In the Serve Family's Master Bedroom, Sonia slept deeply in Martha's arms. Her eyes were a little red and swollen from crying, the tip of her nose was red too, and her tear tracks had already dried, but when a sneeze tried to leak out, she instinctively sniffed it back in. Now she slowly blew a transparent snot bubble, like a little pig.
Martha felt both heartache and amusement. She wiped her daughter's face clean with her sleeve, tucked the blanket around her, and tiptoed out of the room. A little while later, she returned carrying a basin of hot water and a thermos. The new towel became scalding in the hot water and soaked up moisture; once wrung dry, it was warm and heavy, as if it carried the weight of a mother's love.
When the hot towel was gently laid over her face, the sleeping Sonia suddenly opened her eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"
Martha shook her head instinctively, but she immediately realized the worry and conflict on her face could not be hidden from her daughter. All this time, it had only ever been her daughter playing along with her lies. She had never been able to fool her daughter.
"He's gone. I can't find him in the yard either." Martha clutched the hot towel tight and asked cautiously, "Could he have—"
"If he were willing to abandon me on his own, I might even feel a little relieved, but there's no such good thing in this world." Sonia laughed softly. "He will absolutely never let me go... just like I will absolutely never let him go."
Discussing a topic involving her sweetheart with her mother seemed a little embarrassing. A faint peach blush rose on Sonia's face. She pulled the blanket up to cover the lower