There were noisy footsteps in the hallway, and a few hushed conversations. They didn’t know what was said, but the man carrying a fertilizer bag suddenly raised his voice.

“What? You let Panpan stay in the attic?”

Zhou Aifeng was puzzled: “Panpan? What Panpan?”

“Shhh, keep your voice down,” Zhou Aihong pulled at Pan Sanjin’s sleeve and whispered in his ear, “Isn’t it our family’s Panpan.”

However, thinking about how hot it was, and how her little sister had actually hidden the child in the attic, Zhou Aihong glared at Zhou Aifeng reproachfully and with disappointment.

What a heartless mother!

“Lai Di, I’m talking about Lai Di. Why did you lock Lai Di in the attic? The child will suffocate!”

Pan Sanjin endured the heartache and called his family’s Panpan “Lai Di.”

“Sigh, I didn’t have a choice.” Zhou Aifeng had a worried look on her face. “There are a lot of people walking around downstairs. If someone heard something, or saw something, and everyone found out that Lai Di wasn’t dead, what would happen to my son?”

As she said this, she raised her hand and stroked her abdomen.

Zhou Aihong glanced at her. “Are you pregnant?”

“It’s not confirmed yet, but maybe.” Zhou Aifeng lowered her head, her expression a mix of shyness and anticipation. “Mingfeng and I asked the neighborhood committee cadre. In the future, my family will only have Zhaodi, so we can have another son anytime.”

After saying that, she gave Pan Sanjin a meaningful look.

Her husband, Mingfeng, wasn’t like her useless brother-in-law. And she wasn’t like her barren older sister.

Having a son? Easy!

Pan Sanjin and Zhou Aihong ignored the hidden meaning in Zhou Aifeng’s eyes. Knowing that the child was in the attic, and it was so hot, they were worried that something might happen to the child. They hurried upstairs.

The wooden stairs creaked loudly under their feet.

In the attic, Pan Sanjin saw the lock on the wooden door, and another surge of anger flashed through his eyes.

“Anyone who didn’t know would think you were locking up a prisoner.”

He mocked her, not saying anything more. He snatched the key from Zhou Aifeng’s hand and quickly unlocked the door.

The wooden door creaked open, and light flooded into the cramped attic of the Wu house.

Pan Yao turned her head.

Besides Aier Mom, whom she had become familiar with over the past few days, there was also a man and a woman standing at the door. They were backlit, so she couldn’t see their faces clearly.

Zhou Aifeng smiled and walked over to Pan Yao.

She gave Pan Yao a hard pat. “What are you doing, being so wooden? Call them Aunt and Uncle.”

“What did Mom tell you earlier? You need to have a sweet tongue and be observant. That’s how you’ll have a good life.”

Seeing that Pan Yao didn’t move or speak, Zhou Aifeng felt a surge of anger. She secretly pinched Pan Yao in a hidden spot, and the last sentence was almost whispered in her ear.

The next moment, Zhou Aifeng looked up and put on a warm smile again.

“Sister, Brother-in-law, this is our family’s Lai Di.”

Over there, Pan Sanjin’s heart was breaking.

His Panpan, his Panpan… his Panpan was suffering!

Look at that little palm-sized face, so thin that her chin was pointed. Her arms and legs… Pan Sanjin couldn’t bear to look.

And, and, and that damp, fine hair!

Noticing Pan Yao’s hair, Pan Sanjin became even angrier.

He had just seen it. When they came in, the little girl was sitting with her back to them, the room dark and gloomy, with only a little wind coming in through the crack in the wooden window.

That silhouette looked just like their village’s stray dog, Dahuang!

Ever since Old Wang, who used to feed it, passed away, it had been sitting at the entrance of the village every day, its tongue lolling out, squatting on the black mud, looking into the distance.

That look made one’s heart ache.

Now, the little girl didn’t speak, just staring at people with those big eyes, the corners of her eyes a little red. He didn’t know if she had been crying secretly.

Pan Sanjin’s heart ached, and his eyes felt like they were about to flood.

Pan Yao was startled by Pan Sanjin’s complicated and fatherly gaze.

She glanced at Pan Sanjin, glanced again, then lowered her head to look at her feet, still not saying anything or calling out.

This uncle, why did he look so strange?

Zhou Aihong pulled Pan Yao over and glared disapprovingly at Zhou Aifeng. “The child is shy. If she doesn’t want to call out, she doesn’t have to. Why are you pinching her?”

After saying that, Zhou Aihong looked down at the little girl, and then looked around the small attic. The large white bowl on the square table in the corner was almost empty, with only a shallow layer of water remaining.

What a sin.

She sighed in her heart, turned her head, and exchanged a look with Pan Sanjin. Pan Sanjin nodded. Zhou Aihong felt reassured; this meant he was determined to take the child away.

Next, Pan Yao listened as this aunt and uncle negotiated with Aier Mom.

“We’ll take the child, but we’ve agreed. From now on, she’s a child of my, old Pan’s, family and has absolutely nothing to do with your Wu family.”

“She’ll call me and Aihong ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’. We won’t visit each other during holidays or anything, and even letters, don’t send any to the child unless there’s something important. The child doesn’t need them. As for our kinship, you know, we broke off contact years ago.”

“This…” Zhou Aifeng hesitated.

Pan Sanjin frowned, showing a hint of menace.

“What, are you planning to raise her and then take her back? Do you think your older sister and I are fools?”

“No, no, absolutely not!” Zhou Aihong quickly waved her hands.

She laughed awkwardly. “After all, she’s my own child. I was thinking, maybe I could send the child something sometimes. Zhaodi is two years older than Lai Di. Although our family isn’t very well-off, we can still send the child some old clothes, if nothing else.”

“We don’t need your false kindness,” Pan Sanjin rebuffed her. “The child doesn’t need your tattered clothes. From now on, the child isn’t your family’s Lai Di. She’s my Pan family’s Little Moon. I’ve already thought of a nickname for her, Panpan.”

Speaking of the name Lai Di, Pan Sanjin had a lot of complaints that he couldn’t wait to express.

“Little Sister, it’s not that your brother-in-law is criticizing you, but if you want to have a son, what’s the use of calling your daughters Zhaodi and Lai Di? Do you remember Old Chen, your neighbor from your hometown?”

“I remember. What about him?” Zhou Aifeng nodded hesitantly. “His children, we played together since we were little.”

“Good that you remember,” Pan Sanjin nodded.

“I heard everything from your older sister. His family had seven daughters in a row, calling them Lai Di, Pan Di, Yin Di, and so on. In the end, did they have a son? No!” He spread his hands. “See, giving your daughters these names doesn’t work.”

“As the old saying goes, it’s better to rely on yourself than to ask for help from others. Instead of thinking about your daughters bringing you a son, you should think of ways to do it yourselves, you and your husband.”

Zhou Aifeng’s eyes lit up. “Brother-in-law, do you know some secret recipe? If we really have a son, Mingfeng and I will definitely reward you generously.”

Wu Mingfeng, Zhou Aifeng’s partner.

“Hey, you’re too kind.” Pan Sanjin waved his hand. “You, change your name in the future. Don’t call yourself Aifeng, call yourself Zhaoer or Laier. As for Mingfeng, he should call himself Panzi.”

Nearby, Pan Yao couldn’t help but snicker.

Truly, great minds think alike. Not only was Aier Mom’s name nice, Aier Dad’s name was also good.

Wu Panzi, hey, you have to admit, this name had more of an immortal air than Wu Mingfeng.

Now, looking at Pan Sanjin again, Pan Yao didn’t think he was strange anymore.

“You!” Zhou Aifeng gritted her teeth. “Are you making fun of us?”

Pan Sanjin shrugged. “I’ve told you the recipe. Believe it or not, it’s up to you.”

Some people with bad luck always go to Yu Daxian to change their names. See, when the name is different, fate is also different. He had a point.

Zhou Aifeng was so angry that her chest ached.

Forget it, forget it. She was foolish to even think of asking Pan Sanjin. He himself didn’t have a child, and she actually asked him for advice. Wasn’t that like seeking medical treatment in a panic, a pauper asking a beggar about the path to wealth?

Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey, she wasn’t a pauper!

…

Pork cost eighty-two cents per jin at that time. Seven-year-old Pan Yao was very thin. Wu Mingfeng, who had finished work, borrowed a large scale for weighing duck eggs from a duck-raising neighbor, added a twenty-jin weight, and then a ten-jin weight, and weighed Pan Yao at thirty-five jin.

The tail of the scale was pressed low. Pan Sanjin and Zhou Aihong didn’t quibble.

Finally, Pan Sanjin paid 28.7 yuan in bills and received the signed and fingerprinted severance document from the Wu family.

From then on, there was no Wu Lai Di in the Wu family.

Pan Yao held a small bag containing a few thin summer shirts.

It was already late, and people were starting to turn on their electric lights, which glowed dimly.

In the small alley, occasionally you could hear mothers calling their children to dinner. There weren’t many people on the road. Pan Sanjin and Zhou Aihong took advantage of the darkness and left with Pan Yao.

On the narrow stone-paved road, Pan Yao looked back at the wooden window.

The summer wind blew in through the finger-width crack. As she left, Zhou Aifeng and Wu Mingfeng were using the flat end of a claw hammer to pry the nails out of the wooden window.

With a “thump,” the extra wooden board was removed, the window was opened, and the summer breeze blew in gently, dispersing the stuffiness and dust in the room.

Pan Yao turned around and left.

…

Phoenix Island was close to the urban area of City A. The transportation was more developed than in Bajiao Village. There were even trolleybuses at night. Pan Yao looked at the “big braids” hanging from the top of the trolleybus with great curiosity.

You couldn’t see these things in the future.

Pan Sanjin saw the curiosity in Pan Yao’s eyes and took her small hand. “Let’s go, our Panpan can ride it too.”

Zhou Aihong rolled her eyes at him. She looked down and saw the bright eyes of the little girl, and she couldn’t bring herself to say that riding the bus was a waste of money.

Forget it, forget it. This was the little moon they had been longing for this past month. Besides, little children have short legs, and they certainly couldn’t walk as well as she and Sanjin.

The trolleybus cost a dime per ride. Pan Yao sat by the window.

With a “ding ding ding” sound, the bus moved forward, pulled by the big braids.

The window was wide open, and the summer breeze blew gently. Pan Yao looked outside.

Pedestrians and bicycles retreated to the left and right of the trolleybus. Occasionally, she saw vendors on the street, hawking their wares. They had wooden boards hanging in front of their chests, with snacks like melon seeds, candies, and other small items.

The breeze blew, carrying the fragrance of jasmine.

Looking closely, she saw that it was an old woman who had strung jasmine flowers together to supplement her household income.

It smelled so good.

Pan Yao liked the smell. She looked at the bracelet, and even when the bus drove away, she turned her head to keep looking.

Zhou Aihong smiled slightly.

She was just a little girl, liking things like flower bracelets.

She reached out and touched Pan Yao’s little braid, coaxing, “Our village has them too. When we get home, Aunt—” She paused and corrected herself, “When we get home, Mom will take you to pick some.”

Pan Yao turned her head to look at her.

Zhou Aihong smiled at her.

Pan Sanjin chimed in, “You don’t need your mom. Dad will pick them for you!”

“There are jasmine bushes near Yu Daxian’s temple. It’s perfect. Dad will take you to Yu Daxian to ask him what name to give you. It has to be a name with good luck. That old spirit medium is sometimes unreliable, but he’s quite knowledgeable. His calligraphy is excellent, and everyone in the surrounding villages knows it.”

Pan Yao hesitated. “Change my name?”

“Yes.” Pan Sanjin smiled. “A person’s name is very important. It affects their luck. You can’t be careless about it.”

Pan Yao glanced at Pan Sanjin, then at Zhou Aihong.

Although these two were a bit older, they were very welcoming. They were already calling themselves “Dad” and “Mom.”

However, these two seemed kind.

Zhou Aihong was tall, with bold features, and she seemed like a straightforward person. Pan Sanjin was a bit shorter. It was rare to see fat people in those days. Although he wasn’t very tall, his face wasn’t ugly.

He had thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and bright, clear eyes.

Pan Yao already knew that her surname would also be Pan. She tentatively asked, “Can I be called Pan Yao?”

“Pan Yao?” Pan Sanjin was surprised. “Yao, like the Yao in Yaochi, the Queen Mother of the West?”

“Not bad, not bad. It sounds quite nice, and it matches the nickname we chose, Panpan. I’ll ask Yu Daxian later. If he says it doesn’t cause any problems, then it’s fine.”

“Not that Yao.” Pan Yao shook her head. “It’s this Yao.”

After saying that, on Pan Sanjin’s outstretched hand, Pan Yao extended her index finger and carefully wrote the character for Yao with three “earth” radicals (垚).

Pan Sanjin was stunned. “This…”

Pan Yao looked up, thinking that since they were already a family, it wasn’t her style to be coy.

After a moment of discomfort, she said crisply, “Is that okay, Dad?”

With this call, Pan Sanjin’s already aching heart was pierced.

He suddenly shed tears, startling Pan Yao.

Pan Sanjin complained, “Wife, it’s all your little sister’s fault. She mistreated the child!”

If the Wu family hadn’t mistreated the child, how could the child have developed such a cautious personality?

And how could she have thought of calling herself Pan Santu, just to look like she was part of his, Pan Sanjin’s, family?

It was hard on the child, it was really hard on the child.

Pan Sanjin’s eyes filled with tears. “Child, even if you didn’t call yourself Pan Santu, you’re still my, Pan Sanjin’s, child.”

Pan Yao: …

She explained with difficulty, “…It’s really pronounced Yao, not Santu.”