Si Chen rode his bike to the nearest telephone booth with Tong Yao, dialed the Tong family's number, and then stood quietly to the side, silent.
As the dial tone played, Tong Yao's palms sweated with nerves.
In her past life, she had been an orphan, with no parents to speak of; a family's warmth was something she could only long for but never reach. Now, having parents all of a sudden felt strange, yet she was looking forward to it.
"Hello." After two or three rings, the call was answered, followed by a soft woman's voice coming through the line.
"Who called?" A stern male voice also came on the line.
"Mom." Tong Yao tried to call out, for some reason her eyes became a bit sour at speaking the word, and she choked up: "I miss you."
