My mother fell into deep thought.

The little boy looked overjoyed. Ren Shuangmei pondered for a few seconds, then tentatively nodded and wrapped Huo Miao tightly in his coat.

The location decoded from the firework signal wasn’t actually far from the hotel.

Since she was here with Huo Miao for the music festival, Ren Shuangmei had booked a hotel near the square. The Ming family’s child, carrying a hiking bag, had also walked to the center of that square.

Ren Shuangmei led Huo Miao around the audience seats and, seeing the figure in the distance, quietly stopped.

…Although.

Although, no matter how you looked at it, the situation seemed to be developing beyond expectations, even to the point of being alarming.

But perhaps it was because of those fireworks that the Ming family’s child seemed very lonely.

The music festival wouldn’t end until tomorrow. The festive decorations in the square hadn’t been taken down, but because no one would be there at night, it looked unavoidably empty and desolate.

The lights illuminated the various stages brightly, casting huge, dark shadows. Some light signs that hadn’t been turned off were still flashing.

Ming Weiting sat cross-legged on the grass alone, the hiking bag Huo Miao had given him beside him, setting off fireworks one by one.

Colorful fireworks, colorful light signs, and a boy who had only ever drifted on the sea, who had come ashore only to make friends with Huo Miao.

…

Ren Shuangmei’s heart softened for no reason, and she couldn’t hold back the little boy who shot past her like a rocket.

The little boys seemed to have none of the adults’ complex emotions.

Huo Miao sprinted towards his target. Ming Weiting had just set off the last firework in his hand and, recognizing the figure rushing towards him, immediately stood up.

He had walked for about an hour following the map and had been sitting for a long time. He couldn’t stand firm against Huo Miao’s charge, and they both lost their balance and fell onto the grass.

The grass here was also very soft, so it didn’t hurt to fall. The two little guys were happier than ever, seeming to have endless things to say, and in a flash, they were hugging and wrestling with each other.

Seeing that neither of them was hurt, Ren Shuangmei quietly retreated again, continuing to carefully observe the situation.

…

Luo Chi indeed had a lot to say to Ming Weiting.

The happier he was playing alone, the more he couldn’t help but think of Ming Weiting, who had stayed behind in the small courtyard and hadn’t come out to play.

His mother had business to attend to and a lot of work to do, and could only return to the hotel at night. Luo Chi went to the music festival alone with those teachers, and his heart actually missed both his mother and his good friend.

Playing the guitar could distract him for the most part. But every time he was free and saw something delicious or fun, he would realize that Ming Weiting wasn’t there, and suddenly half the fun was gone.

Ming Weiting’s situation was actually quite similar.

The reason he stayed in the small courtyard and didn’t follow was that Young Master Ming had tried a few times in private and found that he really had no talent for musical instruments. The conversations between Huo Miao and the professional teachers were also not suitable for a layman to interrupt.

Ming Weiting had originally planned to use this time to practice horse riding, at least to be able to take Luo Chi for a walk on the grassland when he returned. But every time he was thrown off the horse and sat on the grass, he would miss Huo Miao, who had gone out alone.

Luo Chi sat up, hugging the hiking bag, and listened to him with his chin resting on his arms, unable to help but smile. “You only think of me when you’re thrown off the horse.”

“No,” Young Master Ming shook his head honestly. “I’m always thinking of you.”

Luo Chi pursed his lips in disbelief and poured out a large pile of snacks he had bought for his good friend from the hiking bag. He then picked out a bag of his favorite sweet cheese and generously stuffed it into his hands.

Ming Weiting had collected the raisins they had dried together, tried to bake wheat bread with them, and also took it out of his schoolbag.

He took Huo Miao’s hand, lowered his head, and carefully wiped it clean with a wet wipe. He opened a corner of the paper wrapping the bread and placed it in Luo Chi’s hand.

Luo Chi took a bite and immediately declared with great conviction and support, “Delicious!”

He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts at night that he hadn’t eaten much. He took several more bites. “Did you make it yourself?”

Ming Weiting nodded and then said in a low voice, “The texture was good when it was fresh out of the oven. It’s much worse now.”

He had tried many ways to preserve the bread’s texture and had even specifically consulted Uncle Lu for this, but the results were not very good.

On the way, he had eaten one as a ration and felt that it was not good, much worse than when it was fresh out of the oven.

Because of this, Young Master Ming’s mood had become much more dejected than before he set off.

“It’s delicious,” Luo Chi insisted. “It’s the best I’ve ever eaten.”

Young Master Ming was still completely unskilled at distinguishing encouragement and took him seriously, looking up at him.

Luo Chi nodded firmly, took several more big bites, and specially picked out the softest and fluffiest part of the bread core for him to taste. “Isn’t it?”

Ming Weiting took a bite and was extremely surprised. “Eating it with you makes it delicious.”

Luo Chi’s ears grew warm, and he whispered to him, “Food tastes better when eaten together.”

This theory was clearly unanimously approved by both of them. The more Young Master Ming thought about it, the more he felt it made sense. He took out a box of yogurt, inserted the straw, and asked Huo Miao, who was taking big bites of bread, “Can we always be together?”

The square was very quiet, but for some reason, after he said this, he suddenly heard a rustling sound from a branch in the shadows.

Young Master Ming was always vigilant and immediately looked over, but saw nothing.

Luo Chi was just feeling thirsty and took a few sips of yogurt from his hand. “Then we have to become that kind of real family first.”

He had just learned this new piece of knowledge from his mother and was now explaining it to Young Master Ming, who was certainly also unaware of this. “Not the kind of Ming family member you invited me to be, but like you, Aunt Yan, and Uncle Ming.”

Ming Weiting indeed did not know this piece of knowledge. He was taken aback and listened carefully as Huo Miao explained it to him.

He found that what Luo Chi said made a lot of sense.

After getting his father’s guide on how to pursue his mother from Uncle Lu, the more Ming Weiting referred to and verified it, the more he felt that much of its content was very correct. His father was indeed his guide in this matter.

…For example, when you start to miss someone, you will have many more regrets than before.

He often felt regret.

When eating, he would regret that Huo Miao wasn’t there to eat the delicious food, and even if he saved it, it was difficult to preserve the original flavor.

When enjoying the cool air in the courtyard, he would also regret that Huo Miao wasn’t there to see the beautiful scenery. Although he could record it with a camera, the colors and feelings were never as magnificent as the real thing.

When the bread came out of the oven hot and steaming, the texture was the most satisfying he had ever had. He couldn’t wait to share it with Huo Miao, but when he turned around, he found that he was alone in the kitchen.

Carrying the hiking bag on his back, as he walked, he found that the bread was gradually becoming less and less delicious. Young Master Ming almost turned back to bake a new batch of bread.

This was the first time Ming Weiting had felt this way. In the past, he didn’t think delicious food or beautiful scenery was anything special. It was nice if he encountered them, but he didn’t regret missing them.

But now, he regretted and lamented every part he had missed because he wasn’t with Luo Chi.

“I haven’t found the reason yet.”

Ming Weiting said, “But I think it’s because I met you.”

Huo Miao looked at him with wide eyes, his ears turning red. He pursed his lips and said in a small voice, “I used to think it was fine to just stay at home all the time.”

He actually liked going out to play, liked to see the world he hadn’t seen, to touch all the new things he hadn’t seen. But the unease of leaving home was like an invisible rope pulling at his chest. As soon as he ran a little far, a strong sense of unease would seep out.

It was because he met Ming Weiting that he discovered that the outside world wasn’t so scary after all.

It turned out that the outside world and the people outside were not so dangerous—of course, there would be dangers, and there were places where he had to be vigilant and protect himself.

But the many bad people and things he had encountered before were just because his luck was bad at that time.

A person’s luck can’t always be bad. It was Ming Weiting who taught him this. When you encounter bad weather at sea, what you should do is not to stay put and wait for the bad weather to pass, but to speed up and rush out, to a place with sun and calm seas.

As long as you can hold on until you reach that place, no matter how far you want to go, you can always go on steadily.

Luo Chi had been thinking about these principles these past few days.

When he was with people, he was just focused on having fun together. When he was alone outside thinking of his good friend, he would also bring up their past conversations and slowly recall them over and over again.

He had figured out a lot of things, and his voice was light and serious. “I want to go to a place full of sunshine.”

Ming Weiting listened quietly to Huo Miao, a smile in his eyes, and nodded solemnly.

He raised his hand and gently stroked Huo Miao’s hair. “I’ll go with you.”

“Anywhere,” Ming Weiting said. “I’ll go with you.”

Luo Chi’s eyes curved, and he looked up at his palm. “Anywhere?” He swallowed the bread in a few bites, finished the yogurt, and tried to stretch his arms out to gesture. “I want to go really, really far.”

Ming Weiting nodded. “Anywhere.”

He said softly, “We can go to the farthest place, to the end of the world.”

…

Ren Shuangmei stood in the shadows, holding a broken branch she had picked up, shooing away mosquitoes while listening to the two little guys chat softly.

Many times, it seemed that only children could completely resolve children’s inner knots.

She looked at the elated Huo Miao, her heart also feeling settled and warm, and the last bit of worry completely dissipated.

Her little Huo Miao could freely burn anywhere in the future.

Ren Shuangmei lowered her head and smiled, pressing her forehead. She was about to go and pull the two little guys, who were heading for the end of the world with great ambition, back to the hotel. She threw away the branch and walked over.

As she got closer, she heard the two little guys whispering, their heads close together.

“So can I be with you forever?”

“I think so, I don’t see a problem.”

“To be together, we have to be a family.”

“I asked my mom, and she said yes.”

“I also looked at my father’s guide. To be together forever, we have to make a vow in a church. Is there a church here?”

“I don’t think so. Do you have one at sea?”

“Not at sea either, but there is one in the seaport we dock at. Do you want to make a vow?”

…

Two little boys, neither of whom had had much contact with normal life, relying on their mother’s explanations and their father’s guide to communicate, sat together. One dared to teach, and the other dared to learn, and in a flash, they reached a consensus.

“I do.” Huo Miao clenched his fists with great motivation. “Wait, I’ll go ask my mom.”