Reporter's aside: "And then what?"
Old Man Bing: "Later, my mother, who was over ninety years old, thought of a way to help them. She told them to take the child to beg for food from a hundred households, to gather the blessings of a hundred families to protect this child. Wang'er's wife was truly devoted. Hearing my mother's words, she really took the child and, braving the cold, went from house to house begging for food. Then she mashed the collected food into a paste and fed it to the child. Perhaps heaven saw Wang'er's wife's kindness, because the day after the child ate the rice paste, the fever truly subsided."
...
For more than a dozen villagers, their recollections of how Jiang Ling's adoptive parents took her in were remarkably consistent: this child was found in a garbage heap.
On a cold day, why would a child be in a garbage heap?
Needless to say, she must have been deliberately abandoned by her parents.
Learning the entire truth, netizens felt both pity and anger.
They felt pity for Jiang Ling's misfortune, being born into a family that favored sons over daughters, and abandoned in a garbage heap to fend for herself shortly after birth by heartless parents.
She was kindly adopted by her childless adoptive parents and grew up to be so beautiful and successful, only for them to pass away early.
The sorrow of a child wanting to care for their parents, but the parents are no longer there – this is the tragedy for so many children.
Even more tragic is that she cannot care for those she wishes to, yet those who shouldn't be cared for suddenly appear after she has made a name for herself, using so-called family ties to morally blackmail her, wanting to bleed her dry to support their son.
The netizens' pity reignited the trending search and flooded the forums.
More onlookers, upon seeing this video, felt genuine sympathy for Jiang Ling.
"So, Jiang Ling wasn't lying. She really is the pitiable child abandoned by her birth parents."
"So many villagers have come forward to testify. How could it be false?"
"I can't imagine it. If I went through something like this, forget about supporting them, I'd curse their family to be childless, to have no descendants."
"Being born into a family that favors sons over daughters is a tragedy for every girl, and even more tragic that she was the second child in the family."
"I feel the same. I'm the second child in my family, unloved by my father and mother. The eldest was especially doted on because they were the eldest, and the youngest was especially cherished because they were the youngest."
"Oh my god, how can there be such heartless parents in this world? How could they bear to abandon such a good child in a garbage heap?"
"Jiang Ling is unfortunate to have been born into such a twisted family. At the same time, she is fortunate to have met kind adoptive parents after being abandoned and to have grown up safely in love and care. The only regret is that her adoptive parents have passed away!"
"The wicked don't die, but the good die early. Is this what people mean by 'good people don't live long, and bad people live forever'?"
"She suffered misfortune from birth, and after finally growing up and achieving career success, she's still being preyed upon by unscrupulous parents. Jiang Ling is too pitiful!"
Fans and netizens felt extreme pity for Jiang Ling and, at the same time, extreme anger towards Jiang Jianguo, Zhang Lian, and the media that reported the false news.
They swarmed these news reports, launching round after round of attacks and curses.
"They heartlessly abandoned their own daughter, yet they still have the audacity to demand support? How shameless!"
"Even a viper wouldn't eat its young. You couple are simply not human. Dumping such a small child in a garbage heap, weren't you worried she'd freeze to death?"