"Sister Ming, I heard from Brother Jun that you came to see me yesterday. Is there something important?" There wasn't even a cup for pouring tea in the room, so the two of them could only sit there.

Song Minghua smiled happily and took out two documents from his briefcase. "Let me tell you, these two families have wanted to adopt a child for a long time, but they only recently decided to apply in person. I haven't submitted the information to the shelter yet, so you can take a look and see if they're suitable. If not, they'll have to go to the orphanage in the shelter to choose."

Outside the house, Lin Yi's face turned pale. Sangsang didn't understand why. Seeing that her brother didn't play with her, she followed his example and put her ear against the door.

Ningxia was puzzled, "Sister Ming, what are you doing?"

Song Minghua raised an eyebrow. "I heard from Lin Jun that when you brought the two children out from Liefeng, you wanted to come to Qingniao to adopt them."

Ningxia had a headache. She had already forgotten about this matter. She just mentioned it casually to Lin Jun at the time. She never thought that both of them were so kind.

"You...please tell me in detail..." Ningxia said with gritted teeth.

"This family, the man is an internist and the woman is an elementary school teacher. They currently live in Shelter No. 1. They both work in their professions. They're well-off and their character is proven. They had a daughter who didn't survive the epidemic, but they've come to terms with it over the years and want a daughter. Sangsang's personality makes her a perfect match."

Song Minghua said, pulling out another file, "This family, the man used to be a carpenter, and now he owns a small shop in Shelter No. 3. His two previous children didn't survive, and the woman's health is not good, so they have never been able to have children. The couple is only in their early thirties and wants to adopt a child, regardless of gender. The conditions are not as good as the previous family, but compared to many people, they are not bad. After Lin Yi went there, he learned a skill. Now the streets are full of good wood. Are you still worried about not having food to eat in the future?"

Ningxia picked up the information and examined it carefully. It was incredibly detailed. Every event since she arrived at the shelter was recorded on a thin sheet of paper. She felt better following either of these two families than her. The image of the brother and sister's wizened smiles lingered in her mind, and she fell into deep thought.

Knowing that she was reconsidering it, Song Minghua did not interrupt her, "Sister, think about it carefully. If you have decided, and you are anxious to settle down in the forest area, you can leave the two children at the trading point. There will be special people responsible for following up, and they will be guaranteed to be sent to their new home safely before the scorching sun month. After the scorching sun month is over, you can come to follow up at any time." After that, he got up and left.

As soon as Song Minghua left, Ningxia stood up, put away the documents, and opened the door to let the two children in. She had been planning to go out to exchange supplies, but suddenly her mood dropped. Ningxia felt a little lost. Settling into a new home, something she had been looking forward to, no longer felt the yearning.

The three of them were unusually quiet, no one speaking. Ningxia wondered, "It's not impossible to go to the forest area on your own. Hadn't she always come alone in all those years at the Shuguang Base?" But after all this time spent with others, did she really want to be alone again?

Ningxia looked up at Sangsang and found the little girl staring at her, tears welling in her round eyes. Lin Yi squatted nearby, pretending to pack his luggage, folding the same clothes over and over again. Ningxia was startled.

"Did you all hear that?"

It would have been fine if she hadn't asked. But once she did, Sangsang's grievances seemed to have found an outlet, and she burst into tears, "Wuwuwu... I won't go... I won't go... Xia Xia, please don't leave me and my brother..."

Having known Sangsang for so long, this little girl has always been surprisingly obedient and sensible. This was the first time Ningxia realized that her voice was so penetrating. She turned her head and looked at Lin Yi, "What do you think?"

Lin Yi didn't look up or answer, still folding clothes with his head down. Ningxia still saw strings of water droplets falling from his face like broken strings, and disappeared into the cloth in front of him.

Ningxia sighed softly. She didn't know where she learned this stubbornness from. "I said I don't want you anymore, and you're crying?"

Lin Yi's mind raced for several seconds before he understood what Ningxia meant. He quickly looked up at her. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his nose was leaking a little. The glittering spot on his philtrum, combined with his recently tanned face, was quite comical.

"Sister Xia Xia...can't I stay? Can I still follow you? Sangsang and I...we'll follow you together!"

Ningxia raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, "Don't worry."

The light in Lin Yi's eyes dimmed again.

Ningxia ignored him, her expression serious. "Since you overheard, Sangsang is ignorant and doesn't understand what I mean. You should know that these two families may not be well off, but at least they have enough food and clothing, and they can live in a shelter. What you went through in the past will not happen again. You just need to grow up healthily."

Ningxia paused, then spoke again, "If you follow me, not only will you be forced to live scattered in the forest, but you and Sangsang won't have a secure life. If we run into a blind bear like last time, the three of us could die in the wild and no one would know. You need to think this through."

Lin Yi recalled the brown bear he encountered in the cabin last time. What came to his mind was not its ferocious face, but the majestic back of Ningxia, who raised his injured arm, stood in front of them and fired a gun.

He nodded without hesitation, his tone pleading, "Sister Xia Xia...we want to follow you...please don't find us an adoptive parent...okay..."

Ningxia stared at him for a long moment, then decided to just assume she was being selfish. "Okay."

Lin Yi smiled widely, stood up and wiped his face with his sleeve, "Thank you, Sister Xia Xia!" His eyes were terrifyingly bright.

Ningxia turned her head away and said, "Take your sister to wash her face. We still have to go to the trading point to exchange for food. It's so dirty." Her tone was full of disgust, and the corners of her mouth that were raised could not be suppressed.

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