Life After Aunt Ji Left
Tang Yan continued sending a message to Aunt Ji every day. Even though WeChat never showed a reply, for some reason, she always felt like Aunt Ji could still see them.
Today was December 31, 2020—the last day of the year. In her journal, Tang Yan wrote: The busy first semester of sophomore year is about to end. Time flies without Aunt Ji by my side—it feels like the blink of an eye. I hope I can pass Level 4 of the computer exam next year. That’s my goal.
“Ding dong, ding dong.”
On the first day of the new year, someone came to visit. Tang Yan quickly put down what she was doing and rushed to open the door. Standing outside was Aunt Zhang Miya and her family—it had been half a year since they’d last seen each other. She came with bags full of gifts and, unsurprisingly, grumbled about Aunt Ji.
“That old Ji—completely outrageous! Vanishing without a word. When she comes back, I’m going to give her a piece of my mind.”
Tang Yan just stood by with a faint smile. If only that were possible—if only she really could come back.
Little Dou Dou had grown a lot, now able to say all kinds of things, making the adults laugh nonstop. She especially loved playing with “Sister Tang Yan.”
With Aunt Miya’s help, Tang Yan prepared a big meal that night. She invited Peiwen, who stayed in Huadu for the New Year, as well as Xiaoyun, who still hadn’t gone home, and her sweet girlfriend Shen Yuyin. Together they made a full table. Everyone sat around enjoying their New Year’s Eve dinner, full of warmth and laughter. For a moment, that kind of joy helped dull the pain.
Before everyone left, they each said comforting things to Tang Yan. She understood and was grateful. For Aunt Ji’s sake, she would hang in there. A love like theirs was never easy—without bitterness, how could you ever know sweetness?
After seeing everyone off, Peiwen was once again the last to leave. She even stayed behind to help wash dishes and clean up for nearly half an hour.
“2021 is almost here. Got any New Year’s wishes?” Peiwen asked with a smile.
“My wish…” Tang Yan looked up at the sky. The stars were scattered, faintly twinkling, a soft glow lighting up her eyes. “I want to see Aunt Ji soon.”
Peiwen echoed, “Then my wish is for you two to be reunited soon.”
After Peiwen left, the house fell into silence again. The kind of silence that comes after noise—almost unbearable.
It was nearly midnight. Tang Yan wanted to stay up and send Aunt Ji her New Year’s blessing right on the dot. She had already typed out her message ten minutes early. The moment the clock struck twelve, she hit send.
Even though she knew no reply would come, it gave her a kind of comfort.
For the end-of-term exams, Tang Yan came first in her year once again and earned the highest-level scholarship. She had become a model student—someone others looked up to.
But that wasn’t enough.
To her, Aunt Ji was an outstanding person. She wanted to be just as exceptional—no, even better.
While her classmates were still preparing for the Level 2 computer exam, Tang Yan had already taken the most difficult Level 4 exam—and passed.
The past six months had been non-stop. Between classes, attendance requirements, competitions, and speeches, she had no free time at all. Many nights, she would think about sending a message to Aunt Ji, only to fall asleep from exhaustion before she could even open her phone.
Last year, she had gone home about twice a month. This year, once a month was already good. Mostly she went to get seasonal clothes—and to clean the house thoroughly. After all, it was Aunt Ji’s house. Even if she wasn’t there, it had to stay clean, so that whenever she returned, it would still feel like home.
“She’s like a machine.”
“Tang Yan, do you have infinite stamina or what?”
“I swear, if she joins a company, she’ll be that terrifying workaholic everyone talks about!”
“Oh my god, don’t you ever rest?”
“She’s gone off the rails.”
“…”
Tang Yan kept surprising her roommates with her energy and drive. She believed people had unlimited potential. The brain was like a muscle—the more you used it, the sharper it became. Let it sit, and it rusts.
And so, she powered through sophomore year and entered junior year.
By then, Tang Yan had already self-studied everything in the four-year university curriculum. It wasn’t that much, really—most important courses were in sophomore and junior years. She was just a year ahead of her peers, thanks to using even her summer break without a single day off.
She’d heard that at the end of 2021, there would be a national university computer competition. She wanted to join. And she knew that by then, her opponents might even be senior students. She couldn’t afford to fall behind—not by one bit.
Most of the students from Huadu University who signed up were from the computer science department—mostly guys, of course. There were a few girls, but none like Tang Yan, who was only entering junior year. The older girls couldn’t help but admire her.
The competition used an elimination system: province vs. province. The top ten would go on to the national finals.
As the finals approached, online buzz skyrocketed—including from someone far overseas: Ji Yuqing.
Since leaving Huadu, she had spent the past year traveling the world. She tried all sorts of things she had never dared attempt before—bungee jumping, rock climbing, skydiving, snow mountain trekking, snorkeling. For over a decade, her life had revolved around work. This was the first time she’d truly let herself be free.
Between countries, she always flew back to the nursing home in Switzerland to visit her mother. Seeing her mother looking healthy and full of life gave her peace. She’d usually stay for about a week before setting off again.
Time passed quietly. But she kept an eye on things back home. Over the past year, she had watched Tang Yan grow—a girl blooming at an unbelievable pace, in ways she never imagined.
She thought, If my mom saw her now, she’d definitely be proud.
The national university computer competition ended.
The results were out: Tang Yan did remarkably well—placing third in the entire country, a shock to those who had underestimated her.
Second place went to a guy from another province. First place was a senior from Huadu. Still, when Tang Yan came off the stage with her trophy, the girls in her department surrounded her, beaming. “You’ve made us proud!”
Standing there under the flashing lights, holding her trophy, Tang Yan thought: Will Aunt Ji see this? I hope… I hope she sees me.
Ji Yuqing watched the entire live stream on her iPad. She covered her mouth as a smile broke across her face, her heart swelling with pride and joy.
After the ceremony, Tang Yan rushed to send her a photo of the trophy and wrote excitedly that she had placed third in the national competition. In that moment, she desperately hoped Aunt Ji would reply. Just one message. Just one word of praise.
But nothing came. Not even a “typing…” notification.
Ji Yuqing saw it. She saw the message.
And beyond happiness, pride, and excitement, there were emotions she couldn’t name.
This child really didn’t let me down. I was right about her.
You’re amazing, Yan Yan.
Ji Yuqing gave her phone a silent thumbs-up.