"Good morning, little one." She gently whispered into Xu Chacha's ear, then said to the person on the other end of the line, "She's awake. Are you coming now?"
Xu Chacha thought the car that was coming to take her to the orphanage had arrived, so she silently got out of bed and put on her shoes.
"Come here." Wen Mubai sat up and beckoned to her.
Xu Chacha walked over obediently and mouthed, "What's wrong?"
Wen Mubai didn't answer her, but simply raised his hand to press down the stray hairs that had grown on the top of her head while she slept, a smile playing on his lips.
"Then I'll bring her down now." She hung up the phone quickly.
"Are they coming to see Cha Cha off?" Xu Cha Cha asked in a low voice.
"No." Wen Mubai picked up a comb and smoothed her hair. "The policewoman said they found people who might be your biological parents, and they sent someone over today to take you for a DNA test."
Xu Chacha slowly clenched her hands behind her back into fists, but feigned a puzzled look on her face. "Appraisal?"
"Yes, it's just to confirm whether you are their child or not. Don't worry, it will be quick."
"Oh, I see." That's wonderful!
Her gloomy mood was swept away by Wen Mubai's words. Even while eating, Xu Chacha couldn't help but swing her legs happily, fantasizing about the wonderful life ahead.
Wen Mubai picked out the most eye-catching princess dress from the pile of extravagant princess dresses that Jiang Panpan had bought and put it on Xu Chacha.
The little dumpling was born with fair skin and a natural light pink hue on her cheeks. Wearing a light white lace dress, she looked like a little angel about to spread her wings and fly away.
When Jiang Panpan came to find them, she saw Xu Chacha putting oatmeal into her mouth with a spoon. She probably thought it tasted good, because as she ate, she squinted her eyes and let out a soft sigh.
"Ahhh!"
Wen Mubai and Xu Chacha stopped eating and looked at her, puzzled.
Jiang Panpan was completely unaware that she was frantically pinching her philtrum, crying out, "No, no! This little thing is too cute! Is it illegal to eat a child?! I want to eat a child!"
"It's illegal," Wen Mubai and Xu Chacha warned her in unison.
...
Because of the high reward offered by the Xu family, there are too many people who want to impersonate the Xu family's young lady, and even countless people who imitate the birthmark. Since Mr. and Mrs. Xu cannot not work every day and fly around everywhere, they sent the butler to verify her identity.
The housekeeper's surname was Zhang. She was a well-maintained middle-aged woman, and she was accompanied by a man in a suit.
"Little friend, what's your name?" Butler Zhang squatted down to be at eye level with Xu Chacha.
"My name is Chacha." Her voice was soft and a little timid.
Housekeeper Zhang thought the man in the suit behind her had startled her, so she waved for him to get into the car and then gave Xu Chacha a kind smile. "Can you go to the hospital with Grandma? Grandma will take you to find your parents."
If the police hadn't been standing right there, it wouldn't have been surprising to say that Butler Zhang was a kidnapper; that's practically a classic line from a human trafficker.
"It's alright, this old lady isn't a bad person, my sister knows her." Wen Mubai patted Xu Chacha's shoulder to comfort her.
"Okay." Xu Chacha nodded vigorously and took Zhang, the housekeeper's hand. "Chacha is going with Grandma. Chacha wants to see her mom and dad."
Upon hearing this, Butler Zhang felt a lump in her throat and lowered her head.
Xu Chacha's hands were small, barely able to hold two of her fingers, but they held on tightly, their hearts pounding faster beneath her soft, warm skin.
Over the years, she has also worked hard for the Xu family and met many so-called "missing children." Some of these children were forced to pretend by their biological parents, while others were threatened by human traffickers. Without exception, beneath their seemingly obedient exteriors, they all harbored an undisguised greed.
Having served the Xu family for so many years, she had become quite shrewd, and the child's clumsy acting skills could not escape her notice.
But she could tell that Xu Chacha was different. She didn't cry or make a fuss, and there was a hint of feigned strength in her eyes. In particular, when she mustered up the courage to say, "Chacha wants to see her mom and dad," it instantly touched her soft heart.
Even if the final result shows that Xu Chacha is not the eldest daughter of the Xu family, Zhang, the housekeeper, will continue to help the child find her biological parents.
Nothing is more heartbreaking than a youthful resilience.
Xu Chacha was very quiet while sitting in the car. She gripped the seatbelt tightly with both hands and looked out the window, watching the trees fall one by one.
The housekeeper, Zhang, found a private appraisal agency that could provide results within five hours with the fastest expedited service.
A doctor in a white coat came over and collected samples of Xu Chacha's fingernails and hair.
"Don't be afraid."
Xu Chacha's tense appearance led Butler Zhang to misunderstand that she was afraid of seeing the doctor, so he bought a lollipop and stuffed it into her hand, saying, "Chacha will definitely find her mom and dad."
"How did Grandma know?" Xu Chacha didn't unwrap the candy; she just held it in her hand.
"Because you are a good child, and good children will be blessed by the gods."
"It's just another way of coaxing a child," Xu Chacha sighed inwardly.
However, she should get used to it sooner rather than later, after all, she is still just a child.
"Okay, then Chacha will try her best to be a good girl." She gave the other person a reassuring smile.
After the DNA collection was completed, Xu Chacha was sent back to the guesthouse. Fortunately, the policewoman was on the night shift that day, so she could take care of her during the day.
Wen Mubai was at the police station giving his second statement and wasn't there, so Xu Chacha could only sit on the chair and helplessly read the Andersen fairy tales that the policewoman had given her.
—A version with pictures and pinyin annotations.
Heaven knows how many years ago Xu Chacha last saw this thing, but with someone right next to her watching, she still had to pretend to be an innocent person who was watching with great interest.
"Why aren't you eating candy?" the policewoman asked her.
"I wanted to take it back for my sister to eat." Xu Chacha originally wanted to put the candy in her pocket, but it was too big, so she could only hold it in her hand.
"Good girl." The policewoman patted her head. "But you really should thank this lady."
Xu Chacha nodded, "Of course, I will repay her properly."
"This is all thanks to Miss Wen. She called me suddenly in the middle of the night yesterday and told me about the birthmark I found on you, which is why I informed the Xu family."
"Was it your sister who made the call?" Wen Mubai had clearly told her this morning that it was a clue found by the police.
Xu Chacha lowered her head and remained silent.
...
After Wen Mu finished giving the details of her statement and cleared the identity record left at the police station, she was about to walk back when a young auxiliary police officer called her back.
"Hey, I have an umbrella here, you can use it." The young man looked to be in his early twenties, his skin was tanned dark, but it couldn't hide his flushed cheeks.
"Thank you, but no need." Wen Mubai's tone was distant. After speaking, she nodded slightly to the other person, and the hot air that rushed towards her as she opened the door enveloped her.
“You have a rash.” The auxiliary police officer took another step and pointed to his neck. “You’re probably allergic to UV rays. I had a classmate who had this problem before. If you leave it like this, it will get worse and your skin will peel.”
“I know.” That’s why she always carries an umbrella with her, rain or shine, and always has ointment in her bag.
"and you--"
"I'm fine, goodbye." Wen Mubai didn't give him a chance to finish his sentence, pulled the hoodie over his head, and quickly left.
Passersby stopped and stared at the strange girl with a pretty face who was wearing long sleeves in the middle of summer, but Wen Mubai seemed not to see those probing gazes and went straight through the side path to the back door of the guesthouse.
Once she reached a cooler spot, the burning sensation on her face and neck subsided. She quickly opened the door, rushed into the bathroom for a shower, and then applied another layer of medicine to her neck where the rash was more severe.
After finishing all this, Wen Mubai walked out of the bathroom, drying his half-wet hair. He picked up his phone, but found that there was no reply from Butler Zhang, so he quickly put it down again.
She wandered aimlessly around the room. The old tree outside the window was still the same, and the cicadas in the branches were still chirping noisily, but she always felt that something was missing.
With a casual twist of his hair, Wen Mubai began tidying up the room, folding the clothes he had taken out earlier and stuffing them into his suitcase.
After she had stuffed the left side in, and was about to tidy up the right side, a piece of paper was shaken out of her clothes.
She crouched down to pick it up and looked at it. It was a brochure for a guesthouse. Just as she was about to turn around and put it on the table, her eyes caught a line of small print at the top.
The handwriting is very heavy, and it looks like every stroke was carved with the greatest effort.
Sister, Chacha lied. Chacha can't bear to part with you.
Looking at these words, one can almost picture the little boy holding a pen and writing earnestly, and then Wen Mubai's mind flashes back to Xu Chacha's forced smile from last night.
"Cha Cha loves playing with other children. There must be a lot of children in the orphanage."
Wen Mubai still remembered what Xu Chacha had said, and he figured this was what she meant by lying.
Wen Mubai found it hard to describe his feelings at that moment; he only knew that he stood there for a very long time, clutching the paper.
A crisp notification sound pulled her back to reality.
The message came from Butler Zhang: The results are in, and this child really is a rich young lady!
...
Xu's mother, who was on a business trip nearby, was the first to know the news. When Zhang, the housekeeper, called her, she was negotiating the renewal of a contract with an important spice manufacturer.
"President Xu?" The other party called out to her out of kindness, noticing that she had been staring blankly at her phone since returning from a call.
Xu's mother couldn't hear his voice at all. She silently read the results on the test report word by word, and tears fell uncontrollably.
She's been found; her daughter has been found.
After quickly composing herself, Mrs. Xu signed the contract with the manufacturer's representative. Her first words to the driver after getting into the car were, "To X town, the sooner the better!"
"Yes, madam."
Holding her phone, Xu's mother leaned back in her chair. As she watched the scenery rushing past the window, a mix of excitement and anxiety finally crept in.
Will the child not recognize her after all these years?
I heard she suffered a lot in the countryside. Does she resent her mother for losing her?
What should I do if my child doesn't want to acknowledge me as their mother?
"If, if, if," Xu's mother's mind was filled with all sorts of guesses at this moment.
In the end, she realized that she had no idea what kind of expression to wear when facing that poor child.
Despite having stayed up until the early hours of the morning the night before to revise the cooperation contract, Xu's mother was wide awake and her heart was pounding in her throat. She stared anxiously at the road ahead, wishing she could grow wings and fly to her child's side immediately!
...
When Xu Chacha was reading the seventh story of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales, there was a knock on the door.
She jumped off the chair and ran to open the door. Her eyes lit up immediately when she saw who it was. "Sister!"
Wen Mubai squatted down and picked the person up with one hand, "Have you been a good boy/girl?"
"She's the easiest kid I've ever seen to take care of," the policewoman said with a smile as she walked over. "Judging from your expression, it must be good news."
Good news? Xu Chacha seemed to understand something.
"Your parents have been found." Wen Mubai looked at Xu Chacha and gave her the answer she had been waiting for in the most direct way. "Your mother happened to be on a business trip nearby. She stopped working after receiving the news and came here. If things go smoothly, you will be able to see her today."