Ch 123: I’ll Take Her

Zhuang Lingyun followed and sat beside her. He took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, glanced at a group of children playing in the distance, then put the cigarette back, sighing.

“These children are indeed pitiful, but in this world, a person’s fate is decided at birth. There are countless pitiful people, and we cannot take care of every single one. But these in front of us… I’ve already talked to Director Zhang. Whether we can choose a child to raise from here or not, I will financially support them with five million yuan as a charity fund to help those disabled children who are expected to be abandoned.”

Xiao Yao turned to look at Zhuang Lingyun.

Zhuang Lingyun chuckled, grabbing her hand and holding it tightly in his embrace, “Yaoyao, don’t be sad, okay?”

Xiao Yao thought Zhuang Lingyun was right, but her heart was still heavy and aching. She wanted to leave quickly, so she asked, “If we want to adopt, when can we take the child away?”

“Once the procedures are complete, the soonest would be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.” He paused, a gentle expression on his face, “Which child did you like?”

“Can I adopt two?”

Zhuang Lingyun was startled, “Two?”

“Is that not possible?”

He subconsciously shook his head, then quickly explained, “Of course we can, we can afford more, it’s just, which two did you choose?”

“Yingbao,” Xiao Yao replied, then her gaze scanned among the children in the distance, but she didn’t find the child she wanted. Finally, she opened her other hand, a pink candy resting in the center of her palm, “And her.”

Zhuang Lingyun felt that this was perfect intuition. Subconsciously, after seeing these two children, he also quite liked them. He didn’t expect Xiao Yao to choose them as well.

Before nightfall, Zhuang Lingyun went to finalize the matter with the director.

Xiao Yao took Zhuang Lingyun’s car keys and drove to the city district alone. It took almost two hours round trip, and she filled the car with daily necessities, snacks, and candy, distributing them to the children who had just finished dinner.

Zhuang Lingyun had been waiting under the Big Willow Tree for a long time. Seeing her return, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, approaching her to share.

Today was a happy day for the innocent children. Everyone received what they wanted. Even the youngest children weren’t left out; Xiao Yao bought a full range of baby products, which were temporarily entrusted to Director Zhang for management.

Soon, everything in the car was gone. Watching the children happily showing their innocent smiles, chattering around their car and calling her “sister” and him “uncle,” Xiao Yao smiled happily, but Zhuang Lingyun felt rather gloomy. Calling him uncle was normal, but calling Xiao Yao “sister”—wasn’t that a bit different?

With that, their generation gap would be off.

Of course, he only grumbled to himself; his expression was also very happy. After all, being with these well-behaved little ones was truly joyful, far more relaxing than dealing with those cunning people in the shopping mall.

Night had fallen, and the children were going back to their rooms to bathe and sleep. The people in the courtyard gradually dispersed.

Director Zhang stayed the whole time, and she could see Zhuang Lingyun and Xiao Yao’s love and kindness. After everyone had left, Director Zhang stepped forward and said to Xiao Yao: “Miss Xiao, seeing how young you are, I was worried you might be fickle, but I didn’t expect you to like children so much. This puts my mind at ease.”

Xiao Yao shook her head and laughed, “I may look young, but I’m not that young anymore. I’m already at the age to be a mother.”

Director Zhang also knew something about Xiao Yao’s physical condition; after all, those who come to adopt children have to state their own circumstances, and it’s all mentioned in the files. Director Zhang expressed her subtle regret that Xiao Yao couldn’t have children at such a young age.

“The procedures will be complete tomorrow, and you can come to pick up Yingbao tonight. But regarding Fubao’s situation… I’ve already mentioned it to Mr. Zhuang. Fubao is a disabled child. Are you sure you want to adopt her?”

“Disabled?” Xiao Yao looked at Zhuang Lingyun in surprise. How could she be disabled? There was nothing outwardly wrong; was it internal?

Zhuang Lingyun seemed to guess what Xiao Yao was thinking, nodding, “It’s a congenital heart disease. Her biological parents probably abandoned her because of this.”

Xiao Yao thought of the pretty girl, her innocent big eyes timidly and expectantly asking if she could take her away. Suddenly, her heart ached.

“Is it incurable?”

Director Zhang said: “It requires expensive medication every year to maintain. Even with insurance reimbursements, ordinary families still can’t afford it. And around the age of five, there’s a major surgery that might cost a large sum; the exact cost depends on the hospital. Even if the surgery is successful, how long she can live is uncertain; it all depends on her fate. That’s why, even though Fubao is beautiful, lovely, and well-behaved, no one is willing to adopt her.”

“I will,” Xiao Yao said firmly, then turned to Zhuang Lingyun, softly asking, “Is that okay?”

Zhuang Lingyun chuckled, holding her hand tightly, “Whatever you say.”

Director Zhang was still a little hesitant, “Mr. Zhuang, Miss Xiao, I know you are financially well-off, but for Fubao, it’s not just about money, it also requires a lot of care and love. Are you… really ready? Don’t act on impulse. If you adopt her and then want to give her up, the blow to the child would be unimaginable.”

Xiao Yao said: “Director Zhang, I understand your concerns. But rest assured, I really like Fubao. No matter how long she lives, as long as I can afford the treatment, I will never give up. You know my situation; I probably won’t have my own children in this life. I will definitely treat adopted children as my own. You can always visit my house; you are always welcome.”

Xiao Yao’s gaze was sincere, and her promise was hard to refuse. Director Zhang was still a little hesitant, afraid that they were acting on a whim and would not be able to bear the burden, ultimately harming the child.

But on second thought, if Fubao didn’t have a wealthy family to take her in, staying at the welfare institution, her illness might worsen. If these two were truly willing to treat her, there might be a glimmer of hope…

“Alright then.” Director Zhang finally nodded.

After returning home that night, Xiao Yao started to rearrange their large villa.

The two bedrooms on the second floor hadn’t been furnished yet. Since it was for children, they needed to be child-friendly. Yingbao was so young, she couldn’t speak yet. Xiao Yao had no experience with food, drink, and supplies for babies, feeling overwhelmed and that time was too short.

After discussing it with Zhuang Lingyun, they decided to postpone bringing the two children home by two days.

They would use this extra time to tidy up the house, hire a nanny and a baby nurse. Fubao was old enough for preschool; what good preschools were nearby?

I don’t know, let’s search online.

What brand of baby formula should Yingbao drink? What kind of baby bottle is better?

I don’t know, keep searching.

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