Yesterday's frantic running left Luo Yan feeling sore all over when she woke up this morning.
After pouring herself a glass of spiritual spring water and drinking it, Luo Yan felt a little better. She mechanically climbed out of bed and slowly walked towards the door.
As soon as I opened the door, the phone rang in my ears like a death knell.
Oh no! Her grandparents call her every night to chat, and they must have called last night too, but she wasn't home...
How can we explain this?
Before Luo Yan could decide what to say, Luo Shicheng answered the phone.
Xia Suya paused upon hearing Luo Shicheng's voice.
"Why is it you? Where is Yan Yan?"
Hearing the disdain in his mother's tone, Luo Shicheng remained unmoved.
"Still sleeping."
Xia Suya became anxious. "You usually get up early, why are you still sleeping today? Are you sick?"
Luo Shicheng saw Luo Yan slowly approaching and replied with a stern face.
"I'm not sick."
"What's wrong? He answered the phone last night but didn't say anything, and he didn't get up today... Luo Shicheng, if you dare to lie to me, your father and I will never forgive you."
Xia Suya's voice was very loud when she scolded people, and Luo Yan could hear it clearly.
Oh no, she's been exposed! Luo Yan secretly groaned.
Under Luo Shicheng's unavoidable gaze, Luo Yan forced herself to remain calm and reached out to take the microphone that Luo Shicheng handed her.
While Xia Suya was still scolding, Luo Yan sweetly called out into the microphone, "Grandma..."
The roaring tigress transforms into a squeaky kitten in a second.
"Yanyan, why did you get up so late today?"
Luo Yan: "Daddy and Mommy are going for a walk, Yan Yan is going to wash up."
Luo Shicheng translated from the side.
“Last night, Hua Li and I went out for a while, and Yan Yan and Xiao Xiu stayed home and washed and hung up the grapes that the neighbors gave us.”
With Luo Shicheng involved, the grandfather and grandson chatted even more enthusiastically.
Hua Li finished cooking and gestured to the father and daughter several times before Luo Shicheng finally had to stop.
Xia Suya was still not satisfied.
"Why didn't you say anything when the phone connected last night? Otherwise, I could have chatted with Yan Yan a little longer."
Luo Shicheng paused for a moment, then looked down at Luo Yan.
Under Luo Shicheng's all-knowing gaze, Luo Yan had nowhere to hide and could only pretend not to understand, lowering her head to fiddle with the tea set and mats on the coffee table.
"The line malfunctioned last night and was not fixed until this morning."
After hearing Luo Shicheng's explanation, Xia Suya grumbled, "Why does it always malfunction? It's such a hassle..."
Luo Shicheng spoke a few more words with Xia Suya, hung up the phone, picked up Luo Yan, and walked to the dining table to sit down.
Luo Yan ate in silence, not daring to look at Luo Shicheng at all.
Luo Shicheng seemed lost in thought as he ate.
Even Xiao Xiu looked preoccupied, which made Hua Li feel depressed early in the morning.
After finishing his meal, Luo Shicheng took the initiative to clear the table and wash the dishes.
Coming out of the kitchen, Luo Shicheng took Luo Yan from Hua Li's arms.
"I'm taking the day off today to take care of my child."
What happened last night kept Hua Li awake until dawn. Her eyes were swollen when she woke up in the morning, but she couldn't bear to take a day off because she knew she would lose money every day she missed.
In the end, Luo Shicheng could not persuade Hua Li otherwise and had to let Hua Li go to work.
With Luo Shicheng dropping off the children, Hua Li arrived at the supply and marketing cooperative ten minutes early, only to encounter an unexpected person at the entrance.
When Chu Tonghai met Hua Li, his attitude was much more amiable than before.
"I'd like to take a few minutes of your time to ask you some questions about the jade pendant."
When the jade pendant that Liu Jingqiu had taken for himself was mentioned, Hua Li's face turned ugly, and she walked to the base of the wall with Chu Tonghai to talk.
Hua Li is no longer pale and thin; she has a rosy complexion, a slender figure, and is well-dressed, making her very pleasing to the eye. Chu Tonghai finds her more and more attractive the more he looks at her.
"You said before that Liu Jingqiu's jade pendant wasn't hers. Can you tell me whose jade pendant it really is?"
His daughter cannot go to jail, otherwise it would have a potential impact on his and his sons' future. Therefore, the best option now is to deny Liu Jingqiu's identity, and the hope lies with Hua Li, who has long pointed out that Liu Jingqiu's identity is problematic.
Hua Li had no intention of acknowledging kinship with the Chu family and insisted that she knew nothing about it.
Chu Tonghai appealed to his emotions and reasoned with him.
"You know that the jade pendant belongs to my own daughter. If Liu Jingqiu is not my daughter, then my own daughter would still be living away from home."
Hua Li, can you really bear to see our family torn apart, and us parents never seeing our child again in our entire lives?
Hua Li remained unmoved. "Actually, you shouldn't have asked me about this. If you really want to know where your daughter is, the person you should ask is Liu Jingqiu. After all, she was the one who brought the jade pendant to you to acknowledge your relationship. She must know who the owner of the jade pendant is."
Chu Tonghai looked bitter.
“Liu Jingqiu doesn’t know, and it wasn’t her who took the initiative to use the jade pendant to acknowledge us, so I can only ask you.”
"She didn't come to you to acknowledge her as a relative, so how did you know about her?" Hua Li asked instead of answering.
To show his sincerity, Chu Tonghai spoke frankly.
“We found out she was selling the jade pendant. We followed the clues and found her. She said she was forced to sell the jade pendant to make money because of financial difficulties. The jade pendant was with her adoptive parents when they found her, so I thought she was my daughter.”
At that time, Liu Jingqiu had practically monopolized all of Luo Shicheng's allowances, yet he still had the nerve to say that he was having financial difficulties. Hua Li sneered.
"I see... But I only caught a glimpse of it back then, and I don't remember what the owner of the jade pendant looked like. I'm sorry, I can't help you."
After saying that, Hua Li walked into the supply and marketing cooperative through the employee entrance.
As soon as she stepped behind the counter, Xiao Yanru, who was wiping the wine barrels with a rag, asked Hua Li.
"Who is that person? He came to the door early this morning and is waiting. Judging from his demeanor, he's not someone important. Is he a relative of yours?"
Hua Li picked up a rag and started wiping the counter, replying as she did so.
"No, it's because his daughter went missing, and he came to me asking for clues."
Xiao Yanru exclaimed, "The hearts of parents are all the same. No matter how powerful or influential a person is, it can't compare to a family reunion. It's quite pitiful."
Hua Li twitched the corner of her mouth but didn't reply.
Is it pitiful?
She still remembered Chu Tonghai's haughty attitude when they first met, his disdainful look as if he were looking at her as trash.
She could accept her parents being poor and old, but she could not accept them looking down on ordinary people because of their status, or even using their power to oppress the powerless. Even if they later repented for accidentally hurting their daughter, she would not accept it.
Besides, given Chu Tonghai and Li Mingzhu's ways, they might give her money, but love is another matter. And she has neither money nor love now, so acknowledging them would just be asking for trouble.
Chu Tonghai was surprised that Hua Li was so uncooperative and showed no respect whatsoever. He stood there, watching Hua Li's back with a furrowed brow.
Hua Li's features don't resemble that person's, but his back view looks exactly like that person's. Did he miss something?
Thinking of this, Chu Tonghai got into the car and headed straight for the kindergarten...
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