"Mom, don’t worry. Take your time and tell me what happened."
Seeing her daughter, Su Yun seemed to find her anchor. She regained some of her composure and explained what had happened.
Ordinarily, kindergarten let out rather early, so Su Yun and Qin Na took turns picking up Xiao Cheng. However, after Qin Na became pregnant, it was sometimes difficult for her to get around. Coupled with the fact that Su Yun no longer had to work at the clothing factory cafeteria, she ended up being the one to pick up the boy most of the time.
Xiao Cheng was a very sensible boy and never ran off. He always waited obediently for Su Yun or Qin Na after school.
Su Yun frowned. "But the kindergarten teacher said a parent picked him up. At first, I thought it was your aunt and uncle, but when they got back, they both said they hadn’t. We’ve asked everyone, and none of us picked him up."
"Xiao Cheng is a sensible boy; he wouldn’t leave with a stranger. If the kindergarten said a parent picked him up, then the person who took him must have been someone he knows," Qin Jiao said thoughtfully, then added, "Someone Xiao Cheng knows very well."
Su Yun froze for a moment before the realization hit her. "His mother?"
Qin Jiao nodded. "It’s very likely. Let’s just wait. When Uncle and the others get back, we’ll know for sure."
’If Xiao Cheng’s birth mother had picked him up, then they probably didn’t need to worry too much for the time being.’
’Qin Jiao had already speculated that the woman would only return and seek out the child for one of two reasons.’
’One was that she genuinely missed her son and regretted abandoning him. The other was that she was probably after something.’
Qin Jiao remembered reading a news story in her past life about the ex-wife of a fruit tycoon named Sun Jianhua. After abandoning him, she saw how successful he’d become and came back, wanting to get back together.
Because Sun Jianhua had never remarried in that life, Qin Jiao had no idea if he eventually reconciled with his ex-wife for their child’s sake.
But this life was different. Sun Jianhua was already married to her aunt, Qin Na, who was now pregnant. On top of that, Xiao Cheng got along wonderfully with his stepmother.
Sun Jianhua was a manager at the clothing factory, and his career was on the rise.
His ex-wife showing up at a time like this was completely and utterly unnecessary!
Sure enough, Qin Jiao’s guess was correct. An hour later, Qin Zhonghui and Sun Jianhua returned from their search, and they had Xiao Cheng with them.
However, a woman was with Xiao Cheng.
She looked to be around thirty. Her hair was a mess—it looked like it had once been permed but was now just haphazardly twisted up.
She looked haggard, and her clothes were very old. Qin Jiao even spotted a patch on them.
But on closer inspection, the woman’s features were actually quite pretty. ’This must be Sun Jianhua’s ex-wife,’ she figured.
Sun Jianhua stepped forward and said to the group, "We found Xiao Cheng. You can all rest easy now."
With his son missing, Qin Zhonghui’s whole family had been worried sick, and Sun Jianhua felt terrible about it.
Qin Na had been suffering from severe morning sickness during her pregnancy, so she had moved into the courtyard home. Xiao Cheng was also staying there since it was closer to his school.
As Sun Jianhua’s ex-wife entered, her eyes lit up at the sight of the spacious courtyard home.
Sun Jianhua told Xiao Cheng to go play with Xiao Shi, then turned to the woman and said, "Let’s talk outside."
The woman pouted. "It’s pitch-black out there. What do you need to say that can’t be said right here?"
"If you don’t want to talk, then get lost!" Sun Jianhua wasn’t a man who angered easily, but his ex-wife’s actions today had infuriated him to the point of murder.
’I mean, seriously! It’s fine if you want to see the kid, but to just take him away without a word? I was worried sick all afternoon, thinking he’d been kidnapped!’
The woman had probably never seen Sun Jianhua lose his temper before, and she froze, completely stunned.