The sound of the tide before nightfall seemed desolate, with intermittent gusts of chilly wind. Lu Yanchen held her tightly in his arms, and finally, his heart settled down.
Gu Ling looked up at him. "Why did you come?"
Lu Yanchen raised his hand to help her tidy up a few strands of hair that the wind had scattered. His voice was full of tenderness. "I knew you came here today, so in the evening, I noticed that you weren't on the returning boat. I couldn't rest easy, so I came immediately."
These words warmed Gu Ling's heart, and her eyes became moist. She felt like crying.
Sensing her change in mood, Lu Yanchen held her even tighter. "What's wrong?"
Gu Ling sighed lightly, trying hard not to cry. "Today, I came here to make a call for my good friend Lin Huining. She asked me to investigate the truth about my mother's accident many years ago. I thought something might have happened on that end. She wouldn't tell me, so I had to go and ask the old fishermen who might have witnessed my mother's accident. Unfortunately, I didn't get any particularly useful information."
Lu Yanchen had never seen her like this before—her complexion was a bit pale, her hair slightly disheveled, and her eyes sparkled with moist light. Every word she uttered seemed filled with heartbreak and weakness.
He gently held her hand. "Before, whenever I came to the mainland, I also asked about it incidentally for you. However, I didn't have the chance to investigate thoroughly. How about this? We can't go back tonight; it's dangerous to sail on the sea at night. We can only stay overnight on the mainland. Tomorrow, we can go door-to-door together to inquire. We'll surely gather some useful information."
With no other choice, Gu Ling sniffed, suppressing the sadness, and decided to go to the guesthouse with Lu Yanchen.
But thinking that the two of them would actually stay at a guesthouse—would it be one room or two?
She thought they would probably need two rooms...
However, the idea of a man and a woman staying in a guesthouse together might lead to misunderstandings. She couldn't help but blush, thinking about Lu Yanchen's passionate actions in the little grove before.
But unexpectedly, Lu Yanchen didn't take her to the guesthouse. Instead, he held her hand and walked west along the streets of the small county town, and she had no idea where they were heading.
Before Gu Ling could ask, Lu Yanchen proactively explained, "The guesthouse doesn't have a great environment. The bedding and beds inside are not very clean. It's mostly a temporary place for people from out of town on business trips. There are a lot of bugs and such; you definitely won't be comfortable staying there. I'll take you to Aunt Wu's place."
Gu Ling asked in confusion, "Who is Aunt Wu?"
"Aunt Wu is a teacher in this county town. She teaches at the elementary school and loves flowers. There are many flowers in her courtyard, and her house is very clean and tidy. When we were chasing fugitives before, we went to her house to borrow water. The flowers I bought for you last time were also from her. Let's stay at her place for the night. She won't accept money for sure. We can buy some fruits on the way."
Aunt Wu was a well-known good person in the small county town. She often took care of students whose parents were too busy to look after them.
In no time, they passed by a shop, and Lu Yanchen went in to buy some brown sugar and a package of fruits and snacks, intending to bring them to Aunt Wu.
Gu Ling was quite curious about Aunt Wu and was looking forward to meeting her.
The road to Aunt Wu's house wasn't far, and after several twists and turns following Lu Yanchen, they finally arrived. It was a somewhat simple residential area with low tile-roofed houses. The yards of ordinary households were filled with daily necessities and items like coal balls. However, as they walked, Gu Ling caught a faint scent of osmanthus, and suddenly, she felt the fragrance penetrating her soul.
The weariness and sadness seemed to lighten, and her spirit revived a bit.
The osmanthus fragrance was distant and elusive, indicating that the osmanthus had just bloomed, probably the late-summer-blooming osmanthus, a relatively challenging variety to cultivate year-round.
Sure enough, Lu Yanchen pointed to the cleanest and most beautiful yard, covered with lush ivy on the front wall, and said, "That's Aunt Wu's home."
As the wind blew, the ivy leaves rustled, creating a picturesque scene.
Aunt Wu's yard was open, and Lu Yanchen knocked on the door. A gentle voice from inside said, "Come in." Gu Ling was momentarily stunned by the sight of the entire yard. On the left were vegetable plots, and on the right were various flowers, all thriving. The entire yard looked elegant and lively. Aunt Wu, the woman known as Aunt Wu, stood on a ladder with her back to them, hanging freshly strung chili peppers along the eaves.
It was getting dark, and the entire yard was immersed in the dim light of the evening. The woman with short hair was busy hanging the chili peppers and then turned around, smiling at them.
"Xiao Lu, is that you? Why did you come at this time? Is there an urgent mission?" she asked.
Lu Yanchen smiled and said, "Aunt Wu, there's no mission today. We just couldn't find a place to stay temporarily, so we thought of staying at your place for the night. I hope it's convenient for you."
Aunt Wu replied, "Of course, it's no problem. I'll go tidy up the room for you."
She swiftly climbed down the ladder, glanced at the young lady next to Lu Yanchen, and inexplicably felt that she was kind and beautiful. Unexpectedly, the young lady suddenly rushed forward and grabbed her arm!
Gu Ling looked at the person in front of her in disbelief. She had aged quite a bit compared to her memories. The gentle and beautiful face now bore the traces of time, and her hair was not as dark and shiny as before. She had aged, no longer in her twenties, but Gu Ling still recognized her at a glance.
Spanning two lifetimes, she endured and held back her emotions!
Gu Ling's eyes turned red, tears uncontrollably surged out, "Mom! Mom!"
Her legs went weak, trembling as she knelt in front of Aunt Wu, "Mom! I'm Ling Ling! I'm your Ling Ling!"
Beside her, Lu Yanchen was shocked, and Aunt Wu hesitated, looking at the beautiful girl in front of her. She bent down, staring at Gu Ling, feeling a sense of panic.
Large tears rolled down Gu Ling's cheeks. She had thought about her mother many times, but she never imagined that her mother was still alive, living alone in this small town!
Thinking of this, Gu Ling couldn't help but want to slap herself!
In the previous life, why hadn't she ever thought of coming here to find her mother?
Gu Ling cried in Aunt Wu's embrace, and Aunt Wu eventually crouched down, gently holding her and patting her back, "Good child, don't cry for now, don't cry."
The more she did this, the more Gu Ling cried. Her mother used to coax her like this!
But why did her mother in front of her seem so unfamiliar?
Crying, Gu Ling grabbed Aunt Wu's arm to inspect her palm lines, "Mom! Your palm lines are like this! There's a mole in the center of your palm! You also have a mole on your shoulder! Mom, why don't you talk to me? Don't you remember me?"
Eventually, with Lu Yanchen's soothing, Gu Ling and Aunt Wu sat down and talked for a while.
Gu Ling still wanted to cry. She wished to embrace her mother and cry her heart out but had to restrain herself.
Aunt Wu looked at her with compassion, filled with hesitation and guilt, and truthfully explained, "I'm not a local. Over a decade ago, I had an accident, was seriously injured, and someone saved me. After recovering, I lost my memory. I can't remember anything, and there's nothing on me to prove my identity. I don't have any valid documents, and the police couldn't help me. In the end, I decided to stay in this small town. I thought that if my family missed me, they would come to find me someday."
She smiled and said, "So, you are my daughter, and you've come to find me, right?"
Gu Ling couldn't hold back her tears. She threw herself onto her mother's knees, "Mom, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
She came too late, even a lifetime late!
Why was she so foolish!!
Aunt Wu held her hand, her eyes gradually becoming warm and expectant, "Good child, don't cry. Tell me, what's my name?"
With tears streaming down her face, Gu Ling told her word by word, "Mom, your name is Yang Shan, and I am your daughter, Gu Ling."
Suddenly, she remembered something. She took out a very old photo from her wallet. On it was a picture of a woman holding a month-old baby girl, and this woman was unmistakably Yang Shan!
Yang Shan's heart trembled. She took the photo, stared at it for a while, and felt her head throbbing more and more. Eventually, the pain became unbearable, and she leaned on the table, gasping for breath!
That night, Yang Shan continued to suffer from an unbearable headache, relying on taking two painkillers for temporary relief. Gu Ling stayed by her bedside, taking care of her throughout the night.
At dawn, Lu Yanchen immediately took Gu Ling to the hospital with Yang Shan.
However, the root of Yang Shan's illness was the impact on her head. The damage to the inside of her brain made recovery very difficult.
Moreover, any form of stimulation caused intense pain, and headaches occurred frequently.
For a while, Gu Ling didn't know if her presence was right or wrong.
Yang Shan received treatment from the doctor in her room, while Gu Ling stood outside the window in a daze. Lu Yanchen held her hand and said, "Don't be afraid. Let me make a call. I have an uncle who is a neurologist. Maybe he can provide some insights."
However, the phone call from Lu Yanchen revealed an even more frightening truth to Gu Ling.
On the other end of the line, Lu Yanchen's uncle inquired about the patient's condition and the nature of the injuries. He then said, "If it's just an accidental hit to the head during the boat incident, it shouldn't lead to such severe consequences. If we can find eyewitnesses who can describe the patient's initial injuries at the time of the accident, it might lead to a more targeted treatment. After all, the brain is a challenging area to treat, as it's difficult to investigate its internal components thoroughly."
His implication was that Yang Shan must have suffered multiple external forces impacting her head at the time, or else such severe consequences wouldn't have occurred.
Gu Ling's heart sank, and she felt the pain was beyond any words.
When Yang Shan finally came out of the hospital room, she lifted her eyes and met Gu Ling's gaze. Despite feeling extremely uncomfortable, she smiled and said, "Ling Ling, Mom is fine."
With a simple statement, Gu Ling almost burst into tears again. She walked over and supported Yang Shan's arm.
Yang Shan, with a throbbing headache and unsteady steps, still asked a question, "Ling Ling, what's your dad's name? Why hasn't he come to find me?"
In theory, the person who should have come to find her was her husband.
Over the years, she occasionally dreamt of something. Only on a few rare occasions, she dreamt of a man's back, leading a woman away while leaving her struggling alone in the cold seawater.