When I turn thirteen years old, I finally understand what grandmother mean when she said not to be afraid.

This year, I am in sixth grade in the village. I was playing with my best friend Liu Xiu Li in the cla.s.s when I felt an unbearable abdominal pain. She helps me leave the school and we went back home.

On the road, I felt that my lower body got warm, I looked down and saw my skirt were dyed red. Immediately, I got scared and cried, Liu Xiu Li also got panic but still tried to appease me on the side while she brought me home.

Grandma is inside the room where she treats and helps the villagers.

“Grandma, I am going to die.” I cried out loud, so grandmother rushed out from the house and see my skirt has blood. She knitted her eyebrows and ask Liu Xiu Li to go back home first. She told her that I just needed to change my clothes and that I will be fine.

“Grandma, you’re lying. If I’m not going to die, then why are you crying?” I clutch my hands around her stomach and look at her. Faint tears are coming out from her wrinkled eyes.

This is the first time I saw my grandmother cry. She only wipes her tears and didn’t say anything. But tonight, she just stays in the house and didn’t go anywhere.

My stomach is still in pain, but I didn’t think about it so much. After dinner, I just lie on my bed, but I didn’t fell asleep soon.

Occasionally, I feel sleepy and drowsy. I kept my eyes closed, but I suddenly felt that there was a wet hand stroking my cheek. The water is flowing down my cheek up to my mouth, so I couldn’t help but opened my eyes.

“Lili, why do you look like a drowned chicken?” I squint my eyes and tried to look at her through the dim lights.

At that moment her whole body is wet, her beautiful face has mud and her neck has a visible choke mark.

“Lili what’s wrong with you?” I looked at her choke marks, my heart couldn’t help but felt tight.

Liu Xiu Li’s family lives at the end part of the village. She told me before that she is different from an ordinary child because her last name means “Drag”. And so her mother remarried in our village, although the results are good and her stepfather is very kind, but still her stepfather last name means “repair”.

“Oh, what happen to your school uniform? Did your monthly period starts too? Come here, you need to change your clothes,” I said to her while getting up.

But suddenly her tears keeps flowing as she shook her head, her purple lips are trembling too. She said: “Xiao Xi, I feel in pain, it’s so uncomfortable.”

“Pain? I will call grandmother so she can help you.” I looked at Liu Xiu Li and sat up.
But she didn’t answer, she then directly turned around and walked out my room. I quickly got out of bed and grabbed the umbrella, but when I went outside the house I didn’t even saw Liu Xiuli’s shadow. I only to saw grandfather was drinking alone.

“Grandpa, have you seen Lili?.” I asked my grandfather.

Grandpa was obviously drunk and he said:”Are you daydreaming? If you are sleepy go back to your room now.”

Grandfather always have a bad temper. It’s absolutely a good thing that he has no son or else he would love to go drink all day with him and grandmother will just yell all the time.

I didn’t dare to provoke my grandfather’s anger and just obediently returned to my room. My heart felt so worried about Liu Xiu Li because I don’t know what happened to her.

At that time, I didn’t know that Liu Xiu Li got in trouble.

The next day early in the morning, I heard the village played a suona sound, our village will only play this sound when there is a funeral for children. When I heard it, I rubbed my eyes and quickly ran to the door.

Grandmother just came back from the outside, she looks tired and saw me standing in the doorway: “Xiao Xi, didn’t I told you not to come out? so why are you standing there now?”

“Grandma, who died?” I was so curious and probe my head.

Grandma looks toward the direction of the suona sound and then she took me inside my room.

She let me lie down on the bed and covered me with a quilt. She pursed her lips and said: “Xiao Xi, grandma will tell you but don’t be sad, ok? When Lili went home after she sent you back yesterday, she accidentally got drowned in the river.”