483: Chapter 483 Recognizing Godfather and Godmother!

As soon as these words were spoken...

The gazes of everyone in the courtyard shot over in unison.

What did they see?

A little girl was sleeping in the young man's arms.

But wasn't that precisely Nannan???

Zhao Chunmei froze for a second, then let out a heart-wrenching cry: "Nannan!!!"

She ran all the way up and rushed in front of Ye Chen.

Ye Chen bent down slightly and handed over the little girl in his arms.

Zhao Chunmei took the child, holding her tightly in her arms, her face pressed against the little one's cheek as tears flowed down like broken strings of pearls.

Her daughter had been lost and found; how could she not cry? How could she not be emotional?

Cao Jianjun stood by the side, looking at the daughter in his wife's arms, his eyes so red they looked bloodshot.

The family gathered around, each weeping with joy.

The old man was secretly wiping away tears: "It's good that she's back..."

Bing Lan stood to the side, watching this scene, her eyes also reddening slightly.

Ye Chen took two steps back, returning to Bing Lan's side to leave space for the family.

Zhao Chunmei cried for a full five minutes before finally catching her breath.

She looked up, gazing at Ye Chen through tear-blurred eyes, and prepared to kneel while holding the child.

"Benefactor! Thank you! Thank you for saving my daughter!"

Ye Chen made a slight gesture with his hand, and an invisible force supported her legs, preventing her from kneeling.

"It was just a small effort."

But in the eyes of the onlookers, this move was like seeing a ghost.

The whole family was shocked, their eyes wide, momentarily doubting their own vision.

And the one who felt it most deeply was none other than Zhao Chunmei.

With tears still on her face, she actually forgot to cry for a moment.

The old man was the first to react, kneeling down with a thud.

"Benefactor! You are a man of extraordinary abilities!"

"You saved my granddaughter; this old man kowtows to you!"

The old lady also hurriedly followed suit and knelt, tears streaming down her aged face: "Benefactor! You are a living Bodhisattva!"

Cao Jianjun and Zhao Chunmei exchanged a look and were about to kneel as well.

Ye Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry; he quickly stepped forward and helped the old man and old lady up, one in each hand.

"Uncle, Auntie, please don't do this. There's really no need to kneel."

But the elderly couple insisted on kneeling, and no matter how he tried to lift them, they wouldn't get up.

Helpless, Ye Chen had to turn to Bing Lan, casting her a look for help.

That look was clearly shouting for assistance!

Bing Lan calmed down, took a soft breath, and stepped forward.

She squatted down, supporting the old lady's arms with both hands.

"Auntie, you really don't need to kneel."

"He is already a member of the public service; serving the people is what he does."

"Finding the child was what he ought to do."

"If you kneel to him like this, it actually makes him feel uneasy."

Hearing this, the old man and old lady paused, their faces filled with hesitation.

Zhao Chunmei, holding the child, spoke while sobbing.

"But... but he saved my daughter's life! She is our family's lifeblood!"

"If Nannan were gone, I wouldn't be able to go on living..."

As she spoke, she started crying again.

Bing Lan gently patted her shoulder, about to offer words of comfort...

Suddenly.

The little girl in her arms moved.

Nannan opened her eyes dizzily, her little face flushed pink.

She blinked, her gaze first landing on her mother's face before slowly turning to Bing Lan's face.

Then.

She froze.

Those dark, round eyes stared straight at Bing Lan without blinking.

Zhao Chunmei noticed her daughter's odd behavior and looked down to ask: "Nannan? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Nannan didn't answer her mother; she just stared at Bing Lan and spoke in a milky voice: "Big Sister, you look so familiar. Have we met before?"

The courtyard instantly fell silent.

Bing Lan's delicate frame shuddered violently.

Her eyes turned red all at once, intensely so.

She opened her mouth, almost blurting out those words...

I'm not a big sister, I'm your daughter!

But as the words reached her lips, she forced herself to swallow them back.

Ye Chen had already instructed her that they could not acknowledge each other or mention their past life identities; otherwise, it would disrupt the fate of their current lives.

Moreover.

Even if she said it, it seemed it would be useless.

After all...

Those who undergo reincarnation no longer have their memories.

She struggled to suppress the impulse in her heart.

Seeing this, Ye Chen also said with a smile.

"Since the child feels a connection, how about this..."

"Let the child take us as her godparents; from now on, we can be considered family."

Everyone in the courtyard was stunned.

Bing Lan was also stunned, turning her head to look at Ye Chen, her eyes full of bewilderment.

God... Godmother?

To let her mother in this life... become her own goddaughter?

This...

An indescribable feeling welled up in her heart—strange, yet warm, and she felt...

Like she was being quite filial?

The old man was the first to react, slapping his thigh: "Good! This is good!"

The old lady also nodded repeatedly, her face blooming with a smile.

"Good, good, good! Become god-relatives!"

"This is a tremendous stroke of fate!"

If it weren't for Ye Chen and the others, their granddaughter probably really wouldn't have come back!

Therefore.

Being godparents was only right!

Zhao Chunmei, holding the child, cried and laughed at the same time: "If the benefactor is willing to take Nannan as a goddaughter, that is our family's blessing!"

Cao Jianjun also rubbed his hands in excitement, nodding repeatedly: "Right, right, right! It's a blessing! A huge blessing!"

Not a single person in the family opposed it.

"However," Ye Chen saw this and added a timely supplement, "whether she's willing or not should depend on the child's own thoughts."

Hearing this, the old man immediately squatted down, took Nannan's little hand, and asked with a smile: "Nannan, let this big brother be your godfather and this big sister be your Godmother. Are you willing?"

Nannan tilted her little head, looking at Ye Chen, then at Bing Lan.

"I'm willing!"

She called out crisply, then reached out her two little arms toward Ye Chen, "Godfather! Carry me!"

Ye Chen stepped forward with a smile and took her from Zhao Chunmei's arms; the little one hugged his neck and giggled.

After giggling, she turned her head to look at Bing Lan and reached out her little hand: "Godmother! Hug!"

Bing Lan's tears finally couldn't be held back.

She took a step forward, receiving Nannan from Ye Chen's arms and holding her close.

The little one was soft and tender, carrying a milky scent, her little face pressed against Bing Lan's shoulder, feeling warm and cozy.

Bing Lan held her, holding her for a long time.

So long that it wasn't until Ye Chen gently patted her back that she snapped out of it.

She let go of Nannan, pulled a bank card out of her bag, and tucked it into the little one's hand.

"Nannan, this is a meeting gift from Godmother."

"There's no password; you can withdraw it anywhere."

Seeing this, Zhao Chunmei hurriedly waved her hands: "This won't do, this won't do! You saved the child, and we haven't even repaid you yet. How can we take your money!"

Cao Jianjun also got anxious, repeatedly declining.

"Miss Bing, we really can't take this!"

"You have already helped us immensely. If we take your money on top of that, what would that make us?"

Bing Lan shook her head: "I am her Godmother. Giving my goddaughter a little pocket money shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Zhao Chunmei and Cao Jianjun looked at each other, still wanting to decline.

The old man spoke up from the side: "Alright, alright. It's a token of heart from the child's Godmother; just accept it."

The old lady followed with a nod.

"Exactly, exactly. A Godmother giving her goddaughter pocket money is only natural."

"We'll save it up for the girl later, and she can decide how to spend it herself in the future."

Zhao Chunmei hesitated for a moment before finally nodding: "Then... then thank you, Miss Bing."

Bing Lan smiled slightly, looked down at Nannan in her arms, and said softly: "Call me Godmother."

Nannan grinned and shouted crisply: "Godmother!"

Bing Lan's eyes turned red again.

Life is just that wondrous.

Before, she called her mother 'Mama'.

Now.

She was calling her mother in this life her 'goddaughter'.

Though it was a bit absurd.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

At least...

Her wish had been fulfilled.

She handed Nannan back to Zhao Chunmei, reached out to stroke the little one's head, and softly instructed: "Remember to have Mama take you to withdraw the money, okay?"

Nannan nodded as if she understood, her little hand clutching that bank card like it was some precious treasure.

Holding the child, Zhao Chunmei warmly invited: "Benefactor, Miss Bing, please stay for a meal! I'll go buy groceries right now!"

The family then gathered around, their voices overlapping as they tried to make them stay.

Ye Chen smiled and waved his hand.

"No, no."

"The matter of the girl being kidnapped hasn't been completely resolved yet; we have to go settle that."

Bing Lan also nodded: "Take care."

Zhao Chunmei still wanted to insist.

But the old man was more sensible; he stopped her: "They have serious business to attend to; don't delay them."

The family had no choice but to let it go, standing at the courtyard gate to see the two off.

Nannan leaned over her mother's shoulder, waving her little hand at Ye Chen and Bing Lan, calling out in a milky voice: "Goodbye, Godfather! Goodbye, Godmother!"

Bing Lan walked a few steps, looked back once more, then turned around and left quickly.

She was afraid that if she kept looking, she wouldn't be able to bear leaving.

But.

There was plenty of time in the future.

...

Once Ye Chen and the other had walked far away, Zhao Chunmei carried the child back into the house, looking at the bank card from all angles, still feeling uneasy.

"Jianjun, how much money do you think... could be in this card?"

Cao Jianjun scratched his head: "They are people from the public service; it probably won't be too much? Maybe it's just for good luck, a few hundred? A few thousand?"

The old man sat to the side smoking, speaking slowly.

"Regardless of the amount, it's a token of their heart; make sure to thank them properly later."

Zhao Chunmei nodded, still feeling unsettled, and walked out while holding the child: "I'll go to the ATM to check, and buy some groceries while I'm at it."

Cao Jianjun followed: "I'll go with you."

The couple carried the child to the bank's self-service ATM at the entrance of the residential area.

Zhao Chunmei handed Nannan to Cao Jianjun, took out the bank card, and inserted it into the machine.

The screen lit up.

She took a deep breath and pressed the button to check the balance.

Then.

She saw the string of numbers displayed on the screen, and her whole body froze in place as if someone had cast a binding spell on her.

Because on it, there was actually a full...

Ten million!!!