Accompanied by Gao Mingcheng and Xing Zhaoming, Xing Zhaozhao finally returned to the abandoned cellar.
It was still that familiar gray wall, but the door that should have been embedded in it had indeed disappeared.
Xing Zhaozhao felt a buzzing in her head, and her whole body went blank. Then her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground with a thud: "It's really gone... How could this happen?"
Seeing Xing Zhaozhao's distraught appearance, Gao Mingcheng stepped forward worriedly and called out, "Zhaozhao..."
Xing Zhaozhao turned to look at Gao Mingcheng, sobbing uncontrollably: "What should I do, Mingcheng? I really can't go back."
Gao Mingcheng hugged her tightly, his heart aching: "No, we'll think of something else. We'll definitely be able to go back..."
Xing Zhaozhao developed a high fever as soon as she returned to the hospital, and the fever made her delirious.
Gao Mingcheng and Xing Zhaoming were scolded like grandchildren by a doctor who was about the same age as their grandsons: "I told you long ago that you couldn't be discharged, you couldn't be discharged, but you wouldn't listen. Now you're happy? If anything happens, you'll regret it..."
Both of them were incredibly well-behaved, not daring to even breathe loudly.
After giving his instructions, the doctor turned around and prepared to return to the ward.
"Wait a minute, doctor..." Gao Mingcheng and Xing Zhaoming called out in unison. They also wanted to go in and take a look.
The doctor glanced at their pleading eyes, and before they could finish speaking, he saw right through their predicament and refused without hesitation: "No..."
The two of them had no choice but to wait pitifully outside.
A moment later, the doctor came out again, looking at them with displeasure: "Which of you is Mingcheng?"
Gao Mingcheng stepped forward: "That's me."
"She's calling you," the doctor said, then turned and went back inside.
Gao Mingcheng followed a step behind and went inside.
Xing Zhaoming was left alone outside, looking like a neglected wife. That little ingrate, she abandoned her brother now that she has a husband.
When Gao Mingcheng arrived at the ward, Xing Zhaozhao was unconscious, probably suffering from a high fever. Her brows were furrowed, and she kept muttering in her sleep, "Mingcheng, Mingcheng..."
Gao Mingcheng quickly went over and sat down beside the hospital bed, anxiously taking her hand and saying, "I'm here, I'm here, Zhaozhao..."
Whether she heard his voice or not, Xing Zhaozhao also grabbed his hand, but her tightly furrowed brows remained unchanged.
Gao Mingcheng turned to the doctor anxiously: "Doctor, she seems to be in a lot of pain. Can't you think of something to do?"
The doctor said helplessly, "Anyone would feel uncomfortable with such a high fever. We've already given her an antipyretic injection, but it will take a while for it to take effect. She should feel better by then."
After a while, the fever-reducing injection probably took effect, and Xing Zhaozhao's tense expression indeed relaxed. However, she did not let go of Gao Mingcheng's hand, and her lips moved as she kept muttering to herself. Although it was no longer clear what she was saying, Gao Mingcheng guessed that she was still calling his name.
“Mingcheng…”
On the other side, Gao Mingcheng sat on the ground in his cellar, facing the wall where Xing Zhaozhao had left. He had been waiting all night without closing his eyes. Worry, anxiety, and unease were all swirling in his head, making him dizzy and throbbing. He finally managed to doze off for a short while as dawn broke.
In a daze, he vaguely heard Xing Zhaozhao calling him: "Mingcheng..."
He suddenly opened his eyes: "Zhaozhao..."
The surroundings were still empty, with nothing at all.
His bloodshot eyes were fixed on the wall in front of him, as if he wanted to punch a hole in it.
Why? Why hasn't she come back yet? Did something happen? Could it be related to that person who suddenly appeared yesterday?
Gao Mingcheng was holding his head, lost in thought, when he suddenly heard his daughter wailing outside, and the sound was getting closer and closer.
Thinking of his three children at home, Gao Mingcheng patted his head hard to clear his head. He quickly got up from the ground and prepared to go out to check on them. However, after sitting on the ground for a long time, his legs went numb and he couldn't take a step. He stumbled forward and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, he reached out and caught himself in time, preventing him from falling in a real mess.
"What are you doing, Dad?" Hongfei came looking for his father, carrying the crying little Hongling. He had just reached the cellar entrance when he saw her and asked curiously.
Seeing Hongfei struggling to carry the now-heavy Xiao Hongling, his face flushed, and the little girl still wriggling restlessly, Gao Mingcheng quickly stepped forward and took the little girl from Hongfei's arms: "I didn't do anything. Why did you bring Xiao Hongling here?"
Hongfei looked at Gao Mingcheng with red eyes: "Little Hongling keeps crying for her mother..."
Gao Mingcheng pursed his lips and said in a hoarse voice, "You must be hungry. Come on, Dad will make you breakfast."
Little Hongling refused, twisting her body desperately toward the cellar, wailing, "No, I don't want to, Mommy..."
No matter how Gao Mingcheng tried to appease him, it was no use.
"Daddy, where's Mommy? Why hasn't she come back yet? Does she not want us anymore?" Hongyu looked up at Gao Mingcheng with teary eyes and asked.
Gao Mingcheng's heart tightened, and he said in a low voice, "Don't talk nonsense. Mom would never abandon us."
Hongyu pouted, "Then why hasn't she come back yet? In the past, if she was going to be gone for a long time, she would always tell us in advance. Why didn't she say a word this time?"
Gao Mingcheng frowned and said, "He may have run into some trouble. He'll probably be back in a couple of days."
"Mom is so amazing, she can kill such a big wild boar with one punch, what trouble could she possibly encounter?" Hongyu turned into a curious child.
Gao Mingcheng: "..." How could he possibly know that? He couldn't go over there.
"Could the old woman who came over yesterday know something?" Hongfei suddenly asked.
Gao Mingcheng's expression immediately turned serious.
Yesterday, Grandma Tan finally passed through the door she had always longed for and came out of the cellar. When she saw the familiar stone house in front of her, she hadn't even had time to be happy before she met the two little guys, Hongfei and Hongyu.
Hongfei and Hongyu were playing with remote-controlled cars at home. They had just moved from the front yard to the back yard when they unexpectedly bumped into an old woman who was crawling out of their cellar.
Their first reaction was, "Oh no, the remote-controlled car thing is about to be discovered."
They quickly grabbed the car and turned to run, but soon realized something was wrong. They turned to look at Old Mrs. Tan and asked warily, "Who are you? How did you get out of my cellar?"
They never even considered the possibility that the old woman came from that door; in their minds, only their mother could see and open that door.
Grandma Tan hadn't expected to run into someone so soon. Before she could react, she saw the two little ones exchange a glance, then turn around and shout in unison, "Daddy, something terrible has happened! A thief has broken into the house! Come quick!"
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