Qi Lihong returned to Beijing on the twenty-sixth day before the New Year. Her family home had been sold for eighty thousand, and after all the paperwork was completed, she burned all of her mother's clothing and belongings that could be burned, leaving only two photos from her youth for remembrance.
There wasn't a single penny in savings at home, which made handling matters rather simple.
Not everyone in the neighborhood sympathized with her. On the day she was packing up to leave, a nosy auntie from the third floor came up and said to her with a hint of sarcasm, "Lihong, I heard that your grandparents have collected your father's body and are taking it to be cremated today. Though your dad wasn't so great to you, he still gave you life. Isn't it a bit heartless not to cry and bow before him? Be careful, or nobody will dare to associate with you in the future."
While she spoke, her eyes darted intentionally towards Liu Wenhui.
