Chapter 189: No Bruises
All the children were wearing brand-new down jackets, chattering around the car in the yard.
As soon as Xu Youyou got out of the car, she was surrounded by the sea of children.
“Sister Youyou, is Hu City really beautiful?”
“Sister Youyou, is it easy to make money in Hu City? I don’t want to study anymore, I want to go with you to Hu City and make money. When we earn money, we can buy candy for everyone!”
Xu Youyou found this both amusing and exasperating. She patted the child’s head and said, “If you dare to say you don’t want to study again, I’ll give you a good smack!”
The child immediately covered his head and said, “Sister Youyou, I won’t say it again. Please don’t hit me, don’t hit me!”
Xu Youyou couldn’t help but laugh. A kind-hearted woman in her forties, with a gentle expression, walked out of the house.
“Youyou, I’ve boiled hot water for you. Come in and wash your face. You must be tired after the long journey,” Director He said softly.
Xu Youyou followed her into the house and smiled, “Aunt He, it’s been over a year since I’ve seen you, and you’re looking younger and younger.”
Aunt He affectionately patted Xu Youyou’s arm and said, “You’ve changed, too. You’ve become a lot more cheerful.”
Xu Youyou paused upon hearing that. In the past, she had a reserved and quiet personality, always afraid she might say or do something wrong and be ridiculed.
But since she came into money, even if she made a mistake, she would just laugh it off without letting the embarrassment linger. No one dared to hold her mistakes against her anymore. People around her were more eager to please her.
She had become more confident and outgoing, and she was now a much brighter person.
She realized how silly she had been in her past life—family wasn’t the redemption; only money could save someone.
Aunt He said with a loving smile, “Your mother, Xu Mama, used to worry about you being too introverted. She feared you’d be at a disadvantage in society, that people might bully you. But now, if she knew how much you’ve changed, she’d be so happy.”
Xu Youyou smiled when she heard Aunt He mention Xu Mama, the former director of the orphanage. “Maybe it’s because Director Mama has been watching over me from heaven, that I’m living such a good life now.”
Aunt He nodded. “Out of so many children, your Director Mama liked you the most. She always said you were smart and sensible and that you’d surely get into a good university.”
Xu Youyou’s heart softened. She was the only child from the orphanage to get into a top university in the past ten years. Director Mama had always hoped that all the children in the orphanage would have a good future.
Unfortunately, Director Mama had passed away when Xu Youyou was in her second year of high school, and she never got to see Xu Youyou go to university.
Aunt He continued, “I saw the news and know you’re a boss now. But making money isn’t easy. You don’t have to send money to the orphanage every month. There are fewer than 200 children here, so even with that amount, we don’t really need more.”
Xu Youyou didn’t think she had sent too much money to the orphanage. Compared to her income, five hundred thousand a month wasn’t much. It didn’t even compare to the interest she earned from her savings.
Still, Aunt He felt grateful and worried that it might be too much of a burden on Xu Youyou.
“Aunt He, didn’t you say a lot of the children need surgery? If they need surgery, we should pick the best medical team to avoid any regrets. Also, the children are at a growing age, they need to have more meat, eggs, and milk, right?” Xu Youyou smiled and said.
Aunt He shook her head. “You shouldn’t be the one to bear all this responsibility…”
Xu Youyou shook her head and said, “It’s fine. I’ll give this money while I can afford it. If one day I can’t, and if I run out of money, don’t blame me.”
Aunt He replied, “Once the children’s surgeries are done, you don’t need to send any more money. The country also provides subsidies, so the orphanage isn’t lacking in money.”
Xu Youyou nodded casually.
Most of the children left in the orphanage were those with health problems. Healthy children had already been adopted.
After washing her face, Xu Youyou felt all the fatigue from the long journey disappear.
“Your room wasn’t cleaned by me, but by the older children. They heard you were coming back, so they took the lead and cleaned it up. They’ve been thinking of you, Sister Youyou,” Aunt He said with a smile.
Xu Youyou leaned against the door, watching the children surrounding the car in the yard, poking and prodding at it. She felt that even the winter wind seemed to carry a warm scent.
“Go play with the kids for a while. I’ll cook dumplings for you all,” Aunt He said.
A little girl with a buzzcut ran up to Xu Youyou and looked up at her, saying, “Sister Youyou, I helped make lots of dumplings today. The ones I made are really beautiful. I told Aunt He that I want you to eat the pretty dumplings I made.”
Xu Youyou smiled and patted the little girl’s soft hair. “Okay, I’ll eat the dumplings you made.”
The little girl pointed to the implant on her head, then threw herself into Xu Youyou’s arms. “Sister Youyou, I can hear really well now. I can hear everything you say! Aunt He said this is all thanks to you. Thank you, Sister Youyou. I love you.”
Thanks to Xu Youyou’s donation, the little girl, who had hearing impairment, was able to use a cochlear implant.
She was only six years old, with big eyes and fair skin, looking incredibly cute. But every time adoption couples visited the orphanage and found out she had hearing problems, they would shake their heads and leave.
Xu Youyou hugged the sweet, soft child and said, “Yuan Yuan can hear now. You’ll be able to make more and better friends in the future.”
Yuan Yuan tilted her head and said, “Sister Youyou, I can go to a normal school now, and when I grow up, I’ll become a really, really amazing adult, just like you!”
Xu Youyou patted the little girl’s head. “You’ve got a way with words. How can you be so good at making people happy?”
Yuan Yuan said, “I’m telling the truth, Sister Youyou. You don’t know, all the kids in the orphanage admire you so much! Sister Youyou, you’re a big boss! We’re all going to work for you when we grow up!”
Xu Youyou laughed out loud. “You’ll work for me? Well, I’m not going to pay you.”
Yuan Yuan nodded. “That’s fine. As long as you provide food and lodging, we’re happy.”
Seeing Yuan Yuan snuggled into her arms, a little boy with a round head and a sturdy build darted over. He didn’t look any different from a normal child and handed Xu Youyou two pieces of candy.
“Sister Youyou, here’s some candy for you,” the little boy said, then smoothly squeezed into Xu Youyou’s arms.
The boy was only five years old. Xu Youyou smiled and hugged him, rolling up his sleeve to check his arm.
The whole time, the little boy didn’t resist at all.
When Xu Youyou saw there were no bruises on his arm, she let out a sigh of relief and said, “Lele is really well-behaved.”
Lele looked up at her and said, “I remember everything Sister Youyou says.”
