Where Is Your Daughter?

"Don't cry. The child doesn't have any major issues currently; he can be nursed back to health." Jiang Hanyan comforted.

"I’m counting on you, Doctor Jiang. Any amount of money is fine, as long as my son gets better." Tan Yushan wiped her tears, recovering the calm demeanor of a successful career woman. Her family didn't lack money; as long as the child recovered, they were willing to buy the most expensive medicine.

"The child will definitely get better. He was very healthy when he was born, wasn't he?" Jiang Hanyan asked about the child's situation as if having a normal conversation.

"Extremely healthy. He weighed 3.8 kilograms. I was in labor all night to give birth to him. He rarely had even minor illnesses until last year..." Tan Yushan’s eyes lit up whenever she mentioned her son, but thinking about the pain he had endured for the past year, her gaze darkened again.

"As I said, the child's foundation is very good, and the family’s care is meticulous; nutrition is certainly sufficient." Jiang Hanyan affirmed the family's care, and Auntie Wang added, "Their family only has this one grandson; he’s as precious as gold and jade. The whole family revolves around him."

Tan Yushan said shyly, "I only had this child at thirty-eight. He didn't come to our family easily."

"That age is indeed a bit late. Why didn't you have one earlier?" Jiang Hanyan asked.

Tan Yushan sighed, "I wanted to have one early, but for some reason, both my husband and I were healthy, yet I just couldn't get pregnant. It wasn't until I was thirty-eight that we finally had him."

"How many years have you been married?"
"Sixteen years now."
"So your son was born four years ago. Then where is your daughter?" Jiang Hanyan suddenly asked.

Tan Yushan’s expression changed drastically, her eyes darting around as she stammered, "There is no daughter. I’ve always had trouble conceiving."

Jiang Hanyan smiled, her voice not loud but enough to make Tan Yushan break into a cold sweat: "Whether there’s a daughter or not, you know best. Ms. Tan, I can cure your son, but you must tell the truth. Otherwise, I am also powerless."

Tan Yushan’s face became unsightly. She didn't want to admit it but was worried about her son. After hesitating for a long time, motherly love finally won over pride.

"It wasn't exactly a daughter, just a child of a distant relative who stayed at my house for a while and was later sent back."

Jiang Hanyan’s gaze turned cold. Even at this point, she still wouldn't tell the truth. If it weren't for the fact that the child was pitiful, she wouldn't have bothered with this.

"Let me say it for you. You and your husband were married for over a decade without a child, so your family adopted a baby girl. According to old customs, this is called a 'Zhaodi Girl,' meant to bring a younger brother to the family. You successfully became pregnant and gave birth to a son, but your family no longer wanted to raise that adopted daughter, so you sent her away. Is that correct?" Jiang Hanyan said coldly.

The sweat on Tan Yushan’s face increased, completely losing the arrogance of a successful woman. Because everything Jiang Hanyan said was the truth, she felt as if she had been stripped bare, utterly ashamed.

Auntie Wang suddenly remembered something and asked loudly, "Yushan, that little girl who was at your house before—you said she was a relative's child. Was she actually a child you adopted to pray for a son?"

Lu Tianjie and Tan Yushan had a good relationship and visited each other often, so she knew Tan Yushan’s family was raising a girl. Lu Tianjie had seen her a few times. Tan Yushan always said she was a relative's child. Although there were some doubts, she didn't think much of it. Auntie Wang heard it from her daughter and now found it matched Jiang Hanyan’s words.

Tan Yushan hesitated, not daring to admit or deny it. Seeing this, Auntie Wang understood immediately and shook her head repeatedly, her tone heavy: "Yushan, your family shouldn't have done that. That girl brought a son to your family; she did a great service. You can't just 'squeeze the lemon and throw away the peel' like that. How could you send her back? Your family isn't lacking anything; why do such a wicked thing?"

"Auntie, that girl had many bad habits. She made smacking noises when eating and didn't keep clean. No matter how many times we taught her, she wouldn't listen." Tan Yushan defended herself in a low voice.

At first, she also loved that girl very much. But after having her biological son, she found the girl eyesore no matter how she looked at her. The girl was neither pretty nor clean and couldn't be shown off. Her son, on the other hand, was handsome, smart, and generous. Everyone who saw him praised him, making her very proud. The two children were worlds apart; she couldn't be blamed for being biased.

"Then why didn't you complain about her at the beginning? To put it bluntly, it’s because you have a biological son that you despise her." Auntie Wang showed no mercy. She told herself she must tell her daughter to interact less with someone of poor character like Tan Yushan.

Jiang Hanyan also looked down on Tan Yushan, but the child still had to be saved, so she said, "The reason your son’s illness hasn't been cured for so long is precisely because you sent that child away. Auntie Wang is right; this is called 'discarding the benefactor after the goal is met.' You will have to bear the Karmic Retribution, and that retribution is currently falling on your son."

Tan Yushan’s face turned pale, her mind in a mess. If she had known that sending the girl away would lead to this, she wouldn't have done it even if it killed her.

"I’ll go pick her up right now and take good care of her from now on. Will that work?"

"It’s too late. You personally sent her away; picking her up now is useless. Furthermore, that child is certainly not living well now. If she is still suffering, your son's illness will never be cured."

Because that child was living poorly, she generated resentment, which led to this boy’s constant illness.

Tan Yushan truly regretted it, covering her face and crying uncontrollably. Tears flowed through her fingers, falling onto the face of her son lying in her lap. The boy tried to open his eyes, reaching out a thin hand to touch his mother’s face, but because he was too weak, his hand fell before it could reach her. He opened his mouth, panting tiredly.

Auntie Wang felt pained watching this. The child was innocent and too pitiful. She asked, "Xiao Jiang, is there any other way?"

"Yes. Find that girl and find her a decent family to rely on. Only when she lives well can your son recover."

Jiang Hanyan also pitied the boy, so she offered a suggestion. Tan Yushan nodded repeatedly. This time, she would definitely find a very good family and would visit often to ensure the girl wasn't mistreated.

After Tan Yushan and her son left, Auntie Wang lamented, "I don't know what that family was thinking. They don't lack money. I heard from Tianjie that Yushan’s husband has several houses for rent, plus a shop. Both husband and wife earn money, and the parents-in-law have pensions. They could easily afford to raise three more children. Why do such a wicked thing?"

"The more money people have, the stingier they get. Only the child suffers. It should have been the adults who fell ill."

Auntie Wang went home in a huff. As soon as she arrived, she called her daughter to tell her about Tan Yushan’s deeds, then emphasized, "Don't play with her anymore. She’s someone with a bad heart."

"I didn't expect her to be that kind of person. I understand." Lu Tianjie was also quite shocked. She had always thought the girl was a relative's child; who knew the truth was like this? Her mother was right; Tan Yushan was not someone to be deeply involved with. Who knew when she might stab you in the back.