"Okay, okay, thank you..."

Shu Ying had been busy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs all morning. She made a point of returning half an hour early at noon, and even bought some groceries on the way. She opened the courtyard gate with a smile.

"Sister, you haven't finished cooking yet, have you? I bought some seasonal vegetables. Save me a spot so I can show off my skills too..."

As Shu Ying spoke, she stepped into the main house, subconsciously glancing towards the kitchen.

But Xie Mingzhu was not seen.

There wasn't even one in the living room.

She even went upstairs to look around, but didn't see anyone.

What's going on?

Shu Ying had a bad feeling.

Normally, Xie Mingzhu would be enthusiastically preparing meals by this time.

Xie Mingzhu loves cooking so much, and since she's recently become pregnant, she cooks in advance almost every day without fail, and even if something comes up, she'll tell her in advance.

But Shu Ying looked at the kitchen and then at the dining table.

It was completely empty; nothing had been prepared.

For Xie Mingzhu to be so preoccupied with cooking, and even forget to call her... something must have happened.

Shu Ying immediately put down what she was doing and ran out to look for someone.

She first tried to go to the military kindergarten, but did not see Xie Mingzhu.

Just as I was about to turn back and search around again, and if I still couldn't find her, I would check the entry and exit records at the gate, I turned my head and happened to see Xie Mingzhu walking from the direction of the military compound gate. She turned at the intersection ahead, and I didn't know where she was going.

Shu Ying breathed a sigh of relief, but then noticed that the direction ahead wasn't her home, and called out in confusion.

"Sister? Whose house are you going to? It's almost noon. I'll go home and cook a couple of dishes. Shall we eat first?"

"elder sister?"

Shu Ying called out several times, but received no response.

That's when she realized something was wrong.

Xie Mingzhu walked with an unusually mechanical posture, absent-minded, like a soulless puppet, only knowing to keep walking forward without even looking at the road.

Shu Ying felt something was wrong and quickly took a few steps to catch up with Xie Mingzhu, grabbing her arm.

"Sister, what's wrong with you...?"

Xie Mingzhu was pulled slightly to the side by Shu Ying, and her red eyes and tear-streaked face were instantly exposed to Shu Ying.

Shu Ying was startled and, without saying a word, gave Xie Mingzhu a hug.

She gently patted her sister's back and softly comforted her.

"Don't be afraid, sister, it's alright, it's alright..."

Once Xie Mingzhu's mood had improved somewhat, Shu Ying tentatively asked about the reason.

Xie Mingzhu raised her face with tears in her eyes and told Shu Ying the news, which was neither good nor bad.

“Yingying, do you know, when I heard that the child was still alive, I felt that nothing else mattered. My only thought was to find the child.”

"But why... why is my child's life so tragic? He was sold off like a commodity, and I don't know when I'll find him..."

"I know he might be living a good life somewhere in China, but I just can't find him or see him."

"Yingying, do you know how agonizing it is for me to think about it?"