256 — Director Zhou Tells Her About The Past

Seeing Pei Yueran nod her head in her lap, she concluded, "I'll always be here to support you, and I'm sure your husband will too. You have a family too, don't be afraid."

The warmth and calm in Pei Yueran's heart could not be put into words. This was her family.

This was her mother.

She nodded in Zhou Qiaohui's arms, "Thank you so much Mum, thank you. It's my own good fortune to have such a mother like you."

"Silly girl, why are you thanking your own mother? If I don't love you, who should I love then? No matter what anyone says, you're my daughter, my precious jewel." She said, stroking her long hair.

"That's true. You're not even allowed to love anyone else." For once, Pei Yueran acted very childishly with her, making Zhou Qiaohui laugh.

"Alright alright, I'll listen to my daughter and only love you."

Both of them laughed softly before quieting down. Then Pei Yueran said, "But Mum, there's something I don't understand. Madam Gao said she lost me on the day she gave birth, but didn't Dad say he found me when I was three days old, and that I was abandoned? The story doesn't add up."

Zhou Qiaohui frowned. "When did he say that? Actually your Dad was the one that brought you home one night. He said he had heard a child crying in one of the bushes near the road and went to check. When he got there, he saw a woman who seemed to have died in childbirth, with a baby by her side.

He told me he tried to wake her up and there was no response, but the child kept crying, so he decided to bring the child back to the orphanage first, so that she can get fed, while he would also use the only telephone we had at the time to call the hospital and the police."

"I remember my first time holding you clearly, as if it was yesterday. You were so soft, and your cries had become weak even though I didn't know it at that time. But after a bottle of milk, you slept very peacefully." The look of nostalgia on Zhou Qiaohui's face was very moving.

She continued, "He came back a while after I laid you down. He said the woman had disappeared by the time he got back to the spot he picked you from.

"In the following days, we cooperated with the police, but still couldn't find any clues. Your Dad did most of the running around, because you fell ill the next day and I had to stay with you at the hospital. He told me that the police searched for clues for weeks, but didn't get any leads."

Pei Yueran listened with rapt attention. It was the first time she was hearing all these. Even her father didn't go into so much details the day they were telling her about her adoptive status for the first time.

"No one had lost a baby, and no one came to report seeing a woman who died in labor. It was as if your father imagined everything.

"Some malicious people even came to talk to me, insinuating that you were your Dad's illegitimate child that he brought home using such a ridiculous story. But of course I didn't believe them. My Yuze would never have done that to me. We trusted each other with everything."

Pei Yueran nodded. Growing up, her Dad and Mum were true lovebirds, almost attached by the hip. It would have been a joke to even think he could cheat on her mother.

"By the time you were well, you could only recognize me, refusing to stay with any of the orphanage personnel.

"Seeing how attached you were to me, my heart moved. I had taken care of many children in the orphanage, but you were different. You were so special, special to us. After more talks with the police, we were allowed to adopt you, and we've never regretted it."

Pei Yueran was glad, because she had never regretted having them as parents either.

"About the three-day old baby remark, I remember that we usually joked about how robust you looked the first time we saw you, though you lost some weight in the coming days.

"That's why your Dad always wanted you to have a healthy appetite. He was afraid that the cold sickness you had that time would affect your health too much. Thankfully you grew up healthy, and he was definitely glad to see it."

Pei Yueran said, "True. I remember Dad saying one time that he missed playing with my chubby cheeks." Her dad—Pei Yuze — was a very attentive father, a man who had loved her very much. She missed him a lot.

Zhou Qiaohui concluded, "So I don't think they were lying. Maybe the police could not find your mother at the time because she wasn't from this city and was brought in through illegal routes."

Pei Yueran nodded in understanding, "That's quite possible too."

She continued, "I just thought about this Mum, but do you mind meeting them? I could arrange a meeting. Or what do you think?"

Zhou Qiaohui didn't mind after thinking for a bit, "Sounds fine. I'm sure they would have questions for me as well."

That settled, both of them fell into silence for a while, each lost in their thoughts. Then Pei Yueran said, "Mum, I want to sleep with you tonight."

Zhou Qiaohui gave a smile from her heart as she teased, "Oh Mrs Li, are you sure about that? Of course I'd love to have my daughter by my side like old times, but will your husband agree?"

Pei Yueran reddened slightly, "I'm sure he won't mind."

After all, she had always been by his side since they got married. Would one night hurt so much? Not to mention, he couldn't eat meat anyway. She was just saving him from heartache.

Both of them got into bed, and Zhou Qiaohui adjusted the blanket around her daughter.

"That's true Baobei, how are you feeling now? Does it still hurt?"

Pei Yueran shook her head, "Not so much anymore. Your pork bone stew did the wonders, it was so warm and delicious. Thank you."

"That's good. I made it just yesterday on a whim, thinking you might have missed the taste. I'm glad it came in handy."

Then Director Zhou changed the topic, "That reminds me, I wanted to ask what your plans are concerning children. Do both of you plan to have more?"