Lin Xiaoxiao found it strange that the cry of an unfamiliar child could tug so sharply at her heart.

Sure, becoming a mother had made her softer—but this was different. She’d never felt such a sudden, physical ache just from hearing a child cry.

Curious, she carried Xuanxuan inside the office. Aside from two staff members, there was a middle-aged woman holding a struggling, screaming child.

The staff—two older women—were speaking gently to the distraught woman. “Please try to calm your child. He shouldn’t be crying like this.”

The woman stood up, bouncing the child awkwardly as she paced, but the boy—a little older than Xuanxuan—only cried harder, his face flushed red with anger or fear.

One of the staff, surnamed Huang, watched closely. A suspicion flickered in her eyes. “Is this really your child? Why is he crying like this?”

The woman flinched. Panic flashed across her face. “Of course he’s mine! I gave birth to him! He’s just not feeling well.” Her voice grew impatient. “You said you could help us register him. Can we hurry this up?”

Lin Xiaoxiao also noticed the woman’s nervousness. The child looked clean and well-cared for—quite unlike the woman holding him. There was even something faintly familiar about his face.

Ms. Huang, experienced in women’s and children’s affairs, didn’t miss that flicker of panic. “Is he really yours? When was he born? What’s his name? Do you have any hospital records?”

The woman grew even more flustered. “Who keeps those? He was born at home. What, just because I look old you think I can’t have kids? Ask any of my neighbors—they all saw I was pregnant!” She clutched the boy tighter. “If you won’t help us, we’re leaving.”

Just then, the child spotted Lin Xiaoxiao. His cries turned desperate, and he reached toward her, small arms outstretched. “Mama! Mama!” he wailed.

Ms. Huang exchanged a look with her colleague, Ms. Li, and moved to block the door. “I’m afraid you can’t leave just yet. Sit down. We’ll verify the situation before any registration happens.”

Defeated, the woman sat back down, turning away.

Lin Xiaoxiao’s heart broke watching the boy cry for her. She wanted to hold him, but her arms were full with Xuanxuan. She turned to Ms. Huang. “May I hold him?”

Ms. Huang thought for a moment, then nodded. “Go ahead. Have a seat.”

It was strange. This child, no more than a year old, was reaching for a woman he’d never met.

Lin Xiaoxiao sat, balancing Xuanxuan on one knee and freeing the other side.

Ms. Huang took the boy from the reluctant woman and passed him to Lin Xiaoxiao. The moment he was in her arms, his crying stopped. He clutched her shirt, hiccupping softly. “Mama.”

Xuanxuan stared curiously at the sudden arrival on his mother’s other knee, reaching out a curious hand.

Worried he might scratch the boy, Lin Xiaoxiao held Xuanxuan a little tighter. She looked down at the child now burying his face in her shoulder, and her heart softened even more.

Ms. Huang was now certain. Her face turned stern. “Wang Qiuxiang. Tell us the truth. Where did this child really come from?”

Wang Qiuxiang went pale. She stood up to leave, but Ms. Li and another staff member blocked the exit.

“Tell us!” Ms. Huang demanded. “If you don’t, we’ll hand you over to the police. See if you’ll talk then!”

Wang Qiuxiang’s resolve crumbled. “I—I bought him!” she sobbed. “I paid a hundred yuan! I had a child, but it was a girl! Then they said we could only have one… but my husband’s family needs a son!”

She’d bought the boy from a trafficker two days ago. He never cried at home, but the moment they stepped outside, he’d scream as if his heart was breaking. She’d never seen a child so clever—or so difficult.

Ms. Huang was furious. “You bought a child! Have you thought about what his real family is going through?”

“The trafficker said nobody wanted him!” Wang Qiuxiang whimpered, trembling. “That his parents didn’t care!”

“Does he look unwanted?” Ms. Huang snapped. “I wondered where you’d been for the past year! And then you show up with a plump, fair-skinned boy? I should have known!”

She had no more patience. She instructed Ms. Li to take Wang Qiuxiang to the police station to confess.

After they left, Ms. Huang turned to Lin Xiaoxiao, who was still sitting with a child on each knee. She sighed, rubbing her temples. “Unbelievable. Buying a child…” She then remembered why Lin Xiaoxiao was there. “Ah, right. We needed to ask about your family planning status—what contraception you’re using. You know the new policy doesn’t allow second or third children.”

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled faintly. “My husband isn’t home. And we already have three. We won’t be having more.”

Ms. Huang nodded. “We’re aware of your situation. Still, we needed you to register officially.”

Lin Xiaoxiao provided the details, and Ms. Huang recorded them.

When everything was done, Ms. Huang finally glanced at the boy still clinging to Lin Xiaoxiao. “I’ll take him now,” she said gently, reaching out. “We’ll inform the police and try to find his real family.”

“What if you can’t find them?” Lin Xiaoxiao asked, her voice tight.

“He’ll be sent to an orphanage. Or perhaps a capable family will adopt him.”

Lin Xiaoxiao’s heart ached. She didn’t want to let go. But with three children of her own, bringing home another would only burden Li Yunlan and the whole family. Steeling herself, she handed the boy over.

The moment he left her arms, he began to struggle and scream again, reaching for her, his cries raw and desperate. “Mama! Mama!”

Ms. Huang held him awkwardly, her own expression pained.

Though it tore her apart, Lin Xiaoxiao knew she couldn’t take him home on a whim. Clutching Xuanxuan, she walked out without looking back. Even from down the street, she could hear his hoarse, broken cries calling for her.

She walked on, her heart heavy with a dull ache. For the rest of the day, she was restless, unable to stop wondering what would happen to the boy.

Before she could even mention it to Li Yunlan, there was a commotion at the door. Ms. Huang stood there, sweating and breathless, holding the same child.

His face was pale from crying, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The moment he saw Lin Xiaoxiao, he let out a wrenching sob and reached out.

“Mama… Mama…”