"Mom, what are you looking at?"
Ruirui looked up and saw her standing by the window. He said with concern, "Auntie Xiaoyue said that standing by the window for too long can easily catch a cold. Mom, why don't you come and sit with me?"
Chen Lishu came back to her senses and smiled at his frowning, grown-up demeanor. She walked over to him and said, "Ruirui, how about Mom takes you back to the welfare home to see the children?"
With the weather so cold now, Chen Lishu suddenly thought of how difficult the situation must be for the children at the welfare home.
"Really?" Although it had been almost a year, Ruirui still had faint memories of his friends there.
"Sister Qiuyue, I want to go to the nearby village to buy some grain for the children at the welfare home. Could you help me carry it?"
Zhao Qiuyue, who was knitting a sweater for Ruirui, put down her work when she heard Chen Lishu's words.
Chen Lishu wanted to buy grain from the villagers because her grain coupons were limited, and the cabbage, potatoes, and other vegetables sold in the village were much cheaper than in the city.
After visiting a few places, Chen Lishu bought a total of twenty jin of cornmeal, ten jin of potatoes, and two heads of Chinese cabbage.
The items were a bit heavy. Ruirui took the initiative to help carry a head of Chinese cabbage. By the time the three of them had moved all the items to the bus stop, they were all covered in a thin layer of sweat.
...
Dean Zhu stood by the bedside, looking at the infant in the swaddle, whose face was purplish from the cold. He frowned, his face full of worry.
Zhang Qiaoyun forcefully patted the girl next to her, who had reached her shoulder, and reprimanded her impatiently, "Our welfare home already has a heavy burden, with so many mouths to feed. We can barely feed you, and you've brought back another one. Where do you think we'll find the extra energy to care for her? You need to send this child away quickly!"
"Mama Zhang, it's so cold. If we send her away, she'll die," the girl said, her head lowered, her voice pleading.
"Then send her to the street. With so many people around, they can't just watch her freeze to death, can they?"
Dean Zhu sighed, "If someone were willing to take her in, she wouldn't have been brought back by Xiao Cui."
"I really don't understand what those parents are thinking. The home has taken in four children this year, all girls. Are they not flesh and blood?"
"It's no use complaining now. I'll go and see if I can boil some rice water to warm the child up," Dean Zhu said, walking outside, but a frown creased his brow. The weather was cold, and the children lacked clothes and food. There wasn't much firewood either, and now there was another little one. Alas.
"Dean Zhu."
The group entered the courtyard carrying their purchases. Seeing her come out of the house, Chen Lishu greeted her with a smile.
"Mama Zhu," Ruirui followed suit and called out.
Dean Zhu looked up. When he looked at Ruirui, he almost didn't recognize him. He hadn't seen him for almost a year, and the child had changed so much. When he was at the home, he was as thin as a little radish. Now, not only had he grown taller and his face was filled out, but his clothes were clean and tidy, and his eyes were clear and not timid. He was clearly well-cared for.
His gaze fell on the items in Chen Lishu and Zhao Qiuyue's hands, and Dean Zhu asked uncertainly, "What are these?"
Chen Lishu smiled, "I'm bringing some grain, as well as cabbage and potatoes for the home."
Hearing that it was grain, Dean Zhu's heart instantly surged with excitement. He quickly walked over to take the bag from Chen Lishu's hand, and at the same time, he turned back and called out loudly to Zhang Qiaoyun, "Qiaoyun, we have guests. Come out quickly and help carry these things."
Hearing the voice, Zhang Qiaoyun and several children ran out. When they saw the items in Chen Lishu and their hands, their eyes lit up.
"Mama Zhang, Sister Xiaocui, Erya, Shitou..." Ruirui greeted the familiar faces one by one.
"Yes, yes, good children. It's cold outside, come inside quickly," Zhang Qiaoyun said, almost unable to close her mouth with joy as she held the heavy bags.
As the group entered the house, the small room was instantly packed.
Zhang Qiaoyun said, "You haven't seen the guests. Go on, what are you all waiting here for? Xiaocui, take everyone out."
Xiaocui responded with a sound, called a group of children, and turned to leave.
Chen Lishu's gaze fell on their thin winter clothes, and she quickly called out to the children, "It's cold outside, stay inside."
After saying that, she carefully looked around the room. Chen Lishu noticed that there seemed to be a few more children, and judging by their braided pigtails, they were likely all girls.
"This grain of yours has solved a big problem for the home. Comrade Chen, you are so kind; you will surely be rewarded." Dean Zhu said gratefully.
"Please don't say that. I'm just doing what I can. I haven't helped much."
Looking at so many children, and the timid yet expectant gazes they cast upon her, Chen Lishu's heart was deeply touched.
"Dean Zhu, I see some of the children are of school age. Have they started school yet?"
Zhang Qiaoyun chimed in, "You can see our conditions here. We can't even get enough to eat, so how can we afford to send them to school?"
Chen Lishu frowned. Not receiving an education meant becoming illiterate. Especially since most of these children were girls, their future situation in society would undoubtedly be even more difficult.
"Dean Zhu, I can sponsor two children to go to school, all the way until they finish primary school. If their grades are excellent, I will continue to sponsor them."
"This, Comrade Chen, are you serious?" Dean Zhu could hardly believe his ears. She had always regarded the children in the home as her own and no one wished more than she for these children to be able to go to school, but the conditions did not permit it. She never expected Chen Lishu to bring up the matter herself.
"Our children are all here. Take a look and see which ones you'd like to sponsor?"
Hearing Dean Zhu's question, the children's gazes immediately focused on Chen Lishu. They even straightened their small bodies as much as they could.
That was going to school, a place they had never even dared to dream of.
Looking at the children's hopeful eyes, Chen Lishu's heart ached uncontrollably. An opportunity that was easily obtained by other children had become the deepest desire for them.
"Why don't we start by going by age? After all, if the older ones learn, they can come back and teach their younger siblings."
The oldest, Xiaocui, and another girl exchanged glances upon hearing Chen Lishu's words. They were already eleven or twelve years old and long past the age to start school. They had thought there would be no opportunity for them, but who knew...
"Aren't you going to thank your Aunt Chen?"
Dean Zhu's words finally brought the two girls back to their senses. They came to Chen Lishu hand in hand and knelt down with a 'plop', saying, "Thank you, Aunt Chen."
Chen Lishu was startled and quickly stood up from her stool to help them, "What are you doing? Get up quickly."