He and his parents were fine, and the next morning he went home with his parents. Political Commissar Wang called Old Man Qian to reassure him and Xiaoqi. Xiaoqi didn't know if her father was worried, but she wasn't at that moment. She had gone to the cafeteria with her umbrella to get breakfast.

It had rained that morning, and Xiaoqi's memories of Guangzhou were mostly fragmentary, like getting breakfast. Since it was just the two of them at home, Xiaoqi had always helped her father with whatever she could.

She remembered holding a large black umbrella, preparing porridge in a small aluminum pot, flipping the lid over, adding two steamed buns, and a handful of their special pickled vegetables. Xiaoqi also remembered the pickled vegetables being finely chopped and containing carrots.