Netizens voice scepticism; users question why the dad let a toddler buy food alone, fuelling speculation of a regretted abandonment
However, injuries found on her face and the failure of nearby broadcast appeals to reach her parents fuelled online speculation about how she disappeared.
Zhong Fenglin, 37, once lived near a market in Nanning, Guangxi, where her parents sold ginger and garlic.
In 1991, her father took the two-year-old to his vegetable stall. Unable to watch her while working, he gave her money to buy food.
Zhong wandered through the crowd and crossed the street into another market, where she had gone missing.
A clothing vendor found the crying toddler and took pity on her. She later recalled that the girl had scratch marks and a scar on her face.
