Early morning, 3:30 AM, Tang Yue heard Zhang Hualian calling her to get up while she was still in a daze, rubbing her eyes that hadn’t woken up yet, she asked, "What time is it?"
"It’s 3:30 now, the bus is at 4:00. Although the station is close by, don’t you still need to wash up and get dressed?" Zhang Hualian knew she was going with her to stock up and hadn’t slept well all night.
She gently got up several times, went to the living room to check the time, until she woke up at 3:00, and Zhang Hualian, fearing she would miss the time, never fell back asleep.
In the morning, there were baozi to make, so Zhang Hualian simply started heating water early, and when it was 3:30, she began calling for Tang Yue.
"Xiao Yue, it’s cold outside. Put on more clothes so you don’t catch a cold," Zhang Hualian reminded as she got the fire going, feeling particularly cold. She brought the brazier inside; it had roaring flames, which she placed inside the room to keep Tang Yue warm when she got up.
"Mom, why did you get up so early?" Tang Yue, seeing that Zhang Hualian had even taken care of the fire, couldn’t help but wonder when exactly she had gotten up.
On regular days making baozi, she would wake up between 4:00 and 4:30 AM, and she always slept soundly, Zhang Hualian would wake up and she would vaguely notice, but would fall back asleep.
"Quickly get dressed, I’ve heated some water," Zhang Hualian brought in the warm clothes she had dried.
Wearing the warm clothes, Tang Yue felt an indescribable touch of gratitude.
In the past, Zhang Hualian might have done the same, but back then, she resented Zhang Hualian for waking her up and keeping her from sleeping well. Even though she dried clothes for her, she still complained and never really felt Zhang Hualian’s maternal love.
Later, after she graduated from high school and followed Wu Xinming, whenever she returned home, it was cold and indifferent; the mother-daughter relationship was even worse than strangers.
"Mom." Wearing the clothes, Tang Yue looked at Zhang Hualian, eyes swimming with emotion.
Seeing her motionless, Zhang Hualian looked up and saw those moved eyes, and she smiled, "Xiao Yue, you’re already a senior high school student and still so prone to tears."
"Mom, thank you." Tang Yue threw herself into her arms, tears inevitably falling, dampening Zhang Hualian’s clothes.
"We’re all fine, why say such things?" Zhang Hualian, being hugged by her daughter and listening to her tender words, felt an ultimate sense of happiness. She looked up and said, "Xiao Yue, hurry up, or your little uncle will have to come looking for you."
After speaking, Zhang Hualian hurried away, her hand wiping at her eyes.
"You are the best mom," Tang Yue grinned at her retreating figure, took a deep breath, and couldn’t help saying, "God, thank you for giving me another chance."
Tang Yue also knew time was running short; she already heard Tang Mingli gently knocking at the door. She quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, tying her hair in a high ponytail, grabbed the baozi Zhang Hualian had made early, and left, saying, "Mom, I’m in a hurry, I have to go now."
"Did you take the baozi for your little uncle?" Zhang Hualian hurriedly asked.
Tang Yue held up the warm baozi in her hand; as soon as she stepped out, she handed them to Tang Mingli and was already breathing heavily. Outside, the sky was pitch dark without a glimmer of light, the morning streets were still, all the shops were closed, lacking the usual hustle and bustle, the streets were quieter than she had ever seen.


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