"There are no outsiders today, so I just made a few simple home-style dishes. Come and eat!" Song Xia was very happy and kept urging Anna and Zuo Yue to eat.

The two were flattered, especially after tasting the dishes, they were amazed. They had always known that Deputy Commander Xia was very strict in his training, but they never expected him to be so approachable in private. Not only were his fighting skills top-notch, but he could also cook such good food.

Anna and Zuo Yue swore that this was the best meal they had ever eaten in their lives. Anna even teased Nikas, "Your aunt's cooking is so good, have you learned any of it?"

Nikas gave a wry smile: "I'm already so busy with my daily tasks and training, please spare me."

"Are you busier than your auntie?"

Song Xia smiled and said, "You should learn. Not only you, but Ye'er should learn too. How will a boy get married if he doesn't know how to do housework and cook? If there's time, I'll teach you step by step, one dish a day. After ten days or half a month, you'll be able to manage your daily meals."

“Master…” Nikas drawled out the last syllable.

Song Xia said sternly, "Being coquettish won't work. It's not just for your wife and children to eat. Your master also wants to try your cooking in the future. Otherwise, when your master gets old, do you expect your master to cook for you again?"

“Alright.” Nikas shrugged helplessly, then looked at Song Ye. “Why are you so quiet today?”

Song Ye tightened his grip on his chopsticks slightly: "Is there?"

Song Xia frowned slightly as she looked at him. Ye'er's behavior today was a little different. Could it be that something happened that she didn't know about?

Song Ye looked up, the two looked at each other, and then Song Ye pursed her lips and looked away.

Song Xia's curiosity grew even stronger, but it was clear that eating was not the right time for a heart-to-heart talk, so she turned the topic to Nicas and Anna, asking when they started dating. Nicas was an outgoing person, and Anna, as a bar owner, was not shy at all, and the atmosphere quickly became lively again.

After the meal, Nikas escorted Anna home, and Song Ye escorted Zuo Yue home.

"Will you sleep here later?"

Song Ye nodded, and Song Xia went to clean up the mess. She was meticulous and didn't like using robots, so she carefully wiped the kitchen and living room. When Song Ye came back, there was only the kitchen floor left to wipe, so Song Ye silently finished wiping it.

"Tell me, what's on your mind?" The two sat in the living room, with steaming hot milk tea on the coffee table. Perhaps life had been tough since arriving on Fog Star, she had developed a love for sweets. Because the tea was sweet but not cloying, Song Ye and the others would often have a cup of it too.

Although Song Ye had been holding back for a long time, he found it difficult to ask the question at this moment.

Song Xia chuckled softly, her voice gentle: "You've really grown up. Now you don't even share your worries with your master anymore."

Song Ye stared at her intently, his voice hoarse as he asked, "Master, are you really just my master?"

Song Xia was suddenly stunned, a myriad of emotions welling up in her heart, and now she didn't know how she could say it out loud.

"Master, you are not only my master, but also my biological mother, right? If I don't ask, are you planning to keep this secret forever?"

"Ye'er..."

"Judging from your expression, I guessed right. Why didn't you tell me?"

This is Song Ye's biggest dilemma: why keep it from him? With so many opportunities over the years, why didn't he let her know?

Recalling the image of being abandoned etched in his mind, he was stuck in a dead end: "Do they think I'm shameful? Do they think I'm not good enough?"

"No, no," Song Xia quickly denied. "It's not what you think. Mom is just scared."

"What are you afraid of? Are you afraid I'll remember how you abandoned me?"

“Mom has never abandoned you.” Song Xia answered him earnestly and firmly. “Ye’er, you are the most important person to Mom in this world. How could Mom abandon you?”

"Then how did you end up on Fog Star?"

“It was an accident, an accident that no one wanted to happen. When you went missing, my heart was breaking. Thankfully, we found you in the end.”

"If I wasn't abandoned, why didn't you acknowledge me after finding me? Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"Because at that time, your mother didn't have the ability to protect you." Song Xia lowered her eyes wearily, and the guilt and sadness on her face made Song Ye's heart clench, and he held the teacup tightly.

"As for why I haven't told you yet when you grow up, it's because Mom is afraid that you'll blame Mom for not protecting you after you find out the truth."

Song Ye fell silent again. Should he blame her? Before he knew that his master was his mother, he thought that his mother was the best in the world. So he wouldn't blame his mother for not protecting him. He was just a little aggrieved that she didn't tell him the truth.

"Ye'er, Mommy is so sorry. Can you forgive Mommy?"

Hearing the cautious tone, Song Ye could no longer hold back. How could he lose his temper with his mother?

According to the information gathered from the investigation, my mother was just an innocent young lady and a noblewoman before, but after I disappeared, she worked hard to practice fighting and entered an underground fighting arena, a place where you have to sign a death warrant! One wrong move and you might not be able to get out.

After arriving on Fog Star, he faced even greater dangers. Just by thinking about it, he realized that his mother had endured far more hardship than he had. If it weren't for finding him and protecting him at all times, she wouldn't have suffered so much.

"No, I have never blamed you." Song Ye's heart ached dully. "You must have had a very tiring time these past few years."

“I’m not tired.” Song Xia shook her head. “How could I be tired from being able to accompany you as you grow up? You don’t know how fortunate I was when I first found you. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any real power in the Fog Sea Pirates at the time, so I could only keep you by my side under the guise of teaching you martial arts.”

"I knew it," Song Ye sighed softly. "Otherwise, out of so many people, why did they choose me? Aren't you afraid I don't have the talent?"

“Even if you didn’t have the talent, your mother would still have transferred her inner strength to you back then.”

Upon hearing this, Song Ye felt a surge of bittersweet emotions. It turned out that her mother had planned everything all along.

"Wouldn't it be better to stay on the Federation's main planet? Why go through all this trouble to come find me?"

“Because you are my son!” Song Xia looked at him firmly. “How could I not care if you were in danger? Fortunately, fate has been on my side, and we haven’t been separated for too long.”

As she spoke, she stood up and hugged Song Ye tightly in her arms: "What a coincidence! The surname you just picked is actually the same as your mother's!"

Song Ye also smiled, he had even forgotten why he had taken the surname Song in the first place: "Mom, I have no memories of my childhood. Can you tell me how I came to join the pirate group?"

After he finished speaking, he clearly felt his mother's arm tighten, and he sighed softly, "Whatever the reason is, it doesn't matter anymore. I know that my mother has never given up on me."