"Hmm."
The three of them searched together and before long, Yang Wei suddenly shouted, "Brother Xiangyang, I found it!"
Li Xiangyang heard this and sprang out of the bushes, rushing over quickly.
They saw a backpack thrown in the grass, its contents rummaged through by someone.
Seeing the backpack, his eyes immediately turned red.
"Weiwei..."
Zhang Rongrong came over and couldn’t help but ask, "Brother Xiangyang, are you sure?"
Li Xiangyang picked up the backpack and said in a low voice, "It’s her bag, I recognize it. This is her favorite one."
He took a Lina Belle pendant off the backpack, his eyes reddening as he said, "This was a gift I bought her when we went to Disney."
As he said this, tears finally streamed uncontrollably down his face, which was full of pain.
The clothes inside were the same ones his childhood sweetheart used to wear.
His eyes filled with tears.
Yang Wei looked down and remembered the girl named Yang Weiwei, and his eyes also reddened.
They were all from the same village and had known each other since childhood.
Zhang Rongrong felt a pang of sadness and whispered, "Brother Xiangyang, should we search nearby for remains? So she can be laid to rest?"
Li Xiangyang heard her and looked at Zhang Rongrong.
Zhang Rongrong nodded at him, and he took a deep breath, saying, "You’re right. When she was alive, I couldn’t be there to protect her."
"Now that she’s dead, I can’t let her body be exposed in the wilderness."
Yang Wei immediately said, "Brother Xiangyang, I’ll help you look."
"Thank you both."
The three of them immediately began searching for the remains.
Yang Mei saw this and couldn’t help but look at Liang Yuan, asking, "Brother Liang, do you know where the backpack owner’s remains are?"
Liang Yuan shook his head slightly, "Not sure. The backpack was found near a mud pit at the time, and there were a few skeletons in that pit, but they were so decomposed that only bones were left, it’s unclear if they belonged to the backpack owner."
Yang Mei sighed upon hearing this.
Yang Youwei, who was nearby, also thought of his own wife.
In that pit filled with countless skeletons, it was impossible to distinguish which bones were his wife’s.
He understood Li Xiangyang’s feelings at that moment and showed a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Seeing the somber atmosphere, Liang Yuan said, "Actually, not finding anything might be a good thing. Maybe Yang Weiwei isn’t dead, and in her hurry while fleeing, she simply left the backpack behind."
"As long as we don’t find a body, there’s still hope of finding her, right?"
Yang Mei nodded in agreement.
Old Yang, who was nearby, also sighed, "Yes, the end of the world is already hard enough. If people lose all hope, they really won’t have the will to live."
Yang Youwei was shaken, and he couldn’t help but think of himself.
At first, if it weren’t for looking for his wife, he truly wouldn’t have wanted to live.
After learning that his wife might be dead, he went hysterical several times, and he even had thoughts of seeking death by taking Li Kuirong and the others down with him.
It wasn’t until his daughter Yang Mei returned that he seemed to have found hope and a reason to live again.
Even after confirming his wife’s death, he managed to endure it.
Humans are truly remarkable beings. To stay alive, they need not just food and water but also hope and faith.
Thinking about this, the depressive state that had been haunting Yang Youwei seemed to lighten a little as if he suddenly understood something.
He took a long breath, and the look of deep sorrow and hatred on his face eased a bit. He turned to Liang Yuan and said, "I’ll go help them search."
Liang Yuan studied his expression and suddenly smiled and nodded, "Let’s go together."
Yang Mei noticed and, although she didn’t understand what had happened, she could clearly sense something different about her father.
She looked at her father questioningly, then at Liang Yuan.
Liang Yuan patted her waist and said, "Let’s go, let’s search together."
Yang Mei nodded, "Hmm."
Then the group joined the search team.
Yang Mei and Liang Yuan did not separate but looked together. Seeing Yang Youwei walking away, she asked in confusion, "What’s up with my dad?"
Liang Yuan smiled, "I guess he figured things out."
"He figured things out?"
"Yeah, he’s been troubled and unable to let go because of your mother."
Yang Mei wondered aloud, "But why did he suddenly come to terms with it?"
"Because those alive always have to go on living."
Liang Yuan looked at the sky and said, "Though the rain never stops, time keeps moving forward, and we keep moving ahead."
"We still have people and things we care about, which gives life meaning."
"A life with meaning is truly living."
Yang Mei pondered, watching her father’s one-armed figure, then turning to Liang Yuan, holding his arm, "I have many meanings in my life."
Liang Yuan smiled, "Oh? Do tell."
"Before finding my father, I wanted to stick with you, have a cute baby, and face any disaster with courage."
"Now that I’ve found him, I have another hope, which is to take care of him in his old age."
"With children in the future, my hopes will grow. I want to watch them grow up happy and healthy."
"I also want to see them find someone special and bring her back to show me."
"I want to see how the world changes and when this rain will stop."
"Oh, I suddenly feel like I don’t want to die at all. I want to live happily with you forever."