Chapter 15 Empathy Fortunately, she still possessed the ability to empathize. ...

Outside the window, a vibrant sunset glowed, a mixture of red, orange, pink, and purple that turned the entire sky orange, like a plate of colorful fruit candies.

Tang Yi only allowed herself to be vulnerable for a brief afternoon.

Early Sunday morning, Tang Yi drove to the Juxian Elementary School.

When she's feeling down or busy at work, going here for a short escape seems to have become a habit for her for many years.

In the countryside, there is no backstabbing or scheming, no suffocating mothers' heart-wrenching cries on the phone, only the innocent smiles of children.

When Tang Yi parked the car and got out, she felt inexplicably much more relaxed.

She took a few deep breaths to expel the pent-up frustration from her chest before slowly walking into the teachers' office.

"Principal Yang." She stood outside the door, knocked politely, and greeted her with a smile.

Yang Yuanyue looked up from the pile of books and smiled broadly when she saw Tang Yi's face.

"Xiao Yi's here?" She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and pulled Tang Yi, who was standing by the door, to sit down at her table. "You, with your busy work schedule, still come here every few days. You must be exhausted!"

Looking at Yang Yuanyue's smiling face, Tang Yi was unconsciously infected and her own lips curled up in a smile.

"I'm not tired."

Tang Yi was telling the truth.

If others knew that she drives for several hours every few weeks, navigating rugged mountain roads to get here just to spend time with her children, they would probably think she's foolish.

But she never thought that way.

From the moment she made up her mind to raise funds to build a library, she has regarded this place as her second home.

The area is blessed with beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the people are kind and honest. Yang Yuanyue and the left-behind children treat her like family. How could she possibly complain about such a small inconvenience on the journey?

Yang Yuanyue always invited her to stay for dinner or overnight, and always brought her local specialties before she left. She was also considerate of her busy secretary work and never sent her messages to urge her to come over, nor did she look down on her work.

"Secretaries are great! They're always dressed neatly and make work comfortable for everyone. They're so capable!"

Tang Yi recalled the words Yang Yuanyue had refuted without hesitation when they had a heart-to-heart talk.

In Orange County, she received support and encouragement from someone who was almost a complete stranger.

Even like a mother, offering unconditional encouragement.

Instead of belittling, despising, or looking down on them.

Like her biological mother.

"You've come so early today, stay here a little longer, okay?" Yang Yuanyue's kind voice rang out.

Her hands were warm and rough, and the calluses on her palms rubbed against the back of Tang Yi's hands, causing a slight pain.

But Tang Yi secretly gripped the handle even tighter.

That's settled then.

Treat her like your mother, even for just one day.

She thought to herself in silence, following behind Yang Yuanyue, her gaze fixed on their tightly clasped hands.

"Children, look who's here!"

Yang Yuanyue led Tang Yi into the small and cramped classroom, and the children who were playing and laughing during the break all turned to look at her.

"Sister Yiyi!"

"Yay!!"

The children's shrill voices rang out, almost lifting the entire roof off, sounding particularly jarring.

But Tang Yi could only hear their genuine joy.

The Juxian Primary School was organized by Yang Yuanyue and took in almost all the left-behind children in the village.

Their parents work far away from home and won't come back for six months to eight years at a time.

Even worse, some parents practically abandon their children, never remembering for decades that they left them in the countryside.

To ensure that children receive the education they deserve, Yang Yuanyue decided to build such a primary school.

The site is tiny, the facilities are extremely basic, and the teachers are mostly there with faith and kindness, earning meager salaries, spreading the same meager seeds of hope.

The children don't understand what financial aid is.

All they knew was that one day, a beautiful older sister, dressed in pretty and clean clothes, came to their elementary school.

Then, a brand new library was built, and stacks of brand new books were brought in by large white trucks.

Reading classes have appeared on their schedules.

Their textbooks were no longer missing pages or curled corners.

Sister Yiyi is like a fairy with magic powers; whenever she comes to school, she conjures up brand new books and stationery.

The fairy sister transformed and appeared at the classroom door.

The children then screamed, expressing their joy in an awkward and clumsy way.

With Yang Yuanyue's tacit approval, the children filed out to the small playground to play games with Tang Yi; they went to the library to read quietly with her.

Tang Yi is an adult, and because she spends most of her time in the office, her physical strength simply can't keep up with these children.

After several rounds of "Eagle Catches Chicks," Tang Yi sat down in the shade of a tree, panting, and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Sister, aren't you going to play anymore?"

"You guys play, I'm a little tired and want to rest for a while."

She declined the little boy's invitation and watched him run back to the playground, where he joined the students sitting in a circle in the center. She felt a warm glow in her heart.

She braced herself against the lawn behind her, enjoying the cool breeze blowing on her face under the shade of the trees and the white noise of the rustling leaves overhead.

Tang Yi lazily looked around, a satisfied smile in her eyes.

Until she caught sight of a small figure sitting behind the dilapidated basketball hoop.

It was a little girl.

Tang Yi noticed that the girl's gaze remained fixed on the students in the center of the playground and Yang Yuanyue clapping in the crowd, but she never took a step forward.

Her small, dark hands gently stroked the thin braids beside her ears, and every now and then she reached out to tug at her obviously oversized and patched clothes.

Without much thought, Tang Yi got up, brushed the weeds off her clothes, and walked towards the basketball hoop.

"Little sister, why don't you go and play with them?"

Tang Yi walked to her side, knelt down slightly with her hands on her knees, and asked in the softest voice possible, but still startled the little girl.

She stared with her big, bright eyes, like a startled fawn, and cautiously moved to the edge.

Seeing that she didn't speak, Tang Yi decided to try a different approach and let her get used to her first.

She pointed to the empty seat next to the girl and asked with a smile, "May I sit here?"

The girl didn't answer, but after a long while, she nodded slightly.

Having received a positive response, Tang Yi felt hopeful and gently sat down beside her.

She didn't rush to ask questions; instead, she hugged her knees, squinted slightly, and looked up to enjoy the gentle breeze.

Sensing that the girl beside her seemed to have slightly relaxed her tense and stressed emotions, she thought for a moment and then slowly spoke.

"My name is Yiyi. What's your name? Can you tell me?"

The little girl's long eyelashes fluttered a few times as she glanced furtively at Tang Yi's shoes before quickly looking away.

After what seemed like an eternity, so long that Tang Yi had almost forgotten she had asked the question, she finally spoke, her voice timid: "...Xi Xi."

"Xixi, Yiyi, our names sound so similar."

Tang Yi smiled and tilted her head to look at Xi Xi. Xi Xi also looked up at her slowly, then quickly looked away.

"Are we friends now?" Tang Yi pressed on. "Can you tell me why you're sitting here alone instead of playing with your classmates?"

However, this question was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, receiving no response.

A cool breeze blew by, carrying away all her other questions and thoughts.

Tang Yi caught a glimpse of Xi Xi's hesitant lips moving several times, but she never uttered a sound.

"Time to eat! Xixi, come on, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch."

Tang Yi looked up and saw that the lawn, which had just been crowded with people, was now empty, with only a few small figures slowly walking towards the cafeteria.

Yang Yuanyue walked from the center of the playground. Her voice grew louder as she approached, waving to Xixi from afar.

As if she had finally found a legitimate reason, Xixi twisted her body, slipped away from Tang Yi, and ran away.

"This child, running so fast, isn't she afraid of falling!" Yang Yuanyue complained as she walked towards Tang Yi, but her tone was full of affection and not a trace of blame.

She brushed the dust off Tang Yi's pants, lifted the fabric from her knees, and sat down.

"This child's name is Xixi. She's only in first grade. She's also quite pitiful."

Tang Yi sensed the regret in her voice. She glanced around, making sure they were the only two people nearby, before asking, "What happened to her...?"

Yang Yuanyue glanced at her, hesitated for a moment, and then made up her mind to explain.

"She, she was ruined by scumbags."

She seemed unable to bear continuing, and dejectedly lowered her head.

When Tang Yi heard the word "scumbag," she felt as if something had struck her heart hard, and her heart clenched.

She tried to calm the turmoil in her heart, and after a long while, she finally spoke to ask the following question.

Yang Yuanyue sighed and recounted Xixi's experience with a heavy heart.

Xixi's parents went to work in the city, leaving her and her grandmother at home.

However, one time when Grandma went out to harvest wheat, she gave an opportunity to an old man from the same village who wandered around all day.

Seeing Xixi, a pretty little girl, sitting obediently on the doorstep, he was overcome with wicked intent and led her into his home to assault her.

At this point, Yang Yuanyue covered her face with her hands and bent over, unable to bear to continue.

Therefore, she failed to notice Tang Yi beside her, who was already trembling uncontrollably under the gradually blue sky.

She thought of her past self.

She thought of Xixi's bright, sparkling eyes, which were filled with fear and insecurity.

It was clearly a mistake made by bad people, yet this innocent little girl had to bear such a heavy consequence, causing her to become introverted and withdrawn, and never daring to step into crowds again.

She was thus silently deprived of her right to laugh freely.

In the darkness, Tang Yi turned her head away and quietly shed tears.

She is not a crybaby.

From childhood, her mother's strict discipline prevented her from ever trying to gain sympathy through tears again.

When faced with difficulties and setbacks, she only learned to shrink into a hard shell, and no matter how hard it was to get through, she never thought of asking for help.

Fortunately, she still has the ability to empathize.

In this unseen little village, on the basketball hoop, as night slowly fell and darkness enveloped her, Tang Yi gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and made a silent resolution.

She will work hard and unite with philanthropists to set up counseling rooms and assign professional counselors to elementary schools and as many schools as possible in Orange County.

Without professional intervention, the shadows of childhood trauma can haunt a child like Xixi for the rest of her life.

A note from the author: