Chapter 429 – Sudden Enlightenment
During the time after Lin Wangshu left, both Yao Shuimin and Lin Zhenghao had done a lot of thinking.
Especially Yao Shuimin. After reflecting on the matter of swapping the children, it was at that moment that she realized her mistake.
Perhaps it was because of her selfish act of swapping the children that even though Shushu had returned, she could not get close to them.
In the end, she even left them to go to Hong Kong.
The more Yao Shuimin thought about it, the more she felt sorry for that child named Xu Jinning.
During those fifteen years, Yao Shuimin had fallen from the high pedestal of a professor into the dust. She was unwilling and full of resentment.
She vented that resentment and unwillingness onto that child.
But how innocent was Xu Jinning?
She should have stayed with her biological parents, had a healthy body, been raised with love, and had a better life.
But their swap changed her fate…
And even though they had swapped her, they should have treated her well.
But they didn’t treat her well. They even, intentionally or unintentionally, tormented her.
Several times, they nearly caused her death.
Yao Shuimin thought that perhaps Shushu leaving them was heaven’s retribution.
She had truly realized her mistake, but it was too late, far too late.
And now, Shushu actually said that it was Xu Jinning who helped her escape Shen Huai’s assassination attempt, allowing her to return.
At that moment, the guilt in Yao Shuimin’s heart reached its peak.
She grasped Lin Zhenghao’s hand and said, “We were wrong. We shouldn’t have swapped the children, and we shouldn’t have treated that child that way.”
“We were wrong, really wrong.”
Lin Zhenghao also nodded, his eyes reddening.
The fact that Xu Jinning had saved Lin Wangshu was something Lin Zhenghao had never imagined.
Recalling that child, all they could think of was her clear yet timid gaze, a look that wanted to get close to them but didn’t dare to.
She was a good child, and it was they who had done wrong.
In fact, given what they had done, Xu Jinning would have been completely justified in ignoring Lin Wangshu.
But she still saved her.
“Amin, we are not as good as that child,” Lin Zhenghao sighed.
Yes, they were not as good as Xu Jinning—not as open-hearted, not as kind, not as good-hearted.
“Old Lin, when I recover, let’s go to Qinghe Village,” Yao Shuimin suddenly said.
Lin Zhenghao looked at his wife and immediately understood what she meant.
“I want to see that child. I want to formally apologize to her and thank her.”
For the swap, and for those fifteen years, they owed her an apology.
And for saving Shushu, they owed her a thank you.
“Alright, when you get better, we’ll go. It’s something we should do.”
“Dad, Mom, I’ll go with you. We should go as a family!”
“Alright.”
Lin Wangshu ended up staying there, perhaps because her return brought some comfort to Yao Shuimin, whose health visibly improved every day.
Lin Zhenghao also returned to his normal work routine.
The neighbors soon noticed Lin Wangshu’s return, heavily pregnant.
But few people asked about it.
After all, for someone to come back alone while heavily pregnant, it was unlikely to be a good thing.
So, it was better not to ask, to avoid reopening old wounds.
Most people were observant enough to see this and had kindness in their hearts.
Half a month later, Yao Shuimin finally recovered.
And so, the trip to Qinghe Village was planned.
Originally, because Lin Wangshu was pregnant, Lin Zhenghao and Yao Shuimin didn’t want her to go.
But Lin Wangshu insisted on going.
There was no other choice, so they all went.
*
When Xu Jinning woke up that morning and suddenly saw the Lin family trio in her home, she was surprised.
She had thought that after they parted ways on that day when they disembarked, it might have been the last time she would ever cross paths with Lin Wangshu.
She never expected to see her again, much less with her parents in tow.
However, the Xu family did not welcome the Lin family with warm faces.
Their unexpected visit made the Xu family wary, even worried that they had come with ulterior motives, perhaps intending to take advantage of Xu Jinning.
At first, they even considered throwing them out.
If it weren’t for Yao Shuimin and Lin Zhenghao’s sincere attitude of admitting their mistakes and expressing their desire to personally apologize to Xu Jinning, the Lin family trio might not have been allowed through the Xu family’s door.
Even now, as they spoke with Xu Jinning, the other members of the Xu family showed no intention of leaving.
They definitely wouldn’t let the three members of the Lin family be alone with Xu Jinning.
They hadn’t forgotten that it was when Lin Wangshu was alone with Ningning that she pushed her down.
If Ningning hadn’t been lucky, that push could have very well killed her.
Yao Shuimin and the others were aware of the Xu family’s wariness.
So, they didn’t ask to speak with Xu Jinning alone; in fact, whether they spoke privately or not didn’t really matter anymore.
First, Lin Zhenghao stepped forward to express his gratitude to Xu Jinning for helping Lin Wangshu. Despite their strained relationship, Xu Jinning still helped Lin Wangshu evade Shen Huai’s assassination attempt and return safely from Hong Kong to the mainland.
Lin Zhenghao couldn’t help but admire Xu Jinning’s magnanimity. He knew that if he were in her shoes, he might not have been able to do the same.
“You don’t need to thank me. I brought her back for a reason, and Lin Wangshu knows what that reason is.”
She simply didn’t want Lin Wangshu to be used by Shen Huai, who could then bring even greater disaster to the world.
It was merely a precaution, not an act of saving Lin Wangshu.
“No matter your reason, saving her is still saving her, and we owe you our thanks,” Lin Zhenghao insisted. He even offered monetary compensation or the transfer of another property to Xu Jinning.
But Xu Jinning refused.
After Lin Zhenghao spoke, Yao Shuimin hesitated to say something.
Looking at the beautiful and confident young woman before her, Yao Shuimin felt a deep sense of shame. She couldn’t help but recall the fifteen years Xu Jinning had spent with them.
Back then, her impression of Xu Jinning was of a small, thin, dark-skinned girl, with tangled hair and indistinct facial features.
She wasn’t confident like she was now, but timid and careful in everything she did and said.
But now, Xu Jinning was confident, radiant, lively, with a healthy complexion and fully developed features—she had grown into a beautiful woman.
Yao Shuimin wondered if this was the difference between being with one’s biological parents and being with them.
Or perhaps it was the difference between being loved and unloved.
It was clear that after being reunited with her biological parents, Xu Jinning was loved and had thrived.
She had heard that Xu Jinning had been admitted to Beijing University, graduated early, and even became a teacher at Beijing University, with an internship at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
There was no doubt that she was talented and gifted—a genius.
And this genius had almost died several times under their care.
Thank goodness, thank goodness she was still alive.
