Chang Le remembers that life in the orphanage was not easy.
The dean, teachers, and roommates were all nice people, but she could never fit in and always felt like an outsider. It was as if her soul and heart had been burned to ashes in that fire.
She's a freak.
Several couples came to adopt a child, and the director hoped that she could be adopted, find a new life in a new family, and forget her past pain. However, at that time, Chang Le was withdrawn, isolated, silent, and even carried a hint of resentment, so the people who came to adopt her made other choices.
Chang Le lived a muddled life, mechanically learning to live like a normal human being.
Hua Lan stroked the photo and recalled:
“My mother has told us more than once that when she first saw you, you were like an ice fairy in the sweltering summer, appearing in front of her all of a sudden. She said that at that moment she felt that you were a gift from God.”
Two months after Chang Le arrived at the orphanage—
In early May, the rainy season was approaching in Lincheng, and the weather was extremely hot and humid.
Hua Lihan brought Wei Zi to Lincheng and found the Lincheng Orphanage.
Wei Zi's health was deteriorating, and with the journey and the heat, she had to sit down and rest. Hua Lihan helped her to a bench in the shade of a tree and went inside to find the dean.
Wei Zi felt thirsty, but was also dizzy from the heat and felt so weak that she swayed precariously while holding onto the handrail.
"Swish!" The leaves above made a rustling sound.
Wei Zi opened her eyes and looked, meeting a pair of round, dark green eyes. She looked closely and saw a little girl hanging upside down on a tree branch.
In a flash, the little girl twirled and landed lightly. Her simple, light blue clothes, shoulder-length dark green hair, and naturally indifferent temperament left Wei Zi somewhat dazed.
If her Ningning were still alive, she would be about this size.
Perhaps her Ningning, like this little girl, is hiding in the shade of that big tree.
As the little girl was about to leave, Wei Zi hurriedly stood up, stumbling as she cried out, "Wait!"
A pair of small hands steadily supported Wei Zi and pressed her into the seat.
Wei Zi rubbed her forehead and rested for a while, then suddenly grabbed her hand and asked, "Little girl, can you tell Auntie your name?"
The little girl looked at her but didn't answer. She slipped something into her hand with her hand hanging by her side, and while she was still stunned, she turned and ran away.
Wei Zi didn't stop her. Her palms felt cold. She looked down and saw a bottle of yogurt.
There was a layer of moisture outside, cool and refreshing, which dispelled the drowsiness in Wei Zi's head.
When Hua Lihan rushed back to take her into the house, he saw his thin and haggard wife holding a small bottle of yogurt, with a rare smile on her face.
“I met a little angel,” Wei Zi said.
The couple had been searching for their daughter at various orphanages, but after seeing Xiao Chang Le jump down from a tree, they decided to adopt her.
It is not uncommon for prominent families to adopt children in order to maintain their family's power.
Before Sheng Hua Wuyan and Hua Anning, they had adopted the disciple left behind by Wei Zi's attending psychologist, taking him as their fourth son and naming him Hua Lanshi.
The couple learned about Xiao Changle's situation from the hospital director.
Wei Zi was moved to tears and was determined to adopt the poor little girl, while Hua Lihan had some reservations.
The dean frankly told them that Xiao Changle had some psychological issues due to her past experiences and needed proper care and upbringing. Given Wei Zi's situation, she was not capable of taking good care of Xiao Changle.
Finally, they decided to ask Xiao Changle for his opinion.
The dean summoned Xiao Changle, explained the situation, and then questioned her.
Xiao Changle refused without hesitation.
Wei Zi was disappointed, but she didn't linger. She left with Hua Lihan and stayed temporarily in Lincheng.
Two days later, in addition to her daughter Ningning, Wei Zi's nightmares also included the image of a little girl named Chang Le. The thought of her all alone made Wei Zi feel a pang of heartache.
Finally, with no other option, the two decided to spend more time with Xiao Changle and try again.
...
Hua Lanshi smiled and said, "I was too young to remember much at the time. My mother said that she and my father visited you there more than ten times, both openly and secretly, and stayed in Lincheng for more than a month."
Chang Le, in a daze, let fragmented thoughts flood his mind: "I...remembered a little bit."
In my memory, Wei Zi's gentle voice became clearer and clearer.
"Lele, my darling! Look, Auntie made this by hand, don't be disgusted by it~" Wei Zi held up a felted Rangoon creeper flower.
This was their eleventh meeting, and the tenth gift Wei Zi had given her.
Chang Le doesn't know how many times it started, but he would subconsciously sit under the tree where they first met, a tiny, barely visible expectation hidden in a secret corner of his heart.
On their eleventh meeting, when Wei Zi appeared at the door, Xiao Changle grabbed an umbrella and ran towards her in the drizzle.
She held an umbrella for Wei Zi. The moment the small floral umbrella opened, Wei Zi opened her palm, revealing flowers in her palm that weren't wet by the rain, while her own hair was completely soaked.
That pink-gradient flower, carrying the long-awaited warmth of the sun, suddenly pierced through the barrier of the pale world.
Xiao Changle followed his heart and hugged her tightly.
The moment Wei Zi hugged her back, the person she had longed to meet again in her dreams appeared before her eyes, smiling and saying, "Lele, you will have a happy new life."
When Hua Lihan anxiously searched for his wife after discovering she was missing, he found her and a little girl holding a small floral umbrella, squatting by the flower bed and whispering to each other.
Hua Lihan gave his wife a mild reprimand for not taking care of her health, then took his wife and their new daughter to complete the formalities and left the orphanage with Xiao Changle's belongings.
Afterwards, Xiao Changle returned to the Hua family manor with them.
At that time, apart from Hua Wuyan, who was still too young to understand, the other four were already sensible. Wei Zi was frail and difficult to take care of, not to mention Hua Lihan, who had always been laissez-faire in raising her children. It was thanks to her four older brothers that Xiao Changle gradually got used to things.
The Hua family did not give up searching for Hua Anning, but Wei Zi finally agreed to rest at home, allowing members of the Hua family to take her place in the search.
Hua Lihan treated his adopted daughters equally, Wei Zi took good care of Xiao Chang Le, and her older brothers had no prejudice against Xiao Chang Le and taught her things in a very sensible way.
The frightened stray dog, ravaged by fire, is now growing new flesh and blood under the loving care of its new family.
Xiao Changle is no longer pale; she now has parents, a brother, and a sister.
Everything is moving in a positive direction.
However, the fundamental cracks still exist.
Wei Zi adopted Xiao Chang Le out of longing for her lost daughter and out of sympathy for her;
Hua Lihan adopted Xiao Changle because of his wife's illness and for the stability of the Hua family.
The appearance of Xiao Changle brought peace of mind to Wei Zi and harmony to the Hua family.
But what if Xiao Chang Le loses this function?
The twelfth month of the lunar calendar, on the eve of the Laba Festival.
Wei Zi took Xiao Chang Le and Hua Lan Shi out shopping, which was supposed to be a happy occasion, but the three of them encountered a terrorist attack.
The Hua family's guards stopped the attackers, and Wei Zi escaped with her two children through the back door of the mall, only to run into her enemies who were blocking the back door.
This was an attack targeting the Hua family.
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