I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.

Chen Sinian strode in, carrying a stack of documents in his hand.

He was stunned when he saw the scene in the yard.

Cecilia is crying.

His daughter is crying.

Her white hair covered half her face, and tears continued to stream down her face.

Chen Sinian stood there, clenching the documents in his hand.

He hadn't seen his daughter cry in a very, very long time.

The last time I saw her cry was on the day her mother passed away.

Little Cecilia knelt before the funeral hall and cried in the same way.

......

When Gu Yan left the Chen family, she felt her legs were still a little weak.

Fu Wanqing walked beside him, her steps light as if she were walking on clouds.

Her long pink hair swayed in the afternoon sunlight, as if it were dancing.

"Gu Yan, my adoptive mother just sent me a message."

She said she made pork rib soup today and asked if you had any dietary restrictions.

Gu Yan shook her head and said that she didn't have any dietary restrictions, her tone somewhat absent-minded.

His mind was still replaying what Aunt Tian had said yesterday.

The pattern of those adoptive parents moving house was really too strange.

Each time someone moved into the villainous area, the bullies would disappear after a few years; this happened three times in a row.

This kind of thing happening three times can no longer be explained by coincidence.

He must be more careful today and not just eat and chat like he did yesterday.

The car soon arrived at the old neighborhood in the suburbs, where the six-story building was as quiet as it had been the day before.

Some of the tiles on the wall have fallen off, revealing the gray cement underneath.

Several electric bikes were parked crookedly at the entrance of the building, their seats covered in a layer of dust.

My foster mother was already waiting at the door, wearing a faded floral apron.

Seeing Gu Yan get out of the car, her wrinkles beamed with joy.

"Mr. Gu is here again. Come in, come in quickly."

"I made pork rib soup today and steamed a sea bass, both of them are fresh."

The adoptive father also limped out of the house to greet them, holding a bunch of chives that had just been picked halfway.

His legs and feet are not very mobile, but he walks a little more nimbly than yesterday.

"Wanqing didn't even tell us beforehand, so we could have prepared a few more dishes."

"We don't have much to offer you, Mr. Gu, please don't find it offensive."

Gu Yan smiled and said, "Uncle and Aunt, you're too kind. Just eat whatever you like."

As he bent down to change into his slippers, his gaze quickly swept across the entryway.

Two pairs of adult men's sneakers were added to the shoe cabinet, with mud on the soles.

My adoptive father has difficulty walking, so he shouldn't go out often.

The aroma of food wafted over as soon as I entered, a blend of pork ribs and medicinal herbs.

Several dishes were already laid out on the living room table, steaming and emitting white smoke.

The TV was on, and the volume was very low; it was showing the midday news.

Gu Yan sat down on the sofa, picked up her teacup, and took a sip.

His gaze swept across the entire living room without making a sound.

Nothing has changed from yesterday; there's still that plate of melon seeds on the coffee table.

Several new photo frames have appeared on the TV cabinet, all containing photos of Fu Wanqing when she was a child.

But he noticed an important detail: the kitchen door was half-open.

Through the crack in the door, you could see a black plastic bag next to the kitchen trash can.

The bag was bulging, and you could vaguely see what was inside.

Moreover, a dark red liquid was seeping from the bottom of the bag, dripping down the folds of the bag.

There was a small red puddle of water on the floor next to the trash can, which was not completely dry yet.

The color didn't look like the water used to wash meat; it was too concentrated, almost black.

Gu Yan's pupils contracted slightly, and her heart skipped a beat.

But when he looked away, his face showed no extra expression.

He even picked up his teacup and took another sip, his movements so steady that the water didn't even ripple.

"Auntie, let me help you serve the dishes."

He put down his teacup, stood up, and naturally took two steps toward the kitchen.

The foster mother quickly leaned half her body out of the kitchen and used her body to block the crack in the door.

She smiled nervously, quickly wiping her hands on her apron twice.

"No need, no need, the kitchen is too small, there's not enough room for two people to turn around."

"Mr. Gu, you can just sit and rest. There's no reason to let a guest into the kitchen."

"Wanqing, talk to Mr. Gu, don't let him just sit there doing nothing."

Gu Yan smiled and agreed without forcing anything, then turned around and sat down on the sofa.

But he glanced at the crack in the door again out of the corner of his eye.

The dark red liquid seeped out a little more, spreading over an increasingly larger area on the bag.

The contents of that bag weighed at least three or four pounds.

Fu Wanqing was completely unaware of all this; she was sitting on the sofa holding a bag of potato chips.

While eating, he pointed at the variety shows on TV and laughed so hard he almost fell over.

"Gu Yan, look at this! This guest is hilarious!"

She laughed so hard that potato chip crumbs fell all over her skirt, and she reached out to pat them off.

Gu Yan sat down beside her and smiled in agreement, but she was thinking about something else in her mind.

At the dinner table, my adoptive parents were just as enthusiastic as ever, even more so than yesterday.

The foster mother kept piling food into Gu Yan's bowl, the ribs piled up like a small mountain.

"Mr. Gu, eat more. Young people are in the prime of their growth."

"Your face is so pale, you must not be eating properly."

"I stewed these ribs for almost two hours and added a lot of medicinal herbs."

The adoptive father also smiled and poured a cup of tea, pushing it towards him. The teacup was new, made of blue and white porcelain.

"This is this year's new tea, sent by relatives in the mountains."

"Although it can't compare to the expensive teas in the city, the taste is still alright."

Gu Yan took a sip of tea; it tasted quite good, but he didn't drink much.

He picked up a piece of pork rib and chewed it slowly, casually asking a question.

"Uncle, I just saw a plastic bag at the kitchen door."

"Did they buy meat but didn't have time to put it in the refrigerator?"

"It's hot outside, it'll spoil easily. The temperature isn't low right now."

The foster mother paused very, very lightly with her chopsticks, so quickly that it was almost imperceptible.

She then returned to normal, smiling and patting her forehead.

"Oh dear, you saw me. I bought some pig's head meat this morning."

"I'm preparing to braise it for dinner, I'm salting it and haven't had a chance to clean it yet."

"I was busy cooking and just left it there. What a terrible memory I have."

After she finished speaking, she stood up, took off her apron, draped it over the back of the chair, and walked towards the kitchen.

"I'll get it sorted out right away. Mr. Gu, you have such sharp eyes; nothing escapes your notice."

Gu Yan smiled and didn't press further, picking up her teacup to cover her expression.

Pig's head meat—that explanation isn't entirely unreasonable.

But can the blood from a pig's head ooze out like that? The color is so dark it's almost black.

Moreover, the shape of that bag doesn't look quite right; the bulging curve doesn't resemble a pig's head.

Most importantly, his adoptive mother stopped him too quickly.

It was so fast, as if they were constantly on guard against him entering the kitchen.

But Fu Wanqing was standing right next to her, so why should she be wary of him?

During the meal, Fu Wanqing kept chattering away.

She wore a light pink short-sleeved shirt today, which made her face look even whiter and more delicate.

The neckline of her dress had a small ruffle trim that swayed gently as she spoke.