Chapter 22.2
Xie Min’s Story – The White Deer’s Never-ending Cry (Part 2)
I don’t know how to describe my feelings. That day, everything I did seemed to have an edge of panic to it. At night, I watched Tong Sheng peacefully sleeping on the bed. I pushed open the door and stood on the balcony. As I gazed at the starry sky, I suddenly felt at ease.
The child has grown up and has her own life. Her father was right – I should not interfere.
That child longed for love and romance, longed for someone to depend on. Moreover, that person she wanted to depend on could not be her mother.
However, I was unable to stop myself from indirectly telling her to be on her guard where relationships with men were concerned, and to always protect herself. Tong Sheng hemmed and hawed, unwilling to divulge more. I could only drop the subject.
If I had known what would transpire on that vacation, I would definitely not have let her go.
My child had had a hard life the past few years, so she told me she wanted to take a trip for relaxation. I agreed wholeheartedly, and even gave her my entire month’s bonus. I thought she would go with friends. It never crossed my mind that she was too used to being independent, and didn’t really have any close friends to speak of. Thus, she went on her own.
……
The fifth day after Tong Sheng’s disappearance, I got home after work, called the police and received the same old apologetic response, “We’re still investigating. Sister Xie, please think again, is it possible that your child went somewhere else to holiday and didn’t tell you about it? Maybe she had no cellphone signal, or ran out of money?”