Li Wei stood frozen in front of the poster, his eyes locked on the words as if they might suddenly change. The morning sun climbed higher, its warmth soaking into his skin, but he didn't feel it.His eyes kept tracing the same lines over and over: Good pay. Food provided. Live on-site.
It felt like a door swinging open — a way out of endless hunger, out of scraping by day after day. A chance to finally help his mother and sister. But to take that chance, he'd have to leave home. Leave his mother alone in that cold, tiny bed. Move even farther away from Ying, who was already struggling on her own.
His fingers curled into tight fists. His heart hammered so loud he thought it might echo down the street.
People passed him, some giving him quiet, pitying looks. Others just shook their heads, moving on. An old man shuffled past and muttered, "Every choice has a price, boy," but the words barely reached Li Wei's ears.
All he could see was his mother's tired face. Ying's rough hands, scrubbing day after day. The tiny, dim room he always returned to, waiting for him like an open wound.
He stepped forward. His legs felt heavy, each step dragging a thousand memories behind it.
He reached the sign-up sheet. The brush lay ready, black ink waiting to claim his name and seal his path.His hand hovered over the paper, his breath coming out in shaky bursts.
Go, he told himself. Just sign. Do it for them.
But then another voice rose inside him, quiet but steady: What if she needs you tomorrow? What if you come back too late? What if you're not there when she calls?
He saw her faint smile in his mind. The way she looked at him, always trusting, even when he had nothing left to give.A single drop slid down his cheek. He didn't know if it was sweat or a tear. Maybe both.
Suddenly, his feet moved on their own. He stumbled back, almost knocking into a woman passing by. His chest heaved, his eyes wide and wild.
And then ;he ran.
He ran past the noisy market, past the old brick walls he used to lean against as a boy, past the smell of buns he always wished he could buy.He burst through the clinic door, nearly falling over. His mother's eyes snapped open, startled.
Li Wei dropped to his knees beside her bed, clutching her thin, cold hand in both of his. He pressed it against his forehead, his shoulders shaking.
"I'm here, Ma," he whispered, voice cracking. "I'm here… I'm not leaving you. I can't."
Her lips trembled, and even though she couldn't speak, her eyes filled with warmth. Relief. Love. A softness deeper than any words could ever hold.
Outside, the village carried on. The cart to the sugar factory would roll out soon, his name absent from the list forever.
Li Wei stayed by her side as the afternoon faded into gold and the first stars began to pierce the sky.
His future now felt like a breath he hadn't yet taken — held tight, waiting.
Had he thrown away his one chance to change everything? Or had he chosen the only thing that truly mattered?
Nobody knew what tomorrow would bring.
But in that moment, sitting on the rough floor, his mother's frail hand clasped in his, Li Wei felt a quiet certainty bloom in his chest.
Somewhere outside, the wind picked up, whispering around the doors and windows ; a soft promise of new trials, or maybe a warning.
Li Wei just closed his eyes and squeezed her hand a little tighter, bracing himself for whatever came next.