The old woman seemed to have withdrawn into her own world.
She was completely unaware of the woman beside her.
The woman didn't mind being ignored.
Her thoughts were with the two children.
How could she care about anything else?
If anything, she felt relieved that the old woman wasn't causing trouble right now.
The woman grew more and more anxious.
Why hadn't they come back yet?
The police station wasn't far from here.
And the children had run there.
Could they have...
The woman sprang to her feet.
Had something happened to them on the way?!
No, that couldn't be...
Don't scare yourself.
The woman tried to reassure herself.
She tried to push the dreadful possibilities out of her mind.
But...
If nothing had happened to them on the way...
Why were they taking so long?
They should have been back by now...
The woman clutched her fingers.
"Mom!"
The familiar call suddenly reached her ears, and the woman jerked her head up.
The abrupt movement made her press a hand to her forehead.
Her eyes widened.
"Huan Huan, Lele!"
The woman's eyes lit up as the outlines of the two familiar figures came into focus.
She called out loudly.
Answering the children's calls.
"Mom!"
At the sound of the woman's voice, the smiles on the two children's faces grew even wider.
They hurried toward her.
"Slow down, slow down."
The woman hurried forward a few steps.
She crouched down
and opened her arms.
"Mom!"
The two children threw themselves into the woman's arms.
"Hey."
Seeing the children with her own eyes,
and the bright smiles on their faces, the woman finally let out a breath of relief.
Thank goodness.
It looked like everything had gone smoothly.
"Mom!"