Back at the base, Ella kept checking her wristwatch while staring at the door.
"He's still not back, and it's already 8 p.m.," she said worriedly to her mother. Her mother was also worried, unable to focus on anything else.
"Maybe they ran into an unexpected delay, or the road was in worse condition than expected, like we experienced on our way here," she said, praying that was the case.
They waited for another hour until Ella stood up. "I can't take this anymore. I'm going to the job office to see if they know anything."
Her mother nodded, agreeing with Ella's suggestion. "Go, just don't take too long."
Ella quickly ran over to the job office, noticing that she wasn't the only one there.
"Where is my son? They were supposed to be back hours ago!" wailed an elderly woman.
Ella quickly walked over. "Excuse me, ma'am, did your son go on a scavenging expedition this morning?"
