"How did this girl called Zhao Di end up joining the gang? Was she also taken away?" He Zhilan asked.
"Not at all, Zhao Di was sold by her biological parents. Since she was bought with money, her boss got so angry when she ran away because he hadn’t earned back the money he invested in her. I heard from older members in the gang that she was purchased from a very poor place in an outer province. However, she wasn’t the only child the boss bought there. Some children were ’rented,’ with a yearly rent paid to their families. Once they were taken away, they never returned to their families. Boys were sold if anyone would buy them, and unwanted girls were kept to beg for money. When they got older, the ugly ones got sold off to marry in remote, impoverished mountains, while the good-looking ones were brought to night clubs to make more money."
After listening to He Da’s story, He Zhilan was left shocked. She didn’t expect to get so much information about Gu En’s childhood from He Da.
Sometimes, the world is really too small, after going around in circles, she discovered that the He Family had been searching tirelessly for their lost child, He Da, who turned out to be exactly where she lost her way as a child - the same place where Gu En first appeared in the Gu Household.
A girl, sold by her biological parents, roamed the streets for years begging, and then marched into the Gu Family grandly, becoming the apple of their eyes.
Thirteen years ago, it was she, Gu Zhilan, who felt pity for these beggars and generously gave them her change and snacks.
Little did she expect, one day, someone from this group of child beggars would replace her position in the Gu family, adopt her surname, and take away her parents and home - all her things.
What’s more, this year, thirteen years later, this former street child had repeatedly tried to drive her out of the capital, even at the cost of her life!
"So, do you know if the Gu Family ever tried to find their lost daughter after she disappeared?" He Zhilan asked in a soft voice, biting her lip.
"I don’t know. I never heard them mention it. However, I think they must have searched. There is no parent in this world who doesn’t love their child. Parents who can sell their daughters, like Zhao Di’s, are extremely rare. So, I think if you got lost, they would definitely search for you." He Da comforted.
"Rare doesn’t mean nonexistent." He Zhilan coldly sneered, "Anyway, there’s no point asking further. I have already decided not to acknowledge them."
He Da looked at He Zhilan with concern, "Won’t you ask them before making a decision? My Dad was poor when I went missing, but he still spent and borrowed money to search for me, let alone the wealthy Gu Family."
"Dad is Dad, not everyone in the world is as kind-hearted as him. As a little girl, I resented you guys for buying me, always felt you were the same as those child traffickers, and that led me to leave my home. I constantly gave you guys a hard time, and Dad as well, but throughout all these years, Dad has been tolerating my behavior and loving me. If it were someone else, I probably would have been sold off many times and be suffering in some unknown corner."
He Da fell silent. Perhaps, this is what is meant by ’what goes around comes around.’
He Zhongguo was kind-hearted years ago. Even while He Zhilan kept causing troubles, he never thought of selling off this daughter of his. Consequently, many years later, this daughter he decided to keep out of compassion becomes the redemption for his son.