BEIJING (SCMP): A child trafficking survivor from central China who turned into a multimillionaire has reunited with her birth family, only to discover that her father had died years ago after being consumed by guilt.
On November 20, during the Winter Clothing Festival, mainland media revisited Zeng Youdi’s emotional journey. This festival, alongside Ching Ming Festival and Zhongyuan (Hungry Ghost Festival), is one of China’s three major ghost festivals, during which people burn paper clothes to honour their deceased loved ones.
Zeng, now 46, was abducted at the age of three after being separated from her mother in a crowded market in Hunan province, according to Sohu News.
Though her adoptive parents never abused her, Zeng always felt a disconnect.
Once, she tried to run away while they were asleep, but her adoptive father caught her and scolded her for hours.
In primary school, some classmates called her “the picked-up child,” a taunt that wounded her self-esteem deeply.
Eager to earn her adoptive parents’ love, Zeng threw herself into farm work, learning to cut pigweed after school.
She carefully nurtured her bond with them, and they would occasionally praise her as a “good daughter.”
At 15, Zeng was sent to Shenzhen to live with her adoptive parents’ relatives and work as a nanny.
By 18, she left that life behind and took a bold step to work as a saleswoman at an electronics company in Shenzhen, despite not having a university degree.
Determined to change her fate, Zeng made hundreds of calls daily and travelled to meet clients across the region. Her hard work paid off when she was promoted to vice-president of sales and soon launched her own electronics company.
When she had made enough money, Zeng bought a car and a house in Shenzhen, while her company expanded with multiple stores, raking in over 70 million yuan (US$10 million) annually.
In 2019, she appeared on a mainland TV show in search of her biological parents.
With the help of the show’s team, Zeng uncovered the truth about her separation from her mother. On that fateful day, her mother, who was a psychiatric patient, had fainted at the market, and when she woke up, Zeng was gone.
Her father had given up everything to search for her, but the emotional strain took its toll, and he eventually died from lung disease.
On the show, Zeng met her biological siblings and embraced them. Tearfully, she said: “I wasn’t abandoned. I finally have a home!”
She later returned to Hunan to visit her mother, who, despite her mental illness, remembered Zeng’s favourite childhood candy and had bought some for her.
Zeng currently cares for her mother alongside her siblings while continuing to run her electronics business. Each year, she visits her father’s grave.
Her remarkable journey home has touched many on mainland social media.
One online observer commented: “Zeng survived being trafficked and redeemed herself through intelligence and hard work. Fate was both her enemy and greatest teacher, shaping her into the strong woman she is today.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
