The pointed remarks from Shang's mother infuriated Liu Zi. She stood up abruptly and glared at Shang's mother with murderous intent.
Over the years, everyone in town has treated Shang's mother with respect and deference; even the town's leaders greet her with a smile.
She was furious to be humiliated by a young girl and was about to rebuke her.
However, before he could even utter the words "little vixen," he was slapped across the face by Boss Shang, who had just arrived.
Caught off guard, Shang's mother was still holding her daughter Shang Meili when the slap caused them both to fall to the ground.
Mrs. Shang covered her face, looking at Mr. Shang in disbelief. She was about to cry out, but Mr. Shang's words silenced her.
"If you want to cry, go back to your parents' house and cry there!"
That won't do.
Her family was extremely poor. Her brothers were able to work in the coal mines only because of her, and her parents received a monthly allowance. If she angered Shang's father, all of that would be gone.
Especially after hearing that her father was keeping a mistress, she was unwilling to give up her position and had no choice but to shut her mouth in a huff.
"I'm sorry, this old woman doesn't know how to speak properly. I hope you won't take offense at her." After saying this, Father Shang smiled and looked at Lingzi.
"Lingzi, don't be angry with your grandma. She can't speak properly, and grandpa will definitely punish her when he gets back."
Lingzi thought for a moment, then tugged at Liu Zi's hand and said, "Grandpa will give me money."
When Boss Shang heard Lingzi say this, he was immediately pleased. This child still had some conscience.
Compared to having a son to carry on the family line, he definitely preferred a delicate and gentle daughter; otherwise, he wouldn't have spoiled Shang Meili so much that she couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
Although Lingzi is not related to Shang's father by blood, Shang's father would call her over and ask her a few questions every time he saw her, and would also give her some pocket money in the end.
Lingzi barely survived by relying on this little bit of pocket money, when no one was willing to take care of her. This was one of the few acts of kindness she received while supporting her family.
However, Boss Shang spends very little time at home and is extremely busy, so Lingzi rarely sees him. Therefore, she usually goes hungry or eats a full meal.
Captain Liao pretended to reprimand Boss Shang a couple of times, asking how he could beat someone in the security team. Boss Shang cooperated and apologized to his mother, and that was the end of it.
In this area, if the people don't complain, the officials won't intervene; matters like beating one's wife are usually discussed and decided behind closed doors within the family.
The security team had a high reputation in the area, and coupled with Boss Shang's "careless betrayal," the Yu family of three confessed not long afterward that Lingzi was indeed bought by Yu Qinglian.
They were unaware of the truth at first, but when the truth could no longer be concealed, they threatened Yu Qinglian and demanded 2,500 yuan from her.
After learning that Lingzi was not related to their daughter, Yu's parents lost interest in taking care of the child and sent Lingzi directly to their son and daughter-in-law's home.
At that time, Lingzi was only two years old and didn't know anything. She would cry for a long time every day because of thirst and hunger, and she couldn't even stop crying at night.
Shang Meili was driven almost crazy. She threw the child into the street, and Lingzi continued to cry, causing the neighbors to come out and curse.
In the end, it was Shang's mother who came up with a solution: to hire someone to take care of her, which led to the appearance of Aunt Zhang.
However, once Lingzi turned four, Shang Meili refused to pay for her anymore and forced Lingzi to learn to cook and do laundry.
Lingzi was often beaten and scolded by Shang Meili for not cooking well or washing clothes properly, and she was even punished by not being allowed to eat.
If Lingzi gets really hungry, she will run to Granny Zhang's house to ask for some food.
Lingzi, mindful of Aunt Zhang's status, dared not go to her door and was happy to have someone raise her child for free.
Speaking of Aunt Zhang, she is quite a special person in the town.
After her husband died in battle, she did not remarry and raised her son by doing odd jobs.
Later, when her son grew up, she sent him to join the army. But fate played a cruel trick on her, and her son was killed in action, leaving her alone as an old woman.
Liu Zi knew that the country was not very wealthy at present, and she figured that the allowance for the widows of martyrs would not be much.
But Aunt Zhang still protected Lingzi at the crucial moment and gave her a bite to eat, for which Liu Zi was extremely grateful.
She stood up and knelt down in front of Aunt Zhang with a thud.
"What are you doing? Get up!"
Aunt Zhang was startled.
"Auntie, thank you for protecting my daughter, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see her now."
"Lingzi is a good person, I'm destined to be with her, you don't need to do this." Aunt Zhang was still quite strong, and she helped Liu Zi up.
"Auntie, it's like this: if I want to reunite with Lingzi, I need to go with her to the relevant institution for genetic testing, but that will take time. I'm not comfortable leaving Lingzi with her adoptive parents, nor do I want to place her in foster care elsewhere. Could you please be her temporary guardian? I'd like to take you all back to Beijing."
"If Lingzi were my daughter, I would recognize you as my godmother and take care of you in your old age; if Lingzi... is not my daughter, I would still recognize you as my godmother, and then Lingzi would also be my goddaughter, so you wouldn't be left without a place to live," Liu Zi said resolutely.
Liu Daqiang stood behind her, hesitating as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately did not open his mouth.
"this……"
Aunt Zhang hesitated, looking at Lingzi, then at the direction of the Shang family, before finally gritting her teeth and nodding, saying, "I'm practically half-buried myself, so these things don't matter. As long as you can promise to treat Lingzi well, whether she's your daughter or not, that's enough."
Liu Zi nodded excitedly, her hands trembling as she took out a photo of her youngest daughter, Zhao Qi, from her bag and showed it to Aunt Zhang.
"Auntie, this is my youngest daughter. Do you think she looks just like Lingzi?"
Aunt Zhang took the photo, squinted at it, and indeed it looked about 80% like Lingzi when she was a child.
Judging from the little girl's clothes and expression in the photo, she is a child born into a wealthy family. I really hope that Lingzi's suffering will finally come to an end.
That evening, Liu Daqiang borrowed the phone from the Yangjiao Township security team to send a message to Beijing.
The following afternoon, security officers from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau arrived in Yangjiao Township, accompanied by senior officials from the Jin County Public Security Bureau.
The paperwork for Aunt Zhang and Lingzi was completed very quickly, and that very evening Liu Zi took the two of them back to Beijing, accompanied by Shi Jianjun.
Liu Daqiang and Shi Jianjun, two comrades-in-arms, were left behind to handle the follow-up matters.
Traveling at night at this time is very dangerous. After listening to Shi Jianjun's advice, Liu Zi found a hotel in S City, halfway there, to stay at.
Two rooms were booked in total. One room was for Shi Jianjun to rest in, and the other room was for Liu Zi, Zhang Da Niang, and Ling Zi to stay in.
Liu Zi still had some things she wanted to talk to Aunt Zhang about.
Lingzi had never been on a car ride for such a long time before, and she was exhausted. After taking a shower, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
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