Pan Lanfang sat on the edge of the bed, clutching the photograph. She looked at it over and over, more than a dozen times.
With every glance, her heart grew more troubled.
The two people in the photo were smiling so sweetly, their heads touching, their eyes curved into crescents.
She thought about all the things Lu Fan had done since he started coming to the village.
Fixing the irrigation ditch, catching fish, selling fish, keeping her company, bringing tea for Jiang Guoqiang, running around helping at the hospital.
Every single act had been genuine.
She remembered how she'd praised him to Jiang Yixia every time, saying what a good and reliable kid he was, the kind you couldn't find even if you searched with a lantern.
She remembered the evasive look in Jiang Yixia's eyes whenever she said those things. Now, it all made sense.
Pan Lanfang flipped the photo over and read the words on the back again: "Yixia and Lu Fan, the tenth day of being together."
Lu Fan.
