Adopted Son Builds a Villa for My Retirement, His Biological Parents Come Looking for Him, and After My Son Speaks, I'm Stunned

(From a reader submission, images sourced from the internet)

Adopted Son Builds a Villa for My Retirement, His Biological Parents Come Looking for Him, and After My Son Speaks, I'm Stunned

Between biological parents and an adoptive mother, which one truly counts as family? I had thought my adopted son missed his biological parents terribly, but when his biological parents appeared, after he sincerely said those words, I was still stunned.

I felt my fate was unfortunate. At a young age, my face was completely scalded because I wasn't careful while boiling water. When I looked in the mirror, I was disgusted by my own scalded face. Many times when I walked outside, I could see the looks people gave me, filled with disdain and fear. I myself understood why no one would marry me. As time went on, I no longer felt so much resentment and frustration, but I especially hoped to have a child of my own. Then one day, I accidentally found a child. I felt this was a gift from heaven. I liked him very much and decided to raise him.

Just like that, he and I depended on each other for nearly twenty years, and he finally could support himself. Although life was very difficult when he was young, after all, I couldn't give him very good conditions. But even in such a difficult environment, he was still very motivated, sensible, and determined to do well. I was very proud of him. He studied and worked diligently, was promoted quickly, called to check on me whenever he had time, and even found a reliable wife. As his adoptive mother, I was especially happy.

I was afraid my ugly appearance would frighten my daughter-in-law, so even after my son invited me again and again to live with them, I refused, afraid that my presence would affect them. After my son tried repeatedly without success and could not persuade me, he could only take out his savings and build me a new house in my hometown. The neighbors and villagers praised him endlessly, for my having such a filial good son, and for my spacious and comfortable big house. But unexpectedly, not long after life got better, the biological parents who had forgotten my son for twenty years came rushing over as soon as they heard the news. I had never hidden my adopted son's identity, and in fact I had even looked for his biological parents for him back then, so my adopted son knew I was not his birth mother. When he was little, he often cried softly in the dead of night. I understood this was him missing his own biological parents. To keep him from being sad, I pretended I knew nothing.

His biological parents wanted to claim him as their kin, and even said the house I lived in naturally belonged to them. I originally did not plan to disturb my adopted son's work and life, but his biological parents were too exhausting. They came to bother me every day, so the news soon reached his ears. Before long, I saw my adopted son arrive at my hometown, dusty from the journey. He said to me seriously: "In my heart, I will have only one mother in this life, and that is you. The house is for you. It has nothing to do with them. You don't need to care about them." When his biological parents learned of this, they left somewhat sheepishly. But I didn't care about any of that. I only felt a warm current in my heart, and being moved and kindness dispelled all my coldness.