Evening.
Xia Lu woke up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty, and as she got up for a drink of water and passed through the living room, she inadvertently discovered Xia Zhiqiu standing alone on the balcony, without even a light on.
She wanted to call out to her, but was afraid that doing so in the dead of night might startle her mother, so she tiptoed over with her cup of water.
The nights had already lost the coolness of earlier in the season, but Xia Lu still grabbed the shawl from the sofa, intending to drape it over Xia Zhiqiu's shoulders.
Just as she stepped onto the balcony floor, she suddenly heard the soft sound of Xia Zhiqiu sobbing. The night was quiet, and the sound was clear.
Xia Lu looked up, stopped in her tracks, and saw Xia Zhiqiu's shoulders shaking. She had not heard wrong; her mother was indeed crying.
"Mom…"
Upon hearing her voice, Xia Zhiqiu immediately wiped her face, turned around, and said with a surprised tone, "Lulu, why are you up?"
