Xia Yingyu froze and looked over, spotting two disheveled children whose faces were blue from the cold. They were her own kids, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang. She hurried forward a few steps and asked anxiously, "What happened? Didn't your dad go pick you up?"
"No," Zhao Nuanyue said, shaking her head. "I brought Nuanyang with me. We took the bus and walked the rest of the way ourselves. No one came to get us."
Zhao Nuanyang was thrilled to see his mother and called out, "Mama!"
Hearing her son call her "Mama" made Xia Yingyu even happier. Tears streamed down her face as she grabbed one child with each hand, refusing to let go. Her heart ached with a mixture of pain and anger. "Let's go," she said. "We're going home!"
Even though she was filled with resentment, she didn't want to lose face in public.
"Thank you, ladies." Xia Yingyu led her daughter and son inside, followed by a few onlookers who began to whisper among themselves.
