Anning opened her eyes and saw Song Ruyi sitting at the head of her bed.
She looked at Song Ruyi with a defensive expression: "Who are you?"
Song Ruyi was not surprised by Anning’s wariness.
After all, she was a stranger to Anning now.
She picked up a bowl of porridge from the bedside table and, while trying to feed Anning with a spoon, said, "I am your mother, you are my biological daughter."
Anning’s eyes grew more cautious: "Auntie, I am not a child anymore, you cannot deceive me ."
Seeing Anning’s disbelief, Song Ruyi put down the bowl of porridge and took out some documents from her bag and handed them to Anning: "Take a look at these yourself."
After Anning looked through the documents and the paternity test, she looked up at Song Ruyi: "Is what you said... all true?"
Song Ruyi smiled and gently stroked Anning’s hair: "Of course it’s true. We only recently discovered that the children were switched, then we checked with the hospital from that year, later found your information, and quietly had someone take your hair for a paternity test. After confirming, I came to pick you up."
Anning’s head hung lower: "No wonder..."
Song Ruyi was somewhat curious.
"No wonder when I felt like I was about to die, it always seemed like someone was calling me, someone hugging me." Anning said softly, if not for Song Ruyi being so close, she might not have heard her voice.
Looking at the bandage wrapped around Anning’s wrist and the purple bruises on her thin arms, Song Ruyi felt like there was a lump in her chest, unable to speak at all.
After a long time, Anning looked up at Song Ruyi again: "You are my mother, my real mother? Will you cherish me? If you don’t sell me, I’ll go with you."
Her voice was exceptionally quiet when she spoke, her entire demeanor gentle and compliant, appearing particularly pitiful.
Song Ruyi felt a sourness in her heart, she reached out to hug Anning in her arms: "I won’t sell you, I’m your mother, how could I sell you? I don’t have enough time to love you."
Anning leaned against Song Ruyi’s chest, wanting to hug Song Ruyi but feeling a bit shy.
Song Ruyi collected her emotions and began to feed Anning.
Anning sipped the porridge little by little, and finally, there was a light in her eyes: "This porridge tastes really good."
The porridge was bought by a bodyguard, just ordinary meat porridge, which truly didn’t taste that great. Song Ruyi had reluctantly swallowed half a bowl before Anning woke up.
Yet this not-so-great porridge was surprisingly delightful to Anning.
It was clear how Anning’s days with the Liu family had been like.
"What did you use to eat before?"
Song Ruyi prepared herself mentally before asking Anning.
Anning thought carefully: "Plain porridge, pickled vegetables, and steamed buns mostly, rarely had stir-fried dishes, I actually really like to eat meat, but my mom wouldn’t let me, she said girls need to be thin, she never let me eat to my full."
Song Ruyi felt waves of anger surge inside her again.
A girl in her early teens, a critical time for growth, and the Liu family hadn’t let her eat well, clearly not wanting the child to develop well.
"It won’t be anymore."
Song Ruyi held back her tears, smiling at Anning: "When you go back with mom, I’ll buy you delicious food, you can eat whatever you want, shall we eat our fill, okay?"
Anning’s eyes brightened more and more: "Can I eat meat? Can I taste what bread is like? I also want to drink juice, can I have all these? Will it... cost a lot of money?"
She asked cautiously, almost not daring to look at Song Ruyi.
Song Ruyi nodded vigorously: "Yes, it’s all possible. Whatever you want to eat, just eat it. Mom will give you money, you can buy it yourself, or if you don’t want to eat outside, you can have the home chef make it for you."
Anning smiled, her eyes curving: "It feels great to be full."
After finishing a bowl of porridge, it was already very late.
Song Ruyi told Anning to rest. Anning lay down, her hand tightly clutching the corner of Song Ruyi’s clothing.
Song Ruyi looked down at her, seeing the child’s eyes wide open, looking at her unwilling to part.
Song Ruyi thought Anning needed something.
"Are you really my mother? Will I really never have to endure beatings and hunger again?"
Anning asked again, uncertain: "I’m afraid to close my eyes. I’m afraid this is all a dream, and once I wake up, you’ll be gone... I’ve always dreamed of having a mom like you, who would talk gently to me, not hit me, and would hug me."
Song Ruyi’s heart felt like it was soaked in warm water, soft and slightly sour, an indescribable feeling.
She bent down, tucked Anning’s stray hair behind her ear, removed her shoes, and lay down beside the hospital bed, pulling Anning into her arms: "Mom is here, this isn’t a dream, all of this is real. Go to sleep now, when you wake up, mom will still be here."
Anning laughed heartily, holding Song Ruyi tightly and burying her head in her embrace: "Now I know what it feels like to be held by mom. It’s really nice, mom’s embrace is so warm."
Anning was very tired, and soon after saying this, she fell asleep.
Song Ruyi dared not move, fearful that any movement might wake her newly found daughter.
She waited until Anning was asleep, then looked down carefully at her, tracing the features of Anning’s face over and over with her eyes.
Anning’s features were very gentle, and she looked obedient and pitiable while asleep.
Her eyebrows were thin, just like Song Ruyi’s, and with her eyes closed, her long eyelashes looked like small fans, and her nose was both pert and small. Especially her mouth, the shape of her lips was almost identical to Song Ruyi’s.
Watching Anning, Song Ruyi then realized what it meant to be a biological mother and daughter.
Indeed, the feeling of a blood connection was .
Previously, she had a deep affection for Zhao Mingzhu, but still felt that something was missing in their relationship.
Now she understood, the missing link was this mutual understanding, the empathy.
Like with Anning, every hurt on Anning’s body felt painful to her, a visceral experience that others simply couldn’t feel.
Anning did all she could, and slept very soundly.
She did not sleep for long, waking up after only a few hours.
Upon waking, she could still feel the warmth of Song Ruyi’s embrace.
She kept her eyes closed, not moving, but mentally called out to An Xin.
Quickly, the previously silent An Xin spoke out.
"Ningning, there was something fishy about the mix-up of children back then."
Anning gestured for An Xin to hurry up and speak.
An Xin said indignantly, "When the Zhao family knew Zhao Mingzhu wasn’t their biological daughter, they didn’t tell her, it was kept from Zhao Mingzhu. Logically speaking, Zhao Mingzhu had no idea, and the Zhao family also secretly looked into your whereabouts, not even Zhao Mingrui knew about it, but how did the Liu family know? And how did they manage to arrange a room and buy new clothes for you before Song Ruyi arrived?"