The mother Madam Ren described was slightly different from the one Ming Weiting knew from his father.

…The difference was perhaps a bit large.

At least in Mr. Ming’s heart, his wife could certainly not punch a hole through a sandbag with one fist.

Ming Weiting did not plan to inform his father of this matter in advance. He got his mother’s contact information from Madam Ren and also found out where she was currently living. He whispered a few words to Huo Miao, and only after getting Luo Chi’s reply did he nod, saving the address and phone number.

Ren Shuangmei raised an eyebrow, watching the two boys whisper to each other. She added a chopstick of green vegetables to Huo Miao’s bowl and served a bowl of soup to each of them. Ren Shuangmei took a pastry for herself and casually asked Ming Weiting, “Do you want to go see your mother?”

Ming Weiting nodded and took the initiative to ask for advice, “Will it be too sudden?”

“As long as it’s not leaving within ten minutes, it’s not sudden.”
Ren Shuangmei laughed. “Your mother actually knows you very well.”

In her correspondence with Yan Yu, she would also mention Yan Yu’s son who remained on the ship.

Although it was unclear how the news was obtained at sea, as long as Madam Ming felt down for a period of time because she missed her son and was found staring blankly at the abandoned pier, Ming Weiting’s detailed information for the recent period would appear in the Yan family’s mailbox.

If Madam Ming missed her son even more intensely, Ming Weiting would be thrown out to follow a ship, taking the route most likely to dock near the Yan family’s port.

These pen pals of hers mostly communicated about their hobbies and interests, and rarely inquired about each other’s detailed family situations. Ren Shuangmei had always thought that Yan Yu’s husband was a captain and her son was a sailor. When she met Ming Weiting before, she had not considered this direction at all.

Ren Shuangmei said a few simple words and then asked Ming Weiting, “In your memory, have you ever seen any strange drones?”

Ming Weiting put down his spoon and fell silent for a moment. “…Yes.”

Especially in the last two years, he had seen many strange drones.

For example, one dangling a paper bucket containing a whole KFC kids’ meal.

For example, one dangling a paper bag containing oddly shaped wool felt handmade art pieces, or a hand-knitted square scarf.

…For example, one that delivered him a whole set of workbooks labeled “Summer Homework.” After struggling to fly to the deck, the drone’s motor burned out.

The young Ming master knew nothing about people on shore and once thought it was some kind of mysterious sacrificial ritual.

“It was because of me,” Ren Shuangmei coughed lightly, suppressing a laugh. “We sometimes chat about what I bought for Huo Miao, where I took Huo Miao to play.”

Ren Shuangmei had always thought she was competitive enough, but her pen pal on the other side was clearly even more competitive.

Hearing that little Huo Miao was eating KFC, she immediately ordered a kids’ meal to be sent to her son floating on the sea. Seeing that Shuangmei was knitting a sweater for her little boy, she also diligently studied and practiced, knitting a scarf for her son.

Although, due to Miss Yan’s not-so-strong crafting skills, the finished product was somewhat different from the expected, considering this was the result of a week of Ren Shuangmei’s teaching, it was already quite an achievement.

“But she still gets seasick,” Ren Shuangmei pondered for a moment, then reminded Ming Weiting, “Every time we go out to sea to play, she’s the first one to feel unwell.”

…Because of this, Yan Yu had gone to many hospitals, seen many doctors, and even tried astronaut simulation training, but the effect was still not very obvious.

The doctors couldn’t quite understand why “not being able to get on a ship” was a disease that had to be cured. “If your body really can’t adapt, just don’t take a boat.”

The doctors advised her not to care too much about such things. “Taking a boat is not a necessary mode of transportation for modern people. It doesn’t necessarily need to be treated.”

Accompanied by her good friend, Yan Yu held Ren Shuangmei’s hand on her shoulder and sat silently before the consultation desk.

Coming out of the clinic, Yan Yu hugged Ren Shuangmei, so dejected that she burst into tears.

That was the first time Ren Shuangmei had seen her so dispirited. She held her friend, gently patting her back, and quietly listened to her vent.

“It is necessary,” Yan Yu said, her head buried in Ren Shuangmei’s shoulder, tears streaming down. “It just is.”

She bit her lip and wiped her own tears. “My son is at sea. I want to go hug him. And that bastard who doesn’t even dare to say a word to me in person, I must beat him up… I have to ask him clearly what he’s thinking, whether he still likes me or not.”

Ren Shuangmei had even less experience in this area. The two of them presented facts and looked for evidence, studying it for a long time on the way back.

There was really no evidence to show that they didn’t like each other.

The two of them had been to too many places together. They had been to the liveliest markets, carrying lanterns and candied hawthorns to guess the riddles on the roadside lanterns. They had also been to the most desolate snowfields shrouded in polar night, waiting for the aurora by a huge ice crevasse.

The草原 where they played, Yan Yu had also been there with that bastard. They had raced horses on the prairie. Yan Yu rode much better than that bastard fellow, and she deliberately pretended to fall off her horse to scare him. That foolish fellow actually threw himself forward to catch her.

Yan Yu was afraid the horse would be startled and hurt him, so she urged the horse to run far away, threw the reins, and jumped off on her own. The meadow was as soft as the finest carpet. Yan Yu was held by him as they rolled to the edge of a pond. The water was incredibly clear, shimmering under the sun.

“I thought that was a lifetime.”

That day was the Qixi Festival. Yan Yu was lying on a mat under a grape trellis with Ren Shuangmei. “I was thinking then, how can this guy be so stupid? I want to marry him.”

“This definitely shows he likes you,” Ren Shuangmei didn’t think her good friend had misjudged. She inferred logically, “He’s afraid your health will worsen if you get on the ship.”

“If it gets worse, I’ll just get off the ship again!” Yan Yu was furious, gritting her teeth as she stuffed grapes into her mouth. “Can’t I go on a sea vacation for three months every year! The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl don’t complain about seeing each other only once a year!”

Ren Shuangmei was both worried for her and amused by her. She ruffled her good friend’s head. “Is it really that important?”

She didn’t understand that feeling at the time and was a little curious. “For one person, you can give up everything?”

“I can,” Yan Yu sniffled, burying her head in her shoulder. “Xiao Shuang, you might meet someone like that in the future… It doesn’t have to be love.”

“If this world only had love, that would be too boring.”

“It could be family affection, it could be friendship, it could be something else… anything counts.”

“There will just be such a person, who you suddenly become so attached to, you can’t let go, and you’ll always be thinking about them.”

Yan Yu said in a low voice, “Just being together makes you happy… To protect that person, you can do anything.”

…At that time, Ren Shuangmei was still quite free and single. She could probably understand what Yan Yu was saying, but having been independent for so long, she couldn’t fully empathize with that feeling.

Until later, when she brought Huo Miao home, and was later chosen by Huo Miao to be his mother.

Ren Shuangmei slowly began to understand her good friend’s words that night.

Ren Shuangmei herself couldn’t figure out when exactly it started, that she had completely grown accustomed to the little boy’s existence in her life, and was completely unable to accept the possibility of losing him.

When she discovered that that family was gradually forcing Huo Miao’s flame to extinguish, gradually destroying that child, her anger reached the peak of her life.

As long as she could take Huo Miao away, Ren Shuangmei didn’t mind going head-to-head with Luo Chengxiu to the very end.

…So, she could also completely understand how much Yan Yu wanted to see her son, and to see that bastard who left her with a few words and ran away.

Ming Weiting remembered the reason for his running away from home and suddenly made the connection. “So that’s why my father has always wanted me to leave the ship.”

“Your father is probably also very conflicted in his heart,” Ren Shuangmei smiled and said warmly, “People always become more and more insatiable.”

Just like her. At first, she just wanted to take Huo Miao away.

When the little boy’s health slowly improved, she wanted him to be happy every day, for Huo Miao to grow up healthy and happy.

When that also began to be realized, she wanted more people to accept Huo Miao, for the little boy to walk out of the shadow of his past… for Huo Miao to get everything he deserved long ago.

It was a natural development. Ming Weiting’s parents were the same.

They both actually knew.

If another of Mr. Ming’s ships were to approach the coast where Yan Yu stood, she would not think about anything, completely disregarding the three months, disregarding her poor health, and would unhesitatingly lift her skirt, pick up her suitcase, and jump on.

…

The meal lasted for quite some time.

After dinner, the moon had already reached its zenith.

The friend who came to find Huo Miao did not go back. He called the ship and once again stayed overnight at the villa.

Ming Weiting wanted to help with the dishes with Huo Miao, but was pushed back into the living room by Madam Ren, one in each hand. A moment later, she knocked on the door and came in, giving the two boys a large plate of cut fruit.

Luo Chi was pulled away by his mother for a private chat. Ming Weiting sat alone on the terrace, organizing the results of their discussion just now.

Ming Weiting had always wanted to see his mother.

It was because his father had said that his mother’s health couldn’t handle being at sea, and that seeing her again would only make her sad, which was even worse for her recovery, that Ming Weiting had not brought it up with his father again.

He thought Huo Miao was right. His father must miss his mother even more than he did.

Ming Weiting organized the information Madam Ren gave him. He didn’t mention that his mother was practicing combat skills, but sent the rest of the content to his father.

Thirty seconds later, Ming Weiting received a video call from his father.

Mr. Ming didn’t bother with pleasantries with his son. “You were able to leave the ship?”

“Yes,” Ming Weiting replied. “Father, I’m on shore. Look—”

“It’s fine if you can’t get off,” Mr. Ming said. “I’ve thought about it. I was too strict with you before. It’s not a bad thing for you to live on the ship.”

Ming Weiting was showing him the scenery on land. He looked at his father on the video, who was continuing to speak without waiting for him to finish, and checked the full signal display. “Father?”

“I have something to do, I need to go ashore for a trip… Don’t worry, I’ll be back in a few days.”

His father cleared his throat. “By the way, Weiting, there’s a small matter I need to ask your opinion on.”

The relationship between father and son was not strained, but Mr. Ming had always been stern and rarely so considerate as to ask for his opinion on matters first.

Ming Weiting frowned slightly, nodded, and asked, “What is it?”

His father coughed. “Can you succeed me as this ‘Mr. Ming’?”