The old man thought for a moment and nodded: “That place? Yes, I know it. What about it?”
“Do you know where the people from there relocated to?” Xing Zhaozhao asked. “Our family used to have relatives there. We haven’t been in touch for many years, but when I went there recently, I discovered the entire village was gone.”
The old man shook his head: “That would be hard to find. They didn’t build resettlement housing back then, so nobody knows where they might have moved.”
Xing Zhaozhao looked disappointed: “I see. Thank you, uncle.”
After saying this, she bid farewell to the old man: “It’s getting late, I should head back now. See you next time.”
Then, carrying her packages, she left.
Watching Xing Zhaozhao’s retreating figure, the old man suddenly remembered: “Ah, that’s right, General Manager Gao of Zhaohong seems to be from Xiao Gao Village.”
But it probably wouldn’t be useful to tell her—she likely wouldn’t be able to meet President Gao anyway.
The old man quickly dismissed the thought.
Xing Zhaozhao returned to the cellar carrying numerous packages. As she passed through the doorway, she was still pondering how to explain the origin of these items to her two children.
Though her two little ones were young, they were sharp and not easily fooled.
She never expected that the moment she stepped through the doorway, she would suddenly find herself staring directly into a pair of dark, gleaming eyes.
Hongyu had somehow come to the cellar without her knowledge, sitting cross-legged on the floor facing her, lifting his small face to stare at her unblinkingly.
Xing Zhaozhao’s mind instantly went blank.
Why was Xiao Yuma here?
This is terrible—she’s about to be exposed.
How could she explain to him why his mother, who was supposed to be in the mountains, had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the cellar?
Xing Zhaozhao felt her head swelling, almost unable to think straight.
Upon seeing Xing Zhaozhao, Hongyu’s eyes quickly reddened. With a loud “wah,” he burst into tears, rushing forward to hug Xing Zhaozhao’s leg: “Mom, you’re finally back! I’ve been waiting here so long. I thought you didn’t want me, brother, and sister anymore and would never return.”
Xing Zhaozhao: “…”
This posture looked somewhat familiar…
But right now, she didn’t have time to think too much about it. Dropping the items in her hands to the ground, she immediately embraced her pitifully crying youngest son, patting his small back to comfort him: “How could that be? You, your brother, and sister are all my children. A mother would never abandon her children.”
But Hongyu couldn’t stop, as if needing to release all the fear that had accumulated in his heart. He clung to Xing Zhaozhao and cried for a long time before finally calming down with occasional sniffles.
Hongfei had been staying in the room with his younger sister. Hearing the commotion in the cellar, he hurried over. Seeing Xing Zhaozhao, his eyes immediately reddened, and he rushed over too: “Mom…”
Xing Zhaozhao reached out and embraced her eldest son as well: “It’s alright, it’s alright. Mom is back now…”
After both children had mostly stopped crying and their emotions had stabilized, she asked them: “How did you know I was here?”
Hongyu raised his hand, sniffled with his red nose, and said: “After I finished digging for earthworms and came back, I saw you coming to the backyard, Mom. So I followed you. Then I saw you disappear right into that wall. I thought you’d been captured by a monster and would never return. It scared me so much.”
Xing Zhaozhao: “…”
She had been careless after all.
“Xiao Yuma still wanted to find Granny Hao to rescue you from the monsters, Mom,” Hongfei said.
Xing Zhaozhao broke out in a cold sweat, looking seriously at the two little ones. “You must never let anyone know that Mom can disappear into the wall, otherwise they’ll think I’m a monster and take me away, understand?”
Hongyu’s little face turned pale with fear as he tightly grasped Xing Zhaozhao’s hand. “Then would they make Mom wear a tall paper hat and parade through the streets?”
Xing Zhaozhao: “…”
Well, that saved her the explanation.
Xing Zhaozhao nodded: “Yes, they would make Mom wear a tall paper hat and parade through the streets.”
Hongyu immediately covered his mouth tightly, shaking his head vigorously and mumbling: “Won’t tell, absolutely won’t tell.”
Hongfei also kept a straight face, nodding seriously.
Having reassured the children, Xing Zhaozhao cheerfully showed them what she had brought back from beyond the door: “Look what Mom brought back for you from beyond the door?”
Hongyu rummaged through the bag Xing Zhaozhao had carried back, his eyes lighting up: “Big apples, big meat buns, White Rabbit candy, and meat! Mom, you’re amazing.”
Xing Zhaozhao puffed out her chest proudly: “Of course, I’m your mom after all.”
“Mom, what’s this?” Hongyu asked, holding up an unfamiliar snack package.
Xing Zhaozhao glanced at it: “This is called potato chips.”
“What are potato chips?”
“…Not sure. Looking at the picture, it seems to be made from potatoes.”
“Is it tasty?”
“…Haven’t tried it. You can taste it later.”
Hongfei sat obediently nearby, watching eagerly as Hongyu examined all the novel items—both familiar and unfamiliar—that Xing Zhaozhao had brought back.
“Did Mom bring all these back from beyond the door?” He looked up at the wall where Hongyu had pointed out Xing Zhaozhao’s disappearance, his face full of disbelief. “Is there really a door there?”
“Yes.” Xing Zhaozhao nodded, looking surprised at her two sons. “Can’t you see it? It’s right here.”
As she spoke, she reached out and pushed the door that was within reach.
The door creaked open.
Hongfei and Hongyu turned to look, their little faces blank with confusion.
In their eyes, there was only a wall there—no door to be seen.
It wasn’t until they saw Xing Zhaozhao’s hand reach through and completely disappear that the two little ones showed panic on their faces. They quickly pulled Xing Zhaozhao’s hand back, sighing with relief only when they saw it restored to normal.
Xing Zhaozhao frowned, somewhat disappointed: “You really can’t see it? I was hoping to take you there to see it someday…”
Now it seemed that wouldn’t be possible.
What a pity.
She had wanted to let the children see that world too.
Both little ones also looked regretful.
Xing Zhaozhao comfortingly patted the two children: “It’s okay. Mom will go there often from now on and bring back more wonderful things for you.”
The two children’s moods improved somewhat.
“Mom, what kind of world is it?” Hongfei asked Xing Zhaozhao curiously.
Xing Zhaozhao carefully described to him what she had seen during her recent visit: wide, flat, and sturdy roads with all kinds of beautiful cars running on them, towering skyscrapers whose tops couldn’t be seen even when looking up, and supermarkets where you could freely pick and buy anything—there was nothing you couldn’t find, only things you hadn’t thought of. There were even phones small enough to slip directly into your pocket.
Hongfei listened, his little face full of longing.
Hongyu looked at Xing Zhaozhao, his eyes sparkling: “Will we still be here fifty years from now?”
Hongfei patted his younger brother’s head: “Of course, but by then, you’ll definitely have turned into a little old man.”
Hongyu scrunched up his face: “I don’t want to become a little old man.”
Hongfei giggled: “That’s not up to you.”
“I don’t want to become a little old man!” Hongyu cried out, throwing himself at his brother.
The two little ones soon tumbled into a playful scuffle.
Xing Zhaozhao let them be without intervening. Her thoughts drifted to the submerged village on the other side of the door, and she contemplated how, on her next visit, she would still need to find a way to inquire about the children’s whereabouts and see how they were faring.