Chapter 2

"Unlike, it sounds more like Chinese. Our neighbor Kevin went to China as a manager for a few years. He knows Chinese. Wait a moment, I'll go get him to help translate."

John said, then got up and left to find the neighbor for help. Lina, on the other hand, brought out various snacks for Liu Nan, looking at him with motherly eyes, which made Liu Nan feel a bit strange.

A few minutes later, John returned, leading a middle-aged white man in a T-shirt. He was a bit heavier than John, but in a country with a high obesity rate like the United States, he still had a decent figure.

"Kevin, this is the child. I heard him speaking something that sounds like Chinese, so I asked you to come and help."

John pointed at Liu Nan, and Kevin saw the Asian child with dirt on his face.

"No problem, I'll give it a try. Hi, little one, I'm Kevin. What's your name?"

Kevin squatted in front of Liu Nan and spoke. This time, Liu Nan understood, though the pronunciation was a bit off, it was still Mandarin, with only a few sounds not quite right.

"My name is Liu Nan."

"Oh, so you're Liu Nan. How old are you?"

"I don't know."

"Where are your parents?"

"I don't know."

"How did you come to America?"

"I don't know."

Apart from his name, Liu Nan answered "I don't know" to all of Kevin's other questions. It wasn't that he was pretending to have amnesia; he really didn't know. Who knew where his current body came from, how old he was, or how he got to America? No, he knew how he got to America, but could he tell Kevin that he made a wish and ended up here?

"How's it going, Kevin? Did you get any information?"

Seeing Kevin stand up, Lina asked anxiously.

"Unfortunately, all I know is that this child is Chinese and his name is Liu Nan. He doesn't know anything else. He's too young and doesn't speak English, making it very difficult to communicate."

Kevin shrugged and spread his hands, feeling helpless. He knew Chinese, but he wasn't a mind reader or a fortune-teller. The child's "I don't know" responses left him at a loss. He had done all he could.

"John, I have an idea. I want to adopt this child. We've always wanted a child, and this is surely a gift from God. What do you think?"

Lina said to her husband. From the moment she saw Liu Nan, this thought had been on her mind. As a Christian, she firmly believed that this was a blessing from God, sending this child to her.

"Lina, we don't know this child's background. We can also hand him over to the police, who will find a suitable place for him. Besides, if his parents come looking for him, what will we do?"

As a man, John was more rational. He knew that adoption was a serious matter and couldn't be decided on a whim. The safest course of action was to hand Liu Nan over to the police, which would help find his parents. If they couldn't be found, the police would place Liu Nan in a foster home or another welfare institution.

"No, I will never hand him over to the police. As a lawyer, you've seen the dark side of society. Don't you know what those foster homes are like? They treat children like commodities for government subsidies, with no care or love. Even if his parents come looking for him, I will never give the child to such irresponsible parents."

Lina was very agitated. Without a child, she had always yearned for one. Now that God had sent this blessing, she would not let it slip away.

"Calm down, Lina. I didn't say no; I just said we should think about it. Since you're so determined, I agree. We will adopt this child. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be childless. I know you often visit the nearby kindergarten to see the children. I was planning to adopt a child with you for Christmas. It seems we don't need to now. God has already sent us a child, even if we can't communicate with him yet."

John quickly hugged the agitated Lina and spoke gently. He knew that the lack of a child in their family was his fault. If he could have children, Lina wouldn't be so eager to adopt Liu Nan.

"No, John, it's not your fault. I love you and don't care about these things. Besides, God has helped us by sending little Liu Nan to us. The inability to communicate is not a problem. We can teach him English and learn Chinese ourselves. This will make our family even more harmonious."

Lina calmed down. Her husband's support made her feel very happy. For the sake of the child, learning another language was not a big deal.

"Wow, congratulations, John and Lina. I didn't expect you to make this decision. I believe it's a wise one. However, shouldn't you ask the child's opinion? I can translate for you."

Kevin, who had not yet left, was a bit surprised by Lina's decision but sincerely wished the couple well. He knew they had always wanted a child and had now gotten their wish. As a neighbor and friend, Kevin was happy for them.

"Of course, thank you, Kevin. Ask the child if he's willing to call us mom and dad."

John said.

"OK, leave it to me. Hi, Liu Nan, what do you think of these two uncles and aunts? Are they nice to you?"

Kevin spoke to Liu Nan again.

"Nice."

Liu Nan, not understanding what John and Lina had been discussing, only thought that Westerners were very open, hugging and holding each other in public without regard for others.

"Would you like to call them mom and dad?"

"..."

Liu Nan was stunned. Were John and Lina going to adopt him?

"How about it, Liu Nan? Do you want to? These two uncles and aunts are good people and will treat you well. They'll buy you lots of delicious food and toys."

Kevin thought Liu Nan didn't understand why he should call John and Lina mom and dad, so he tried to entice him with the promise of food and toys. Children love food and toys, after all.

John and Lina watched Liu Nan nervously. Seeing him hesitate, they held their breath. They wouldn't force the child. If Liu Nan refused, they would do their best to help him find his parents or a better foster home.

"Um-hum."

Liu Nan nodded. It would be foolish to refuse. It wasn't just about the mission; if he refused, he didn't know if he could survive in America. There were too many uncertainties.

Without waiting for Kevin to translate, Lina cheered when she saw Liu Nan nod. She didn't care about his dirty clothes and hugged him tightly, having wanted a child for so long.

With Liu Nan's consent, there was no need for further translation. They didn't want to trouble Kevin too much. The couple could handle the rest.

John went to see Kevin off, while Lina took Liu Nan to the bathroom to clean him up. After walking through the dusty wilderness for so long, Liu Nan's skin had lost its original color. He needed a good wash.

Liu Nan, a child's body with a soul in his thirties, felt shy when a stranger undressed him and put him in the bathtub. Fortunately, his body was too small to react, or it would have been very awkward.

Lina didn't think much of Liu Nan's shyness, attributing it to his natural reaction to strangers. After washing off the dirt, a clean, fair-skinned boy appeared before her. Though not as pale as a white person, Liu Nan's skin had a delicate, rosy hue that was very appealing.

After cleaning Liu Nan, Lina found some of John's clothes for him. Though a bit big, they were clean and of high quality, making them very comfortable. Liu Nan's dirty clothes were thrown into the outdoor trash bin.

When Lina brought Liu Nan back to John, John felt that his wife's decision might have been right. Liu Nan was an angel sent by God. It was fortunate that he hadn't handed him over to the police. Initially, he had only agreed to take Liu Nan for Lina's sake, but now he genuinely liked Liu Nan and decided to treat him as his own son.

The John and Lina's house was a villa, so they had plenty of rooms. Seeing Liu Nan's tired face, Lina led him to the bedroom next to their master bedroom. As soon as Liu Nan was placed on the soft bed, he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

"John, today has been such a magical day. It feels like a dream."

When John and Lina were in bed, Lina said.

"Yes, who would have thought that God would send an angel to us? Is it a response to our devotion?"

John put his arm around Lina's shoulders. Who would have thought that on their way back from vacation, they would find a child and decide to adopt him?

"It must be. By the way, John, I'll take Liu Nan to the police station tomorrow to register. Don't forget to call Joe to speed up the process. Then I'll take Liu Nan to buy some clothes and language learning books. We'll start learning Chinese tomorrow. I've heard it's the most magical language in the world. I wonder if we can learn it."

"Dear, we can definitely learn Chinese. We love the child, don't we? Don't underestimate the power of parental love. I'll call Joe. He's my college classmate, and we're very close."

Don't think that the United States doesn't value personal connections. Otherwise, what are all the fraternities in American universities for? They exist to support each other in society, much like the Donglin Party in ancient China.

"You're right. We can definitely learn it. I can't wait for tomorrow to come."

"That's easy, dear. Close your eyes and go to sleep. When you open them again, it will be a brand new day."

"You're right, dear. Good night. I'm ready to welcome a brand new day."