"Ruan Ruan, take this," Gu Wenzhen said, handing Ruan Ruan a bankbook as she came out after washing up.
"Mom, I have money, really, I have a lot of money." When Ruan Ruan saw her mother give her a bankbook, her first thought was that her mother must have seen how much she had spent on shopping these past few days and was worried that she had spent all the red envelopes she had received.
“Take this. This is the money your dad and I saved for you during the more than ten years you were missing. It started when you were one year old, for your birthday presents every year, for clothes, toys, snacks, and later for your school fees and stationery. What your brothers have, you must have too.”
Seeing that Ruan Ruan had misunderstood, Gu Wenzhen explained to her the purpose of the money: they had never given up searching for it all these years.
"Mom, all these years, have you never thought of giving up?"
Ruan Ruan opened the passbook and found five thousand yuan inside. She felt a little uncomfortable. Ruan Ruan thought that this must be Ruan Ruan's true gratitude to her mother. In a place she didn't know, there was someone who was silently thinking of her.
"Never, Ruan Ruan! Mom is so sorry, so very sorry. We really didn't mean to lose you."
During the time since Ruan Ruan was found, she had only learned the truth about her disappearance from her second uncle. The Ruan family hadn't mentioned it again, and Ruan Ruan assumed the matter was over. But now, hearing her mother's apology, Ruan Ruan burst into tears.
“When I was little, all my brothers had the surname Huo, but I only had the surname Ruan. I understood why, so I ran to ask my parents. They told me that I was a child they had picked up. I thought that my biological parents didn’t want me anymore. People in the village also told my family behind my back that I was an unwanted child, that I was a jinx, and that my parents didn’t want me because I was a money-losing child.”
When Ruan Ruan transmigrated, she received the memories. Now, looking back, she feels wronged. She feels wronged when she thinks about the deceased Ruan Ruan. Although the Huo family treated her very well, and Huo's mother always told Ruan Ruan that the Huo family was her home, she still felt very upset after hearing so much gossip. She couldn't show it in front of the Huo family, which made her feel even worse.
"My child, your parents haven't abandoned you. You are our precious child, how could we possibly abandon you?"
Gu Wenzhen had always only seen Ruan Ruan's sensible side, never knowing Ruan Ruan's true thoughts. If she didn't apologize to her today, would this become a thorn in her child's side, creating an invisible chasm between them forever?
"I'm glad they didn't abandon me. Now I know that my parents are heroes, heroes who protect our country. I'm proud to have such parents."
These words were spoken by Ruan Ruan to her parents, and also to the Ruan Ruan she felt inside.
After venting her emotions, Ruan Ruan felt refreshed, both physically and mentally. It was probably because Ruan Ruan had let go of her last worry and her soul and body had truly merged.
"Ruan Ruan, my good daughter, I'm so sorry you've suffered all these years."
Hearing Ruan Ruan say this, Gu Wenzhen didn't know how to respond, so she could only hug her tightly and sob uncontrollably.
"Mom, it's all good now. I'm back, we're reunited, that's wonderful."
Ruan Ruan calmed herself down and then comforted her mother.
Ruan Chuanji, who overheard the mother and daughter's conversation next door, also sat by the window with a melancholy expression. He lit a cigarette but didn't smoke it; it just burned. A careful observer would notice a slight mist in his eyes.
After Gu Wenzhen calmed down, she handed the bankbook to Ruan Ruan again.
"This was originally prepared for you. Now that you're getting married soon and will have your own family, take it as a settling-in allowance from your father and me."
"Okay, Mom, but I have money. Look, I really have money."
Ruan Ruan took the bankbook from her mother's hand, and at the same time turned around and took out her own bankbook from her bag, opening it to show her mother.
"Where did you get so much money?" Ruan Ruan kept saying that she had money, but they never believed her. Where would a child who had just graduated from high school and had always lived in the countryside get so much money? (No offense to the countryside.) But when Ruan Ruan's mother saw the three thousand yuan that He Ran had left in Ruan Ruan's bankbook, she was shocked.
"It was all given to me by Huo Haocheng. Ever since he joined the army, he has sent money back every month. At first, it was only a few yuan, then it was more than ten yuan, then more than twenty yuan, and gradually it increased."
Speaking of Huo Haocheng, Ruan Ruan really thinks he's a wonderful man. He keeps his word, and in this day and age, being able to give his girlfriend a strong sense of security and always putting her first is already a great achievement. Even in the 22nd century, he would be the best choice for a son-in-law.
"So... he just gave you all the money like that, and his parents and the Huo family didn't say anything?"
Listening to Ruan Ruan's words, Gu Wenzhen was happy for her daughter, who had a fiancé who loved her dearly, but at the same time, she worried about her daughter. Would Huo Haocheng's actions make it difficult for her daughter to live in the Huo family?
"Well... at first, the money was sent back home. Later, Grandpa used the money to build the current Huo family house so that each child would have their own room."
Then, when I turned 16, at the end of the year, the family divided the money. My grandfather gave me this money, plus half of the money used to build the house, and told me to save it. I originally wanted to give it to my aunt, but she refused, saying that it was money for Haocheng's brother to support his wife, and they didn't want hers. She also told me to buy whatever I liked myself.
Ruan Ruan recalled what Grandpa Huo had said when he gave her the savings book; they were all genuinely trying to help her.
"Oh, I see. It seems they really treat you well."
Gu Wenzhen sighed deeply, overwhelmed with emotion. The Ruan family hadn't given Ruan Ruan the love they had, but the Huo family had given her everything, and more than they had imagined. They truly owed the Huo family a great debt of gratitude.
"Ruan Ruan, from now on you must treat the Huo family well and live a good life with Hao Cheng."
The mother and daughter stayed until late at night, with Ruan's mother mostly discussing the principles of marriage with Ruan Ruan.
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