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"Three years ago, Bao's father and I were working in the fields, while his grandmother was watching him at home. Around noon, a woman knocked on our door and said she was passing through and wanted some water. My mother-in-law was kindhearted, so she let her into the yard. The moment she turned around to get water from the kitchen, that woman carried off my Bao."

"My mother-in-law immediately ran out into the street and called for help, but it was midday, and every household was out working in the fields. There was hardly anyone in the village. My mother-in-law chased after her for a long way but couldn't find her. Just like that, my child was taken away by that damned trafficker."

"Bao is our only child. When he was gone, our family fell apart. I just want to find him. No matter how long it takes, I have to find him."

"How heartbreaking." Some softhearted people could not help wiping away their tears. Seeing how gaunt the woman was, with even her lips cracked, one of them took out a steamed bun and her water bottle and handed them over. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

The woman shook her head numbly. "Thank you, ma'am, but I'm not hungry. I can endure it."

"Then have some water! Look, your lips are cracked. In this summer heat, you'll get heatstroke if you don't drink."

"I'm not thirsty either." The woman licked her lower lip. The sharp, tearing pain helped keep her awake. For the past three years, she had tortured herself this way.

Her Bao was gone. She had no idea where he was now or how much suffering he was enduring. How could she, his mother, still fill her stomach? She did not deserve to. She had to find Bao.

Seeing the woman torment herself like this, the people around her could only shake their heads and sigh. But there was nothing they could do. The clues she had provided were far too scarce, and the photograph was several years old, making it impossible to match. Even if they wanted to help, they had no way to do so.

Just then, a young woman in her twenties asked, "Have you tried asking the Missing Persons Rescue Website for help? There's a lot of information about missing children there. Do you want to take a look? Maybe your child is listed there too? Even if there's no news about your child, you can tell them about your situation and have them spread word about your son. Maybe someone will see it and notify the website. Then the website will tell you."

Of course, that was merely a comforting suggestion. The clues the woman had provided were far too limited. Even if her case was posted on the Missing Persons Rescue Website, the volunteers could not possibly find her child in the vast sea of people based on such scant information. But no matter how faint the hope was, it was still hope—a lifeline.

Sure enough, when the woman heard the young woman's words, her previously numb and vacant eyes instantly lit up. She grabbed the young woman's wrist. "What did you say? What's this rescue station? Can it help me find my son?"

"The Missing Persons Rescue Website." The young woman happened to be one of the website's online volunteers. Seeing how agitated the woman had become, she pondered for a moment before saying, "How about this? Come with me first. We'll find somewhere with a computer, and I'll help you look online."

As she spoke, the young woman turned to a middle-aged man in his forties beside her. "Dad, then I won't see you off."

Her father waved with a smile. "No need, no need. Go do what you need to do. This is important."

The young woman's mother straightened her husband's shirt collar and said gently, "I'll go with her and take a look too. You can go into the station by yourself."

While the family of three spoke, the mother searching for her child hurriedly gathered her things and stared at the young woman expectantly.

When the young woman turned back, she met the woman's gaze, filled with excitement, hope, and fear. Her nose suddenly stung, and she could not quite explain what she was feeling.

"Let's go!" The young woman took the initiative to carry one of the woman's bundles. Her mother helped take the sign as well.

The woman hoisted her luggage onto her shoulder and followed behind the mother and daughter, step by step.

In the early 1990s, internet cafés and gaming lounges were not everywhere as they would be decades later. The young woman and her mother circled around near the station before finally finding a typing and photocopy shop with a computer. The owner was a young man in his twenties, sitting cross-legged on the sofa and playing a game. When he saw the three customers enter, he immediately paused it, stood up, and asked, "Photocopying or typing?"

"Neither. Could we borrow your computer for a moment?" Before the shop owner could frown and send them away, the young woman said, "This auntie's child was taken by traffickers. She's been looking for her child all this time. I want to help her check the missing persons information on the Missing Persons Rescue Website."

The shop owner glanced at the woman behind the young woman and scratched his head. "Is it that Missing Persons Rescue Website that came out a few days ago? I saw it on the news."

"Yes, that's the one." The young woman's eyes sparkled. "I'm an online volunteer for the Missing Persons Rescue Website. I want to help this auntie."

"Then go ahead and use it." After thinking for a moment, the shop owner asked, "You know how to use a computer, right?"

"I do." The young woman nodded, sat down at the computer, and logged into the Missing Persons Rescue Website. The woman who had lost her child stood behind her, her face practically pressed against the screen. But she could not read, so she had no idea what the information on the webpage said. She could only stare fixedly at the photographs, as if she wanted to see through the screen.

Sitting in front of the computer, the young woman read through the posts one by one, hoping she could offer the woman some help.

After watching for a while and learning what had happened, the shop owner could not help suggesting, "What you're doing probably won't help much. The news said that the two owners who created the Missing Persons Rescue Website were victims rescued by the police from a trafficking ring. They built the website to help more people find their relatives. And they're connected with the local police and many families of missing persons. Why not have this auntie go directly to Jiangzhou?"

"Go straight to that orphanage. Explain the situation clearly to the website and see if they can help."

The young woman bit her lip and looked at the woman. It seemed that was the only option.