Chapter 50: Has No One Ever Cared About Her?

At the time, the internet was in an uproar over this incident.

Some people felt that Song Xiaoyu had endured too much hardship, and it was perfectly normal for her not to want to donate. Why should she be morally coerced?

Others believed that Song Xiaoyu was just throwing a tantrum. Deep down, she still loved her sister. If Song Xiaohua lost her life because of a moment’s stubbornness, Song Xiaoyu would be haunted by regret for the rest of her life.

Qin Youran ignored the fan debates completely. She took the initiative to raise donations for Song Xiaohua and stayed by her side to offer encouragement.

After the successful surgery, the little girl tearfully said to the camera, «It was Aunt Youran’s careful persuasion that helped me see reason. If we hadn’t been able to save my sister today, I would’ve regretted it for the rest of my life.»

The reporters followed up with two more episodes, capturing nothing but scenes of a harmonious family.

And that’s how the online controversy came to an end! All comments unanimously praised Qin Youran’s foresight and patience.

But now… the system’s assigned mission was: “Find Song Xiaoyu’s biological parents within a month.”

What did this imply? 

It meant that Song Xiaoyu’s current parents were not her biological parents.

Did Song Xiaoyu know about this?

Did her parents know about this? 

Was Song Xiaoyu a case of being switched at birth, adopted, or something else?

Yan Yueqing couldn’t help but ponder these questions. The book’s portrayal of this part was vague and often contradictory! It seems the author has poor writing skills; they wanted to create a perfect character in Qin Youran, but the details don’t hold up under scrutiny, making the character seem very odd upon closer inspection!

It was from this chapter onward that Yan Yueqing began to feel that the original protagonist was somewhat of a “white lotus”.

Since she had bonded with Song Xiaoyu, she decided to investigate this matter thoroughly: “Xiaoyu, you mentioned there are two empty rooms at your house. Could we stay there?”

Song Xiaoyu glanced at the four of them, looking troubled. “Pretty Auntie, the rooms in my house are quite small…”

“It’s okay, they’re all small kids; they don’t take up much space.”

Song Xiaoyu hesitated. She actually wanted them to come to her house. Those empty rooms could earn her some extra money for her sister’s medical bills.

But…

Could they really fit? What if she couldn’t host them properly and they refused to pay?

Tang Tang, always enthusiastic, stepped forward and grabbed Song Xiaoyu’s hand. “Big sister, let us go take a look! If there isn’t enough room, I can sleep with you~~~ Hehe, besides Sister Yueqing, I’ve never slept with any other sisters. Would you mind if I talked too much at night?”

Song Xiaoyu quickly shook her head. “No, no! You’re so clean, I’m just afraid I might dirty your clothes…”

Thinking about her own shabby firewood room, she lowered her head in embarrassment.

Tang Tang didn’t mind at all and pleaded, “Let’s go, let’s go~~~”

No one had ever acted cute with her like this before. Tang Tang was the epitome of a sweet girl, and Song Xiaoyu couldn’t resist. A feeling of affection rose from the bottom of her heart: “Alright, then let’s go to my house. If you don’t feel comfortable staying, I can take you to Uncle Zhu’s or Granny Wang’s place.”

“Yay~~”

Qin Youran maintained a smile on her face, but inside, she was seething with anger.

This episode was originally supposed to feature her and Tang Tang as a team, with the added appeal of Song Xiaoyu. It was meant to be hugely popular! Who would’ve thought Yan Yueqing would interfere, taking Tang Tang away, and now even trying to take Xiaoyu?

She wouldn’t allow this to happen!

Tang Tang was naturally sociable. On the way to Xiaoyu’s house, she chatted sweetly, quickly finding out about Xiaoyu’s family situation.

“So you have an older sister… And she’s ill? The treatment must be expensive, right? My dad invests in a foundation for seriously ill children; maybe he could help… And you have a younger brother too? Sister Xiaoyu is amazing, taking care of so many people… Did your parents take your sister and brother to the hospital? How strange, why would they leave you at home alone? Sister Xiaoyu is their daughter too…”

As expected, just like in the book, the bullet screen comments exploded with heated discussions about their conversation.

[Life for kids in remote villages is really tough… They have to look after the house and earn money too.]

[I don’t think it’s just rural kids who have it hard; it’s Song Xiaoyu in particular! She may not realize it, but her parents are clearly playing favorites.]

[My situation is a bit like Xiaoyu’s. I also have an older sister and a younger brother. My sister was their first child, treated like a treasure; my brother is the youngest, pampered like a jewel! I’m the one in the middle; sure, my parents care, but it just feels different…]

[The older sister needs to go to the hospital, the younger brother is still little and needs care, so they leave the middle one at home to earn money? Isn’t that favoritism?]

[Many people will say that the sick sister and the weak brother deserve care! But does that mean the healthy second child should bear the heavy burden for the family? It’s on the parents! If you can’t afford to raise so many, don’t have so many. It’s like Song Xiaoyu owes them something.]

When they reached the house, Song Xiaoyu shyly introduced the two tidy rooms. “This larger room is my parents’, and the smaller one next to it is my sister’s.”

Tang Tang looked around. The house was small, but it was kept very clean, obviously tidied up every day.

“We heard in town that a film crew might be coming, so my parents told me to get the house ready. They said if it was chosen as lodging for the guests, we’d get some money!” Song Xiaoyu spoke honestly, being so young. “But later they said they weren’t choosing homes anymore… I was so disappointed for a long time… It wasn’t just about not earning money… I’ve watched a bit of your show, and everyone looks so happy…”

Tang Tang blinked. “Do you like our show, Sister Xiaoyu? Then I’ll talk to my dad when we go back and maybe we can invite you to be a guest someday!”

Song Xiaoyu’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Uh-huh!”

Just as a smile started to spread across Song Xiaoyu’s face, it froze suddenly, as if she had thought of something. “But I don’t have time to go…”

Tang Tang asked with concern, “Do you need to stay home?”

Song Xiaoyu pursed her lips, not wanting to say too much. After calming herself, she looked up and said, “Aunties, please choose your rooms.”

Tang Tang genuinely wanted to spend time with Song Xiaoyu. “Sister Xiaoyu, which room do you stay in? Do you usually sleep with your sister?”

Song Xiaoyu’s face turned pale, and she stammered, “I… I…”

“What’s wrong?” Tang Tang didn’t understand.

There was a hint of complex inferiority in Song Xiaoyu’s eyes. A few seconds later, she raised her hand and quickly pointed to a small door in the distance. “I sleep over there…”

Tang Tang grinned. “Can I go take a look?”

After receiving permission, she cheerfully ran over and pushed the door open.

The narrow room was piled with firewood and dried leaves, with a small bed made of broken wood pieces in the corner. Though it was meticulously cleaned, it felt entirely out of place compared to the other two rooms.

A single dim, blackened light bulb hung from the beam. Even when switched on, it barely emitted any warmth.

Tang Tang stood there, stunned. “Sister Xiaoyu, do you really live in a place like this?”