A Happy Family
A man named Bành Thuận married his wife at the age of 24 after a matchmaking session. Although they did not have much time to get to know each other romantically, their relationship remained very good. After several years of living together, the couple still did not have any children, yet Bành Thuận loved his wife dearly and never considered divorce. However, his wife often lamented that she could not give him a cute baby boy, which she felt was a great regret.
Six years later, Bành Thuận’s elderly mother unexpectedly brought home a one-month-old baby girl. She claimed that the baby was a foundling discovered on the street and asked the couple to take good care of her. Since the arrival of the baby, he felt great joy and pondered for two days before naming her Bành Anh.
The presence of Bành Anh filled Bành Thuận’s family with laughter. Especially when their daughter began to talk and call him “Dad,” he felt even happier and more motivated to work harder. Although the family was not well-off, the couple always loved each other and strived to provide the best life for their child.
However, when their daughter entered her rebellious teenage years, she no longer obeyed and frequently argued with Bành Thuận and his wife.
Her academic performance declined. Tragically, Bành Thuận’s wife passed away from cancer when their daughter was 14 years old. Heartbroken over his daughter growing up without a mother, Bành Thuận became overly indulgent and lenient with her. This led to increasing misbehavior from his daughter. The situation escalated when she skipped school, causing an argument between them that even drew the attention of their neighbors. At that moment, Bành Anh saw that everyone was criticizing her alongside her father, which made her furious, and she ran out of the house.
That evening, when their daughter had not returned home, a neighbor came over to comfort and encourage Bành Thuận. They talked for a long time, and the neighbor suddenly mentioned the idea of adopting Bành Anh. Unexpectedly, at that moment, Bành Anh’s voice came from behind: “Dad, am I really not your biological daughter?” Seeing her tear-stained face, Bành Thuận’s heart ached as he replied, “Why do you care about that? You will always be my daughter and your mother’s, and that will never change!”
From that day on, Bành Anh suddenly became more obedient and understanding, but she also grew very sensitive. After graduating from middle school, she decided to drop out and work to ease her father’s financial burden. She moved to the city to work with relatives. However, not long after, the family lost contact with her. Bành Thuận could not find her and reported her missing to the police.
After three years of searching, Bành Thuận finally received good news from the police.
He learned that his daughter had been kidnapped and taken to the mountains of Sichuan. On the day they were reunited, Bành Thuận was shocked to find his daughter defending her captors. She cried and told the police, “Don’t arrest my husband and mother-in-law. I willingly stayed here. They did nothing wrong.” Upon hearing this, Bành Thuận was stunned, and the police were equally astonished.
Bành Thuận worried that his daughter might be too scared to tell the truth, so he quickly reassured her: “My dear daughter, don’t be afraid. Dad and the police are here; they won’t dare hurt you.” Bành Anh continued to sob as she explained, “Dad, I really chose to stay here…”.
During police questioning, Bành Anh recounted exactly what had happened years ago. Specifically, she was brought by a relative to work as a waitress in a hot pot restaurant. However, the business was struggling, and employees were frequently given reduced working days. At that time, a colleague asked Bành Anh if she wanted to go back to her hometown in Sichuan with her for a visit, and Bành Anh agreed.
After dinner, that colleague unexpectedly sold Bành Anh to the Liu family for 30,000 yuan (over 105 million VND). Bành Anh cried out in fear, wanting to go home. Liu’s mother said she could leave but would have to repay the 30,000 yuan. Bành Anh thought about calling her father but realized that given their family’s hard farming work, they could not possibly save up 3,000 yuan in a year.
Furthermore, Liu gently said, “If you agree to stay at my house, I will treat you well and won’t force you to do anything. If later you want to leave, I will let you go find your family and bring the money back.” Liu was in his early 20s, tall, with a dark complexion and small eyes, and Bành Anh did not dislike him, so she agreed to stay.
Liu and his mother treated Bành Anh very well, leading her to willingly stay and have a child with him. Now, Bành Anh’s child is over one year old, and she lives very happily and has no desire to leave.
The case later resulted in the conviction of the colleague who deceived and sold Bành Anh to an eight-year prison sentence and a fine of 90,000 yuan. Liu’s family was supposed to face nearly three years in prison, but Bành Anh continuously pleaded, assuring that they had never abused or coerced her, and she willingly chose to stay. In the end, the police accepted that Liu’s family would only require local education.
