Gift

Ding Xueyang took her daughter's hand and slowly walked up to Hesta.

"How did you find it?"

"We went to the garbage transfer station," Hesta said softly. "Luckily, they hadn't started processing the garbage sent over tonight yet, so..."

"How could you be sure it would be at the garbage transfer station?"

"How could I be sure?" Hesta replied. "Something tangible can't just vanish into thin air. It has to be somewhere. If it wasn't at the garbage transfer station, then it was somewhere else. We just had to keep looking."

"Thank you." Ding Xueyang held a hand to her face as tears continued to fall. She gently shook her head, as if mocking her own reaction. "...Thank you."

"You're welcome," Hesta replied softly. "Miaomiao worked very hard too."

Once everyone had returned home, they realized that Shi Pingchuan seemed to have left by himself.

However, there were clearly more important matters to deal with at home. Miaomiao kept sneezing, and Ding Xueyang had begun running a low fever as well. Ding Yuqing immediately accompanied her sister to the hospital for an examination, leaving Xu Ruyi at home to look after Miaomiao.

Hesta took a shower. The moment she stepped out of the bathroom, she heard Miaomiao making a fuss. She followed the sound upstairs and saw Xu Ruyi pacing around the room with Miaomiao in her arms, futilely singing a lullaby.

"Do you need help?"

"No, no," Xu Ruyi said at once.

"Put her on the bed," Hesta said. "Your back is injured too."

"But Miaomiao..."

Xu Ruyi still laid the child down—her back really was starting to hurt.

Miaomiao cried so hard she could barely catch her breath. When she saw Hesta, she seemed to want to say something, but she could not stop hiccuping through her