Sheng Shijing first went to his second uncle's home to say goodbye to his grandfather. They talked for an hour.
'He was leaving now, and he didn't know when he'd see his grandfather again.'
He carried an empty duffel bag. He had no luggage of his own; his mother poured all her affection onto his biological sister, with no time to spare for him.
Even though she knew he was going to the Southern Border, she hadn't prepared a single thing for him. His spare clothes were back at his dorm.
The empty bag was meant for bringing back gifts for his family. Sheng Shijing first went to the co-op to buy a gift before heading to the Su family's home to see Jiaojiao.
But he was short on cash. Since he started working, he had given most of his salary to his family, and he had spent what little he had left on Jiaojiao.
He figured he'd get a paycheck every month, so whenever he had money, he would take Jiaojiao to the co-op to buy her things she liked.
