Chapter 224

“Could she still be alive?” Mu’s mother asked in a dazed voice.

“As long as Mu Jingmei’s body hasn’t been found, that remains a possibility.” Song Nianchu’s tone was steady.

Mu’s mother stared at Song Nianchu for a long while before finally nodding, her eyes reddening.

“The most important thing for you right now is to take care of your health. Shi’an has only just received an award from the organization. There’s a chance he’ll be able to return to the city before long, so don’t hold him back at a time like this.” Song Nianchu deliberately put a little pressure on her.

“What you said… is it true?” A glimmer of light finally appeared in Mu’s mother’s eyes.

“Of course it’s true. The award the organization gave him is still hanging in the main room of our house. Once you’re discharged, you can go and see it for yourself. Before, you were even willing to demand that I divorce him so he could leave and return to the city. I hope that, when it comes to yourself, you can show the same determination.” Song Nianchu enunciated every word.

Mu’s mother’s lips moved. After a long moment, she finally rasped, “I’m… sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize. We simply stood in different places, and besides, I didn’t agree to it.” Song Nianchu’s expression remained calm.

Looking at Song Nianchu like this, Mu’s mother truly didn’t know what to say.

She was clearly just a girl who had grown up in a fishing village, and she had even lost both her parents at a young age. Mu’s mother couldn’t understand how a family like that could have raised such a wonderful child.

And her own daughter…

“If you’re tired, get some more rest.” Song Nianchu noticed the exhaustion in Mu’s mother’s eyes.

“…All right.” Mu’s mother nodded and closed her eyes again.

But her thoughts remained active.

Memories of the warm, ordinary days she had spent with Mu Jingmei mingled with scenes of having to give away her son from the time he was little, as well as the image of Mu Jingmei agreeing without hesitation to marry Yang Dafu.

The scenes turned over and over in her mind. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep.

By the time Mu Shi’an returned with the food, Mu’s mother was sound asleep.

“She woke up just now, but she’s fallen asleep again,” Song Nianchu explained in a lowered voice.

“That’s good.” Only after hearing that his mother had woken up did Mu Shi’an relax. “Is she all right?”

“She seems to be doing fairly well. I’ve already talked with her, so she should feel better from here on out.” Song Nianchu nodded.

“Thank you.” Mu Shi’an’s eyes were filled with emotion.

“You don’t have to thank me. After all, I was bewitched by your good looks and married you.” Song Nianchu deliberately teased him.

Sure enough, the heavy expression on Mu Shi’an’s face immediately gave way to a faint smile.

“Eat first.” Mu Shi’an handed her the lunchbox.

“All right.” Song Nianchu nodded.

To avoid waking Mu’s mother, the two of them ate as quietly as possible, even moving to the chairs by the window.

Mu Shi’an picked all the meat from his lunchbox and put it into Song Nianchu’s.

“All right, my lunchbox is already overflowing. You need to eat too.” When Mu Shi’an tried to give her more meat, Song Nianchu moved her lunchbox away.

“I can just eat the vegetables,” Mu Shi’an insisted.

“Our family hasn’t fallen so far that I get to eat meat while you can only eat vegetables. Hurry up and eat. Afterward, I may need to go back to the village and bring some clean clothes for you two.” Song Nianchu spoke firmly.

She was so insistent that Mu Shi’an could only give in and lower his head to eat.

After the meal, Song Nianchu was about to wash the lunchboxes when Mu Shi’an stopped her.

“I’ll do it. Didn’t you say you still had to go back? You should hurry.”

“All right, then I’ll head back first. Take care of yourself.” Song Nianchu didn’t dwell on such a small matter.

“Mm.”

Mu Shi’an walked her to the door.

Before leaving, Song Nianchu couldn’t help giving him a hug.

“Don’t worry. Your mother has woken up, so she’ll be fine.” Her voice was soft, but it carried a soothing strength.

“…Mm.” Mu Shi’an buried his face in the crook of Song Nianchu’s neck and took a deep breath.

They held each other for quite a while before Song Nianchu was the one to pull away.

“I should go.”

“…All right.” Mu Shi’an answered softly, but his gaze remained fixed on Song Nianchu. The way he looked at her made her heart tremble.

Song Nianchu quickly glanced around. After making sure no one was paying attention to them, she swiftly kissed Mu Shi’an on the cheek before immediately stepping back.

“All right, I’m going home.” Without waiting to see his reaction, Song Nianchu turned and left.

Mu Shi’an stood alone at the entrance of the hospital room, watching Song Nianchu’s figure grow farther and farther away until he could no longer see her. Only then did he raise a hand and touch his cheek.

It seemed that the warmth of Song Nianchu’s kiss still lingered there. The kiss had steadied his previously chaotic heart, and as his gaze lowered slightly, a hint of amusement appeared in his eyes.

“…”

After returning to the village, Song Nianchu immediately went to find Mu Deyi.

He was still at the village office, and Mu Haoxuan and Mu Yongnian were there as well.

The moment Song Nianchu entered, she saw them. The two boys were clearly distracted.

Fortunately, they had already trained the village children well. Even when the boys were not fully focused, it did not affect the work of making the imprints for the labels.

“Yongnian, Haoxuan.” Song Nianchu called out to them.

The two boys, who had been lost in thought, immediately looked up. As soon as they saw Song Nianchu, they got to their feet and ran toward her.

“Sis, you’re back!”

“Sister-in-law, how is my mother?”

Both boys looked extremely anxious.

The other children noticed the commotion and turned to look as well.

“Let’s go inside and talk.” Song Nianchu ruffled their hair.

“All right.” They both nodded.

Mu Deyi, who was inside the room, had also heard Song Nianchu’s voice. When she entered, he came out from the inner room.

His dark eyes fixed intently on her. He didn’t need to say a word; Song Nianchu already knew what he wanted to ask.

“Mom has woken up, and her condition is fairly stable. But the doctor said that she’s a little weak and needs to stay in the hospital and recuperate for a while longer.” Song Nianchu spoke first.

When Mu Deyi and the two boys heard this, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

“…You’ve worked hard.” Mu Deyi looked at Song Nianchu gratefully.

Ever since they had left the previous night, he hadn’t slept at all. He had spent the entire day waiting for news of them.

“We may need you to go back and prepare some clean clothes for Mom. I’ll take them to the hospital later.” Song Nianchu said.

“All right. I’ll go now.” Mu Deyi hurried away as soon as he finished speaking.

Song Nianchu then looked at the two boys beside her.

“You can rest easy now.”

“Mm.” They both nodded emphatically, their eyes slightly red.

Song Nianchu felt a pang of heartache when she saw them.

After all, she was still a child. No matter how resentful she had once felt toward Mu's mother, she could never truly watch her own mother leave without being moved.