From the woman’s scattered words, I learned about Mama and the little girl.
Mama’s name is Xu Xue. She used to be a very respected doctor.
She once had a happy family. Her husband was a long-haul truck driver—gentle and caring. They had a daughter named Yao Nian.
When Yao Nian was about seven or eight, her father died in a car accident caused by fatigue driving.
After that, it was just Mama and Yao Nian.
Mama loved Yao Nian deeply. She tried to make up for the loss of her father by giving her all the love in the world.
But raising a child isn’t like raising a cat. She had to work hard to support them.
She was so busy that she didn’t have much time to spend with her daughter.
She didn’t notice that her lively, cheerful girl was becoming quiet and withdrawn.
When Yao Nian was little, she fell and got a triangular scar under her eye.
After she started middle school, that scar became a target for bullies.
Kids can be cruel. They called her ugly, said she had no father, locked her in the bathroom and poured cold water on her, cut her hair, and even made cuts on her arms.
By the time Mama realized something was wrong, Yao Nian was already suffering from severe depression.
Mama immediately pulled her out of school and took her to see a psychologist.
With Mama’s care, Yao Nian started to get better.
But one day, they planned to go to an amusement park together. Mama got called in for an emergency surgery and had to cancel.
She dropped Yao Nian off at the apartment building and hurried to work.
She didn’t notice the bullies waiting nearby.
Because Yao Nian had left school, the bullies had been scolded by the teachers. Angry, they started stalking the area, looking for a chance to hurt her.
That day, they caught Yao Nian alone, dragged her into an alley, beat her, stripped her, and took humiliating videos before running off.
Yao Nian’s depression came back. She went home, opened her bedroom window, and jumped from the fifth floor.
Mama was still in surgery when a nurse came in and said there was a suicide case that needed immediate attention.
Mama felt uneasy but decided to finish her current surgery before checking her phone.
When she finally finished and turned on her phone, she saw dozens of missed calls.
The hospital told her that her Xiao Nian was dead—she was the patient Mama had turned down for surgery.
Yao Nian’s death broke Mama’s heart.
She blamed herself and locked herself inside the apartment, unable to move on.
Yao Nian’s room became a forbidden place. Mama was afraid to go in, afraid of the memories.
The bullies were all underage. The surveillance cameras caught them, but because of their age, they only got two years in juvenile detention.
Every year on this day—Yao Nian’s death anniversary—Mama would lock herself in the room, refusing to eat or drink, as if punishing herself.
Her mental health got worse. She couldn’t work anymore and refused to see a doctor, believing it was her punishment.
The woman—her younger sister, Xiao Mei—stroked my head sadly.
“She named you Nian Nian because she misses Xiao Nian. And look—you even have a patch of gray fur in the same shape and place as her scar. Maybe Xiao Nian sent you to comfort her mama.”
I meowed softly.
I felt sad.
I should have torn that old woman’s mouth and bitten her throat when she called Mama crazy.
Xiao Mei put the photo back and held me by the window, looking at the city lights.
She said, “Those bullies who hurt Xiao Nian are getting out of juvenile detention next month. I haven’t told Mama—I’m afraid she’ll do something she’ll regret.”
Xiao Mei only stayed for one night. She had her own family and job, but she came to check on Mama every year on this day.
After taking her medicine, Mama felt a little better.
The next day, she sat with me in Yao Nian’s room all day, empty and lost.
No matter how much I tried to cheer her up, she barely noticed.
But only for that one day.
The next day, she was back to her usual self—playing with me, opening cans for me, holding me while she slept, and calling me Nian Nian over and over.
Chapter 05
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