Plunder-Chapter 184: The Scam
"I... I need to go, Ah De’s father hasn’t eaten yet, I have to go back and cook for him."
Qiao’s mother was so panicked she couldn’t control herself; she hung her head low and was about to flee.
Cheng Lu blocked her way.
"Mrs. Qiao, it would be best not to leave here until the truth is out."
Qiao’s mother instantly flew into a rage.
Her emotions exploded like a lit firecracker.
"Why can’t I leave? I’ve already said, I don’t know this person, and I didn’t hit her. You’re not the police, what right do you have to restrict my personal freedom?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
She pushed Cheng Lu, trying to get past him.
But Cheng Lu stood unyielding like a wall of bronze and iron, staunchly blocking her path.
Qiao’s mother was sweating with anxiety.
But there was no helping it, if Cheng Lu didn’t let her, she couldn’t leave.
"If you didn’t hurt her, then when she wakes up, won’t you be cleared of suspicion?"
Cheng Lu retorted angrily.
"Ah De’s father still hasn’t eaten, if I don’t go back, he will be hungry, his health isn’t good, the doctor has ordered, he must have regular meals."
She used this excuse, determined to leave by any means necessary.
A single phone call from Zhou Jin’an solved all the problems.
"Order some takeout to be delivered to him."
Cheng Lu immediately made a call to have someone take care of it.
"Mrs. Qiao, please."
Cheng Lu made a "please" gesture, and there was no longer any possibility for Qiao’s mother to leave.
Inside the hospital room, everyone was crowded in.
Qiao En had been keeping vigil by Auntie Jiang’s bedside; she was very thin, her hands riddled with prominent veins.
Once, she lamented fate’s injustice for making her an orphan at birth.
But now, Qiao En was grateful for fate’s gift, for letting her meet her birth mother when she felt the most abandoned.
"I’m going to the restroom for a moment."
Qiao’s mother said, hastening towards the door.
"There’s one in the room."
Cheng Lu reminded her, conveniently blocking the doorway.
With no tricks left to escape, Qiao’s mother had no choice but to obediently return to her spot to wait.
Two hours later, Auntie Jiang slowly woke up.
"Are you awake?"
Qiao En grasped her withered hand, her face smiling but her eyes brimming with tears.
Auntie Jiang’s weary gaze swept over Qiao En, and she sighed heavily, "Why am I here?"
"You were injured, and someone brought you to the hospital."
Zhou Jin’an stood up and walked toward Auntie Jiang.
"Do you remember who hurt you?"
Auntie Jiang didn’t look back, only weakly shook her head.
"Was it her?"
Zhou Jin’an stretched out his hand pointing at Qiao’s mother.
Qiao’s mother desperately tried to make herself less noticeable, but it was useless; Auntie Jiang’s gaze still fell upon her.
"It’s not my fault, I don’t know you, and I haven’t hurt you."
"But I know you, you are Wang Liju."
Auntie Jiang blurted out Qiao’s mother’s name.
After twenty-five years, both had gone through many changes, but she recognized Qiao’s mother instantly.
"You... you’ve mistaken me, I... I’m not."
Qiao’s mother continued to argue.
"I would recognize you even if you turned into ashes. It’s been twenty-five years, you haven’t changed much from back then, just older."
Auntie Jiang struggled to sit up; Qiao En hurried to support her.
"Don’t move, just lie down; I’ll raise the bed a bit higher."
She propped a pillow behind Auntie Jiang, then cranked the bed up.
"Did you go there to find her?"
Qiao En asked curiously.
Auntie Jiang sighed with a sense of resignation, "Yes."
"What do you want with me? We haven’t had anything to do with each other for over twenty years, you..."
Qiao’s mother tried hard to deny any relation with Auntie Jiang.
"We have no relation? How did you take away my twin daughters then, have you truly forgotten?"
As old grievances were aired, Auntie Jiang’s eyes suddenly filled with tears.
"I didn’t, I didn’t, it was you who asked me to look after them for you, and then you just disappeared; I didn’t take your child away."
Qiao En’s mother continued to deny.
"Do you dare to swear to heaven that it wasn’t you who snatched away my daughter?"
Auntie Jiang became emotional all at once, raising her voice.
Qiao En’s mother fell silent, feeling uneasy and just wanting to leave this place quickly.
"At that time, Jiayi’s father had passed away, we were in a hurry to go back for the funeral, and we couldn’t take the children with us, so we asked you for help. But by the time we came back, you told us that both children had died of high fevers."
When it came to death, Auntie Jiang broke down in tears, her thin and frail body trembling incessantly.
Upon hearing this, Qiao En was utterly shocked.
She could never have imagined that twenty-five years ago, Qiao En’s mother and father would do such a thing.
"They... they died of illness!"
Qiao En’s mother’s voice was very low, yet she still didn’t forget to argue.
Qiao En couldn’t stand it any longer, her heart ached to the point of being unable to breathe.
She looked at Qiao En’s mother and said coldly, "No, they’re still alive."
"No, they’re dead, I buried them myself, how could I not know?"
Qiao En’s mother still tried to argue.
But at that moment, Qiao En made an impulsive decision.
"Mom, stop lying, just tell the truth."
Suddenly, the hospital room fell silent.
Qiao En’s mother shivered all over; she couldn’t quite believe her own ears.
"What... what did you just call me?"
Qiao En did not respond.
Qiao En’s mother muttered to herself: "Are you Enya? No, you can’t be my Enya, Enya is dead."
She walked towards Qiao En, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
But even up close, she still did not recognize Qiao En.
"Who are you, really? Tell me—"
"I am Qiao En, I didn’t die, I am still alive."
Qiao En brushed the fringe from her forehead.
She had gained weight, and her makeup had changed a lot, but upon closer inspection, one could still make out her former appearance.
Qiao En’s mother was shocked.
"You... you’re not dead?"
"Yes, I’m not dead, I am still alive. I’m sorry, I’ve always hidden it from you. Mom, I’m very grateful to you for raising me, but now, I want to know the truth. Did you really deceive me away like that back in the day?"
Qiao En wanted to know the truth.
Qiao En’s mother had no way out anymore.
"Enya, listen to Mom, Mom had no choice either. Your dad and I had been married for almost five years with no children, your dad was a teacher, and everyone was pointing fingers at him. We really wanted a child of our own!"
"So, you just snatched away someone else’s child?"
Qiao En suddenly raised her voice.
Qiao En’s mother was at a loss for words, covering her mouth and weeping.
"Enya, I’m sorry, Mom knows that whatever I say now is useless, but Mom really had no other choice at the time; I raised you and always treated you as my own daughter!"
She was still desperately trying to justify herself.
"What about the other child? Where did you throw that child away?"
Auntie Jiang couldn’t stand it any longer, pounding on the bed and shouting in anger.
Qiao En’s mother fell silent, sobbing continuously.
"I don’t know, I really don’t know."
She held her head, covering her ears.
"That child was sent to an orphanage by her."
When Qiao En’s mother was unwilling to answer, Zhou Jin’an answered for her.
However, this answer was a huge shock to Auntie Jiang.
She lost control of her emotions for a moment and fainted on the spot.
Cheng Lu hurried to call a doctor.
Qiao En’s mother was still crying, grabbing Qiao En’s arm and sobbing uncontrollably.
"Enya, I’m sorry, Mom is wrong, can I apologize to you? We’re family, you won’t blame your mom, right? Enya, come home with Mom, will you come home?"
She said, pulling on Qiao En’s arm, trying to leave.
Qiao En withdrew her arm.
"If you wanted children so badly, why did you send that child to an orphanage?"
"Because... because you two really were sick at the time, severely ill. We didn’t have enough money for your medical expenses, so... so we left that child at the orphanage’s door..."
Qiao En’s mother hadn’t finished speaking when Qiao En already closed her eyes in agony.
