Chapter 1 001 Song Wanxia Picks Up a Little Girl
"Wanxia, where did you bring this little girl back?" Song Wanxia's mother was carrying a basket of mended clothes, preparing to go out to wash them, when she saw her daughter carrying a naked little girl back.
Song Wanxia's eyes darted away, and she subconsciously hugged the child in her arms tightly to prevent her mother from seeing him. But then she thought that she was already divorced and didn't know how long she would have to live at her parents' house in the future, so she couldn't hide anything from her family.
She had no choice but to hold the drowsy little one in her arms, bring him close to her mother, show him to her, and say, "Mom, I found him in the back mountain. It's only the end of May, the weather isn't that warm yet. Such a small child, left naked in the mountains, even if he doesn't starve to death, he'll get sick from the cold."
“But… we don’t know whose family threw this away,” her mother said, looking at the fair-skinned baby with a conflicted expression. “Why don’t you take the child to the commune?”
Song Wanxia is only twenty-two years old. Due to her parents' connections, she married a man surnamed Shen shortly after starting work, but she hasn't been able to conceive in the past three years. Her family has tried everything to persuade her, saying that Wanxia is still young and some people only become pregnant at an older age. But for some reason, Shen's family disregarded their previous relationship with the Song family and insisted on divorcing Song Wanxia, even going so far as to cause a scene at the elementary school where she works.
Bringing personal matters to the workplace at this point would be very embarrassing and serious. Left with no other option, Song Wanxia's parents had a heart-to-heart talk with her, confirming that she didn't have a deep relationship with that man and wasn't doing well in the Shen family, so they simply agreed to the divorce.
As a result, a few days after divorcing Song Wanxia, the man got involved with the widowed daughter of the textile factory director. Only then did the Song family realize that the man didn't dislike Song Wanxia for not being able to have children, but rather that Song Wanxia's existence was preventing him from currying favor with the textile factory's higher-ups!
But since they weren't married and had no children, and Song Wanxia still had to return to her primary school teaching job, they couldn't afford to make things too ugly. The Song family had no choice but to silently accept this loss. However, the camaraderie built up from their fathers working together at the textile factory was also eroded by this incident, and the two families completely severed ties, turning from in-laws into enemies.
As for the primary school, the leaders quite liked the young teacher Song Wanxia. They were worried that the Shen family would cause trouble again and affect Song Wanxia's reputation, and they were also afraid that Song Wanxia might do something irrational if she was in a bad mood. So they simply granted her a month's leave and told her to go home and rest for a while.
Song Wanxia then received her leave slip and went home to rest for a month. By the time her specially approved leave ended, summer vacation would be almost here.
Her family originally planned to let her eat and drink more, sleep well, and do some psychological support while she was at home.
Twenty-two years old, still young; there are plenty of young women in their twenties who aren't married. Song Wanxia has a stable job and no children to carry on her family, so finding a partner should be easy for her in the future. Who would have thought that she'd only been back for a few days and already brought a young girl home?
Zhang Lian is Song Wanxia's biological mother, so she understands her daughter's thoughts perfectly well. Bringing the child home so quietly probably means she intends to raise the child herself.
The Shen family initially wanted to divorce Song Wanxia because she couldn't have children. Although they later learned it was just an excuse, the claim still left a psychological scar on Song Wanxia, who held somewhat traditional views.
Song Wanxia did indeed have the idea of adopting the baby.
But Zhang Lian didn't want her daughter to do that. Having children would have a huge impact on her daughter's remarriage.
"Mom," Song Wanxia said softly, with a hint of pleading, "Look how pretty she is, so fair and delicate. Can we keep her?"
“You’re only twenty-two!” Zhang Lian emphasized, gently patting her daughter’s arm. “After they find out about your divorce, people will ask why. They all know it was that scoundrel who tried to curry favor with the factory manager, not your fault. You have such a good job as a primary school teacher, you can earn your own money, and you can help with chores during winter and summer vacations. What family wouldn’t want a daughter-in-law like you? But if you have a daughter, people will think you’re carrying a burden!”
Song Wanxia had already been hurt by her ex-husband. "Mom, I don't want to get married again. I'll just support this girl. My daughter and I can make a living with my salary and some extra money from side jobs."
Her mother, Zhang Lian, was also a soft-hearted person and couldn't reason with her daughter, so they were at an impasse.
It wasn't until Song Wanxia's father, Song Mingyi, came out that the conversation continued. He didn't know how long he had been listening inside, but after glancing at them, he simply said, "If she wants to raise this child, let her. Our family isn't short of food for a little girl."
Song Wanxia, who was about to burst into tears, jumped up with joy when she heard her father's support, just like she did when she was a child.
Her father saw this and smiled helplessly, "Why are you still acting like a child?"
Song Wanxia was his youngest daughter, with only two older brothers, and she was always his favorite.
Song Wanxia blushed slightly, then excitedly hugged the baby in her arms and went to her father to show her off, "Dad, look, she's so pretty!"
Her father, Song Mingyi, looked at it carefully, nodded in agreement, and then seemed to be thinking about something with some concern.
Song Wanxia was a little uneasy. "What's wrong, Dad?"
"This girl is pretty, looks about three years old, so delicate, and doesn't seem to have suffered any hardship. How could her family have abandoned her? Could she have been stolen by her family's enemy, or does she have some kind of illness?"
Song Mingyi's considerations were reasonable. Song Wanxia, who was originally happy to be able to adopt this little child, was no longer happy.
The two conjectures her father mentioned were things she didn't want to face. If the child's family was urgently looking for her, Song Wanxia would definitely have to return the child, but she really loved this little baby; if the child had some incurable disease, then the former would be better.
She didn't know what to do.
"Okay." Song Wanxia was a little listless as she went to the kitchen to get hot water for the child's bath.
By the next day, Song Wanxia was almost certain that the child had been stolen and abandoned. The child, whom she had found the previous afternoon, hadn't woken up at all by this morning. But the child was about three years old; how could a normal child sleep for so long? Perhaps someone had given him some kind of sleeping pill.
Thinking about all this, Song Wanxia looked worried. However, even though she might not be able to adopt the child, Song Wanxia still carefully wrapped the baby up, held him gently, and went with her older brother to register at the commune before heading to town.
We took the child to the town hospital for a checkup. The doctor said the child was just a little cold and hungry. As for the sleepiness, it could be because the child hadn't slept well before and was just a little sleepy recently. It didn't seem like the child had taken sleeping pills.
After leaving the hospital, the older brother went to the town's police station to ask if any parents had come looking for the child. If not, they would take the child back to raise. There had indeed been some missing children in town recently, but none matched the one brought in by Song Wanxia and her brother. The police could only wave them off, saying, "You can take the child back first. We know your sister works at the town's primary school, and we know your family is from Songshan Commune. If anyone comes looking for the child, we'll notify you."
There aren't many people at the police station, and they're all men; they can't exactly raise a child. If Song Wanxia is willing to support him for free, then let her.
And so, Song Wanxia brought the child home again.
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