Synopsis
Winter break finally came, and I used the last of my savings to get home—switching from train to subway, then to a long-distance bus, and finally hitching a ride on a battered farm truck. It took three days and three nights to reach my tiny hometown.
But when I arrived, the house was empty.
Not just quiet—stripped clean. There wasn’t even a single bowl left behind.
Panic surged through me. I stopped a neighbor passing by and asked what had happened. She looked at me strangely.
“Your parents bought a new place in the city and moved a month ago,” she said. “Didn’t they tell you?”
My stomach dropped. I called them immediately, demanding an explanation. On the other end, my mother hesitated before replying weakly, “We’ve been so busy with renovations… I must have forgotten to tell you.”
