Author: Jianjia Nizi
Translator: FoxyJung, Renkun27
Proofreader: unedited
Yan Sui also remembered the Meng family. Meng Ting and the children of the Mengs had no special similarities. Of course, this was just a sudden feeling that he had after looking at it.
"Has Yu Meixuan contacted you all these years?" Yu Meixuan was none other than Meng Ting"s biological mother, that is, Wu Fengjiao"s daughter.
"That d.a.m.ned girl stole my money, ran away, and tossed a grandson to me. I don"t know where the devil she had gone to."
As far as the Yans and the wealthy and influential clans of Haicheng were concerned, Wu Fengjiao had little knowledge about them. Presumably, in her view, having endless money to spend was their label. When she talked about nonsense as she opened her mouth, she really thought that Yan Sui did not know anything.
Wu Fengjiao was like this, but his Meng Ting, nevertheless, was the most honest. If he did not want to reply, he would only be silent and not lie.
But, the better Meng Ting"s nature was, the more that the man felt angry for his experience with the Mengs, Meng Ting"s biological mother, and Wu Fengjiao, who was currently in front of him.
“I think she"s not dead. She just went abroad; otherwise, she would"ve known Meng Ting flourished. She still can"t…come.” She spoke out her thoughts. She slightly smiled diffidently and wanted to take a few steps forward, but Yan Sui swept his gaze over, so she subconsciously did not dare to act rashly.
“How did the Mengs find you back then? What did you say?”
Yan Sui"s posture was unchanged, but his tone was a little rude. He said, “Be specific. I"ll give you more than what the Mengs can give you."
Wu Fengjiao paused, and her perfunctory look changed in an instant. Her eyes turned and she thought deeply for a while, then she said, “It was the 20th of May. I placed a bet in a horse race and lost. On my way back, a tall and thin man stopped me.”
She thought that the man was going to rob her money. Good thing she was vigilant, but she did not expect that he came to give her money, "He told me that that d.a.m.ned girl gave birth to a son and it"s been seven or eight years since he was abandoned in an orphanage. They gave me a lump sum of money in the past, so I took him back and raised him.”
"The first time I heard the name, I even thought that he"s a girl. I didn"t expect to see such a beautiful boy in that orphanage, but it"s a pity he"s a fool…" Wu Fengjiao immediately bit her lip. She almost spoke out what she used to say about Meng Ting before.
Yan Sui squinted, and he did not bother to correct the person who never cherished Meng Ting. He frowned and said, "20th of May, isn"t that Meng Ting"s birthday?"
The only difference in Meng Ting"s old and new ID cards was his year of birth. Yan Sui always thought that Meng Ting"s birthday was this day.
But, how could it be so coincidental? Wu Fengjiao found out that Meng Ting existed exactly on his birthday and picked him up.
Wu Fengjiao bowed her head down, somewhat a little embarra.s.sed, but then she immediately looked up righteously again, “That d.a.m.ned girl gave birth in the corner of an out-of-the-way place. Beats me. They said she gave birth on the second or third, but who knows exactly whether it was the second or third."
"Was it on February or December….sigh, how could I remember it? When I registered him in the family, I just chose a date that I could remember."
That day was the day when the Mengs gave her money. Even if Wu Fengjiao wanted to forget it, she could not. She thought it would be more convenient to choose this day as Meng Ting"s birthday.
A grandmother who did not live up to her responsibility in this situation made one gasp in amazement.
"So in the end, is Meng Ting seventeen or eighteen years old?" Yan Sui"s voice was a bit low and deep and the glean in his eyes became even colder.
Faced with Yan Sui"s question, Wu Fengjiao suddenly became taciturn again. She did not care about Meng Ting at all. She might have heard one or two things about it at the orphanage, but she forgot about it as time pa.s.sed by.
Therefore, Meng Ting might have come of age last year, but still, Yan Sui might need to wait for a few months more.
“He was too thin at that time, just like a five or six-year-old kid. To say that he was seven years old back then would be too much."
For a moment, Wu Fengjiao was struck by her rare guilt. She recalled when she met Meng Ting for the first time. He was holding a fat old cat, whilst sitting in the corner of a room. She tried to talk with him for a long time, but he never responded to her.
The people in the orphanage also did not like Meng Ting very much. They directed her to someone and simply said a few words. Until she took the sleeping Meng Ting away, no one came out to send them.
That place was awfully gloomy and strange. She did not want to stay, so she took Meng Ting away. She did what she had promised to the Mengs.
Yan Sui tapped on the arm of the chair with his fingers. Even if the conversation was already over, it was absolutely necessary for him to check on this matter again.
The orphanage where Meng Ting had stayed in was closed down a year after he left. The children there were transferred to nearby welfare homes and orphanages and some of the past doc.u.ments there had been left behind.
The people who used to work there had already moved to different workplaces. If Yan Sui wants to look for them and make them remember Meng Ting, it would take some time. However, his people, who worked efficiently, would not take too long to investigate this matter.
The Mengs" recognition of Meng Ting should have confirmed his ident.i.ty, but the issue wherein Meng Ting"s specific date of birth could not be determined had arisen.
In the end, was Meng Ting really a child of the Meng family? Although he was so skeptical and somewhat subjective, Yan Sui still put a question mark in his heart.
At the beginning of the investigation, he found that many things had to be pursued. It also included the quarrel between Yu Meixuan and Meng Yide. It was really large-scale at that time and it had also left some impressions on him.
Seeing that Yan Sui suddenly became silent, Wu Fengjiao did not dare to stay quiet. She continued, "Our family"s Ting Ting likes cats and dogs the most and often fights for them with our neighbors" children. He treated them better than he treated me."
Wu Fengjiao was sour, but it sounded like she was only saying something casually. Under Yan Sui"s gaze, she felt guilty for some time. This was because she was truly not good to Meng Ting.
"When Meng Ting was around eleven years old, he fell ill. Explain that to me in detail as well."
Wu Fengjiao"s eyes suddenly widened a little. In her heart, she did not mind explaining what had happened, but she was afraid that if Yan Sui hears her explanation, he would not give what he promised to her before.
Yan Sui saw through Wu Fengjiao in one glance. He slightly bent over and looked at Wu Fengjiao in the eye, "Tell me the truth and I"ll give you five million. An additional condition is, you"ll be going abroad.”
“Five…five million…” The Mengs had only given her seven or eight hundred thousand all these years, which was less than a million, while Yan Sui was going to give her five million. Her lips trembled, then she made up her mind and nodded.
She could no longer stay in Donglin Town as well. What was the point of having money abroad? If the worst comes to the worst, she would invite an interpreter.
She explained from eleven o"clock to two o"clock at night. Three hours later, Yan Sui finally understood more specifically, based on Wu Fengjiao"s words, how Meng Ting spent his days for seven years.
Meng Ting faced hunger, swearing, rejection, injuries…and persecution from his only relative and from outsiders.
People could form some attachment to a kitten or puppy that they raised for seven years, but Wu Fengjiao, who was faced with the temptation of money, still sold Meng Ting off. She did not even look for the reason why someone wanted to harm a child. She only saw what she wanted to obtain. She was not only ugly on the outside, but also on the inside. She was already beyond redemption.
"Give her five million more. You mustn"t let her escape before she turns seventy!"
When Yan Sui was about to leave the bas.e.m.e.nt, he said this to Zhao Bing.
Wu Fengjiao"s so-called five million and the additional money that Yan Sui would be giving her—all of it would not fall into her hands, but it also counted as money for her expenses. That money would be sent to a monastery abroad where she would be staying in. Wu Fengjiao would not be able to leave that place until she turned seventy.
Foreign countries could not be as simple as what Wu Fengjiao thought. She did not understand the language, she had no money on her, and she could not escape the monastery. She made Meng Ting suffer in the past. Now, Yan Sui was paying it back to her twice as much.