Chapter 178: As if abandoned by the whole world

Although women who work are also very hard, even harder than those who don't.

But it must be admitted that having a job means having the ability to settle down and make a living, and also having the right to control one's own destiny.

Sister Tong said: "People say one must have a specialized skill; you never know when it might come in handy. By the way, Old Qiao, I have an idea. Ask Qi Shuang if she wants to rent a house with Fan Xiaoyu, with each family paying half the rent. That way, neither will be under pressure."

Sister Qiao immediately slapped the table: "Old Tong, that's a good idea! I'll go ask for Qi Shuang's opinion tonight."

With one word from one and another from the other, they had arranged Fan Xiaoyu's recent life.

Therefore, as long as problems are reported to the neighborhood committee, they will definitely find a way to solve those that can be solved, and report those that cannot to the higher-level leaders.

Lu Qiao watched these people with a smile; if she were Fan Xiaoyu, she would definitely feel warm inside.

Just then, the phone on the desk rang.

Sister Qiao picked up the phone, and the person on the other end had a very loud voice: "Old Qiao, Liu Yu's older sister has been found. She is currently at Liu Yu's house, but the situation is a bit special. You should bring someone over."

Lu Qiao didn't expect that there would finally be news of Liu Yu's sister.

Many things were unknown to outsiders, but Lu Qiao knew that Liu Yu's former stepmother, Li Ying, who had killed her former husband, had long since been secretly dealt with.

After all, she was involved with the research institute's blueprints and Old Gu, so it was handled internally.

Liu Yu's father was sentenced to twenty years, but the Liu family's house was not reclaimed, even though many people had their eyes on it.

Liu Yu's mother, Chai Xiaoyan, used to be in the factory's safety supervision section, and her work was always done very well. Both parents were researchers, but later both husband and wife sacrificed themselves in the line of duty, and relatives didn't visit much.

Chai Xiaoyan was a descendant of a martyr, so the factory took good care of her, and the house was also allocated to her in her name.

But when she died unexpectedly, her children were still young, so naturally, no one took over her job.

Liu Yu had now entered the factory, taking Chai Xiaoyan's job as an apprentice, but the paperwork hadn't been processed yet. Liu Yu said he was waiting for his sister, Liu Xia, who had been sold, to come back and take the job. Since that was the case, the factory didn't force it; according to age, Liu Xia was also more suitable to take over the job than Liu Yu.

These pieces of information flashed through Lu Qiao's mind. Sister Qiao picked up her satchel and put on her straw hat. Lu Qiao didn't need Sister Qiao to speak; she had already stood up, ready to follow along.

Passing by the security station, Sister Qiao called for Shao Le.

Old Hou from the security section didn't explain the specific situation on the phone; it was only after they arrived that they learned Liu Xia had brought the family that raised her, or one could say, the family that bought her, along with her.

Several comrades stood outside the door, almost speechless.

Inside the room was a couple who looked travel-worn, their skin dark and tanned, making them look quite old.

That teenage girl must be Liu Xia; she looked very much like Liu Yu.

One look and you could tell she had been doing farm work for years; for a girl only in her teens, her hands were incredibly rough.

She was holding the hand of a little boy of eleven or twelve.

Standing beside them were two little girls of seven or eight, who were staring with wide, panicked eyes at the strange place and strange people.

Liu Yu, on the other hand, was sobbing uncontrollably, as if abandoned by the whole world.

Lu Qiao's heart sank.

Liu Xia was sixteen this year...

Ah, it shouldn't be what she was thinking!

Of course, it wasn't just her thinking this; Sister Qiao and Shao Le also widened their eyes in an instant.

Old Hou saw Sister Qiao and said in a low voice: "That little girl is Liu Xia. She was bought by this couple. They told us they were raising her as a daughter, but actually, she is the wife of that little boy named Zhu Baozhu. Of course, they aren't married yet; they were waiting for Zhu Baozhu to grow up. Just now, Liu Yu wouldn't let Zhu Baozhu hold his sister's hand and even pushed the boy. Good heavens, Liu Xia stepped forward to push her younger brother, saying that this was her little husband, so why was he bullying him..."

Afterward, Old Hou added: "This child has forgotten about the things from when she was little. We also spent a lot of effort to find her and confirm it. Liu Yu has a good memory; after we returned, he recognized Liu Xia at a glance. According to the trafficker's confession, when Liu Xia was little, she tried to run home halfway, and he hit her on the back of the head with a stick, which made her seem a bit... simple-minded..."

You could tell she didn't seem very bright.

Sister Qiao cursed hatefully in a low voice: "Damn Li Ying, damn human traffickers! They should all be cut into a thousand pieces!"

Lu Qiao felt the same way.

A perfectly good family had been torn apart just like that.

Liu Yu was squatting on the ground, crying very sadly.

Everyone had a headache.

Clearly, that couple was clinging to Liu Xia. What kind of place was the Daxibei?

Many places were full of yellow sand and couldn't grow crops, and many families were so poor they didn't have pants to wear; this wasn't an exaggeration.

Looking at their clothes, you could tell the family was poor, and since Liu Xia grew up in their house, having been brainwashed for years, her thinking was naturally different from others.

Sister Qiao said to the couple: "Do you know this is against the law?"

Wang Cuilan was clearly a bit scared, but as soon as she thought about the good life her son was going to have, she immediately said righteously: "How could I be buying her? I saved her! If you don't believe me, go to our village and ask around. At the time, she was thrown at my door by someone. I had just given birth to my son; why would I need a girl?"

Old Hou pulled Sister Qiao aside and said: "The problem is that this is a military factory. You have no relationship with Chai Xiaoyan, so you definitely can't live here. The city doesn't allow you to stay either. You have to go back to your hometown."

They had originally wanted to take Liu Xia away directly, but Liu Xia insisted on bringing this whole family along.

No need to guess, she had been instigated by the couple, Zhu Dashan and Wang Cuilan.

They had spent a lot of effort finding people and had also delayed for a long time; they couldn't return empty-handed.

Besides, this child had been suffering and enduring hardships like an ox or a horse in that house.

Old Hou and Chai Xiaoyan had once been in the same unit; it was impossible for him to see the daughter of an old friend and just leave her in the Daxibei to fend for herself. After asking the leaders for instructions, they could only bring this whole family back first and talk later.

Lu Qiao pulled Sister Qiao aside and said in a low voice: "Arrange for them to go to the guesthouse first; this is also the way to treat guests. Then, we will handle the case jointly as three parties."

Sister Qiao was stunned and also lowered her voice: "What do you mean by handling the case jointly as three parties?"

Lu Qiao: "Our factory's Women's Federation, the city's Women's Federation, and the local Women's Federation in the Northwest will cooperate. The villagers' testimonies are useless; they are all in cahoots. So, we don't need the locals to prove it; we need the local Women's Federation to come forward. First, determine Liu Xia's identity, whether her engagement to Zhu Baozhu has legal validity, and what her status is in the Zhu family's household registration. Once that's determined, we will act according to the law."

Sister Qiao understood as soon as she heard.

Liu Xia and Zhu Baozhu's marriage was definitely invalid.

Then, what remained was the adoption relationship.

This was also easy to solve.

Illegal adoption relationships can be dissolved.

Although there was no clear legal provision, now, as long as a child finds their biological parents, the relationship is automatically dissolved and the relationship with the biological parents is restored... ===== CHAPTER 179 =====