The Next Morning…
As the first rays of sunlight broke through the horizon, bathing the quiet town in a warm golden glow, Su Mei finally stepped out of the medicinal chamber.
She had spent most of the night concocting pills, yet there was hardly any exhaustion visible on her face.
Instead of returning to her bedchamber to rest, she headed straight to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the children.
Before long, the pleasant aroma of freshly cooked rice porridge drifted through the courtyard.
After preparing the meal, Su Mei carried the steaming rice porridge into the room and called out to the two sleeping children.
"Su Lan, wake up. It's already morning."
She glanced at the boy beside her.
"You too, little one. Time to wake up."
The two children stirred reluctantly beneath the blankets.
Su Lan was the first to sit up, rubbing her sleepy eyes. The boy followed shortly afterward, looking around the unfamiliar room with a momentary trace of confusion before remembering where he was.
After making sure they had properly washed their faces and rinsed their mouths, Su Mei seated them at the table and served them bowls of warm rice porridge.
The two children immediately began eating.
Su Mei sat across from them, watching quietly for a while before turning her attention toward the boy.
There was something important she needed to tell him.
"You've lost your memories and have nowhere else to go," Su Mei began gently.
The boy stopped eating and raised his head to look at her.
Su Mei continued, "I don't know when your memories will return, nor do I know where your family might be. Until then, I plan to adopt you as my son."
She paused for a moment.
"Do you agree?"
The boy stared at her.
Although he could not remember his past, he could remember everything that had happened since opening his eyes.
The woman before him had taken care of him, treated his injuries, given him food, and provided him with a safe place to sleep.
More importantly, the warmth in her eyes felt strangely comforting.
He readily nodded his head.
"I agree."
A beautiful smile immediately appeared on Su Mei's face.
Beside him, Su Lan's eyes lit up.
She looked at her new younger brother and immediately began imagining all the games they could play together. From now on, she would finally have someone to accompany her whenever her mother was busy concocting pills.
Su Mei looked at the boy and smiled warmly.
"Since you have forgotten your original name, you will need a new one."
The boy listened attentively.
"From today onward, your name will be Su Yang."
"Su Yang…"
He quietly repeated the name.
For some reason, the moment he heard it, he felt an inexplicable warmth in his heart.
"Su Yang," he repeated once more, this time with a smile.
He loved the name.
It belonged to him now.
"My name is Su Yang!"
Su Lan giggled.
"Of course it is. Mother just told you."
Su Yang glanced at her.
"I was only saying it again."
"You've already said it twice."
"So?"
"So nothing."
Su Yang ignored her and continued eating his porridge happily.
Before long, the two children began chatting and teasing each other again as though they had truly been siblings for years.
Su Mei quietly watched them.
As she looked at her two children, tears gradually gathered in the corners of her eyes.
She had never imagined that she would experience such happiness again after her husband's death.
For years, Su Lan had been the only light remaining in her life. Su Mei had devoted herself to raising her daughter while burying the pain of losing her husband deep within her heart.
Yet now, unexpectedly, fate had brought another child into their home.
Perhaps the heavens had not completely abandoned her after all.
Unable to contain her emotions, Su Mei suddenly pulled both children into her arms and hugged them tightly.
"Mother?" Su Lan murmured in confusion.
Su Yang remained silent.
The two children inhaled the familiar, fragrant herbal scent lingering on Su Mei's robes. It was a gentle fragrance accumulated from years of handling medicinal herbs and concocting pills.
Neither child resisted her embrace.
Instead, they leaned even closer to her.
Su Mei closed her eyes as she held them tightly.
At that moment, cultivation, mysterious backgrounds, powerful barriers, and the troubles of the outside world no longer mattered.
Inside this small courtyard, there was only a mother and her two children.
And for the first time in many years, Su Mei truly felt that her family was whole again.