Her eyes, as if soaked in muddy water and clouded over, stared blankly at the thin ray of light. Her newly made nose was twisted and crooked to one side, and her wet hair dripped down one side of her face.

His face was deathly pale, a mixture of old and new skin, pitted bloodstains, and black wounds, as if sculpted by a ghost, utterly terrifying...

"Mom, Mom..." Her body was ice-cold and she lost consciousness, but in her dazed state, a light appeared before her eyes. The light gradually expanded, emitting countless tiny points of light. As her eyes adjusted to the light, a picture gradually became clearer...

On a sweltering summer day, along a forest path...

"Mommy, I can't walk anymore." A little girl, about four or five years old, with pigtails and wearing a white dress, said.

She was reaching out her little hand, holding the hand of a slightly hunched young woman. The little girl's narrow eyes tilted as she looked at the woman with a hint of grievance.

The woman had short hair, with only a black and white hair clip above each ear.

"Sweetie, just a little further, Daddy will come to pick us up." Under the blazing sun, the woman's thin lips were slightly chapped. She raised her hand to shield her forehead, squinted, and looked up at the mountains ahead, muttering, "Your dad's mining deep in these mountains, there aren't even any roads for cars. I wish I hadn't come..."

"No, Mommy, I want to carry you." The little girl broke free from her mother's hand, stopped walking, stood still, pouted, and stomped her feet.

"Baby, let me tell you, every woman has a few days every month that are very uncomfortable. I'm experiencing those days right now, and you..."

"No, my feet hurt so much." Before the woman could finish speaking, the girl covered her ears with both hands and shook her head desperately.

“Sigh,” the woman sighed, “a child is still a child.” Finally, she pressed her hand to her stomach, her face flushed, and with her back to the little girl, she squatted down with some difficulty. “Come on up.”

"Okay, Mommy's back is the most comfortable." The girl's sweet voice was like a refreshing spring under the scorching sun.

She quickly raised her hands, grabbed her mother's shoulders, and climbed onto her mother's back.

Despite her back being soaked with sweat, her steps faltering, her hunched posture strained, and even the waves of pain in her lower abdomen, the woman felt a surge of joy as she listened to her daughter's sweet voice and felt the warmth of her little face against her back.

The woman gritted her teeth and persevered, continuing forward along the mountain path. The dense forest gradually became cooler, and the chirping of birds only occasionally broke the silence. In this hot and dry afternoon, the birds had probably begun to sleep.

Walk a few steps, stop a few times, and when you reach the halfway point of the mountain...

"Waaah," a weak, cat-like cry came from beside my ear.

Upon closer listening, it seemed to sound like a baby crying.

"Mommy, my little sister is crying." Little Su Mei, who had been resting her head on her back, suddenly yawned, raised her head, and looked around with her clear little eyes.

"A little sister?" The daughter's words made him both laugh and cry. This child had always wanted a little sister, and whenever she heard something that sounded like a baby crying, she would say it was her little sister.

But how could there be a little sister in these mountains and forests? Even if it sounds like a baby crying, it could be something else entirely...

While the woman was still in a daze and wondering, little Su Mei slid off her back with a "whoosh!" She stood on the grass, her little eyes wide open, looking around with a spirited expression…