Twelve years ago, Zhao Di was found at a hospital by a middle-aged couple.
It was summer, and the couple had come to the hospital for a checkup because they hadn't had a child. They found an abandoned baby wrapped in swaddling clothes on a hospital bench.
"How can you be sure she was abandoned?" the paparazzi couldn't help but ask. "Maybe her parents just had some urgent business and left her there."
The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes and said, "Who would abandon a newborn baby outside the hospital because of an emergency?"
The paparazzi: ...That makes sense, huh.
He chuckled awkwardly.
The middle-aged woman said in a calm tone, "At that time, my husband and I had just been diagnosed by the doctor that the chances of us conceiving were very slim..."
The couple was going through a tough time. After all, their hometown was remote and had a conservative atmosphere. If word got to the village, they would be drowned in gossip, not to mention that the woman's in-laws were extremely difficult to get along with.
Coincidentally, they encountered the abandoned Zhao Di at that time.
There was a saying in their village that couples who had been childless for many years could adopt a child, hoping that this child might "bring them a child."
Although they didn't know if this saying was true, the couple decided to try anything, and taking a child home would silence the gossip and prevent them from being ridiculed as barren.
So, they took Zhao Di home, claiming she was their child.
At first, they treated Zhao Di very well, as they might depend on this child for the rest of their lives; she might be their only child.
But who knew that after seven years, when they had given up on having their own child, the woman suddenly became pregnant.
"Even the doctors said it was a miracle!" the middle-aged woman said proudly.
Seeing the couple beam with joy and pride at the mere mention of their biological child, the others present felt a chill in their hearts, suddenly sensing Zhao Di's future predicament.
And as it turned out, their premonition was correct.
Zhao Di, Zhao Di—the very name itself seemed to embody the couple's indifference towards their adopted daughter and their longing for a biological son. Now that their wish had finally come true, their attitude towards Zhao Di naturally became nuanced.
After ten months of pregnancy and the birth of their son, their attitude towards Zhao Di completely changed.
At first, they were merely impatient, but later they found Zhao Di increasingly unpleasant, resorting to beatings and verbal abuse, treating her like a babysitter for their son. Poor Zhao Di, at such a young age, had already learned how to care for another child.
"...She's not my daughter. We're already being kind enough by giving her a bite to eat," the middle-aged woman argued. "If her father and I hadn't taken her in from the hospital, she might be dead already. That's a life-saving favor; she can't be too grateful to us, right?"
The woman felt that they had already been very responsible by not abandoning Zhao Di after her own child was born; anyone else would have probably found a way to get rid of her long ago.
"Besides, we haven't starved her or neglected her; we even sent her to school. That's what biological parents do, isn't it?" the woman scoffed. "Who knew that just because we killed a dog, she would hold a grudge against us?"
She glared at Zhao Di and concluded, "Sure enough, you can't raise a child without blood ties! After all these years, she's still an ingrate."
Zhao Di's eyes reddened. She bit her lip, gripping Xu Gui's clothes tightly, her expression somewhat bewildered. After the woman's words, she couldn't help but doubt herself.
Was she really an ingrate?
"You make it sound so high-sounding. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were so good to Zhao Di," Xu Gui sneered. But if they really cared about Zhao Di, why would they have killed her beloved dog, Da Huang?
The woman, however, didn't think she had done anything wrong. She said righteously, "At least we raised her to this age, instead of just sending her away and leaving her to wander the streets..."
She muttered, "Who would raise a child they have no relation to? We're not being taken advantage of. Would you be willing to do that?"
Her words were so self-righteous, as if Xu Gui and his companions were the ones being unreasonable, which left them speechless.
The proprietress couldn't help but say, "Whether she's your biological child or not, since you raised her, you have to be responsible for her! This isn't like raising a cat or dog, where you can just give her a bite to eat and that's it."
Besides, these days people take care of dogs meticulously, showing them incredible attention and care. This family's treatment of Zhao Di is worse than how people raise dogs these days.
"Aren't we responsible?" The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes at the proprietress's words, repeating, "Do we lack her food or water?"
Xu Gui: "If raising a child only requires giving her a bite to eat and a sip of water, what's the difference between that and an orphanage?" At least their orphanage cares about the children's physical and mental well-being, but what about this couple?
They only know how to mock Zhao Di for treating a big yellow dog as family, and then cruelly killed the dog. This
is utterly heartless. "Your behavior is disgusting," Xu Gui commented.
Her words were incredibly blunt, and the couple couldn't help but show anger and embarrassment upon hearing them.
"You little girl, you make it sound so simple," the man in the couple said. "Do you know how expensive it is to raise a child? Not only do you have to feed her, but you also have to pay for her schooling. Do you know how much it costs throughout the year?"
Xu Gui looked at him and retorted, "Do you know how much it costs to hire a maid for a year? Did you pay her when you asked her to take care of your son?"
The couple were speechless.
The middle-aged woman said, embarrassed and annoyed, "Fine, fine, we don't treat her well, we treat her like a maid. You treat her well, but you don't treat her like a maid. Then take her home and raise her… Tch, anyone can say nice things. It's just a matter of words."
The woman crossed her arms and said very brazenly, "She's not our child. We're already being very kind by giving her food! If you want us to raise her, this is the treatment we'll give you. If you're not satisfied, then take her away!"
She looked at Xu Gui and the couple with great confidence.
Beside her, her husband, playing the good cop, sighed, "If we could, we'd like to treat Zhao Di better, but our family situation is like this. We have two children, and everything costs money—food, drink, everything. We can't help it."
Oh…
Xu Gui understood. What they meant was similar to his wife's, just expressed in a more palatable way; the essence was the same.
"Since you say so…" Xu Gui wasn't angry. She simply looked at them calmly and said, "I'll just take her away?"
What?
Everyone present turned to look at Xu Gui, their expressions somewhat bewildered.
"Teacher Xu, what do you mean by that?" the paparazzi asked humbly, trying to sound safe.
Xu Gui looked at the middle-aged woman and said, "Didn't she say that if we weren't satisfied with their attitude towards Zhao Di, we could take her away?"
The others: ?
Xu Gui looked down at Zhao Di and asked her, "Zhao Di, what about you? Do you want to go back with your adoptive parents, or come with me?"
Wait, is this something that can be decided so easily?
The proprietress couldn't help but ask, "Miss Xu, shouldn't you reconsider? Zhao Di is such a big child. If you let her come with you, where do you plan to put her? Besides, you're so young; it's not really suitable for raising a child."
Zhao Di, who was about to say something, closed her mouth again, looking at Xu Gui expectantly.
Xu Gui looked at everyone's hesitant expressions and chuckled, saying, "You all think I'm going to take Zhao Di back and raise her myself?"
The others: Isn't that right?
Xu Gui, being quite self-aware, said, "I can't even take care of myself, how can I raise a child?"
Even tortoise cubs are fragile, let alone human cubs. Xu Gui wasn't arrogant enough to think she could support a cub.
"I was thinking of placing Zhao Di in our orphanage, letting the director and others take care of her," Xu Gui said, reaching out to pat Zhao Di's head. "I grew up in an orphanage; I know our orphanage better than anyone."
She didn't know other orphanages, but she knew the one where she grew up very well. Although their conditions were simple and austere, the staff, including the volunteers, genuinely loved children.
And the austere conditions would soon improve, Xu Gui thought proudly, after all, she was a tortoise who had just earned two million!
"Zhao Di, if you come with me, I'll temporarily send you to the orphanage. That's where I grew up, and many children live there!" Xu Gui squatted down, her gaze level with Zhao Di's. "You can decide whether you want to go back with your adoptive parents or stay."
She gave Zhao Di the choice.
Zhao Di looked at her blankly, then glanced at her parents standing not far away, their expressions annoyed. She bit her lip and whispered, "Sister, I want to go with you… I'm not afraid to go to the orphanage."
Hearing Zhao Di's words, the strongest reaction came not from anyone else, but from Zhao Di's adoptive parents.
"Ha!" Zhao Di's adoptive mother looked at Zhao Di, her eyes filled with deep disgust. She said with utter contempt, "Just this one money-losing brat. If you like her, then take her home and raise her."
Her tone was as if she weren't talking about a living person, but a pet, a small animal that she didn't find appealing.
"Officers, did you hear that? We're not abandoning her!" The woman immediately looked at the two officers. "She wanted to leave on her own. If she needs anything later, don't come looking for us."
The man sighed and looked at Zhao Di, hesitatingly saying, "Zhao Di, since this is your choice, I respect it."
He turned away, looking reluctant, but Xu Gui didn't miss the calculating and ruthless glint in his eyes.
Zhao Di's adoptive mother treated her like trash, hastily tossing "this trash" to Xu Gui before fleeing, giving the two officers no chance to persuade her.
The two officers: "…" So, what should they do now? Should they really send the child to an orphanage?
They looked at Xu Gui with worried expressions, hesitant to speak: This Miss Xu was only doing it for the child's own good, but they didn't know what to say to her.
Xu Gui looked at them and said, "Given Zhao Di's situation, you should be able to help find her biological parents, right?"
The two policemen, who were pondering what to do, asked, "Huh?"
Xu Gui said, "I'd like to ask you to help find Zhao Di's biological parents. I think her parents are probably looking for her too."
"Didn't you want to leave her at the orphanage?" the landlady couldn't help but ask.
Xu Gui chuckled, reached out and patted Zhao Di's head, and said, "Zhao Di has parents. If we find her biological parents, of course there's no need to leave her at the orphanage."
Her initial idea wasn't to leave Zhao Di at the orphanage and let her grow up there. She just wanted the orphanage to be a temporary place for Zhao Di to stay until she found her biological parents.
At least, compared to those heartless adoptive parents who only knew how to manipulate Zhao Di, at least at the orphanage, she wouldn't have to do laundry, cook, take care of children, or be used as a servant.
Zhao Di understood Xu Gui's meaning. She couldn't help but grab her hand and call out, "Sister."
Xu Gui glanced at the unfinished food on the table, patted her head, and said, "Eat first. After you finish eating, I'll buy you something and then take you to the orphanage."
Zhao Di obediently nodded, sat back down, and continued eating.
Inside the restaurant, Xu Gui, the proprietress, and the paparazzi were all happy, but the two police officers on the side looked rather worried.
"Uncle, is this really okay?" the younger officer couldn't help but ask his senior. "Isn't this against the rules? How can you just dump a child on a complete stranger?"
His uncle glanced at him and said, "The little girl is willing, the adoptive parents are willing, and Miss Xu is willing... Who do you think you are? Who cares if you're willing or not?"
The young officer: Huh?
The older policeman sat on a stool, eyes lowered and closed, seemingly at ease. The younger officer glanced at him, then at the three people enjoying the atmosphere nearby, and wisely kept quiet.
Meanwhile, not far from the proprietress's house, Zhao Di's adoptive parents, who had previously left, stood there quietly watching the restaurant.
The man who had been all smiles and amiable with the policeman earlier now had a grim expression.
"Didn't you always complain that girl was a money-loser?" Zhao Di's foster mother said. "Now that you've thrown her away, why aren't you happy?"
The man glanced at her and said, "What do you know?"
He did some calculations with Zhao Di's foster mother: "If we had sent this girl away when she first came to our family, I wouldn't have felt any heartache. But look at us, we've raised her to this age, twelve years old. How much money have we spent on her? If we send her away now, we haven't recouped any of our investment. Do you think I'd be happy?"
He had already planned it out. Zhao Di was already twelve years old, and in two more years she could get married. They would find her a wealthy husband's family, get a large dowry, and then have her find a way to support their precious son.
"I've thought it all through. The Luo family is a good choice!" the man said with a gloomy expression. "The Luo family's youngest son is an idiot. As long as a girl is willing to marry this idiot, they're willing to pay this much!"
The man held up five fingers. "If Zhao Di marries into that family and gives them a healthy, chubby son, do you think the Luo family will be overjoyed?"
But now, all his plans have come to nothing. Such a beautiful young woman has been given away for nothing, all for nothing. How could the man be happy?
After hearing this, Zhao Di's adoptive mother couldn't help but slap her thigh, almost turning it blue.
"You're right!" she exclaimed, anxiously saying, "We can't just give this girl away for nothing! I'll go get her back right now!"
The man grabbed her arm, saying irritably, "You were so generous just now, giving away the daughter you raised for twelve years, and now you're regretting it?"
Zhao Di's foster mother replied, "I didn't think that much about it! No, we can't leave Zhao Di with them... She's such a big girl now, they'll ask for a lot in dowry!"
The foster mother's tone was full of regret—why hadn't she thought about the dowry?
"What's the rush? Those two policemen are still here. Don't make a scene, it won't look good." Otherwise, he would have stopped his wife at the restaurant already.
"Besides, so what if they take Zhao Di away?" the man sneered, a glint of cunning in his eyes. "We've raised Zhao Di for so long, and in these twelve years, we've spent real money on her. Do you think she'll really disown us?"
"When she's a few years older, as her parents, it's only natural to find her a good husband, right?"
Zhao Di's adoptive mother understood; her husband was trying to get something for nothing.
"You're right!" she said happily, looking at her husband. "You're so clever! So what do we do now? Should we let Zhao Di go with them for now?"
The man calmly replied, "Let's find out who that young woman is first. Hmph, since she's so kind, we'll make sure she gets nothing!"
The other people were unaware of the sordid scheme the couple was plotting. Xu Gui had a vague idea, but she didn't care too much. After all, Zhao Di was still young, and even if they bothered her later, it would be many years later.
Compared to a future entangled with them, it's better than Zhao Di being married off to a fool.
Xu Gui closed her eyes, her expression indifferent.
The paparazzi secretly glanced at her, regretting that they weren't live-streaming and letting Xu Gui's fans see her like this—Xu Gui's indifferent demeanor would definitely make her fans scream.
*
After Zhao Di finished eating, Xu Gui first took her to buy some basic necessities, and then sent her to the orphanage.
However, upon arriving at the orphanage, she first saw an acquaintance there.
"Sister!" Wu Xueya ran over quickly, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Xu Gui. "Why did you come?" he asked
. Xu Gui replied, "I brought a little sister here. She'll be staying at the orphanage for a while."
Wu Xueya looked curiously at Zhao Di standing next to Xu Gui. Compared to the shy and timid Zhao Di, he was much more outgoing and immediately leaned closer, asking curiously, "My name is Wu Xueya. What's your name?"
Zhao Di stammered, "I... my name is... Zhao Di."
Her voice was barely audible when she said her name, and she looked rather embarrassed. She was already grown up and knew her name was strange. Other classmates' names reflected their parents' hopes for them, but her name only carried the expectations her parents had for their son.
Because of this name, she had been laughed at many times, which made her feel very inferior whenever she introduced herself to others.
Fortunately, Wu Xueya didn't show any strange expression when he heard her name. Instead, he chatted with her curiously. After this back and forth, Zhao Di's mood visibly relaxed a lot, and soon Wu Xueya pulled her to play with the others.
Xu Gui watched the two of them leave, but couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
One Wu Xueya, one Zhao Di... she's already taken two children from their orphanage. Is she someone from the orphanage's admissions office? Moreover, neither Wu Xueya nor Zhao Di are their "parents'" biological children. If you add the already adult Mr. Li An, Xu Gui has already encountered three children who are not their "parents'" biological children.
"Do I have some kind of strange constitution?" Xu Gui muttered to himself.
Just then, the orphanage director came over. She had others tidy up Zhao Di's room and came to ask Xu Gui about Zhao Di's situation.
Xu Gui briefly explained Zhao Di's background to her, concluding, "Director, don't worry. Zhao Di will only be staying at our orphanage for a short time. After she finds her biological parents, she will leave."
The director smiled gently and said softly, "What do I have to worry about? This is an orphanage, a place to shelter homeless children. If this child's situation is truly as you describe, she is pitiful, and our orphanage will naturally not refuse her."
"It's just that her adoptive parents... we're afraid they'll come and cause trouble." The director frowned.
Such situations had occurred before, with children they couldn't raise being secretly abandoned at the orphanage's gate, only to be returned to demand their return once the children were grown. Zhao Di's situation sounded even more complicated and serious; her adoptive parents were probably not easy to get along with.
Xu Gui sighed and said, "I know, but her adoptive parents aren't good people. Zhao Di is only twelve years old, and they're already thinking about using her to exchange for a dowry. If they keep her in that family, I'm afraid she'll have to become someone else's child bride soon."
The director was surprised: "Really?"
Xu Gui chuckled and said in a calm tone, "They feel they've spent so much money on Zhao Di, and if they don't get it back, it'll be a huge loss. They need to make it back as quickly as possible."
The director fell silent.
As the director of the orphanage, she had actually seen many cases of children not being treated like human beings. Everyone says there are no parents who don't love their children, but this principle didn't apply to their orphanage. Most of the children in the orphanage were not loved by their parents.
However, every time she encountered such a situation, her heart still felt heavy.
The dean looked at Xu Gui and said, "In that case, Zhao Di will stay with me for now. We'll take good care of her, so don't worry."
Xu Gui took her hand, nuzzled her head on her shoulder, and said sweetly, "I brought her here specifically because I trust you. I wouldn't trust anyone else."
The dean looked at her fluffy head and smiled.
"How come you've learned to be so cute?" she laughed, reaching out to pat Xu Gui's head.
Hmm, it's quite nice to touch.
"Do you think we should change Zhao Di's name?" The dean suddenly thought of this while patting Xu Gui's head. "When she introduced herself to Xueya just now, she seemed quite ashamed of her name. Xueya is also changing his name, so we can do it together."
Xu Gui was surprised: "Xueya is changing his name?"
The dean: "To be specific, he's changing his surname. He brought it up himself. He wants to take Aunt Tuanzi's surname from now on."
Xu Gui smiled, somewhat happy for Aunt Tuanzi.
The dean sighed, "For this, we have to thank the Wu family. They didn't forbid Xueya from contacting your Aunt Tuanzi, so Xueya wasn't too resistant to her."
Wu Xueya and Aunt Tuanzi already had a very good relationship... oh, we should call her Li Xueya.
Back when Aunt Tuanzi was his aunt, he liked her very much. Now that they've gone from uncle and nephew to "mother and son," after the initial awkwardness and discomfort, they quickly became close.
"Zhaodi, let's not change her name yet," Xu Gui said after thinking for a moment. "Let her find her biological parents, and then they can change it for her."
"That works too…" The director glanced at her and asked with a smile, "But are you so sure she can find her biological parents?"
Xu Gui nodded firmly, "Of course! I'm a fortune teller, you know. If I say she can find them, she definitely will!"
"By the way, how's Dongzhi's illness?" Xu Gui asked about Dongzhi again.
She had already transferred two million to the director so the director could arrange surgery for Dongzhi, but she didn't know how things were going.
Speaking of this, the director became happy. She said, "I've already contacted the doctor, and we'll take Dongzhi to the hospital in a few days…"
At this point, she looked at Xu Gui and said somewhat apologetically, "It's just that you've had to go through so much trouble. This is something I, as the director, should have done, but unfortunately, I'm not capable enough, and it's been more of a hassle for you."
Xu Gui didn't mind. Since she could earn money, she would naturally help if she could.
"…I'm also part of the orphanage, so of course I have to help," she said earnestly.
The director looked at her, feeling both happy and moved, and sighed, "You're a good child, and Rose and the others are good children too..."
"Rose and the others" referred to the other children in the orphanage. Like Xu Gui, they were all adults who had left the orphanage and become independent. Rose was the name of one of the girls.
Some of these children never returned after leaving the orphanage, but others, like Xu Gui, always thought about it and regularly sent money.
It was thanks to them that this orphanage, a veritable haven for the elderly, the weak, and the disabled, had been able to survive until now.
"Don't worry about the money, I'll work hard to earn it... I'll tell you a secret," Xu Gui leaned closer to the director, speaking mysteriously as if she were about to share a secret,
"My goal is to earn 10 billion!"
The director looked at her in surprise, only to see Xu Gui say regretfully, "But that's a big goal. Before achieving that big goal, I have to achieve my small goal first."
"Your small goal is?" The director suddenly had a subtle premonition.
Xu Gui clenched his fist: "I'll earn a hundred million first!"
The director was speechless. The slight sadness that had just surfaced in her heart vanished completely.
Xu Gui told her, "Director, please don't tell anyone else."
She wrinkled her nose, looking disgusted, and said, "Everyone is so unambitious. When I tell them my goal, they always think I'm joking. Who jokes with them?!"
Or they think she's delusional. Now, Xu Gui doesn't even want to tell anyone about her goal.
The director was bewildered: Are you sure it's a goal, not a dream?
Xu Gui said generously, "Don't worry, Director, once I earn a hundred billion, I'll use the money to expand and renovate our orphanage, bring all the orphans to our orphanage, and make our orphanage the number one in the country... no, the world!"
The director was speechless.
She had heard many titles of number one in the world or country, but she had to admit that the title of "number one orphanage in the world" was something she had never heard before.
After all, someone with enough money to build a top-tier orphanage wouldn't set their sights on an ordinary one.
The director's gaze fell on Xu Gui, who looked at her expectantly: "Director, what do you think? Isn't my goal amazing?"
The director smiled, her eyes crinkling, and nodded with a smile: "Yes, it is indeed a very grand wish."
She said, "Little Turtle, I believe you can definitely do it!"
Xu Gui nodded vigorously, her expression extremely proud—she truly was a super dreamer, a super great turtle!
The Third Elder would definitely be astonished if he saw her now.
Hehehe.