Juhua listened to her mother ramble on without interrupting, her gaze lost in the lettuce patch. The stalks were already half a foot tall, each one growing strong and vigorous. The leaves fanned out like a pagoda, layered one on top of the other, growing shorter, narrower, and more delicate toward the top. They were green with a hint of red, glistening with a fresh, tender sheen under the sun.
She suddenly cut her mother off and said, "Mother, I didn't throw myself in the lake."
Her mother looked up, staring at her in astonishment.
Juhua met her gaze and said firmly, "Just like Little Shitou, I fell into the lake by accident. I wasn't trying to end my life by jumping in."
Her mother was stunned for a long moment, her eyes beginning to sting. Her lips trembled for a while before she asked in a hoarse voice, "Is that true?"
Juhua nodded. "It's true. I was going to tell you, but I didn't think you would have believed me back then."
