On this day, Lao Yan, sent by Tan Yuanming, found some information about Andy's younger brother Xiao Ming, and invited Andy to his home.
Andy came as requested and drove for a long time to get there. She didn't know what news she would hear next, but her strong sense kept her mentality stable.
Tan Zongming came to the door, and Andy joked: "I don't know why you live so far away. It takes half a day to drive here. Who would waste their good life on four wheels?"
Tan Zongming smiled lightly: "Andy, are you sure you didn't take the wrong path? Besides, what's so good about the city center? There are mountains and water here, good air, and a quiet environment. It's the most suitable place to live."
Andy said: "Okay! What you said makes sense."
He threw the car keys in his hand casually.
"This Porsche 911 is too high-profile, I want to get another one."
Tan Zongming said: "Which of the cars I have here is not high-profile? If you want to steal my car deliberately, just tell me to give it a better reason and see which one you like."
Andy smiled, pointed to a black Porsche Panamera next to him and said, "I think this car is good, that's it."
Tan Zongming said: "I've only driven this car twice since I got it back, okay! I'll give it to you from now on."
Andy smiled and said: "I know four neighbors, they are all very interesting. The Porsche 911 can't fit in, so I have to change to another one."
Tan Zongming said: "It seems that you get along well with your neighbors. You did the right thing by returning to China this time."
While the two were chatting, they walked along the bluestone path to the backyard. There was another middle-aged man sitting by the pond with several water birds floating there.
Tan Zongming introduced it.
"This is Lao Yan. He has been investigating Xiao Ming's situation. I heard that it is quite difficult to investigate. Let Lao Yan tell you."
Lao Yan sat down and said, "Ms. Andy, I want to apologize first. The results of this investigation may not satisfy you."
"If you live abroad, you don't know. Things in China are different from those in foreign countries. Especially these adopters, they don't want others to know that they have adopted a child, as if they are telling people around them that they are infertile."
"I don't even want the child to have anything to do with his original family. After completing the adoption procedures, he moved away quickly. It's actually very difficult to find him."
"Moreover, twenty years have passed since the incident. Nowadays, people are traveling all over the world for work, even if their household registration remains in the same place. It is not easy to investigate clearly what happened back then."
Seeing the somewhat disappointed look on Andy's face, Lao Yan continued: "However, after many investigations, the adopter's information was found."
"It's just that after the adopter adopted him for a while, he sent your brother back to Daishan."
Andy wondered: "Send it back to Daishan? Why?"
Lao Yan hesitated for a moment and looked at Tan Zongming, who didn't express anything.
Then he said: "After your brother was adopted, he has a low IQ and a tendency to be less responsive."
"They suspected that there was an intellectual problem, and the adopter didn't want to take the responsibility, so they sent the person back again."
Andy was confused and said in disbelief: "I have an intellectual problem. I can't do it. How is it possible?"
Lao Yan sighed and explained: "The preference for boys over girls has always been very serious in China. Your brother is a boy. Unless he encounters this kind of situation, most people will not give up!"
Hearing this, Andy felt desperate. The brother she cherished so much, the person she loved most in the world, actually had intellectual problems. She couldn't accept it for a moment, and her mind went blank.
Lao Yan saw something was wrong with her situation and knew that Andy was accustomed to drinking water to relieve tension, so he quickly opened a bottle of water and handed it over: "Andy, don't be afraid, maybe Lao Yan heard wrongly, drink some water first."
Andy drank several large sips of mineral water, took a deep breath for a while, and then asked: "What about my brother? Where is he now?"
Lao Yan sighed and said: "He is no longer in the welfare home. I don't know the details yet. I am going to go there again and have a chat with the retired staff of the welfare home to see if I can provide some more clues."
Andy's eyes were dim and he said in a low tone: "In other words, his whereabouts are still unknown, and we don't know whether he is alive or dead?"
Tan Zongming comforted him: "Andy, don't think so, Xiao Ming will definitely be fine."
Lao Yan nodded: "The only thing that is certain is that it is still in Daishan. For the rest, we can only continue to search."
Andy took a deep breath: "Old Yan, if you can't find it elsewhere, go to the local mental hospital and see if he is there, or has already..."
Lao Yan also sighed: "Miss Andy, don't be so discouraged. I believe Xiao Ming will be fine."
However, Andy could no longer control his emotions at this time. He stood up and said, "Old Tan, I'm going back first. You can help me deal with the company's affairs these days."
Then he picked up the new car keys and walked out.
Tan Zongming quickly followed up: "Andy, in your current situation, can you drive?"
Andy waved his hand: "No problem with me, I just want to have some quiet time and no one will disturb me."
With that said, he hurried away with quick steps.
Watching Andy leave, Lao Tan felt a little worried and waved to his private driver as he trotted past.
"Follow Andy's car and see her safely enter the Ode to Joy community and then come back. If anything happens on the way, call me in time."
The driver responded and trotted after him.
At this time, Lao Yan stood up and asked in a low voice: "Mr. Tan, do you want to tell her something about Miss Andy's life experience so that she can be mentally prepared?"
Tan Zongming said firmly: "No, it's not necessary."
"I have known her for so many years, and I know her character very well. She is smart, but also too rational. She likes to get into trouble when she doesn't understand. This will make her fall into trouble. The smarter and more rational she is, the harder it is to get out."
"You should continue the investigation first. After thorough investigation, I hope to find a proper solution before deciding whether to tell her the truth or not."
Lao Yan nodded: "Okay, I understand."
…
Andy was driving the car, feeling a little dazed. Fortunately, her strong sense allowed her to drive back to the community safely. When the car parked in the underground garage, she couldn't stand it anymore. She lay there, thoughts starting to fly in her mind.
Think about that little person, the person she is closest to in this world, who has intellectual problems and is probably mentally retarded. How does she accept this?
She took out a bottle of water from the car and drank it in large gulps to relieve the anxiety and tension in her heart. However, in her mind, the memories of her younger brother Xiao Ming and Lao Yan's words kept popping up over and over again, asking how to calm down.
Knowing that this emotion was wrong, she could only take deep breaths and drink water to slowly relieve herself.