"No, it’s my own fault, I was disobedient, constantly angering my brother." With this, He Zhilan continued, "You don’t know yet, do you? Actually, I was kidnapped by human traffickers to the He family years ago, and I’ve always wanted to find my birth parents. After moving to the capital, I used people around me relentlessly to seek for them, this is why my brother got angry, but I deserved it. I got my punishment, well enough, there is nothing more to say about it! Anyway, second elder brother, you just need to remember that you had no idea about my divorce with my older brother!"
"You were kidnapped?" He Da asked, "What did you mean when you asked whether I had been living here for thirteen years last night? Thirteen years ago, wasn’t that when you came to the He family?"
He Zhilan nodded, "Exactly! The place where you used to beg, there was a residential area across the street thirteen years ago. That’s where my family lived, I was kidnapped by the traffickers after I got lost there. The area you lived in had many beggars back then, so I thought you might be one of the children I had seen when I was young."
"That area was a wealthy residential area thirteen years ago! All the houses, they were western-style buildings, inhabited by people of status." He Da scratched his head, "So, was your family rich? Have you found your biological parents?"
"What does it matter if they are wealthy? Even if they have power and influence, what’s the use if they don’t cherish me as their daughter? They can easily replace me at home with any other girl. Even if I stand right in front of them, they cannot recognize me. Worse yet, they exposed their terrifying side to me and treated me as if I was a pile of rubbish. They allowed a daughter they acquired somewhere else to insult me freely and even threaten my life!"
Your birth parents wouldn’t happen to be surnamed Gu, would they?" After a long pause, He Da asked.
"How did you know?" He Zhilan was surprised. She never mentioned her biological parents’ surname to He Da. How could he guess it all of a sudden?
"Listening to you and recalling what the gang was talking about before, this occurred to me! No one from the gang has ever left unless they’re dead, except a girl of eight who left thirteen years ago. They said her name was Zhao Di. I heard Zhao Di got to leave because she was around a rich and influential family near our begging spot. They said Zhao Di started living a princess-like life after joining the Gu family, and not long after that, she left with that family."
Over these years, He Da had heard many of the gang’s old members talk about Zhao Di. Everyone was envious. After all, becoming the daughter of a rich family from a controlled little beggar, who wouldn’t be envious? The key was that because of that family’s influence, the gang leader lost a moneymaking tool without getting a single penny. He just let the Gu family take Zhao Di away, so the leader swore a lot at the Gu family behind their backs.
"Eight years old? Zhao Di?" He Zhilan shook her head, "No, that’s incorrect. Gu En, my parents’ current daughter, is the same age as me."
"Isn’t that normal? We who have suffered malnutrition for a long time look smaller for our age. If she stated her age was six then, no one would suspect anything! I heard our boss say that Zhao Di was the most clever and obedient amongst us, and she made the most money. The boss was careless for a moment, which gave her the chance to run away. Because of Zhao Di’s case, the boss has kept a close eye on us. If anyone tries to run away or is slacking, the boss never hesitates to beat them." He Da said.