The tender voice wafted over.
Xu Ying, caught in a tense moment, heard the familiar yet unbelievable voice, and it struck her like thunder. Her body stiffened; she doubted her ears, wondering if she was hallucinating from constantly thinking about Rourou, mistaking someone else’s voice for his.
Xu Ying turned stiffly, her eyes filled with a hopeful expectation that she knew didn’t exist.
Rourou was still out there.
How could he possibly be here?
But as her gaze fell in the direction of the voice, she saw a small figure within her pupils—there was no mistake. She could be unfamiliar with anyone else, but this figure in her eyes, she would never forget.
At this moment, everything around her went silent.
As if the entire space had frozen.
She had come to Sunshine Shelter, after much hardship, in search of Lin Fan, hoping for his help to get Rourou back.
And now... why was Rourou here?
An illusion, this must be an illusion.
Her mind was a mess, struggling to accept it.
Rourou, drinking his AD calcium fortified milk, ran towards Xu Ying.
This call of "Mommy" completely awakened her.
Xu Ying sprinted forward, crouched on the ground, and hugged Rourou tightly in her arms with a choked sob, "Mommy’s Rourou..."
Crying, not out of sorrow, but an incredulous joy.
Gu Hang said, "Lin Fan, I had no idea Rourou was her child."
Lin Fan sighed, "Neither did I, but I’ve figured out the truth now. She came here after much difficulty, hoping we could take her back to save the child. But unexpectedly, Officer Huang brought him back. There is light in this world, and Officer Huang is that light shining on that poor child."
Gu Hang mentioned, "When Rourou was brought back by Officer Huang, his clothes were filthy. I smelt them, and they smelled like the dirty water from sewers. He must have encountered danger and hidden in the sewers."
"I noticed too," Lin Fan nodded, those were the details he hadn’t mentioned at the time.
All eyes in the area were on the mother and son.
The most touching moments come from the most relatable scenes.
The survivors around them were moved by the sight, reminiscing about various memories. Some cried, moved; others, recalling their own plights, wept with a sense of loss.
At least this mother and son were fortunate to be reunited.
Many others are forever separated by life and death.
"Mommy, you came back so late. Rourou was thinking if Mommy didn’t return, Rourou was going to be mad." Rourou liked the scent of his mommy, "Mommy, this is the AD calcium fortified milk Feifei sister gave to Rourou, it’s so tasty."
Xu Ying’s eyes brimmed with tears as she caressed Rourou’s face, unable to look away, ever more reassured with each glance.
"It’s Mommy’s fault, I got lost. Rourou, can you forgive Mommy?" Xu Ying softly said.
Finally, Rourou couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into tears in Xu Ying’s arms.
Feifei, looking at Rourou and Xu Ying, smiled brightly. It was wonderful, Rourou had his mommy, he wasn’t a lonely orphan without love and care. Then, as if thinking of something, she hurried towards the distance and went straight to Su Xiaoxiao’s bakery.
"Su sister, I want to credit a cake."
Su Xiaoxiao, busy inside the store, smiled and said, "Little girl, why credit? Which one do you need?"
Su Xiaoxiao picked out a delicately beautiful cake for Feifei.
"Thank you, Su sister."
Feifei, holding the cake, ran off down the street.
Su Xiaoxiao looked at Feifei, shook her head with a smile, thinking how truly wonderful children are, full of vitality, living each day joyfully—a life everyone wishes to have.
At that moment, Feifei arrived at the scene of the mother-child reunion, with Rourou still in his mother’s arms. Feifei handed the bag with the cake to Xu Ying.
Xu Ying, looking at the cake in the bag and then at the stranger girl, wanted to say something, but Feifei just giggled.
"Rourou, you just promised Feifei sister that when your mommy came back with the cake, you would share it with me."
As Feifei spoke these words,
Xu Ying was suddenly stunned. Yes, when she had left Rourou, she had told him she was going to buy a cake.
Rourou said, "Mommy, you really brought back a cake."
Xu Ying looked at the cake and then at Rourou. A moment later, she smiled, "Yes, Mommy got lost buying Rourou a cake."
"Mommy, Feifei sister has been so good to me. She tells me stories when we sleep and gave me calcium milk. I promised Feifei sister that when Mommy brought back the cake, we would share it together. Mommy, I’m going over there to eat the cake with Feifei sister," said Rourou with his sweet, milky voice.
Xu Ying’s voice trembled slightly, seeing Feifei standing there looking like a sensible little girl, "Thank you for taking care of Rourou."
Feifei smiled politely, "Auntie, Rourou is my little brother, and as his sister, I should take care of him. I really like all the little brothers and sisters in this area."
Feeling that the auntie had things to discuss with Uncle Lin and the others, Feifei took Rourou’s hand, "Rourou, let’s go eat the cake there. We still have class this afternoon."