After returning home with the child, her ex-husband knelt down and gently coaxed her.

A naive and straightforward statement, innocent yet deeply sincere.

"Do you like me?"

Lu Xiyan found it amusing. "Why do you like me?"

"If you like something, you like it."

Xiao Anxian didn't know why he liked him, but he just really liked this uncle. He wanted to be close to him, liked to see him smile, and even more liked to hear him talk.

Like is like.

There really isn't any reason.

Lu Xiyan raised the corners of her lips and handed the chocolate back to him, "You eat it, Uncle doesn't like chocolate."

"Uncle, you don't like chocolate either?"

Xiao Anxuan carefully put the round chocolate back into her little schoolbag.

"also?"

Xiao Anxian nodded, "Mom said my dad doesn't like to eat it either."

However, his mother told him that his father liked to buy chocolates for his mother because she loved them.

The child brought up his father again, but Lu Xiyan didn't really want to hear it.

"Looks like your mother has told you quite a bit about your father," he chuckled lightly, "but she won't tell you who your father is, right?"

Xiao Anxian didn't understand what he meant; she could only recall the secret they shared at the dessert shop last time.

"Uncle, my mother doesn't know our secret." He lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I even asked my mother what my father's name is, but she won't tell me."

"Or, Uncle, why don't you wait until my mother gets back and ask her yourself?"

"Back?" Lu Xiyan remembered the switched-off number. "Where did she go?"

"On business trip!"

That's what his grandmother and Aunt Zhao told him.

On business trip?

Lu Xiyan frowned slightly. "Where did you go?"

Xiao Anxian tilted her head and thought about it seriously for a moment, "What sea? Mom said it's in the southernmost city."

The southernmost city, what sea?

Could it be Dianchi Lake?

......

The plane arrived at Dianhai at around 5 p.m.

Haowei Group has a food production line in Qichuan City, which is near Dianhai Lake. The car that came to pick us up took three hours to reach the hotel in Qichuan. The food research base that Anning was going to visit was located in the mountainous area below Qichuan City.

Around 8 p.m., the moment An Ning got out of the car, she smelled an exceptionally fresh scent in the air, quite different from the air in Jinghai.

Standing downstairs at the hotel, she looked up and saw the dark sky filled with countless stars, like sprinkled gold dust.

Such a sky is a rare sight, especially in Jinghai.

For some reason, as Anning stepped onto this land, a familiar feeling welled up inside her; she felt safe and at ease.

Even though I had never been to this city before, I felt an immense sense of familiarity as soon as I landed.

After settling into the hotel, with some time to spare, she went downstairs for a stroll.

Dianhai is rich in seafood and mushrooms. Mushrooms are highly nutritious, and a wide variety of fungi can be found in the Qichuan mountain area.

Anning came here specifically to conduct research on mushroom-based foods.

Stepping out of the hotel, there's a cobblestone path leading down the steps. On both sides, there are many vendors selling local specialties of mushrooms, their calls creating a lively atmosphere.

"Auntie, were these mushrooms all picked today?"

Anning stood in front of a small stall, looking at the various mushrooms in the bamboo basket, and asked the stall owner with a smile.

"Yes, miss, these were all picked today on the mountain, they're very fresh."

The stall owner glanced at the young woman in front of her. She was wearing a light-colored knitted suit, was quite tall and had a good figure. Her long hair was tied up, and her face was fair and delicate. She was really beautiful and exquisite. It was obvious at a glance that she was not a local.

"Young lady, are you a tourist from out of town? You can buy these mushrooms and try them."

The stall owner smiled and introduced the mushrooms in the bamboo basket to her, "These are all termite mushrooms, this is termite mushroom flower, this is black cap termite, this is haystack termite, this is torch termite—these are all incredibly delicious!"

Anning looked at the mushrooms in her basket, and vaguely remembered that she had eaten these things before, but she couldn't remember when or where she had eaten them.

"Auntie, can you do me a favor?"

Just then, a young couple approached and politely said, "We're here for fun, and we picked some mushrooms. Could you please check if these mushrooms are edible?"

The young couple were carrying a small basket filled with several kinds of mushrooms, which looked like they had just been picked that day.

An Ning looked at the mushrooms in the boy's basket and suddenly frowned.

"This is a Russula subnigricans, which is highly poisonous and should not be eaten."

She pointed to several white and tender mushrooms in the basket, "This is the small panther cap amanita, which is also a poisonous mushroom, and it also has a common name called baby's breath."

After saying that, she looked down into the basket again, "This is also highly poisonous, called Galerina stripe, or as it's commonly known locally..."

She thought for a moment, then looked at the stall owner, an older woman, and asked, "Fake pimps?"

"This girl is right about everything!" The stall owner looked incredulous, pointing at the young man's basket. "Young man, you can't eat any of these mushrooms."

"Oh? We picked them because they looked pretty." The girl next to us said with some regret, "So they're all poisonous."

At this point, the stall owner looked at Anning with some surprise, "Young lady, I didn't expect you to be from out of town and know so much about these poisonous mushrooms? Some of us locals can't even tell the difference."

After she finished speaking, An Ning was slightly taken aback. For some reason, she recognized all the different types of mushrooms.

It was as if someone had patiently taught her how to identify these mushrooms.

But she had never been to Dianhai, and had no memory of this place.

But it felt like I recognized everything in my mind.

We not only knew each other, but we were also somewhat familiar with each other.

She shook her head; the feeling was too strange.

......

"Sweetie, you can't eat this mushroom, it's poisonous. If you eat it, Mommy won't have you anymore."

The woman's voice was soft as she gently patted the little girl's head.

"And this one? It's so pretty and white!" the little girl asked innocently.

The man who was busy with his work turned around and patiently explained, "Xiao Zhi, this is called baby's breath. Don't be fooled by its fair and delicate appearance; it's actually poisonous."

The woman beside her touched the little girl's face again, "Be a good girl, Mommy and Daddy are doing research, you can't move around."

"Research?" the little girl asked expectantly, "Why research poisonous mushrooms?"

"Because I wanted to see if these poisonous mushrooms had any other uses besides being poisonous. Or rather, to see if these non-poisonous mushrooms could be used for medicinal purposes besides being edible."

The little girl seemed to understand the man's words, but nodded. "Then I'll be good, Mom and Dad. Don't worry, I promise I won't touch these mushrooms."

......

"Mom and Dad..."

In the darkness, the woman on the bed frowned and murmured to herself.

"Mom and Dad!"

Suddenly, she opened her eyes and sat up abruptly in bed.

Sweat streamed down his smooth forehead.

An Ning breathed rapidly, her chest heaving violently, her eyes clear.

I tried hard to recall the dream I just had, but I couldn't remember anything, only a blurry fragment.

"Mushrooms, are they poisonous?"

Who is the person in my dream?

Who is Xiaozhi?

Sweat streamed down her face. She kept her eyes tightly shut. Her dream was incredibly vivid, but when she woke up, she couldn't remember anything.