Both Jia Bao and Chun Mei's daughter were just microcosms of countless families with missing children.
A child can be lost in a matter of minutes, or even just a few seconds, yet the search can take years, decades, or an entire lifetime.
And that search may yield no results, or if they are found, they may be changed beyond recognition.
Chun Mei found her daughter, and even though the girl was now disabled, she was determined to raise her well and brought her to the grand reunion dinner.
Yet some families were unable, or perhaps unwilling, to acknowledge their sons or daughters who had been changed beyond recognition.
Sometimes, reality is crueler than movies, television, or novels.
Countless parents came to the Imperial City only to leave without their children, forced to continue their search.
Likewise, many of the abducted victims who were rescued remained unclaimed.
Aside from a few who were physically sound, the majority of them were disfigured and disabled.
