Tang Lin was sitting on the couch with Lu Shen and Wang Lao, watching kid cartoons.
The child was sleeping on her lap, so Tang Lin asked, "What are we going to do about Wang Lao?"
"I don't know. It's up to you. Do you want to take him to the police station tomorrow morning and report the child abuse? Or do you want to send him back to his mother?" Lu Shen asked her.
Tang Lin was conflicted. Both of the options would cause Wang Lao to have many hardships in the future.
Without thinking, she blurted, "I want to adopt him."
Lu Shen raised his eyebrows and asked, "Adopt him? Are you able to take care of a child at a busy part in your life? Aren't you planning on going to business school soon, too? Taking care of a child is not easy."
"I know. I don't know what I was thinking." She paused and continued, "Well, what if someone could take care of him temporarily for me, while I go to school?"
"I don't know much about adoption, Lin, but I'm not sure if they would let you leave the kid in someone else's care when you are the guardian."
Tang Lin felt movement on her lap and Wang Lao sat up. His face was full of tears and he took hold of Tang Lin's hand.
"Please adopt me! My old mommy is mean and she hits me all the time! You've treated me better than my old mommy ever has! I want you to be my mommy! Please!" He turned to Lu Shen and added, "You too! I've never met my father before, but the way you treat me is like I am your real son! Please! Let me live with you two forever!" Wang Lao begged them.
Their hearts ached whenever Wang Lao mentioned the abuse and lack of a father's love. He hugged them both and wiped his tears. Wang Lao put on his glasses and sat up straight and waited for their answer.
Tang Lin and Lu Shen were flustered and sad at the same time. They did not expect that a second grader would be able to understand their conversation and the meaning of adoption.
"Wang Lao, how do you know about adoption?" Tang Lin asked.
"My old mommy said that if I was bad, she would put me up for adoption. When I asked her what it was, she told me that it was a place where kids were sent to get new parents. I want new parents."
The couple felt angered when they heard that his own mother was forcing him to be good using the excuse of adoption. What kind of mother was she? Actually, she shouldn't even be considered a mother because of her words and actions.
At that second, the doorbell rang. When Lu Shen went to check who it was on the front door camera, he saw Tang Qingyu, Lu Ying, and Lu Dai in the front of the door. He opened the door and the three came inside.
"Shen, Lin, we have good new—"
Lu Ying paused when she saw a little boy sitting on the couch with a face that looked like he was just crying.
"Um, who is this?" She asked them and looked at the kid.
"This is Wang Lao." They explained his situation and Tang Qingyu and Lu Ying quickly understood.
They sat on the couch and the two children, Wang Lao and Lu Dai, were introduced. Coincidentally, they were both in second grade and they were both seven years old, so they got along quickly. They played games with each other as the adults talked.
"The adoption center won't let you two adopt him. I'm sure of it," Lu Ying said.
"Why?" Her younger brother asked.
"It's as you guys said. Tang Lin can't take care of a child while she's at school and you can't take care of a company and a child. Even if you do, it will be very hard. The center is looking for a family that is available for their child even with work. By the way, you two aren't married yet. It'll be hard to convince the center when your relationship is unstable. I know you guys don't want to get married until Lin is finished with school, but only a marriage and availability will prove that you two will be good and stable parents."
Tang Lin was really stressed. She wanted to keep this child, but she'd have to sacrifice so much time for him.
Tang Qingyu saw this unfamiliar look on his sister's face and was worried. He wondered what he could do to help her.
He whispered something to Lu Ying and she nodded.
"I'm okay with that. I'll tell them right now."
Lu Ying faced towards Lu Shen and Tang Lin and said, "What if me and Qingyu adopt him? You can always come and see him whenever you want and when Lin is done with school, we will allow you two to adopt him from us."
Tang Lin's face brightened up and said, "Really? Are you guys sure you'll be okay with it? Will it be hard taking care of him with the pregnancy and all?"
"No, it's fine. And I've seen the kid's behavior. He's pretty good and obedient. I'm sure that he wouldn't cause troubles for us. It would also be great to have another kid's help in taking care of me when I have a big baby bump, when I can't move a lot," Lu Ying said.
Lu Shen interrupted them. "Hold on, hold on. Don't you and Tang Qingyu have to be married in order to adopt him?"
"Oh! That's the good news I was going to tell you about! This afternoon, me and Qingyu went to register our marriage and when we went to our parents' house, Mother and Father picked out a marriage date for us already. It'll be next month," Lu Ying said happily.
"That's great news," Tang Lin went over to hug them.
"Lin, Shen, you two will also be Qingyu's best man and my maid of honor. None of our friends have been there for us as much as you two have been."
"Wang Lao! Come over here for a second." Lu Shen called over the child, and he came running from the dining room where he was playing with Lu Dai.
"Wang Lao, this is lady and man is going to be your new mother and father," he told him.
Wang Lao looked confused, but it was cleared when Lu Shen added, "They will be your temporary parents. After we are not busy anymore, me and your Aunty will adopt you. Okay?"
The boy's tears fell and everyone panicked.
Tang Lin tried to make him feel better. "It's okay. It's only temporary! We'll adopt you after all of our business is finished with."
"She's right."
The boy wiped his tears and said, "I'm happy, not sad. I'm glad that I will be with Aunty and Uncle soon. I will wait for you to be done."
The boy must've been really happy. His dark expression that he kept on most of the day was lifted and it was no longer seen.
The next day, the two couples brought him to the police station and explained the situation. They were first going to get the biological mother to lose custody. The evidence was the CCTV in the store that showed her abusing Wang Lao. They also managed to find other recordings of her beating and yelling at him in public. This case went to court and the mother tried to keep Wang Lao even though she said she didn't want him anymore in the store. When there was a break, the mother told Tang Lin and Lu Shen that it would all go smoothly if they just gave her money. This woman was willing to exchange her biological son for money. In their eyes, she was one of the worst mothers they had ever seen in their lives.
They were not going to let this woman sell her son. They would put her jail and gain custody of Wang Lao lawfully. They recorded her when she asked for money and the recording was used as another piece of evidence.
The final evidence that they had against her was the several marks on Wang Lao's arm. They were the same exact handprints as his mother's and it came from a person who was left-handed. She was the only left-handed person around him and it proved that the person in the recordings really was her and she abused her son.
In the end, Wang Lao went to the adoption center and the mother was sent to jail. Lu Ying and Tang Qingyu adopted him. The paper processed for about two weeks and he was able to come home to live with his new parents. Every day, he would run over to Tang Lin's house and hang out with them. When they went the Tang and Lu Residences, Tang Lin's and Lu Shen's parents treated Wang Lao like their own grandson. This was happiest Wang Lao had ever been in his whole life. He finally received the love of a mother and father from Tang Qingyu and Lu Ying. He also had a younger sister that really looked up to him. His aunt and uncle hung out with him everyday. Tang Jin and Lu Kim heard about the kid and it was as if they were all competing for Wang Lao's love. He truly had a family now.