Yang Dapeng, dressed in a crisp military uniform, sat on a chair in the center of the main hall, a red flower pinned to his chest.
A few leaders were gathered around him, speaking. He would nod and respond from time to time.
Zhang Yunhua watched her husband, her heart swelling with warmth.
All those years of hardship were finally over.
Now it was finally their family's turn to hold their heads high!
But when she saw the figures at the main gate, her smile vanished.
'What rotten luck. Why did this family have to show up now?'
'Of all the times to come, they just had to pick this exact moment to appear!'
'Where is Shanshan?'
'I can't let her see them!'
Forcing a calm expression to deal with the gossiping grannies around her, she secretly shot a look toward the kitchen, signaling her husband to go find the child quickly.
If Shanshan saw her own father standing at their doorstep holding another child, her heart would probably shatter completely.
The child never said anything, but she often had nightmares, waking up to hug her pillow and murmur to herself.
The thought made Zhang Yunhua feel as if she couldn't breathe.
Cao Daqiang had since remarried, had children of his own, and was living a happy, blissful life.
But her Shanshan was a poor child who had been ruthlessly abandoned.
If she and her husband hadn't adopted her, she would have probably frozen or starved to death on the streets long ago.
And now this man actually dared to show up at their door with his new family!
Just as Zhang Yunhua was thinking of telling Shanshan to go hide, Liu Yingzi strode in.
She pushed through the crowd, ignoring anyone who greeted her, and walked straight toward the center of the main hall.
"Zhang Yunhua! Where's that little wild brat you adopted? Tell her to come out!"
Everyone stopped talking and stared at her in surprise.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Zhang Yunhua was immediately furious. She planted her hands on her hips and retorted.
She took a step forward, blocking Liu Yingzi's path, her round face flushed red with anger.
"That's my daughter!"
"Comrade Xiao Liu, your words are too foul, don't you think? That child went through so much hardship to find her family. It's one thing for you not to help, but to open your mouth and call her a 'wild brat'? That's going too far!"
Granny Wu from next door couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward, scolding her loudly.
She held onto the doorframe with one hand and pointed at Liu Yingzi with the other.
"Shanshan is such a sensible child! She helps Yunhua sweep and cook every day."
Shanshan had healed her husband.
'So this child is my family's great benefactor. I have to protect her no matter what!'
Confronted by Zhang Yunhua, Liu Yingzi's chest trembled with rage.
"You... What is this attitude?"
She had always held a high opinion of herself in the entire military housing compound.
She always felt she was from the city, a person of status and standing.
She grew up in the provincial capital, attended a key high school, and later joined an art troupe.
Marrying a military officer made her feel even more superior to others.
On a normal day, she walked with her head held high and spoke with a certain affectation.
She never deigned to give the families of ordinary workers in the compound a second glance.
"That damn brat isn't old, but she already knows how to meddle in other people's family affairs!"
Liu Yingzi's gaze swept around contemptuously.
"A child of unknown origin suddenly appears to claim a father and mother. Who knows if she has ulterior motives? Society is very complicated these days. Don't be fooled and end up counting money for the person who scammed you!"
"Shanshan didn't do anything wrong! He's a bad daddy! A daddy who doesn't want Shanshan! He's a bad man! You're not allowed to call them auntie and uncle, you bad woman!"
A childish voice suddenly came from the end of the hallway.
Shanshan was seen rushing out from the back room, barefoot and wearing a red sweater that was faded from washing.
She clung tightly to Zhang Yunhua's leg, her whole body trembling.
"I'm not a wild child! I'm not unwanted! Yunhua's mother said I'm her daughter! You can't bully me! You can't take my home away!"
The once-lively scene instantly fell silent.
Everyone's gazes were fixed on Shanshan and Cao Daqiang's family.
Cao Daqiang himself had a complicated expression, his eyes darting back and forth between Shanshan and Zhang Yunhua.
There was a clear resemblance between the father and daughter.
Especially their eyes—almond-shaped with slightly upturned corners—they were almost identical to Cao Daqiang's.
"Well, I was half-convinced when I heard you two talking about it before, but now that I see her, she really is Cao Daqiang's daughter!"
Aunt Zhou, who lived on the east end, gasped and couldn't help but whisper.
She nudged the woman next to her with her elbow.
"Look at those eyes, that brow, and that stubborn streak. She's the spitting image of Cao Daqiang! This... I'm afraid it's really true."
"She should be about the same age as Jiajia, right?"
Every last word of these discussions drilled into Liu Yingzi's and Cao Daqiang's ears.
Cao Daqiang's expression changed instantly. His relatively calm demeanor was suddenly replaced by a deathly pallor.
He subconsciously hugged the daughter in his arms a little tighter.
"Everyone, stop with the wild guesses! Today, I, Cao Daqiang, will make things clear. This child is just a distant relative of mine—the kind so distant we're practically unrelated! Everyone in my family's ancestry looks similar, so it's not strange for there to be some resemblance in the eyes and brows. Please, don't misunderstand."
His voice trembled slightly, but he forced himself to remain composed.
"I, Cao Daqiang, have only one daughter, and that is Jiajia!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yunhua's heart sank. She quickly pulled Shanshan into her arms.
But Shanshan had already accepted her fate. Her small body stood ramrod straight.
She knew the truth of her abandonment.
Therefore, she didn't care at all what this man before her said or did.
'After all, I'm the Little Golden Dragon, born with powerful Spiritual Power and a sweet, adorable personality.'
'In the future, who knows how many people will be fighting to adopt me. Why should I be sad over an irresponsible father?'
She struggled out of Zhang Yunhua's warm embrace.
"Hmph! Grandpa, Grandma, and Mama were all wrong. A bad daddy isn't good at all!"
She said, word by word.
"You're not a good daddy. You didn't want me and Mama, and you even said we were a burden! From now on, you're not my daddy anymore. Shanshan doesn't want you!"
"Good girl! You've got real spirit!"
Zhang Yunhua's heart ached so much her eyes turned red. She immediately stood up to back her up, one arm around Shanshan's small shoulders and the other pointing at Cao Daqiang.
"From now on, you'll live here with Auntie and live your life with me! Anyone who dares to bully you will have to answer to me! I'll rip their mouth off!"
Hearing the incessant noise outside, Yang Dapeng frowned, threw on a jacket, and walked out of the room.
"Everyone here today has seen it," he said, standing at the door, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "From now on, Shanshan is a member of my family. She will eat our food, wear our clothes, and sleep in our home. I will go and register her name on our household registry."
"She has nothing more to do with Cao Daqiang! From this day forward, you go your way, and we'll go ours!"
After speaking, he slowly walked over to Shanshan, squatted down, and gently ruffled the soft tuft of hair on top of her head.
"Don't be afraid. From now on, Uncle is here. No one will dare to bully you."
Shanshan grinned, revealing a row of neat, white little teeth.
Liu Yingzi stood to the side, watching this scene coldly, her fists clenched.
Rage surged within her.
'What a useless, spineless man!'
'Getting completely handled by a single sentence from a little brat.'
"That's enough!"
She suddenly raised her voice, shattering the tender moment.
"We didn't rush over here in the middle of the night to listen to you all have a family reunion and act out some melodrama!"