"Excuse ?"
The tense confrontational silence between Mingshen and Mrs. Shen dissipated as a young volunteer knocked on the door. "Mam. A couple has co to et you. They introduced themselves as..." he looked down at his notepad, "Mr. Ma Wenyan and Mrs. Ma Yanyu."
The nas surprised Jia, who threw a thoughtful and questionable look at Huojin. The intrigue in Mingshen’s expression was evident too.
"Oh, okay. I will et them."
Huojin glanced at Jia and as if they read each other’s minds, they followed her outside too.
Ma Wenyan and Ma Yanyu, who were patiently waiting for Mrs. Shen, were taken aback to see the cops. "You..."
Huojin watched them curiously. "What are you doing here, Mr. and Mrs. Ma?"
Mrs. Shen warmly smiled. "Yes Mr. Ma, how can I help you? Oh and how is your daughter, Ma Juan?"
Ma Wenyan lowered his gaze. "Fine for now...It will be tough though. She has been the closest to Mom..." he spoke hoarsely, tears welling in his eyes.
"I understand," Mrs. Shen nodded.
Ma Yanyu rubbed her palms together, sharing a glance with her husband. He gave a slight nod, and she then looked at Mrs. Shen. "Actually, we ca here to discuss sothing important."
"Yes, Mrs. Ma. Please feel free to say what is in your mind."
"Wenyan and I...we thought deeply about this yesterday. After the arrests, we talked at length at ho, especially regarding Yun. After contemplating, we decided if it’s possible to adopt Yun."
Jia’s lips parted at the unexpected suggestion. She knew that the foster ho would contact couples who would want to adopt Yun but never did she imagine that the proposal would co from the Ma couple.
"I really understand how strange this sounds. Mom and Yun’s mother were accomplices. But I could see, I know that Dai ihui...is a kind woman," her eyelashes trembled. "I an I-I know this sounds stupid. She wanted to kill , but...she also backed off upon learning of my pregnancy. She is not a bad person just like how Mom isn’t. It’s just that I realize that I and Dai ihui’s mother-in-law pushed Mom and her this far to t-take this step."
She lowered her gaze, letting her tears fall. Ma Wenyan pulled her closer and patted her shoulder.
She sniffled, rubbing the tip of her nose. "As a mother, I understand Dai ihui’s pain. Yun is completely alone. I know how terrified she must feel for her son’s future," she then mockingly chuckled at herself. "You might be thinking that I have been irresponsible and selfish all this ti about Juan. Am I even dependable? But really..."
She bit her lip, steeling her courage. "I really wish you would give Wenyan and one chance. We promise we will take good care of Yun. We will keep him safe and love him just like Juan. In a way, Dai ihui gave a second chance to beco a better parent. She didn’t hurt my unborn child. I wholeheartedly wish to answer that kindness by protecting her son this ti."
Ma Wenyan softly spoke in her support. "We genuinely want to take Yun in. Juan and Yun t yesterday for the first ti, but they already beca so close. I think with each other by their side, it would be a little easier for them to cope with Mom and Mrs. Dai’s separation. I know we have failed Juan many tis. It would be hard to trust us. But we have genuinely acknowledged our mistakes and want to work over them."
Mrs. Shen bead with joy. Jia gazed into their earnest eyes too that sincerely expressed their wish to make ands. Thinking of Yun being raised in a loving family filled her heart with exhilaration.
"Mr. Ma. Mrs. Ma. We truly appreciate this gesture. I am sure Mr. Dai Fengge and Mrs. Dai ihui would feel the sa. But I would ask you. You have a daughter and now you will soon have a second child. If you adopt Yun, are you sure you would be able to handle the responsibility of three children?"
Huojin nodded as he added. "It can get tough physically, ntally and financially, and we want you to be cognizant of that. Yun is not your son and when things get difficult, it can prove harder to strike the balance in those tis. Things like not being blood-related can easily form cracks in the family. I understand your emotions, but I also want you to be realistic about this."
Mrs. Shen had the sa opinion. "I agree with the inspectors here. Adopting Yun is a very big decision indeed. I want you two to be absolutely sure. Yun is already grappling with the separation from his parents. We don’t want to add suffering in his new family."
Ma Wenyan answered their concerns. "I understand everything and trust , Yanyu and I have thought about this from all perspectives. That’s why we ca to this decision because we have faith we will change ourselves and beco the good parents our children deserve. We want to give Yun lots of love. He won’t suffer with us. Of course even if we adopt Yun, he will always be Dai Fengge and Dai ihui’s son first. We will never stop him from eting them."
Jia exhaled a satisfied sigh. "If that is what you want, we can appeal this to the civil affairs departnt."
Ma Yanyu softly wiped her eyes and asked, "Don’t we need to ask Dai Fengge and Dai ihui?"
Huojin gravely stated. "They have been convicted of a serious cri. As such, they will have very limited parental rights, including eting Yun or deciding the family he will be adopted into. You can, of course, talk to them and give your personal assurance like you gave us. But the ultimate decision will lie with the civil court."
"I see..."
Ma Yanyu firmly said, "We will talk to them. Even if they cannot decide, I still want to let them know that Yun will be safe and happy with us. Wenyan and I will do everything in our power to give him a warm and comfortable ho. We will talk to Yun too."
"That would be wonderful," Mrs. Shen clapped her hand once.
Jia’s lips shone with a radiant smile. Sincerely expressing her gratitude, she excused herself out to the building’s open garden. Standing near a tree, she looked up at the blue sky and inhaled the deep, cool air that swayed the locks of her hair in the wind like gentle waves of the sea. The corner of her eyes tinged with slight wetness, but her quivering lips held a lancholic yet relieved smile.
"It’s against the rules for Spicy to eat a chilly herself and shed tears you know~" A roguish voice whispered in her ear.
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