Chapter 190: The Adoption Relationship
Xu Youyou patted the little boy’s head and said, “Since you’re so obedient, I’ll take you to the amusement park tomorrow.”
Lele’s face instantly lit up with joy.
Yuan Yuan, who was beside them, eagerly asked, “Youyou, don’t forget about me! I want to go too!”
“How could I forget about you, Yuan Yuan? Don’t worry, I’ll take you as well.”
At this moment, Director He ran over and reminded them, “Youyou, the dumplings are ready. Call your companions over for dinner.”
Xu Fang had been following Xu Youyou the entire time, and once they sat at the dinner table, she couldn’t contain her curiosity and quietly asked, “Boss, what were you checking on that child earlier?”
Xu Fang felt that Director He was a good person and didn’t seem like the type who would secretly mistreat the children.
Xu Youyou replied, “Lele has always longed for parents. Every night, he imagines being hugged by his parents as he sleeps, and in his dreams, he unconsciously sucks on his own arm, pretending it’s his parents holding him. That’s why he always has bruises on his arms.”
Xu Fang’s nose suddenly became sour, and she almost cried when she heard this.
After a while, she said, “I don’t understand. The little girl has hearing problems, but Lele looks healthy. Why is it that no family wants to adopt him?”
Xu Youyou sighed and said, “This child is a congenital syphilis carrier, inherited from his mother. After he was born, his mother abandoned him and left him at the orphanage.”
Xu Fang’s eyes showed unavoidable fear.
Xu Youyou wasn’t surprised by her reaction and explained, “He’s just a carrier. He won’t pass it on or infect anyone in the future, but it will always show up as a positive result in medical checks. However, whenever potential adoptive parents hear the word ‘syphilis,’ they immediately run away.”
Xu Fang felt a bit guilty. To be honest, she too had thought about taking her two daughters and leaving this place earlier.
“The world is full of prejudice, and there’s nothing we can do about it. But fortunately, our orphanage is run well, and here, the children feel almost like they’re at home,” Xu Youyou said.
Her words were merely self-deception. There were too many children in the orphanage, and despite several directors being excellent people, they still couldn’t attend to the psychological needs of every child.
Moreover, every time a set of adoptive parents came to choose a child, it was both hope and torture for the kids. If they were selected, they would be happy, but with each rejection, it felt like a prolonged torment.
Xu Youyou, being a healthy girl who had once been adopted, remembered how she had been sent back to the orphanage when her adoptive parents found out they were expecting. She was only six years old at the time. After spending three days being loved by her parents, she had been so happy. But once she was sent back, the pain was unbearable.
There were other adoptive couples who had shown interest in her, but Xu Youyou didn’t want to go through that pain again, so she refused to be adopted.
She looked at her adoptive parents eagerly awaiting the arrival of their biological child and mistakenly thought that biological parents and adoptive parents were different. She firmly believed that her biological parents couldn’t have intentionally abandoned her, and if they found her again, they would treat her well.
But in her previous life, when she found her biological parents, it was even more painful than being abandoned.
Xu Youyou said to Director He, “Aunt He, the orphanage has money now, so we can hire more kind-hearted caretakers. The children long for family, and having more caretakers with them will help lessen their yearning for adoptive parents.”
Director He looked at Xu Youyou with a compassionate gaze, clearly understanding what she was thinking, and said, “No matter how good the caretakers are, to the children, they can never compare to parents. Sometimes, I feel like Xu Jie’s decision was wrong. The children from the orphanage should have stayed at our own school instead of attending schools outside.”
Originally, the orphanage had its own primary and middle schools, and the children would leave only when they reached high school. But due to lack of funding, and the previous director thinking the children should see the outside world, the orphanage’s school was disbanded, and the children were sent to local schools.
In these local schools, the children saw many normal families and their parents, which only made them more eager for adoptive parents.
However, adoption is always a two-way street, and finding the right parents is as hard as climbing to the sky.
Suddenly, Director He seemed to recall something and said, “Earlier this year, someone came to our orphanage inquiring about you, saying they might be your biological parents. Did they contact you afterward?”
Xu Youyou lowered her eyes and said, “They did, but they contacted the wrong person.”
Director He’s face showed regret. “When they spoke, they seemed so convincing. I really thought you had finally found your family. What a pity.”
Xu Youyou thought to herself that there was nothing to be regretful about. If she had returned to that family, it would have been true hell.
After finishing the dumplings, Director He led Xu Youyou again.
“Thanks to the money you donated, three months ago, I hired someone to renovate the orphanage’s bathroom and installed heating. This winter, the children no longer complain about being cold while taking a bath,” Director He said with a smile.
Xu Youyou didn’t make a fuss about it. She casually chose a bathroom to take a shower. The conditions here, even after renovation, couldn’t compare to her place in the city, but it was still much better than when she was younger.
Her room was at the end of the hallway. Originally, eight children had stayed there, but now only a bed, a set of chairs, and a wardrobe remained.
These things were probably specifically added by Director He for her.
Xu Youyou had thought she might have trouble sleeping that night, but as soon as she lay down, she immediately fell into a sweet, deep sleep.
The soundproofing in the room wasn’t great, and the next morning, Xu Youyou was woken by the sound of the children.
Guai Guai had adapted to the new place immediately, surrounded by a group of kids playing and having fun. It seemed like she was quite happy.
“You’re up early. Go brush your teeth and wash your face, and I’ll make you a bowl of wontons for breakfast,” Director He said with a smile.
Xu Youyou nodded.
When breakfast time came, Guai Guai seemed to be hungry and ran over, circling around Xu Youyou’s feet.
“Woof woof! I want the milk-flavored lamb chops!” Guai Guai loved the milk-flavored lamb chops made by Aunt Li.
Aunt Li always remembered Guai Guai and sent a large batch of dog treats from the capital every now and then.
Xu Youyou instructed Xu Fang to go to her room and fetch the lamb chops.
Guai Guai was ecstatic and bounced around happily.
Director He smiled as she watched the scene and said, “I still remember when you were little, you picked up a little dog and secretly kept it outside. You didn’t dare bring it back. At that time, conditions were poor, and even though you couldn’t even feed yourself, you secretly saved your own rations to feed the dog. I wanted to say something, but Xu Mama stopped me.”
