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Part 1: The Early Morning of Patience

The early morning of a small town in China. The weather is still cold and quiet. There is not much car noise. The old road full of small cracks does not seem to wake up from the long sleep of last night. The dim orange street light shines on the body of a woman who is bowing down. Sort things next to an old food cart.

Her name is "Lin Mei."

Lin Mei is about forty years old. Her face has traces of the passage of time, not from aging, but from the toil accumulated over the years. Her skin is not silky white as in the advertisement, but the skin of a worker in the sun, in the wind, and in the middle of the truth of life. Her eyes look tired, but still have some steadfast glitter that never goes away.

This morning, just like every day, Lin Mei wears the same pale red shirt, the red shirt she wears almost every day, not because she doesn't have enough shirts, but because this shirt is the first item she bought for herself. After deciding to start a new life as a single mother, red for her is not the color of beauty, but the color of reminder, that she must be strong, must stand, and must not give up.

On the small cart are soup pots, line boxes, flour, alley fragrances, and old-looking but clean cooking utensils. Lin Mei purposefully wipes the edges of the pot. She does everything with care, because the food she sells is not just food, but the family's only income.

Not far from the stroller, there are two girls sitting in a small folding chair, the eldest child is about twelve years old, named "Lin Xin," her face resembles a mother, her eyes are big and look mature beyond age, and the youngest child is seven years old, named "Lin Nwy," she also has a mischievous glitter, but also learns to be quiet and patient faster than the child should be.

"Is it cold, son?" Lin Mei asked softly without facing.

Lin Xin shook his head. "No, Mom, I can see you."

Lin Mei nodded. She didn't say anything further. Because some words are unnecessary in this family. Everyone knows their duties too well.

Years ago, Lin Mei did not think that life would be like this. She used to have a home, have a husband, and have a simple little dream. She used to believe that if diligent and honest, life would repay, but the truth never promised anyone anything.

After the divorce, she didn't get much with her, other than two daughters and all the burdens, the ex-husband disappeared from their lives, like just a painful memory. Lin Mei never mentioned him in front of the child. She chose to let the child remember only love, not bitterness.

The sound of the first car of the day passed. Lin Mei began to turn on the stove. The blue fire rose quietly. The smell of mild soup floated out in the cold air. She took a deep breath, like preparing to cope with a new day.

The first customer was a middle-aged man. He stopped his motorcycle and looked at a small menu attached to the side of a wheelchair.

"Same, sir," he said.

Lin Mei nodded. Her hands moved fluently, as if the body remembered the procedure itself without thinking. This is the result of repeated work every day, no holidays, no sick days, because if she stopped, the income stopped.

While waiting for the client, Lin Mai looked at both daughters. Lin Xin was helping her with her homework. Lin Wu was holding a pencil the wrong way, but wrote every letter. The picture in front of her softened her heart a little.

She doesn't know what life will be like in the future, doesn't know how high you're going to study or whether you're going to get off the road, but one thing Lin Mei knows for sure is that today, she's going to be standing here selling food, being patient, and fighting.

Because she doesn't fight for herself alone.

She fought for the baby.

For hope.

And so that one day... these two girls won't have to stand by the roadside like you.

Lin Mei's red shirt swayed gently along the morning wind.

It's not the shirt of the one who gave up.

But it's an ordinary woman's shirt.

Who use their whole lives to protect two small hearts.