Chapter 38 The Orphanage

What would you two like to buy?

"I want to order beds, bunk beds... I need thirty beds, what's the price?" Song Yushu tried his best to explain the style he wanted.

When the carpenter heard the quantity, he knew it was a big customer, so he quickly wrote down the requirements and even drew a draft.

"Madam, is there anything else you require?" The carpenter was very interested in this style of bed. He hadn't expected to be so lucky this time, not only getting a big order but also having such a novel design.

"These beds just need to be made of sturdy materials; they don't need to be made of expensive wood. It would be best if all the parts could be disassembled and reassembled, making them easier to move, such as the bed slats..."

"Can!"

"Then let's add a small staircase here to make it easier to climb up..."

Song Yushu was originally worried that the price would be too high, so she suggested using simple wood to assemble the bed to save money. She didn't expect the carpenter to be so kind and to remember all her suggestions without saying a word.

"I want to send this bed to the orphanage. Can you lower the price?" Seeing that the carpenter had a good temperament, Song Yushu shamelessly tried to bargain.

"Well, in that case, fifteen taels of silver will do. But the style of this bed..."

"Please use it as you please. I'm just offering some suggestions," Song Yushu said, waving his hand.

"Hey! Take care, we'll deliver the goods in five days!" The carpenter warmly saw them off at the door.

"Once it's finished, please take it to the orphanage for assembly. I'm afraid they won't know how to assemble it," Song Yushu reminded him again before leading Zhou Chengyu away.

Xiao Jiu was still waiting for them obediently at the orphanage. Song Yushu wiped his body down, changed him into new clothes, and made a makeshift bed for him.

Xiao Jiu stood there blankly as they packed her things, until they were about to leave, at which point she burst into tears.

"Don't be afraid, your friends will be coming to stay with you soon. I've even bought you beds, so you won't have to lie on the floor anymore," Song Yushu comforted him for a while before calming him down.

The mother and daughter were delayed for a day because of these matters, and they did not return to the Wei family by carriage until the next day.

Five days later, the carpenter delivered all the materials for the bed to the orphanage as promised.

"What's going on?" When Gu Cheng arrived at the orphanage with his wife and Xue Huai'an and his daughter, it was bustling with activity.

"Sir, this is a bed that a lady surnamed Wei ordered for the children," the old woman who managed the orphanage said, her face no longer stern, clearly pleased with the bed that Song Yushu had sent.

Upon hearing the surname Wei, Xue Huai'an's heart stirred.

"Why is it such a mess?" Gu Cheng asked, seeing them bring in a lot of broken wooden boards and shelves.

"These still need to be assembled! Let's move the materials in first, and then we can assemble them!" the carpenter's apprentice explained.

Gu Cheng followed them to watch them assemble the bed. Only after the bunk bed was assembled did he realize how amazing the design of the bed was.

"There are many children in the orphanage, so this type of bed can save a lot of space. Smaller children can squeeze into one bed with two other children. This person's idea is quite good," said Madam Lin, the county magistrate's wife, praising the bed for its convenience.

“Let’s order some too. It’s too cold in winter, we can’t let these children lie on the ground.”

This time, they brought a batch of grain, though not much, but enough to last until spring.

The old woman's smile deepened as she showed them the children's current condition before seeing them off.

After they left, Song Yushu went to town again. This time, the three children from the clinic were also taken to the orphanage and shared a room with Xiao Jiu. They treasured their beds and would touch them every day, cleaning themselves before getting into bed, afraid of soiling the beds.

Xiao Jiu's eyes lit up when he saw Song Yushu coming over. He pulled Song Yushu to sit on the edge of his bed and lingered to sit next to her.

"Aren't you cold?" Song Yushu looked at his little gesture with amusement.

"It's not cold, I have a bed now!" Xiao Jiu knew it was a gift from Song Yushu, and he liked it very much. This was the first time in his life that he had his own bed.

“Well, it’s almost Chinese New Year. I’ll be selling snacks in town in a couple of days. If you want some treats, you can come over, but you’ll have to help me with the work,” Song Yushu said, patting his little head.

“Okay, let’s go help!” Xiao Jiu and her friends said without hesitation.

Song Yushu didn't come empty-handed this time. She brought a lot of red paper. Originally, she didn't intend to sell couplets or window decorations, but thinking of the children in the orphanage, she wanted to help them. So, Song Yushu bought a lot of red paper to teach them how to cut window decorations.

When the women who managed the orphanage found out, they were naturally grateful and moved a table for her and cleared out a room to teach the children.

When Xue Huai'an and his mother arrived, they saw Song Yushu surrounded by people. She was patiently teaching Xiao Jiu and the others how to cut paper flowers without showing any impatience.

The group of children around him were quiet and well-behaved. They were excited to learn how to cut paper flowers and watched Song Yushu demonstrate quietly.

The task of tracing the patterns was assigned to the older women, who usually did a lot of needlework to earn some income for the orphanage, so tracing patterns was naturally a piece of cake for them.

"Unfold it and see what the pattern is," Song Yushu handed the cut-out paper-cut to Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu carefully unfolded the layers of red paper with his little hands, afraid of tearing it. The other children didn't urge him; instead, they were very expectant.

"It's a little bird!"

Wow! It looks so good!

Song Yushu cut out a picture of magpies perched on branches, and the result was quite amazing to the children.

"Who is this?" It was rare to see the children in the orphanage so happy, and Madam Xue had a very good impression of Song Yushu.

"She's Madam Wei, who donated beds to our orphanage before. Now she's brought red paper to teach the children how to cut paper flowers for the windows. She said she'll sell them on the street to bring in some income for the orphanage," the orphanage manager said with a smile as she introduced Song Yushu, expressing her deep gratitude.

"That's good. These days, everyone is struggling, yet she still thinks about the children here," Xue's mother said, and her impression of Song Yushu improved considerably.

“Master Xue, it’s been a long time. And who is this?” Song Yushu looked up when he saw someone come in and recognized him as a familiar face.

“It is my mother,” Xue Huai’an introduced.

Song Yushu noticed that the old woman's features did indeed resemble Master Xue's, but this old woman looked kinder.

"It's quite a coincidence that you two know each other," said Xue's mother, surprised.

“My son, Zhou Chengyu, happens to be a student of Master Xue, so of course he recognizes him,” Song Yushu explained.

Mother Xue then understood and became very interested in the paper-cut window decoration in her hand.

"Your idea is excellent. Could you perhaps teach this old woman how to cut paper snowflakes?"

Song Yushu naturally wouldn't refuse her request, and she even wanted Master Xue to help draw more exquisite patterns, since he was a scholar and his painting skills were better than those of ordinary people.