Bitter Fruit (Twenty-Two)
"So that's how it is."
Although he'd uncovered a little secret about the old woman, Fu Qian didn't call her out on it. He didn't even ask her to explain in greater detail how her husband had gone missing.
A dark and dangerous place, where even family members had disappeared—and the person she was facing was a stranger whose identity she didn't know.
In such a situation, anyone with even a little sense wouldn't casually reveal what they were relying on to stay alive.
In fact, the old woman had already told him quite a lot.
Just as he'd guessed earlier, her fixation was all that kept her going, and she was already nearing her limit. She needed someone to talk to before she could keep holding on.
"But I'm sorry. I came all the way from over there, and I really didn't see anyone like the person you described."
But the next moment, Fu Qian pointed toward the empty space behind him.
"...You've already been over there?"
The old woman clearly couldn't hide her disappointment at his answer, especially after seeing where he'd pointed.
It was plainly an area even farther from town, more remote even than the place where Lady Sala lived.
A dusty road, factory buildings, all kinds of large tools, heaps of dirt piled haphazardly...
Of course, Fu Qian hadn't come from that direction. But he knew the old woman hadn't, either.
From what he'd sensed earlier, her search route had been quite clear.
Though she was putting herself in danger, she was still smart enough to stay as close to residential areas as possible, making sure there were always buildings nearby she could duck into.
But that didn't mean she could keep her self-control forever.
From her occasional pauses and lingering looks,