Lu Fan stood to the side, not saying a word.
"The man in my dreams was very tall. I couldn't see his face, but he held my hand and led me upward, one step at a time."
Jiang Silu's voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself. "Every time we reached the summit, he would buy me delicious treats—ice cream, candied haws, cotton candy... anything and everything."
As she spoke, she lowered her head to look at the water bottle in her hand, her tone tinged with disappointment. "Then I'd wake up, and I'd lie in bed alone, wondering when that person would finally appear."
Just then, a mountain breeze rustled the leaves overhead.
Lu Fan stood frozen, looking at his daughter with a storm of emotions.
Jiang Silu didn't look at him and continued, "In school, whenever the class had a spring or fall outing, the other kids were all dropped off by both their mom and dad."
