Chapter 37◇

◎You can't just hug them◎

The young man was caught off guard and pulled back several steps by a girl. He then looked down slightly at Feng Ran, who was half a head shorter than him, and belatedly asked Duan Jingchuan, "Is this the Crown Princess?"

Seeing Feng Ran's actions, Duan Jingchuan chuckled, took Feng Ran's hand, and softly replied, "Okay, yours."

After coaxing Feng Ran, she looked up at the young man and said, "This is Feng Ran, my wife. My wife is still young, please don't take offense."

The young man then realized his lapse in decorum, helped straighten his clothes, and instantly transformed into a dashing young nobleman, bowing respectfully, "Greetings, Princess Consort. I am Zhao Yue, a close friend of Jingchuan."

Feng Ran blinked and said angrily, "I know you two are good friends, but he's mine, you can't just hug him."

Feng Ran's blunt words made Duan Jingchuan blush, and even Zhao Yue felt embarrassed.

Zhao Yue secretly pinched his thigh hard, the pain stopping the smile on his face. He answered seriously, "Yes, he belongs to the Crown Princess. No one can take him away."

He had long heard that Duan Jingchuan's personality had changed drastically after marrying a princess consort, and that he was now completely devoted to her. Seeing him today, he was certain it was no different. The princess consort's possessiveness was blatantly obvious; it seemed the two had an excellent relationship.

Duan Jingchuan was afraid that the topic would become irreversible, so he quickly said to Zhao Yue, "I brought my wife here today to meet the children in the orphanage. You lead the way."

After hearing this, Zhao Yue grinned and said, "Jingchuan, you're really not afraid of crowded places anymore."

Duan Jingchuan smiled wistfully, his starry eyes sparkling, "Do I still look scared now?"

In fact, Duan Jingchuan was still somewhat affected, but he didn't show it on his face. He also felt a moment of discomfort when he first left the mansion, and he would subconsciously avoid crowds.

But this discomfort couldn't outweigh his joy at being able to come out with Feng Ran, and the noise of the crowd couldn't compare to the ease that Feng Ran's chatter brought him.

Along the way, he suddenly realized that even if he didn't want to talk to people, so what? Even if he wasn't used to crowded environments, so what? He just needed to accept his difference.

Zhao Yue tried hard to suppress his curious gaze, but he couldn't help glancing at Feng Ran. He thought to himself: What kind of magic does this person have that can pull Duan Jingchuan, who has been sealed off for so many years, out of the mansion and now he is no different from a normal person.

Based on this achievement alone, Zhao Yue decided to think more highly of her.

This was also Duan Jingchuan's first visit to the orphanage.

He started this orphanage on a whim when he was young. At that time, there weren't many staff, so it was the butler, Old Li, who helped with the preparations.

However, so many years have passed, and the orphanage has long been returned to his hands. He has also met Chunyu Zhu and Zhao Yue, and this time the orphanage is entirely managed by the two of them.

Looking back now, although he never left the house over the years, he did indeed do some good deeds. Perhaps Heaven took pity on him and sent his wife to his side. If his kindness could help his wife, that would be wonderful.

"Husband, do you own this orphanage?" Feng Ran asked curiously.

Duan Jingchuan then slowly began to tell the story of the orphanage.

“When I was four or five years old, my personality wasn’t so stubborn. I would occasionally go out for a stroll. Back then, the capital wasn’t as prosperous as it is now. You could often see many homeless people, beggars everywhere, and even more orphans as young as a few years old. I thought about whether I could help them. I’ve been helping them for more than ten years now, and the number of children I’ve raised has increased from two or three to dozens.”

Feng Ran couldn't help but sigh, "You were just a child back then! This kindness is truly rare. No wonder you smell so good; it's irresistible to take a sniff."

Walking ahead, Zhao Yue caught a glimpse of the word "inhale," and his mind began to wander, pondering its meaning. Having seen it all before, he couldn't help but let his imagination run wild, and a rather unwise smile crept onto his lips.

Duan Jingchuan glanced at Zhao Yue sideways, feeling a bit of a headache. He would definitely tell his wife when he returned home that she should never mention the word "sucking" in front of outsiders.

It was called an orphanage, but it was just a larger courtyard house with twenty-five children living inside. The two women in charge were in their forties, one surnamed Wu and the other surnamed Song.

Both old women knew some basic characters and could teach the children. If any child was exceptionally bright, they would ask permission from above to send them to school. If the child was of average ability, they would teach them some skills, and after they turned sixteen, they would be sent out to make a living on their own.

Years have passed, and the first group of sixteen-year-olds have long since grown up, but none of them have left this courtyard house.

It's not that they lack ability, but rather that they truly consider this courtyard house their home, which is why the courtyard house has grown larger and larger.

Duan Jingchuan spent three batches of silver to buy the two surrounding households, but the two old women were still in charge.

Although it was the capital city, there were still many unfortunate people living there. Some of these children were taken in from the outskirts of Beijing, while others were brought back by Zhao Yue and Chunyu Zhu when they went out. When they first arrived, these children were cautious and suspicious, but as time went by, they all became lively.

Children from poor families mature early, and orphaned children mature even earlier.

Other people's five or six-year-old children might be naughty, only knowing how to throw tantrums and make demands, but the five or six-year-old children here can all take care of themselves cleanly, and no one needs to worry about their meals. When they know they are sick, they will take the initiative to find an adult to take their medicine obediently. The two nannies themselves do not have children, so they treat these children as their own.

Children over twelve or thirteen years old can be self-sufficient and do not need anyone to worry about them. They can also help the two nannies take care of the younger children.

These children all knew that there were three people in charge of this small orphanage. Two of them were Zhao Yue and Chunyu Zhu. They had seen both of them before, especially Zhao Yue, who would come to visit them from time to time. They respected Zhao Yue as if he were their own brother.

There was another person who was said to be the heir of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion, but he never showed up. The nanny once told them that the orphanage was originally built with the heir's money, so they were sincerely grateful to him.

Upon hearing from the nanny that the young master had arrived, the twenty-five children, of varying ages, hurriedly returned to their rooms, changed into their cleanest and tidiest clothes, and stood guard at the door with extreme restraint, waiting for Duan Jingchuan.

This orphanage accepts not only boys but also girls, though only seven.

Three of them were already over sixteen years old and married. Since they married boys they grew up with at the sales home, it was only natural that they settled their families there.

They used to pay rent to the orphanage every month, but the two nannies refused to accept it, so they saved the money and used it to bring clothes and food to the younger children.

For these people over sixteen, Duan Jingchuan was their god, a guiding light in their moments of confusion and helplessness.

As soon as Duan Jingchuan and Feng Ran entered, they received more than twenty intense yet restrained gazes.

The girls naturally couldn't stare directly at Duan Jingchuan, so they all focused their attention on Feng Ran beside him.

Several bold boys looked at Duan Jingchuan with gratitude, each one eager to approach and strike up a conversation with their benefactor.

After his initial excitement subsided, Zhao Yue put on his usual nonchalant attitude and jokingly scolded everyone, "Why didn't you guys make such a big fuss when I came here?"

When the children arrived at the orphanage, they were very young and most of them did not have their own names. Even those who did have names did not want to have their old names anymore because they had been abandoned. So they tacitly adopted the surnames of the two nannies.

The boy took the surname Wu, and the girl took the surname Song.

At first, to make it easier to identify the children, the nannies called them by their approximate age, such as "Brother Wu" or "Second Brother Wu." Over time, these names became their numbers. Even after they were given names, the children still preferred to be called by their numbers. The two nannies were quite helpless about this.

Now, a new benefactor has arrived. The children lined up in order of their numbers from largest to smallest. Although their heights varied, the order in which they entered the orphanage was now clear.

The twenty-five people were all there, and the first seven were over sixteen years old. They were already capable of leaving the orphanage, but now they were shamelessly clinging to it and refusing to leave.

After number twenty, the youngest was a three-year-old toddler, and then there were four- or five-year-old little ones. You could tell that the three-year-old had only been there a short time; his face was still a bit thin and sallow, and he had some chilblains on his body.

The twenty-five people of varying heights simply smiled reservedly and did not say anything. Even Wu Mama and Song Mama, who were usually joking and cursing without any manners, straightened their expressions and dared not be presumptuous in front of this master they had never met before.

Duan Jingchuan chuckled, "You've spent a lot of time with them. Look how reserved they are when they see me." He then turned to the crowd and said, "Just be as usual. I brought my wife here today." After saying that, he pushed Feng Ran in front of everyone and solemnly introduced her, "This is my wife, Feng Ran. You are about the same age, so you can chat more."

For some reason, Duan Jingchuan subconsciously didn't want to mention Feng Ran's surname.

As soon as Feng Ran entered the orphanage, her expression became incredibly cheerful. The entire orphanage was filled with the scent of kindness, and she felt as free as a fish swimming in the sea.

She walked up to the three-year-old boy, squatted down casually, pinched his little cheek, and asked sweetly, "Little one, are you cold?"

It was the dead of winter, and the group of people stood together in the courtyard. Although they were wrapped up quite tightly, such a small child was bound to get frostbite. When Feng Ran saw that the child had some frostbite on his face, she couldn't help but take the initiative to show concern.

Xiao Ershiwu was a boy whom Zhao Yue had met on his way to Ancheng a few days ago. At the time, the child was barely alive, so Zhao Yue brought him back.

Although she was only twenty-five, she could still speak clearly. Her sallow face was extremely reserved, and her voice was soft and weak. "Your Highness, I am not cold."

Feng Ran chuckled, picked up Xiao Ershiwu in her arms, and stood up. "Why call me Princess Consort? Call me Sister."

Little Twenty-Five was suddenly pulled into a warm embrace, making her even more stiff. She obediently replied, "Sister."

Duan Jingchuan saw Feng Ran pick up the smallest one and carry it away, and then gave Zhao Yue a look.

Zhao Yue, puzzled, asked in a low voice, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

Duan Jingchuan nodded with a serious expression.

Zhao Yue straightened his expression and moved a few steps closer to Duan Jingchuan. He saw Duan Jingchuan's mouth opening and closing, and Zhao Yue's face became even more strange. He asked incredulously, "You said you wanted me to find a few girls to keep the Crown Princess company and help her pass the time?"