfang also wanted to do as much as possible for her, so she grabbed a brush and started scrubbing her daughter’s shoes after dinner.
“You just sit there. I feel uncomfortable if I’m not working,” Sun Rongfang told her daughter, waving her back to her seat as she scrubbed vigorously.
Perhaps it was only through working that she could temporarily forget the fact that her child was growing up and moving away from her. That children grow up and leave their parents is something Sun Rongfang, as a mother, had long been aware of. She believed that as a mother, she had to bravely bear this kind of pain alone.
While her mother was busy, Xie Wanying crouched down to pack her mother’s luggage for the return trip, stuffing several bags of instant noodles into her mother’s travel bag. She scrubbed cups and bowls forcefully, and put away the towels, tissues, and other items.
Ultimately, the night passed quickly as mother and daughter prepared items for each other.