Chapter 769: Chapter 769: The Truth from Seventeen Years Ago
Liang Yin was overwhelmed with emotion.
She never expected that she would be able to find her biological parents in her lifetime, and even more so, that after all these years, they hadn’t started a new life, had never stopped searching for her, and had always loved her.
Liang Yin turned around and hugged Lin Qi tightly: "Mom..."
This was Liang Yin’s first spontaneous embrace.
Lin Qi held her and started to cry: "Boo hoo... Yinyin, it’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back! It’s okay now, Mom and Dad will take good care of you from now on!"
...
At night.
Liang Yin was initially a bit uneasy; being brought back so suddenly, she hadn’t brought her toiletries or change of clothes.
But these worries were unnecessary.
Lin Qi had already prepared her toiletries, a toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, and as for change of clothes...
Lin Qi had set up a new room just for her.
Her old room was from when Yinyin was still a baby, and as her daughter grew up, Lin Qi also prepared a cozy bedroom.
This bedroom was the largest suite in the entire villa, with the master bedroom having a wardrobe over 50 square meters and a panoramic balcony of 20 square meters, with a beautiful planter on the balcony.
Besides this, there were complete bathroom facilities and a study.
What touched Liang Yin the most was that when she opened the closet in the wardrobe, it was full of clothes and shoes.
Lin Qi standing beside her explained, "These clothes are ones I add for you every year."
Even though Yinyin wasn’t by her side all these years, whenever Lin Qi bought new clothes for her children, she wouldn’t skip her daughter’s clothes.
Knowing very well that no one would wear them, but she never missed a piece.
Knit sweaters in spring, dresses in summer, wool coats in autumn, and down jackets and cotton coats in winter.
As for the shoes, there were sneakers, high heels, sandals in every style and size from small to large, all piled up so much that even such a large wardrobe couldn’t hold them.
Lin Qi would replace her own pajamas twice a year, one set for summer and one for winter, and whenever she went shopping, she would buy her daughter a few new outfits, the pajamas being mother-daughter matching styles.
Liang Yin finished her shower, changed into her pajamas, and lay on the bed, when Lin Qi gently knocked on the door.
"Yinyin, can Mom come in?"
Liang Yin responded with an "Mm": "Come in!"
Lin Qi came in holding a pile of clothes: "How about wearing this set to school tomorrow?"
The clothes she held were freshly ironed and new.
Liang Yin said, "Okay, thank you, Mom."
Lin Qi said, "No need to thank Mom, these are things I should do."
Lin Qi placed the clothes on the bench at the end of the bed but didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she sat down by the bedside.
Seeing her mother’s hesitant expression, Liang Yin asked, "Mom, is there something you want to say to me?"
Lin Qi sighed and asked tremulously, "Yinyin, all these years, have you been okay?"
Earlier, she heard Huo Tingdong mention that the adoptive parents who raised Yinyin lived in Yan City, not far from Beijing, yet they had never thought of it.
The small county was relatively secluded, and the household registration information was incomplete. This was why, despite all the DNA comparisons the Huo Family attempted over the years, they had nothing to show for it.
Who would have thought that their daughter, far in the distance, was actually close at hand?
Liang Yin asked, "Mom, what exactly happened when I was a child? How did I get separated from you?"
Lin Qi explained, "Do you know you have three brothers?"
Liang Yin nodded: "Mm, the eldest and third brother... bear Dad’s surname; the eldest is Huo Tinghan, and the third is Huo Linzhou. The second brother bears your surname and is named Lin Jinmo."
Lin Qi said, "Mm, as a child, you called the eldest brother ’Hanbao Brother.’ When you were four, nearly five, he took you to play with a hot air balloon. But due to the weather and wind conditions that day, the pilot mishandled it, causing the balloon to go out of control and drift into the forest. When the rescue team arrived, the balloon’s canopy was hanging from the branches, and the basket had tipped over. The pilot, who tried to protect Han, was seriously injured and couldn’t be saved. When Han was found, he was deeply unconscious. As for you... you were nowhere to be found. Since then, you disappeared. The villagers near the forest mentioned seeing a child running around, but when we followed the clues, it turned out not to be you, but a local boy who had gone missing."
Liang Yin mused, "That’s how it was."
Lin Qi said, "We went through a lot over the years, but still couldn’t find you."
Liang Yin said, "I’ve heard from neighbors since I was young that I was brought back by an old Hunter."
Lin Qi furrowed her brow: "An old Hunter?"
Liang Yin nodded: "Yes!"
Lin Qi: "Why didn’t he report it to the police?"
Liang Yin said, "Because... he didn’t dare. He often poached wild animals in the mountains, and if he reported it, the police investigation would be a serious crime for him. So, he dared not make a fuss. Initially, he didn’t want to bring me back, fearing trouble, but seeing my pitiful state, he took me in for a while and later gave me to my adoptive parents."
It was no secret in the neighborhood that Liang Yin was adopted.
As a child, Liang Yin often heard them gossiping. They thought she was too young to understand, but little did they know, Liang Yin was clever enough to grasp her origins from what she heard.
It turned out, the old Hunter found her in a wolf den.
He had killed several wolves and, following their tracks, heard a child’s cries from a cave.
At the time, there was a pack of wolves guarding her. One mother wolf, seemingly understanding, heard the child’s cries and kept licking her little hand.
Seeing the Hunter approaching, the mother wolf stood protectively in front of Xiao Yinyin, howling at the old Hunter and even threatening to attack.
After shooting the mother wolf, the old Hunter carried Yinyin out of the cave and hurried down the mountain.
Lin Qi was both fearful and amazed upon hearing this: "Those wolves were actually taking care of you!"
Liang Yin said, "I don’t know if it’s just a story the old Hunter made up, or if it’s true. He liked to drink a lot, and when drunk, he often spoke nonsense. It’s hard to tell what’s true or false from his drunken tales, but that’s what he said."
Lin Qi: "When he found you, were you hurt?"
Liang Yin shook her head: "No. I heard I was completely unharmed, with only some scratches from branches."
Lin Qi found this unexpected but was grateful: "It’s good you weren’t hurt."
After a pause, she continued, "Now that you’re home, rest tomorrow. Mom will take you to update your household registration. Also, you will no longer be called ’Liang Yin’; your name is now ’Huo Zijin.’ Yinyin, do you like this name?"