Chapter 78: The Wealthy Family
Yu Wenxiu continued from where Gu Haiyan left off: “The apartment I rented is cheap, it doesn’t cost much for a year, mostly just used as storage. Most of the time I’m working at various employers’ homes, so I rarely even stay there.”
Gu Haiyan said “Oh,” but then thought it over and frowned: “Hey, Sister Yu, since your service is so good, surely someone would want to keep you on long-term, right?”
“Hmm, but I only take short-term jobs, and I don’t stay with the same employer for long. At most, if a previous employer suddenly needs help, I’ll go for a week or two,” Yu Wenxiu said with a smile.
Gu Qinghuan perked up her ears—this sounded a little unusual.
Before Gu Haiyan could get more curious, Yu Wenxiu continued, knowing that given the Gu family’s situation and Gu Haiyan’s personality, speaking frankly wouldn’t cause any misunderstandings.
“Shortly after I got married, I found out I was pregnant. But at three months, I fell at home and had a miscarriage. At that time, my former father-in-law kept comforting me, so I didn’t think much of it.”
“About a year and a half later, I got pregnant again. This time it went smoothly, and the child was healthy. But when I woke up, the child was gone.”
Her tone was calm, yet Gu Haiyan and Gu Qinghuan felt their hearts tighten.
Gu Haiyan hesitated before asking: “Your child…”
“My former father-in-law despised her for being a girl, so he sold her,” Yu Wenxiu said.
“I was bedridden and couldn’t get up. Listening to him berate me, I only then realized that the first time I was pregnant, he had someone do fortune-telling and found out it was a girl. My fall at home was no accident—it was deliberate. After the miscarriage, when he realized it was actually a boy, he regretted it immensely.”
“When I was pregnant the second time, he didn’t dare do fortune-telling again, afraid it would ruin his ‘grandson’s fate.’ So I carried the pregnancy to term, but it was a girl, and he sold her.”
“I reported it to the police, but my father-in-law didn’t know who the buyers were. He had only overheard someone saying they wanted a girl, so he sold the child. He didn’t want the child to be found and wasn’t truthful with the police.”
“Because of his noncooperation, the investigation didn’t go smoothly. By the time a public prosecution was filed, he panicked and tried to negotiate a settlement with me.”
Yu Wenxiu let out a sarcastic laugh: “See, people who don’t understand the law think things like this can be settled amicably.”
Settling a public prosecution at most only counts as leniency; child trafficking is a full-blown criminal offense.
“My ex-husband knew a bit about the law. He knew my father-in-law couldn’t escape punishment, but he thought I was an orphan and easy to manipulate. He told me, ‘Let it go, continue living well together; we’ll have another child.’”
“How could I? I immediately divorced him. At that time, there wasn’t a mandatory cooling-off period for divorce. He was proud, but I threatened to make a scene at his workplace, so I got the divorce certificate.”
“The only regret was that I was in a rush to find my child, so I didn’t contest the property, even though he gave me extra cash in exchange for discounted property.”
“Because a larger trafficking group was involved, the investigation didn’t proceed smoothly. A few years ago, the gang leaders were caught, and everyone under them was gradually apprehended. Based on testimonies, the police confirmed the child had been sold to this city, so I went to retrieve her.”
Gu Haiyan asked, “So in all these years…”
Yu Wenxiu understood her meaning and nodded: “At that time, my father-in-law said the people who bought the child told him she was going to live a comfortable life. He didn’t really believe it but mentioned it deliberately, thinking that if I truly cared, I would give up looking for her.”
“I thought it over and figured the child was likely bought by some wealthy family. I didn’t have much else to do, so I chose to become a nanny.”
“Rich people might not lack nannies, but the better I did my job, the more wealthy families I could come into contact with, and the higher the chance I’d hear news about my child.”
Gu Qinghuan looked at Yu Wenxiu in admiration and poured her a cup of warm water. So strong! Such determination, such initiative! Straightforward and efficient!
Yu Wenxiu smiled, took a sip, and her expression grew a bit lonely: “But sometimes, seeing the children of wealthy families, I think even if I do find my child, she’d only suffer if she came to live with me.”
Gu Qinghuan opened her mouth to say something but felt it wouldn’t be appropriate. She wasn’t “the child,” so any opinion she gave wouldn’t comfort Yu Wenxiu.
It was Gu Haiyan who reached out and patted Yu Wenxiu’s arm: “I understand. Sometimes, seeing other kids living well makes you feel like you’re not a good mother, that you can’t give your child more.”
“But you also have to consider the child’s own feelings. No matter what, after all these years of struggling to find her, your love shouldn’t be denied by yourself.”
“That’s true,” Yu Wenxiu smiled and then cheerfully continued chatting with Gu Haiyan.
Gu Qinghuan couldn’t join in the moms’ conversation, so she continued mechanically peeling chestnuts.
Choosing to become a nanny was indeed a smart move. If lucky, she might even get into the household that adopted her daughter.
Of course, mentioning this could make employers uneasy—after all, they might think she was trying to reclaim a child, which could seem like prying into privacy.
She decided to tell them the truth, partly because she trusted them, and partly because, realistically, the Gu family wasn’t exactly wealthy, so there was no one else to tell.
She did know a few wealthy families, the wealthiest being the Jiang family, but of course, she wouldn’t mention that.
Gu Qinghuan peeled a few more chestnuts and suddenly realized: wait, if Yu Wenxiu’s goal is rich families, why did she come to work at her home? Temporary placement because she couldn’t find another employer yet?
It was possible, though the explanation seemed a bit forced.
Gu Qinghuan thought for a moment and glanced at Yu Wenxiu again.
Though she had felt Yu Wenxiu seemed familiar when they first met, she couldn’t recall where she had seen her. After some time, she stopped thinking about it.
But after hearing all of Yu Wenxiu’s story today, that sense of familiarity returned.
Just as she was pondering, her phone vibrated. It was a message from Yu Xin:
Yu Xin: [Today, Yu Yuan acted the same as usual, seems like she doesn’t want to deal with me.]
Gu Qinghuan typed back: [Open the door, let Sesame in!]
Yu Xin: [Makes sense, I’m coming!]
Gu Qinghuan smiled, satisfied. Yu Yuan could refuse Yu Xin, but she couldn’t refuse the kitten!
Speaking of which, the Yu family could probably count as a wealthy family she knew. They had two daughters: Yu Xin, the daughter found after being replaced, and Yu Yuan…
Gu Qinghuan froze.
Yu Yuan!
Could Yu Yuan possibly be Yu Wenxiu’s daughter?!!!
