Nà duì fūfù méiyǒu háizi, jiù rèn le línjū jiā de xiǎogūniang zuò gānnǚ'ér.
The couple had no children, so they took the neighbors' little girl as their goddaughter.
Tips
culture
干 here means 'by name, not by blood'. The bond is a social one, usually sealed with a meal and gifts, and changes nothing legally. The adults call the child 干女儿 or 干儿子, and the child calls them 干爸 and 干妈.
usage
To take a girl as a goddaughter is 认 X 做干女儿 or, more formally, 收 X 为干女儿. Because 干爹 can also mean 'sugar daddy', gossip sometimes gives 干女儿 the same innuendo.
