Ji Ying waited for them to leave before she detailed the twists and turns of the matter.
"The thief stole the child and dumped her under the Big Locust Tree that same day?" asked an old lady with sharp eyes.
"That’s what was said," Ji Ying nodded, recalling how the Gu Family had described the event in detail when they first came to talk about it.
The old lady smiled but said nothing more, instead turning to look at Xu Nianhua, who stood slender and graceful, sensible and well-mannered, and said, "You’ve raised the child very well; she’s even a university student now!"
The old lady’s gaze fell on Xu Nianhua’s hands, hands that were clearly pampered and never touched by the hardship of manual labour.
It was said that she had two older brothers, and under such circumstances, the fact that the Xu Family was able to raise an adopted daughter so well and send her to school was indeed very impressive.
"Although the child isn’t my own flesh and blood, in my eyes, there is no difference; she’s my own girl and needs to be cherished," Ji Ying spoke and acted consistently with earnest.
She laid out the situation openly, and everyone there wasn’t a fool—they could understand the situation well enough not to meddle as outsiders.
Outside the hospital.
Fang Yue, puzzled, asked, "Gu Hai, why did you pull me away? Shouldn’t we take Nianhua back with us? Mingzhu will be due in a few months."
"If I hadn’t pulled you away, should we have told them that it was you who didn’t reject the daughter, didn’t want her, and abandoned her? And now, because Mingzhu needs Nianhua’s blood, we suddenly decided to find that child?" Gu Hai sneered, his face stern in the car, devoid of the smile he had before, contemplating whether Xu Nianhua’s behavior earlier had been intentional or not.
The daughter of the Gu Family was indeed admirable, not only Gu Mingzhu but even the daughter who had been lost since a young age, was still exceptionally outstanding.
"Nianhua said she would come during the summer break; we’ll treat her well then. She might be able to save Mingzhu, but don’t forget, she’s also our daughter," Gu Hai warned, then closed his eyes.
Fang Yue, holding back a stomach full of frustration, was now further upset by Gu Hai’s warning. Clutching her skirt tightly, she thought: She’d favor whichever daughter she liked, after all, without her, would there even be a Xu Nianhua?
Being able to save Mingzhu would make the painful birthing process she endured worthwhile!
"Spending the summer in South City might not be bad, after all, they are your birth parents," Ji Ying said reluctantly, as if her daughter going to South City meant she would no longer be hers.
"Mom, in my heart, you and Dad are my real parents," Xu Nianhua, arm in arm with Ji Ying, cooed, "I’ll just go there as if visiting relatives. If it’s nice, I’ll visit more often; if not, I’ll go less."
She was annoyed that the Gu Family kept harping on the matter, always popping up to upset them!
"Alright," Ji Ying advised, "still, when you go, have your eldest brother or your second brother accompany you."
Xu Nianhua immediately thought of the time her eldest brother had been tricked, and quickly said, "Mom, don’t worry, I know the way, and I’m not a three-year-old anymore. I don’t need anyone to accompany me."
"Your eldest brother frequently goes to South City to deliver goods and knows quite a few people there. Having him with you gives us peace of mind," Ji Ying insisted on this point, adding, "Don’t worry about it, Yicheng, how’s your injury?"