Chapter 42: Grudges
Ye Yuanzhang was very confused about the current situation.
Because of the timeliness of letters, he had just received a letter from his niece saying that her biological mother had found her and, after careful consideration, decided to return to recognize her. However, before he had time to reply, the next day the farm's correspondent delivered an expedited telegram, in which she said that she had registered to come to the Great Northern Wilderness and was at the neighboring Farm 58.
The two completely opposite pieces of news that came one after the other made Ye Yuanzhang confused about his niece's thoughts.
He could only think: "Is there something wrong with your biological parents?"
"Yes." Yun Qiao nodded. "My biological mother doesn't really want to recognize me as her biological mother. She doesn't love me at all. She just wants me to go to the countryside in Su Lin's place."
Seeing Ye Yuanzhang's confused expression, Yun Qiao explained: "Su Lin is the girl I mistakenly took away. She is your niece."
"Please forgive me for not telling you Su Lin's name at first. That was because they only wanted to take me back and had no intention of letting Su Lin return to the Ye family."
"I understand. Because of my rightist identity, it's normal for that kid to want to distance himself from me." Ye Yuanzhang could understand.
Yun Qiao lowered his eyes and whispered, "I made the decision to recognize my relatives impulsively. Grandma had just passed away, and you were far away in the Northeast. I was too panicked to be alone, so I made the wrong decision without asking for details."
"Actually, deciding to recognize your parents isn't the wrong decision. After all, they are your biological parents."
Ye Yuanzhang counseled her: "Don't worry, even if you recognize your relationship, you are still our Ye family's child, and we will always be your family. You can be relatives on both sides, and no one is forcing you to choose between the two."
Yun Qiao shook his head. "Uncle, I never worry about that. I know that in your and Aunt's hearts, I will always be a child of the Ye family. I refuse to acknowledge my kinship not for this reason, but for something else."
"What other reasons?"
Yun Qiao said, "My biological mother seemed to have deliberately taken the wrong child."
"How could this be?" Ye Yuanzhang was somewhat incredulous, his brows furrowed deeply. "Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. You're the child she carried for ten months. She can't be so cruel, right? Are you sure there's no misunderstanding?"
Ye Yuanzhang didn't want to think badly of his niece's biological mother. If that were the case, Yun Qiao would be so sad.
She has been a good child since she was young, kind and empathetic, and should not be treated so cruelly.
"It's not surprising. For thousands of years, the practice of killing baby girls has persisted despite repeated bans. Even now, many people in the countryside still do it secretly."
Yun Qiao's expression was slightly cold. "I'm not just a baby girl. When I was born, my legs and feet were disabled. It's normal for her to not want me and choose to throw me away and take home a healthy child."
"We can't just assume she did it on purpose..."
"No, she did it on purpose."
Yun Qiao interrupted Ye Yuanzhang and said, "You remember, my father searched for years without success. He even dug up the files at St. Mary's Hospital and went door to door, but there wasn't a single mother or child who met the requirements. Otherwise, he would have found my biological mother long ago."
"So it's obvious that my biological mother wasn't the me who was at St. Mary's."
Li Baiqiu also said, "Yes, Yuanzhang, what Qiaoqiao said makes sense. Her child wasn't even born at St. Mary's Hospital. How could her child be mistaken for one from St. Mary's? Unless she switched them on purpose."
"That's what I think," Yun Qiao said. "The biggest quirk is that my father searched for so many years and couldn't find the other party who took the wrong child. But when she wanted to recognize me, she came directly to our house. This means she actually knew where I was all along. So she must have switched me on purpose. Otherwise, she couldn't have known so clearly."
Facts speak louder than words, and Ye Yuanzhang had to accept this reality.
He sighed: "Yun Qiao, I'm sorry for having to deal with such a mother."
"Uncle, I don't feel wronged. On the contrary, I am very grateful to her. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have met such a good family like you."
Yun Qiao said guiltily, "I just feel so sorry for you, Dad, and Grandma. You were so good to me, but my biological mother took away your real family, forcing you to endure the pain of separation, and letting Dad pass away with regret."
"My father wanted to find his biological daughter until his death. He knew how hard my father was looking for her, but he hid himself and never showed up."
Ye Yuanzhang shook his head: "It's not your fault that you didn't apologize."
Li Baiqiu put his arm around Yun Qiao's shoulders and comforted her: "Yes, your uncle is right. This is not your fault. You were just a baby back then and couldn't even open your eyes. It has nothing to do with you."
Yun Qiao buried her face in Li Baiqiu's arms and said sullenly, "But the person who did the wrong thing was my biological mother after all. She did it, and I enjoyed the success."
"She is she, you are you. We are a new society now, and we shouldn't be blamed for anything." Li Baiqiu touched her head and said, "Don't think about it. The relationship has passed. We should look forward to it."
Ye Yuanzhang also said, "Your father loved you very much. Even if you weren't his biological child, you were his beloved child. He wouldn't have the heart to see you suffer such moral torture. You are innocent, so don't let it get to you."
Yun Qiao nodded hesitantly.
Seeing Yun Qiao was unhappy, Li Baiqiu pushed her out of the house and said, "Go play with Kang Ning and Yuan Qing for a while. They are both cheerful little kids and will cheer you up."
Watching Yun Qiao being dragged away by the Kang Ning siblings, Li Baiqiu sighed and whispered to her husband beside her, "Lu Yin is truly evil. She knew someone had swapped the children, but in order to avenge Gu Tingyu, she chose to remain silent, harming two innocent children.
The eldest brother had already knelt before her, but she remained indifferent. Qiao Qiao's family members were not good either. It was just a minor leg ailment, not incurable. As for giving up the child..."
"Stop talking." Ye Yuanzhang interrupted her.
He frowned, glanced outside worriedly, and lowered his voice as he warned Li Baiqiu, "Secrecy leads to success, while disclosure leads to failure. These are all grudges from the previous generation, so why keep bringing them up? Be careful if the children hear them one day."
Li Baiqiu lowered his voice: "I just feel sorry for Yun Qiao."
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