Standing Next To You

When Bei Sangyun arrived in the hut, the tears she was holding on fell down like waterfalls. She cried loudly and heartbreakingly.

Sadness, frustration, resentment...and many emotions entangled up at once.

"Grandma....hic....Grandma..." She called out for her grandma but there was no response.

Her tears paused.

Where's grandma?

She looked inside the hut and then at the outhouse. But her grandma wasn't there.

Her grandma wasn't in the market. She wasn't at home either. Where was she?

"Grandma?"

Bei Sangyun called out. However, there was only silence.

She looked around the yard. It was too silent. Too empty...and too desolate.

She was standing in the yard all alone. The feeling of being deserted made her afraid.

"Grandma!" Bei Sangyun called out but only the sound of the chicks in the yard answered her.

"Grandma!" Her tears fall and she called out her grandma at the top of her lungs.

She had never been afraid in this life. When her sense of taste disappeared before, she was scared, but not as scared as right now!

She ran outside to check the river. But there was no sign of her grandma. She went to the foot of the mountain, but Grandma wasn't there.

She checked several places but she did not find her grandma's trace.

Bei Sangyun went back to the hut. However, her grandma still wasn't there.

"Grandma...." Bei Sangyun cried loudly.

She was so scared. Where's grandma? Did grandma leave her?

No. The whole world would turn its back on her but not her grandma.

Without Grandma, how could she live?

Her tears continued to fall down as she cried, "Grandma....Huhu..."

So many upsetting things happened today. If Grandma also left her, Bei Sangyun wouldn't know what to do.

"Grandma, I am so scared...."

"Oh my! Bei Sangyun! Why are you crying?!"

A familiar voice pierced through the darkness that had enveloped Bei Sangyun, akin to a ray of light cutting through the shadows. The daunting abyss of solitude instantly dissipated, replaced by a sense of comfort and connection.

Bei Sangyun turned around and saw Granda Bei.

"Grandma!" She ran to Grandma Be's embrace and aggrievedly cried, "I thought you left me. Don't leave me, Grandma."

Grandma Bei paused. She then hugged Bei Sangyun tightly.

"...I'm sorry, my child."

Grandma Bei patted Bei Sangyun on the back until the latter calmed down.

"Are you hungry?" Grandma Bei asked after a while.

Bei Sangyun held her tummy and nodded. All the crying made her exhausted and hungry.

"Okay, you wash up first. Then we will go to the town and eat."

"Go to the town?" Bei Sangyun was stunned.

It was already late in the afternoon. It would get dark on their way. It was dangerous to cross the river and mountain in the dark. It was not a wise choice to go to the town at this time.

Besides, why they would eat in the town? Do they have enough money for that?

Even a noodle soup from the food stall in the market cost Grandma Bei's two baskets.

"We have never eaten anything in the town. Don't worry about anything and just wash your face."

Grandma Bei handed a water basin to Bei Sangyun. Although confused, Bei Sangyun obeyed her grandma.

Because of the curiosity of going to the town at this time of the day, and the anticipation of eating outside, the sadness in Bei Sangyun's heart reduced a lot.

.....

"Wow, you made a pretty dress, Grandma!" Bei Sangyun admiringly examined the pink dress in front of her.

It was a pink oversized shirt that was distributed to the village by a politician last year.

Because the color was good and it was long enough to cover Bei Sangyun's knees, Grandma Bei did some altering in the hems, waistline, and sleeves. Grandma Bei embroidered a yellow flower on the chest area to cover the politician's face.

The oversized shirt had become a pink dress for little girls.

Bei Sangyun wanted to wear this shirt because it has a pretty color. But her Grandma Bei said that she was not yet done with the alterations and it would be saved for her graduation.

She had forgotten about it and only remembered after seeing it again.

"But didn't you say this dress is for my graduation day?" Bei Sangyun asked with confusion. Although she wanted to wear the dress, she still remembered her Grandma's words.

Thinking about graduation, Bei Sangyun's mood became sad.

She won't attend that school anymore. She won't have a graduation.

"I lied when I said it's for your graduation. Children grew quickly. It won't be in your size anymore when you graduate. This dress is actually for your birthday."

"My birthday! But...isn't my birthday already passed?"

"Yup. That's why you are going to wear it today."

"Really? Can I wear it today?!"

Grandma Bei nodded.

Bei Sangyun cheered and laughed. All her sadness disappeared.

With the distraction of the new dress, she had immediately forgotten the bad day she went through.

She hurriedly changed into the dress.

"How do I look like, Grandma? Am I pretty?" Bei Sangyun twirled around and put on an adorable expression.

Grandma Bei patted her head. "So pretty."

Then she handed her a new pair of embroidered shoes.

Bei Sangyun gasped. The shoes were so pretty. Prettier and cooler than Fei Chuan's!

"Did you make this, Grandma?" Bei Sangyun asked with shining eyes.

"Of course, I stayed up at night while you slept just to make this. This is supposed to be your birthday gift. But I have only finished it last week. Don't use the straw sandals anymore."

Bei Sangyun held the embroidered shoes carefully as if she was holding a very fragile glass. Her face was red as if she was about to cry. "Grandma, I thought today is the worst day of my life. But it's not a bad day anymore."

Granda Bei flicked her forehead. "You are only nine years old. A lot of things will happen in your life. They will be either good or bad. But remember, my child Bei Sangyun is not weak. I believe you will overcome them."

Bei Sangyun teared up and hugged her grandma, "You are the only one who believes in me! But it's okay. As long as I have you, Grandma."

Grandma Bei hugged Bei Sangyun. There was heartache and indescribable sadness in Grandma Bei's eyes. She wiped the tears that were about to fall down and forced herself to smile.

"Alright. Let me see if it fits you."