“If you ask me, you two are old enough, so stop delaying and settle the wedding soon…”
He Mu nagged on, but as she got closer and looked up, she found her daughter already in tears.
“Mom…” He Wenxin couldn't speak without crying as soon as she opened her mouth.
“Wenxin, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!” He Mu quickly went to hug her daughter. “What happened? Tell Mom.”
Seeing her daughter cry so sadly, she felt as if she was seeing her daughter again from a few years ago, the one who had just suffered betrayal and lost her child.
The elderly couple brought her home and took meticulous care of her for over half a year until she gradually recovered. Later, she said she wanted to go abroad, and they didn't stop her, letting her go.
But everything was getting better, so why was her daughter suddenly crying so much?
“Tell Mom, what exactly happened? Did someone bully you? Is it Zhihui?”
“Mom, just now Zi… Zi Yu said Rui Rui was found.”
He Wenxin tried her best to control her emotions. “Mom, Rui Rui is found. I’ve waited for so many years. I even… I even forced myself not to even dare to think about it in my dreams… I’m booking the earliest flight now. Yes, I, I’m flying to the mainland now.”
As He Wenxin spoke, she got up and went back to her room to pack.
“Wenxin.” He Mu hesitated for a moment before stopping her.
“Mom, what are you doing? Rui Rui is waiting for me!”
“Wenxin, listen to Mom for a moment.” He Mu pulled her daughter. “Actually, your father and I already knew about Rui Rui’s matter.”
He Wenxin was shocked and angry, “Mom?!”
“Zi Yu called before the New Year. The reason we didn’t tell you was for your own good. You and Zhihui have a good relationship, and you’ll have your own children in the future. Your parents hope you can forget the past and start anew!”
He Wenxin couldn't believe it, “Mom, are you still my mother? Rui Rui is my child, a piece of flesh from me! How can I forget him?”
“But what the He family did back then, and that He Zi Nian, if you acknowledge Rui Rui, what about Zhihui?”
“Mom, you don’t need to say more. In my heart, no one can be more important than Rui Rui. For Rui Rui, I can remain unmarried my whole life.” He Wenxin quickly packed a few clothes, turned around, and walked towards the door.
Seeing that she could no longer stop her, He Mu quickly said, “Wenxin, wait, I’ll call your eldest brother and ask him to go with you.”
…
After talking with He Wenxin on the phone, He Zi Yu picked up the phone again and called Xu Ning at the hospital.
“…Mm, I won’t be able to accompany you for dinner and a movie today. I have something urgent to attend to.”
Xu Ning was very understanding. “It’s okay, if you’re busy, go ahead and handle it. I’ll go home and visit my parents.”
After they hung up the phone, He Zi Yu got up and went downstairs, to the bicycle shed, took out his bicycle, and rode it towards the Gu family’s home.
It was still early, Chen Li Shu and Gu Xing Dong were still at the company. Zhao Qiu Yue had just picked up Rui Rui.
“Uncle?”
Seeing He Zi Yu at home, Rui Rui was surprised. As soon as he put down his schoolbag, Xiao Cheng Zi saw him and quickly ran from He Zi Yu’s legs to him, showing off her little white teeth and calling out, “Ge ge.”
Xiao Bai also nudged He Zi Yu’s hand, pointed at Rui Rui, and then patted her little chest, “Ge ge, Bai ge ge.”
He Zi Yu was amused by her proud little expression. He bent down and picked her up, “Xiao Bai, be good, Uncle understands. That’s Xiao Bai’s ge ge.”
“It’s rare for Zi Yu to visit today. What do you want to eat? Auntie will go buy the ingredients.” Li Xiu Lan changed her clothes and went to the kitchen to get the vegetable basket.
He Zi Yu replied, “Auntie, I like whatever you cook.”
His words successfully made Li Xiu Lan laugh. “You child, then Auntie will make pancakes and soup for you tonight, how about that?”
“Auntie knows me too well. I haven’t eaten pancakes in a long time, I’ve been thinking about them.”
Li Xiu Lan happily walked out with the basket.
When Chen Li Shu and Gu Xing Dong returned, Li Xiu Lan and Zhao Qiu Yue were cooking, and He Zi Yu was playing chess with Rui Rui. The two little ones were pretending to point and comment from the side.
Chen Li Shu smiled and teased, “Third Brother, why do you have time to visit today? Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?”
“I wanted to see the children, and I also missed Auntie’s cooking.”
“Haha, Zi Yu, you should bring Xu Ning along too. It’s just adding an extra pair of chopsticks.” Li Xiu Lan came out with a pot of soup.
“Since you two are back, go wash your hands, and we can start dinner.”
Chen Li Shu and Gu Xing Dong washed their hands in the restroom together. As they came out of the door, their legs felt heavy.
The two little ones, one on each side, hugged her legs, pointed at the table, and eagerly said, “Mama, eat.”
“Daddy hold me.” Gu Xing Dong bent down, picked up his daughter, and placed her in the children’s high chair by the table.
Chen Li Shu also carried Xiao Cheng Zi to the dining table.
The family sat down and began to eat.
It wasn’t until after the meal that He Zi Yu explained the situation.
“I’ve contacted Rui Rui’s mother.”
As soon as he spoke, everyone present was stunned.
“Sister Wenxin is in Hong Kong now. After hearing that Rui Rui was found, she said she’s booking a flight to come over.”
Chen Li Shu glanced at Rui Rui. Seeing that he had been looking down, she reached out and stroked his head. “This is good news. When will she arrive? Is she coming to the provincial capital or Kyoto?”
She was also a mother herself. If Xiao Cheng Zi or Xiao Bai were abducted by human traffickers, she was sure she would go mad.
Rui Rui looked up, “Mama?”
Chen Li Shu smiled at him and said softly, “Rui Rui, don’t worry, Dad and Mom will always love you. Your biological parents love you very much too, even more than Dad and I do. Your mother only separated from you out of necessity, and she has always been blaming herself and feeling guilty. Only you can comfort her.”
“What if she’s like your dad in Kyoto…” Children are the most sensitive. Since he returned to his grandparents’ home, He Zi Nian’s performance was not as good as that of Grandfather He and his wife.
“Rui Rui, don’t worry, your mother is a very gentle and kind person. You might not remember, but back then, after she gave birth to you, she took care of you herself. After you were lost, during that period, she barely ate or drank, and her spirit became disoriented. She could hear your cries every night.”
Rui Rui pursed his lips and lowered his head.
“My son is already a man, he naturally knows what he should and shouldn’t do. Moreover, your birth mother coming to see you doesn’t mean you have to leave us. It just means there’s one more person who dotes on you.”
Gu Xing Dong patted his son’s shoulder. “Look at Xiao Bai and Xiao Cheng, and your classmates. Who has two dads and moms? You’ll just have more people to love you.”
Hearing Gu Xing Dong’s words, Rui Rui looked up, “Really?”
He Zi Yu said, “You silly boy, your parents took you to Kyoto back then, and aren’t you still studying here now? Has your life changed?”
Rui Rui’s eyes lit up.