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墨書 Inktalez
The village was rarely lively, and as I was hanging clothes in the yard, I heard the voice of my neighbor, Aunt Wang: "The Lin family has a city person visiting, dressed quite elegantly, wearing gold rings and necklaces!"
I paused my movements, wondering who would come to our remote little mountain village in this sweltering heat.
"I heard they're here to find someone, apparently a relative of the Lin family," Aunt Wang leaned in mysteriously and lowered her voice. "That woman looks a bit like your little Yu."
My heart skipped a beat, and the clothes I was holding fell to the ground.
Sure enough, within half an hour, a rapid knocking on the door echoed. I wiped my hands and walked over to open it, revealing a woman in her forties standing outside. She was dressed in a designer suit, adorned with a sparkling diamond ring, heavily made up—clearly someone wealthy from the city.
"May I ask who you are?" I asked politely.
"I am Liu Cuihua, Lin Xiaoyu's grandmother." The woman scrutinized me from head to toe with a hint of disdain in her eyes. "You must be the one pretending to be my daughter."
A jolt ran through me; I hadn't expected this day to come so soon.
"I don't know what you're talking about, but Xiaoyu is indeed my daughter," I straightened my back, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Stop playing dumb!" Liu Cuihua sneered. "My daughter gave birth to a girl in the city years ago—it's Lin Xiaoyu. For various reasons, the child was taken away. I've been searching for her all these years, and now I've finally found her!"
I was taken aback by her directness and momentarily didn't know how to respond.
"Auntie, please come in and sit down. We can talk inside," I stepped aside to let her enter.
Liu Cuihua strode into the house with an air of superiority, looking around at our modest furniture with disdain and wrinkling her nose.
"Where's Xiaoyu? I want to see my granddaughter," she stated bluntly.
"Xiaoyu is at school; she'll be back around noon," I poured her a glass of water. "Aunt Liu, you say Xiaoyu is your granddaughter—what evidence do you have?"
"Evidences?" Liu Cuihua pulled out a stack of photos from her bag. "These are pictures of my daughter during her pregnancy; this is the hospital's birth certificate. Also, Xiaoyu has a strawberry-shaped birthmark on her left shoulder—that's a family trait."
My heart sank; Xiaoyu indeed had such a birthmark.
"I know you are not Xiaoyu's biological mother. You have impersonated my daughter. My daughter has long passed away, and you have taken her place, occupying my granddaughter!" Liu Cuihua said excitedly. "I want to take Xiaoyu back to the city, to give her the best life and the best education! Unlike you, living in this poor countryside, what can you provide for the child?"
I clenched my fists, feeling both angry and anxious. Just then, I heard Xiaoyu's voice from outside: "Mom, I'm back!"
Xiaoyu bounced in with her backpack. Upon seeing the stranger in the room, she asked curiously, "Mom, who is this auntie?"
As soon as Liu Cuihua saw Xiaoyu, her eyes lit up. She quickly walked over and squatted down. "Xiaoyu, I'm your grandmother! Your mother is my daughter; you are my biological granddaughter!"
Xiaoyu was startled and hid behind me, tightly gripping my shirt. "Mom, what is she talking about?"
"Xiaoyu, be good. Go to your room and do your homework. Mom needs to talk with this auntie," I said gently, patting her head.
Xiaoyu nodded but still looked at me with concern before slowly walking into her room.
"See? The child doesn't even recognize you!" I said calmly. "Aunt Liu, no matter what evidence you have, Xiaoyu is my daughter now. We have lived together for many years; our bond cannot be severed just because you say so."
"What do you think you are?" Liu Cuihua retorted angrily. "I see you are abusing my granddaughter! The child is so thin and her clothes are so worn; you are not fit to be her mother!"
I took a deep breath, trying to control my emotions. "Aunt Liu, you've misunderstood. Xiaoyu is thin because that's just her constitution. I make bone soup for her every day to nourish her health. The clothes are old because she grows quickly; I can't bear to buy expensive ones, but she chooses them herself and loves them."
"Stop making excuses!" Liu Cuihua persisted relentlessly. "I've hired a lawyer to reclaim custody of Xiaoyu. You better know your place and give up voluntarily; otherwise, I will make sure you regret it!"
Just then, Li Jianguo returned home. Hearing the commotion inside, he hurriedly pushed the door open. "What's going on? Who is this?"
Seeing Li Jianguo, Liu Cuihua's eyes brightened. "You must be Lin Xiaoyu's father! I'm her grandmother, here to take her back to the city to live. Your wife is not Xiaoyu's biological mother; she has deceived you!"
Li Jianguo frowned as he looked at me and then at Liu Cuihua. "Ma'am, no matter who you are, please respect my wife. Lin Xiaohui is Xiaoyu's mother; that is beyond doubt."
A warmth spread through my heart; I never expected Li Jianguo to stand so firmly by my side.
"You two are in cahoots!" Liu Cuihua exclaimed, flustered. "I'm going to call the police and report you for child trafficking!"
"Go ahead," Li Jianguo replied calmly. "But before you do, I suggest you understand the facts. Lin Xiaohui's love for Xiaoyu is no less than anyone else's."
"Exactly!" Xiaoyu, who had appeared at the doorway, rushed over and hugged my waist with red eyes. "I don’t want to go with you! My mom treats me the best!"
Liu Cuihua was taken aback, clearly not expecting Xiaoyu to be so resolute.
"Xiaoyu, you don’t understand..." Liu Cuihua tried to explain.
"I understand!" Xiaoyu interrupted her. "I know I'm not Mom's biological child, but she loves me more than a real mom! She wakes up at four in the morning to make breakfast for me, checks my homework late into the night, carries me to school when it rains, and stays up all night taking care of me when I'm sick..."
As Xiaoyu spoke, tears began to stream down her face. I crouched down and held her tightly, feeling a mix of sweetness and sorrow in my heart.
"Aunt Liu," I lifted my head and looked earnestly at Liu Cuihua. "I don't know about your daughter’s situation, but I truly love Xiaoyu as if she were my own. If you really care about her well-being, you should consider her feelings."
Liu Cuihua fell silent, watching Xiaoyu cling tightly to me, her gaze softening gradually.
"I can give you money every month so that Xiaoyu can come back to the city with me..." Her tone was no longer as forceful as before.
"Money isn't the issue," Li Jianguo interjected. "Although we aren't wealthy, we can afford Xiaoyu's living and educational expenses. The most important thing is the child's feelings; look how dependent she is on Lin Xiaohui. Forcing her away will only hurt her."
Liu Cuihua bit her lip, a flicker of struggle crossing her eyes.
"Grandma," Xiaoyu suddenly released me and walked timidly in front of Liu Cuihua. "If you really are my grandma, I'm happy to meet you. But I don't want to leave Mom and Dad; they are my family. You can come visit me often, and I can come see you too, okay?"
Liu Cuihua was touched by Xiaoyu's words. She crouched down and carefully examined Xiaoyu's face. "You look just like your mother did when she was little..."
She reached out and gently stroked Xiaoyu's cheek, tears welling in her eyes. "My daughter passed away too early, and I have always regretted not being able to take good care of her. Finding you, I thought I could make up for that regret..."
"You can treat Xiaoyu as your granddaughter and love her, but there’s no need to take her away from us," I said sincerely. "We won’t stop you from building a bond with Xiaoyu; you can visit her anytime."
Liu Cuihua remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a deep sigh. "Perhaps... you are right. Seeing how much Xiaoyu relies on you, I really shouldn’t forcefully take her away."
She stood up and wiped her tears. "I will stay in the village for a few days, hoping to understand more about Xiaoyu's life. If she is truly happy here, I... I will respect her choice."
This outcome surprised me, and I nodded gratefully. "You are always welcome to our home."
After seeing Liu Cuihua off, I tightly embraced Xiaoyu, tears finally streaming down my face. "Thank you, Xiaoyu, thank you for choosing me..."
"Mom, I will never leave you," Xiaoyu said earnestly, looking up at me.
Li Jianguo walked over and enveloped both of us in his arms. "We are a family; no one can tear us apart."
In that moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of happiness and security. I knew that as long as we treated this family with sincerity and cared for these children wholeheartedly, nothing could separate us.
In the following days, Liu Cuihua indeed stayed in the village. She gradually saw my dedication to Xiaoyu and recognized the joy Xiaoyu found in this family. Ultimately, she gave up the idea of taking Xiaoyu away but agreed to take her to the city for a few days each year during the holidays, which we all happily accepted.
This experience made me cherish my mother-daughter bond with Xiaoyu even more and taught me that love knows no blood ties; sincerity is what truly matters. Li Jianguo admired my kindness and courage even more, bringing us closer together.
As I gazed out at the sunset, I silently resolved: no matter what lies ahead, I will protect this home and safeguard my children. Because they are my hope and strength to change my destiny.
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