Not only Li Yunlan felt this way, but Zhou Liyun did as well. “I also feel like Duoduo is meant to be part of our family. I’d hate to give him back if his parents come looking.”

Thinking of how the child’s birth parents must feel, Li Yunlan added, “But of course we can’t keep him from them. If they do show up, we can always arrange to become his godparents. That way we can still be part of his life.”

Lin Xiaoxiao listened quietly, amused by how deeply they’d fallen for this child. They already had three children of their own, yet here they were, already attached to another.

Zhou Xiaoling watched Duoduo standing steadily by the coffee table, and Xuanxuan grunting with effort as he tried to pull himself up beside him. She couldn’t help laughing. “If we told people they were quadruplets, someone would probably believe it.”

Duoduo wasn’t much taller than Xuanxuan or Qianqian.

When Zhou Xiaocheng returned that evening, he brought news that, once again, no missing child reports had been filed that day. He was puzzled. A child like Duoduo, who clearly came from a good family—how could no one be looking for him?

“Could his family be from outside Beijing?” Lin Xiaoxiao wondered aloud. “What did that woman, Wang Qiuxiang, say?”

Zhou Xiaocheng shook his head. “She said she bought him from a man here in the city. The man claimed the child was born to his daughter during her years in the countryside, and that they didn’t want him so they sold him.”

Wang Qiuxiang didn’t know the trafficker and could only provide a basic description. Finding someone based on that alone was like searching for a needle in a haystack—next to impossible.

Lin Xiaoxiao knew it was a made-up story. “It seems we’ll only learn the truth if we find that trafficker.”

Zhou Xiaocheng nodded. “For now, yes. So it looks like the boy will be staying with us a while longer.”

Li Yunlan was delighted. “That’s perfectly fine! We’ll take good care of him. When his parents do come, we’ll make sure he’s happy and healthy.”

Lin Xiaoxiao watched Duoduo pat the table and giggle at Xuanxuan and Qianqian. At this rate, she thought, he might soon forget his real parents altogether.

Just then, An’an crawled over. “Mama, mama…”

Hearing this, Duoduo immediately turned, dropped to the floor, and scurried over. Pulling himself up using Lin Xiaoxiao’s leg, he chirped, “Mama, up…”

He was clever—managing one more word than An’an—and he called her “mama” without the slightest hesitation.

Lin Xiaoxiao laughed and lifted both children. “Let’s see if our Duoduo has a full belly today!”

Duoduo immediately lifted his shirt to show her his little stomach, patting it proudly with his hand.

Zhou Xiaoling found it incredible. “They look so natural together. Should we give Duoduo a proper name?”

That reminded Li Yunlan that An’an still didn’t have a formal name either. “We need to pick a name for An’an too. We’ll need to register her soon.”

Without hesitation, Lin Xiaoxiao replied, “Let’s call her Zhou An’an. Simple. I hope our An’an grows up safe and peaceful, and I hope her father returns to us safely and soon.”

She hadn’t dreamed of Zhou Huaian lately, which worried her. She kept reassuring herself that no news was good news—perhaps it meant he was safe. Just like she no longer dreamed of her own parents; she believed they were alive and well, perhaps watching the sunset together in some distant tribe.

Hearing the word “father,” Duoduo clenched his little fists and called out loudly, “Baba, baba…”

Li Yunlan smiled. “Look at our Duoduo—he can say ‘baba’ too!”

Not to be outdone, An’an also balled her fists and yelled, “Baba! Baba!”

The two children grew more and more excited, giggling at each other, while the adults felt a pang of sadness. The children were learning to call for their father, but Zhou Huaian still couldn’t return.

Weeks passed, and Duoduo had been with the family for half a month. He was a quiet, well-behaved child who adapted easily to life in the Zhou household.

Ms. Huang came to check on him a few times and couldn’t help praising them. “You’ve done wonderfully with him. He looks so healthy and happy.”

Li Yunlan smiled. “This child has been a blessing to our family.”

Seeing how much the family adored the boy, Ms. Huang reluctantly brought up the real reason for her visit. “We still haven’t found his birth parents. We can’t leave him here indefinitely. He’ll have to be moved to an orphanage soon. Of course, you’re welcome to keep fostering him for now.”

The idea of sending him to an orphanage didn’t sit well with Li Yunlan. “An orphanage won’t care for him as well as we can. We’ll keep him. If his family truly can’t be found, we’ll officially adopt him.”

Ms. Huang knew the Zhou family didn’t technically meet the requirements for adoption, but rules were rules—and sometimes they could be bent for a child’s wellbeing. If Duoduo could stay with this loving, prosperous family, he would have a wonderful life.

She took Duoduo in her arms and smiled. “You clever little thing. You certainly know how to pick a good family, don’t you?”

Duoduo immediately turned and reached for Li Yunlan. The little boy was smart—when Lin Xiaoxiao wasn’t home, he stuck close to Li Yunlan or Zhou Liyun, and no one else.

Li Yunlan took him back happily. “See? Doesn’t it seem like he’s always been ours?”

Ms. Huang looked at Duoduo, then at the three other children on the floor. She couldn’t help but think the family was a bit overwhelmed—so many children could be chaotic. But it was clear they truly loved children, and they had the patience and means to raise them well.

After Ms. Huang left, Duoduo finally crawled off to find Xuanxuan and Qianqian.

Li Yunlan watched him go, smiling as she spoke to Zhou Liyun. “Don’t you think this child was meant to be with us? He looks like one of us, he’s attached to us, and just now he was afraid someone would take him away.”

Zhou Liyun also found it amazing. “Should we choose a proper name for Duoduo, just in case we need it later?”

Li Yunlan thought it was a good idea. “I’ll ask Zhennan to think of one when he gets home.”

…

When Zhang Wanqing heard that Lin Xiaoxiao’s family had taken in another child, she was intrigued and decided to visit on her day off. But a visit called for a gift. Remembering she had some unfinished business, she decided to make a trip to the night market that evening.

After the nightly dorm check, she slipped out through a bathroom window and hurried toward the night market.

It was at its busiest when she arrived. She had barely stepped into the bustling crowd when she caught Zhou Xiaocheng’s watchful eye…