Shu Ying didn't have much of an impression of Xie Zhiyan. They had only met a few times before their marriage, and her only memory of him after the marriage was from their wedding night.

However, the stubborn part of Yang Yang's personality is most likely inherited from Xie Zhiyan; boys' personalities tend to resemble their fathers more.

Shu Ying sighed softly and looked out the window: "Speaking of which, so many letters have been sent from home, but Xie Zhiyan hasn't replied to a single one. I wonder if he even received them."

If those letters hadn't fallen into Xie Zhiyan's hands, he might not have even known about the two children.

Having been missing for so many years, it's safe to assume he's been on the front lines.

The situation on the front lines was constantly changing, so it was understandable that he couldn't receive the information. Shu Ying never thought of complaining.

She was lucky to have survived; she never imagined he would come back in her past life.

Shu Ying watched her two well-behaved children, Yueyue eating eggs in small bites, the flavorful chicken soup noodles having a very chewy texture.

Yueyue doesn't like carrots, so Shuying put in some effort, chopping the carrots into small pieces and mixing them into the chicken soup. Children tend to swallow food whole, so it's hard for them to taste the flavor.

She brought over another bowl of noodles from the kitchen, looking thoughtful.

Xie Zhiyan hasn't contacted his family for so long, and we don't know if he likes children or not. With his cold personality, would he be a little more gentle if he knew about the existence of children?

Her gaze lingered on Yangyang. She could vaguely see some resemblance to Xie Zhiyan in the little guy's features, but she wondered if the father and son would get along well.

As a result, Yueyue never had any complaints about Xie Zhiyan, and she would affectionately call him "Dad" every time she saw his only photo.

Over the years, she has raised her child alone, and she originally thought that she could have raised the child even without Xie Zhiyan.

Little did they know that the absence of a father would leave such a deep scar on the two children's hearts.

Shu Ying felt a pang of guilt, so she set aside some noodles for the child.

"Yueyue, Yangyang, you two are growing, so you need to eat more. There's more in the kitchen. If you need more, Mom will get some more."

Yangyang patted his round little belly with one hand, with grease still on the corner of his mouth: "Mom, I can't eat anymore, you eat it. My belly is about to turn into a small watermelon. When I tap it, it makes a thumping sound."

Shu Ying was amused by his adorable appearance. She picked up a tissue from the table and wiped Yangyang's mouth.

"Okay, go out and play after you've eaten. Be careful with your sister."

Yangyang didn't move. He stood there, blinking his almond-shaped eyes: "Mom, when can my sister and I go out to play? We've already played with all these toys at home, and we've read all the picture books. My sister and I are so bored when you're not home with us."

Yangyang noticed yesterday that the scenery outside the window had changed a lot and was completely different from what he saw at home.

"Although this place is exactly the same as our home, the scenery outside is different. Mom, where are we now? Will we be able to see Brother Zhuangzhuang and Sister Fanfan again?"

Shu Ying was taken aback. She hadn't expected that Yangyang, who was so young, could actually see that there was a hidden world here.

She knelt down and straightened the buttons on his clothes, explaining earnestly, "Yangyang, Mom will be quite busy for the next couple of days, so you and your sister can't leave yet."

“The place we are in now is a very special protective space, similar to the air-raid shelters you see in books. It is completely isolated from the outside world. It was left here by our grandparents to protect us. If we encounter bad people, we can hide here.”

The two children listened intently; they had only ever seen air-raid shelters in books.

I had thought it would just be a drab, gray cave, but it turned out to be almost exactly the same as my home.

There will also be so much delicious food, soft mattresses, and even so many toys.

"Mommy, is it because my sister and I are in danger that we can't go out right now? When can we leave? If other children are in danger, can we pull them inside to hide?"

Shu Ying shook her head, took the two girls' hands, and sat them down on the sofa: "Yueyue, Yangyang, what Mommy is about to tell you is very important. We're big kids now, so we'll definitely keep it a secret for Mommy, right?"

The two children nodded solemnly, their faces showing an expression of "being on a heavy responsibility".

Shu Ying patiently explained, "This place is our secret base, and we can't tell anyone. Although you mean well, other children probably can't get in either. If this gets out and attracts more attention, we'll be in even more danger. Do you two understand?"

Upon hearing that this place was a secret base, the two children's expressions instantly turned serious. Yangyang stared wide-eyed with a serious expression and patted his chest with his chubby little hands.

"Mom, don't worry, I will definitely protect our secret base. My sister and I will keep it a secret!"

Yueyue nodded in agreement, her gentle little hands wrapping around Shuying's arm and shaking it softly: "Mommy, I promise I'll keep it a secret. No one else will know about the secret base that Grandpa and Grandma left us."

I never imagined that my grandparents were so amazing, leaving us such a wonderful place. We'll never have to worry about danger again.

Shu Ying couldn't help but pinch their little cheeks; their skin was smooth and elastic, full of collagen.

“Your godmother just gave birth to her baby in the hospital and still needs to recover. Once she and the baby are in better condition, we’ll take the train to Beijing to find your father. Then you won’t be children without a father anymore, and the four of us can live happily together, okay?”

Shu Ying's sentence contained a lot of information, and the two children were not focused on the same thing.

Moonlight's bright eyes sparkled: "Godmother had a baby? Then I'm the older sister now. Is it a little sister or a little brother?"

Shu Ying's smile deepened as she thought of Tuantuan: "He's a little brother, and he looks just like Yueyue and Yangyang when they were little. When he's feeling better, Mommy will bring him over so he can play with you all, okay?"

Yueyue ran around the room excitedly, saying, "I have a little brother now! I'm not the youngest sister anymore! Mom, I'm a big sister now! I'm going to share my best toys with him so we can play together."

Yangyang, however, acted like a little adult, pretending to be profound: "Who wants to go find Dad? He's probably a black bear spirit with black fur all over his body, and he might even eat children."