From Broken Family to Life Winner: A Reborn Mother's Journey

They had been searching for Miao Zhi for two days, but there were still no clues.

When Father Miao heard that the anti-trafficking operation was mostly over and all the rescuable children had been brought home—but there was still no sign of Miao Zhi—his already-frail body could no longer take the strain, and he collapsed from illness.

Miao Zhi was Father Miao’s only child—his precious Miao Miao. Everyone wanted to help him and had searched extensively, but it was to no avail.

Hearing that Father Miao had fallen ill, Su Li took Little Tang Mo to visit him.

Su Li and Little Tang Mo both felt terrible. Although Little Tang Mo was also a victim, Miao Zhi had been abducted while she was with them. Now, Little Tang Mo, Little Tongtong, and so many other victims had returned safely, yet Miao Zhi was still nowhere to be found.

With no leads at this point, the grim assumption was that Miao Zhi might no longer be alive.

This wasn’t just a baseless guess. Considering the circumstances at the time, Miao Zhi had been sick. If her illness had worsened, or if she hadn’t made it, the traffickers, in their wickedness, could have easily abandoned her somewhere no one would ever go.

Or they might have just buried her.

Finding a buried person, even within the confines of a single village, is incredibly difficult, let alone searching for her somewhere in a country as vast as Huaguo.

Alive, there was no sign of her; dead, there was no body. For Father Miao, it was the cruelest state of limbo.

When Su Li brought Little Tang Mo back to the family residential compound after such a long time, she was filled with a mix of emotions.

Likewise, when the people in the compound saw Su Li and Little Tang Mo, they were even more overwhelmed with emotion.

After divorcing Tang Yuanxiao and leaving with Little Tang Mo, Su Li had never returned, and they hadn’t seen her since.

This time, Su Li had driven to see Father Miao with Little Tang Mo for convenience.

In this era, even bicycles were a rarity, let alone a car.

Su Li and Little Tang Mo hadn’t dressed up intentionally. They weren’t in the mood, nor was it appropriate. They wore their most ordinary clothes, but even their ”ordinary” clothes looked bright and stylish in the eyes of the onlookers.

When everyone saw Su Li and Little Tang Mo arrive, their gazes were indescribably complex.

People had heard bits and pieces of news about Su Li, such as her getting together with Wu Sheng.

Many people were envious of this, while others made sour remarks. In short, there was all sorts of talk.

Before seeing them in person, they would just whisper and gossip behind their backs. It was just idle chatter, and while they had feelings about it, the feelings weren’t that deep.

But upon seeing Su Li and Little Tang Mo again, they were suddenly struck by the realization that Su Li was no longer in the same world as them.

Su Li was stepping into the residential compound again only to visit Father Miao. She was being very low-key and certainly wasn’t trying to show anything off.

But the more low-key she tried to be, the more it seemed otherwise.

Back when Su Li was still living there with Little Tang Mo, they had been surprised she could get into such a good university. But it hadn’t made a huge impression on them at the time—not until they met again after so long.

If they hadn’t known in advance that she was coming and had just run into her on the street, they might not have recognized Su Li and Little Tang Mo. Or rather, even if they did, they might not have dared to acknowledge them.

The car was parked at the entrance. Su Li, Little Tang Mo, and Aunt Chang came in, carrying gifts for the sick in bags both large and small.

Although it was meant to be a low-key visit, in everyone’s eyes, it had the air of someone ”returning home in glory.”

”Incredible... Those clothes, and that car... Where did she get it?”

”I heard she said she was earning her own money, but who knows how.”

”Couldn’t be that her new man bought it for her, right? He must be really willing to spend...”

”No wonder she didn’t want Tang Yuanxiao anymore...”

Su Li didn’t notice the quiet discussions behind her, nor did she pay them any mind.

Following Aunt Chang, she arrived at the Miao Family’s home. Father Miao was lying in bed with an IV drip, his eyes filled with desolation.

Tang Yuanxiao was there at the Miao home taking care of him. When he saw Su Li and the others arrive, he quickly stood up.

”You’re here,” he greeted them as usual. He knew they were coming; after all, it had only been two days since he had last seen them.

”Mmm,” Su Li replied casually before turning to look at Father Miao.

”Dad,” Little Tang Mo called out, also turning to look at Father Miao.

Father Miao’s spirit was weak. He was drifting in and out of consciousness, and his condition was particularly bad.

His body had suffered a great deal in his early years, leaving him with many old injuries. He had kept himself healthy through constant exercise and had been doing fine, but this time, his collapse was mainly for psychological reasons.

He was an old man burying the young. For him, at this moment, there was little will to live left.

A doctor could treat physical ailments, but for this kind of psychological sickness, even a doctor was helpless.

Su Li, Little Tang Mo, Aunt Chang, and Tang Yuanxiao sat in silence in the Miao home, facing each other without a word.

Aunt Chang couldn’t fathom how things had turned out this way. Only one question echoed in her mind: ’What should we do?’

Su Li... for a moment, she also couldn’t think of what to do.

After sitting in somber silence for over an hour, Father Miao finally regained consciousness for a while.

Seeing that Su Li and Little Tang Mo had come to visit him, he even thanked them.

”Thank you for coming.”

His gaze was full of complicated emotions.

An ordinary person might have blamed Little Tang Mo for what happened to Miao Zhi, but Father Miao couldn’t do it.

He felt conflicted, but to push all the blame onto Little Tang Mo and Su Li... his conscience wouldn’t allow it. He just couldn’t.

More than anything, he blamed himself.

’It was my fault. I didn’t even know Miao Zhi was gone.’

’When Miao Zhi went to her maternal grandmother’s house, I never should have let her go.’

’If only I had known... if only I had known...’

The thought of ”if only” was like a knife twisting in Father Miao’s heart.

After staying at the Miao home for over an hour, Su Li and Little Tang Mo left.

Tang Yuanxiao walked them out.

Everyone in the residential compound had heard that Su Li and Little Tang Mo had arrived. They were all waiting to see the spectacle, sitting or standing outside without any real reason, just to get a look.

Seeing Tang Yuanxiao walking Su Li and the others out, their eyes gleamed with sly curiosity.

Tang Yuanxiao’s brow furrowed slightly, and Su Li also frowned.

”You don’t have to see us out. We can go by ourselves.”

Su Li spoke in a low voice. Her conscience was clear regarding Tang Yuanxiao. And while they couldn’t just cut each other out of their lives completely, she was still self-conscious about the situation.

At a time like this, it was better to avoid any suggestion of impropriety. Tang Yuanxiao would have to remarry someday, after all.

Tang Yuanxiao gave a low sound of assent and didn’t insist on walking them further. He watched Su Li and Little Tang Mo’s figures retreat with a deep gaze, then turned around, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

On her way out, Su Li offered a polite smile to every familiar face she recognized, without exception, but she didn’t stop for small talk. She simply led Little Tang Mo out of the residential compound.

Little Tang Mo held tightly to Su Li’s hand the whole way. When they passed the Tang Family home, he didn’t even spare it a single glance.

That place held his worst memories. He wasn’t afraid of it anymore, but he had no desire to look at it, either.

The mother and son soon returned to the entrance. A group of children had gathered around the parked car, staring at it as a novelty.

Su Li and the others didn’t linger. They got straight into the car and left.

Just as she got home, Su Li received a phone call. It was from Mr. Zhang, who asked if she had time to come and identify someone the next day.

This person was none other than the leader of the human trafficking ring.

Su Li was bewildered, but she agreed nonetheless.