I was Mr. Gu's nanny. To them, I didn't have a name. I was just the nanny.
When I was 30 years old, I'd just given birth and returned to the city to look for work. Before that, I worked at a high-class household management company. I'd been working there since I was 20 years old. After all these years, I became a senior in the company. I know what I should and shouldn't say to my employers.
When I first came to work, the boss told me the Gu family was looking for a wet nurse and nanny. I was the first one he thought of because by that point I was already a mother of two. I was quite experienced in taking care of kids. More importantly, the boss probably thought highly of my behavior. When I first came to the city, I didn't know anything, so I'd angered many employers. After a while, I understood how city life worked and what I should and shouldn't say about rich people's matters.
No matter how much experience I had, the boss still reminded me many times before leaving to learn how to decipher expressions. The less attention I paid to the employer's matters, the better, because it was the Gu family this time. Everyone knew how influential they are.
When I first got to the Gu family, I learned that it wasn't old Gu who'd hired me. It was Gu Jun. Actually, I wished I could work at the Gu family's old mansion, because Mr. Gu's house was more miserable.
At my first meeting with Gu Jun, he just glanced at me as one of his status would glance at a lower-class person. I was used to being looked at like that. After all, these families didn't respect people like me.
Mr. Gu wore a crisp suit with no expression on his face. Everything about him seemed like that of a mature man. He was probably the prince charming that little girls dreamed of. However, I gradually started seeing that he wasn't a prince charming. He was a beast in disguise.
He pushed an infant not even a month old into my arms. He just told me that the infant's name was Guo Guo, I should call him "young master", and take care of him.
After that, Mr. Gu didn't return for three months. I felt less pressure when Mr. Gu wasn't here. I could focus more on taking care of the child.
I could tell that Mr. Gu wasn't close to Young Master. His birth was a mystery too. There was no news that Mr. Gu was married, let alone him having a son. At first, I suspected that the child wasn't related to Mr. Gu, but a few months later, I thought that he was looking more and more like Mr. Gu. This confirmed that he was Mr. Gu's son. However, I knew my place. I just took care of him and kept everything in my head.
Young Master was a good child. If I fed him baby formula once every four hours, he'd lie in his cradle and not cry. I only had to put the toys in the cradle. He would play by himself when he woke up. Seeing how nice he was, my heart filled with joy.
Young Master grew up day by day like this. By the time he was one, still no one had mentioned his mother. It was like he'd been picked off the street.
Other than me, Young Master, and the butler, there were only a few custodians in the house. No one knew where this kid came from. I subconsciously felt that the butler knew, but he always looked mean and unapproachable. I couldn't ask him.
When Young Master was almost one year old, Mr. Gu gradually came home more often. He always looked angry, but whenever he looked at Guo Guo, he would smile happily. He would play with Young Master in the garden and watch Peppa Pig with him. They were like a regular father-and-son duo.
This didn't last very long. One day, lightning had just begun to erupt in the sky when Mr. Gu took Young Master away. They didn't return until nighttime.
When they came back, Young Master's face was pale from hunger. He kept sucking his finger as if sucking the milk bottle. I prepared the milk and had just handed it to Young Master when the butler told me the sir needed me.
I was anxious, feeling that something was wrong. As expected, Mr. Gu's expression was dark. He seemed so distant.
He asked me how one-year-old kids usually are. I knew that he was suspicious of Young Master. Guo Guo was already one year old but didn't act like it at all. When my first son was one year old, he could walk already and followed behind me, calling "Mama" in his baby voice.
But Young Master couldn't do anything. He just lay in his cradle and drank milk quietly like how he did when I first arrived. I've never seen such a quiet kid before.
When I told Mr. Gu how regular one-year-olds are like, he lit his cigarette. His face darkened even more.
After smoking the cigarette, Mr. Gu went upstairs to see Young Master. He was probably sleeping. I heard Mr. Gu say from afar, "Why weren't you the one that died?!"
Hearing this, I ran to my room in fright. I was still afraid, even after closing the door. I thought I'd heard incorrectly, but the words had been so clear. Each word dug into my ears.
Mr. Gu had actually asked why the child wasn't the one who'd died. Was there a secret in this? My suspicions were even clearer now. My gut told me that things weren't so simple.
As Young Master grew up, the difference between him and other kids grew more obvious. I tried my hardest to guide him, and Dr. Zhang Zilan came every week for a checkup, but Young Master never improved.
At first, Mr. Gu would occasionally ask about Young Master, but when nothing happened, he stopped asking. He rarely came home either. Only Assistant Chen came sometimes to take stuff away.
At that time, I learned that Mr. Gu had another house. The workers told me that it was a double-story building, but the specific location was unclear. This house was like a cage that imprisoned Young Master. Mr. Gu told the guards that no one could let Young Master out without his permission.
When Young Master was two years old, he finally stood up. That day, I was more excited than when I saw my own child stand. Young Master had worked so hard. I hurriedly notified the butler to tell Mr. Gu, but Mr. Gu barely reacted to this news.
Of course, any child could walk at this age. I had overreacted.
Mr. Gu was truly cold to this child. He hadn't come back in almost a year. I started pitying this poor child. He didn't have a mother and his father didn't love him either.
When Young Master was two-and-a-half, Mr. Gu took him out again. Just like one-and-a-half years ago, they left early and returned late.
This time, Mr. Gu's expression was still dark. Young Master's face also shone with tears. I couldn't check him before Mr. Gu. After he left, I carried Young Master into his room and took off his clothes. A part of his leg was skinned and was still bleeding. This must be so painful for a child.
I didn't return to my room that night. I just sat by Young Master, accompanying him. At midnight, I heard Young Master mumbling, "Daddy, Daddy."
He could speak! He could!
I didn't report to Gu Jun this time. He would find out about this improvement someday.
After staying in the mansion for three years, I gradually learned some things about Young Master. Apparently, his mother had been pregnant with twins, but because of a something with the hospital, the mother and one twin died. It was rumored that the one who'd died was a genius while the surviving one was mentally disabled.
The rich families all had many troubles. Who knew what other drama they had?
Finally, I saw Mr. Gu bring a man into the house yesterday. The man didn't seem very old. Mr. Gu pushed the man forward. It felt like they had an unusual relationship and I suddenly got an idea.
Last time, Dr. Zhang told me that Young Master might be like this because he didn't interact with many people. If more people interacted with him, it would be great help to recovering his intelligence.
When the butler was organizing things upstairs, I heard Mr. Gu say that he was going out on vacation for a few days. I wanted to take a risk and have that man persuade Mr. Gu to take Young Master with.
I calculated the timing and told the man when Mr. Gu was upstairs. After I finished, he looked hesitant and I knew there was hope. I begged him and he finally agreed.
The moment he agreed, my heart swelled. I prayed inwardly, Young Master, you'll be normal someday.