It was 7pm in the evening. Mei Lin still hadn't returned. Su Lin was getting scared of the darkness. Her joy from winning the chess prize was all but forgotten. She tried to flip the switch for the lights, but she wasn't tall enough. After another twenty minutes, she managed to pull the chair from the dining table and dragged it next to the switch. She sweated a bit since the chair was made of solid wood and was quite heavy for her. After a little breather, she got up on the chair and finally switched on the light. She had never contacted her father on the phone before, but she knew his number. Feeling scared, lonely and hungry, she finally called her dad, Weihan Lin. Unfortunately, the call didn't connect here as well. Like this, another two hours passed.
Su Lin did not know the contact numbers of any relatives. Her parents had never been in a good relationship with their in-laws after their marriage, and this led the rest of their relatives to estrange them. After not visiting their relatives for a while, Mei Lin and her husband reduced their contact to only phone calls during the New Year and other festive occasions. But there was really no reciprocity from the other side- these relatives did not even care to ask about Su Lin, who as a very young child had nothing to do with the matter. As a young couple with pride, Mei and Weihan decided never to get in touch with these birds of fair weather again. So little Su had no one to go to now.
Finally at 11pm, Su Lin could no longer bear her hunger. She opened the refrigerator and drank milk from the opened carton. Then she took a raw tomato, which she usually hated, and chewed on it. Most of the dry snacks were kept inside the cabinets higher up, so it was out of her reach. After eating, little Su felt better. She decided to go to the chess academy and ask coach Gao Han to find her parents. So she walked out of her home in the dark and slowly made her way to the academy. After she reached, she found that the house was completely dark. She knocked on the large door with her little hands, but there was no response. It was very eerie.
Little Su thought of going back to the apartment. But then she realized, she had forgotten to take the keys when rushing out. She was now locked out of her own home. Her only choice was to wait here. She sat down on the steps leading to the door to wait. As a night deepened, it got colder. Little Su balled up trying to keep warm. Tired from the day's ordeals, she somehow fell asleep on those steps. That was how instructor Gao Han found her the next morning.