"Auntie's health was poor, and she fell during her pregnancy, resulting in a premature birth. The child was stillborn, and the doctor said she could never bear children again. Auntie was so distraught she refused to believe the baby was gone, threatening to throw herself into the river in her grief."
Lu Aijiao's voice choked up a bit. As a child, she witnessed everything but didn't understand the impact it all had on her family, on her parents. Sometimes, she couldn't help but secretly resent them for playing favorites.
It wasn't until she had grown up, gotten married, and had children of her own that she truly understood her parents.
"If it weren't for Uncle kneeling before our dad, refusing to get up and begging him to take Aiguo to comfort Auntie, our little brother could not have been brought back. He would have stayed a cousin instead. From then on, Aiguo became Uncle's son, and that departed cousin became our brother."
