After dinner, Yu Yin and the others went to bed early; they were so tired from the journey!
The next day, everyone overslept!
Ah Xiang knew they wouldn't get up too early; it was almost noon when they arrived.
"Oh dear, it's so difficult to go out! Not to mention anything else, just the journey is exhausting."
Yu Yin stretched her limbs and felt old. Standing on this land, she could no longer find the feeling of carrying a basket up and down the mountain on her back. How did she walk like that back then? Now, just thinking about it makes her legs ache.
“You just lack exercise. I still go up and down the mountain often and I don’t feel too tired.” The elderly grandmothers in A Xiang’s village are still going up the mountain to pick wild vegetables and mushrooms… they are never idle.
“Well, my An’an always says that exercising is just a slogan for me.” For a while, An’an supervised Yu Yin and she persisted in exercising, but later she slacked off again.
"Have something to eat, then I'll take you to the orphanage. We'll pick up the goods this afternoon, and start processing tomorrow. We've found people, some with sewing machines and some without. We can make several hundred sets a day." Ah Xiang was quite skilled at finding workers, with so many years of experience.
"Okay, we'll follow your instructions."
Yu Yin wasn't familiar with this, so she decided to just follow orders!
When Yin and the others arrived at the orphanage, they were still shocked. Although they knew the conditions wouldn't be great, they didn't expect it to be this bad.
The old house, though made of brick and tile, was in danger of collapsing in many places. Vegetables were grown in the yard by the children themselves; they attended a nearby primary school, and after school, they were busy in the vegetable garden or gathering firewood nearby…
At this time, the children had all gone to class, leaving only those under seven years old. Seeing Yu Yin and her group enter, they were a little shy, hiding in the room, but occasionally peeking out curiously.
Yu Yin looked into their room. Rows of beds, the bedding worn and tattered, many with frayed edges revealing the dark, stiff, and matted cotton inside. In each room, besides the bed, there was a long table and a few stools—the children's homework area.
Each person had a basket containing their personal belongings: a change of clothes and shoes, odds and ends, pretty pebbles, a bunch of dried flowers, a few candy wrappers...
Yu Yin and the other adults were heartbroken, especially An An and the others, who had never seen such living conditions before. In their memories, when their family moved from a two-story house to a garden villa, their rooms were filled with all the things they liked and needed, a rich and varied collection.
They brought something of their own with them, which they wanted to give to the children at the orphanage.
Pingping chose mostly books, while An'an used her own money to buy jump ropes, balls, badminton shuttlecocks, etc. Gradually, she brought a lot of thread and drawing supplies, including watercolors and crayons. Kuai Kuai brought small toys—the tin frog, toy cars, building blocks, etc.
The children wanted to bring things they thought were good to share with the other children. However, they were surprised to find that even their most basic living necessities were lacking, and they regretted their decision, thinking they should have brought some used clothes instead.
"It's okay, what you brought is very good. It lets them know that besides working hard to live a good life, there are many interesting things to do. It plants a seed in their hearts, hoping it will sprout and grow."
Yu Yin's words made the children feel a little better, and they suddenly realized that they were very happy and lucky.
The saying "no comparison, no harm" is absolutely true.
Led by the staff of the orphanage, Yu Yin and her companions explored every corner of the orphanage.
"Yinyin, this is Dean Zhang and Secretary Xu." Ah Xiang introduced the two people who had rushed over to Yu Yin.
"Hello, Comrade Yu, thank you!"
Dean Zhang is in his fifties, and his hair has turned quite white; I wonder if it's because he's been worrying too much.
"Comrade Yu, I am Xu Mei, a government employee. Thank you for your support. It's really rare for people to come and donate supplies here; it's too little." Xu Mei is a middle-aged woman in her thirties. Perhaps because she also has children, she has a lot of sympathy for the children in the orphanage.
"You're too kind. There's only so much I can do. I just wanted to lend a hand and make a slight difference in the children's lives. Director Zhang, you are the truly great people, taking care of the children's every need and worrying about them so much." Yu Yin could tell that Director Zhang had put a lot of effort into this orphanage, and her feelings for her were different.
“I came here with my husband in the 1950s. He was a soldier and later sacrificed his life. I have stayed here ever since. The children here are like my own children. With them around, I feel like I still have a home, and I also want to give the children a home.”
They were just unlucky, born into the wrong family, but what did they do wrong? Many children have memories; they once had a home, only to be abandoned. These children suffer even more than those who never had anything at all, those who once possessed something and then lost it—that's even more painful.
We have over 500 children here, making it the largest orphanage in the province. Many places lack the conditions to run an orphanage, so they are all sent here. Most of them are healthy children and can take care of themselves, while some were born unhealthy and were abandoned.
When Director Zhang talked about the orphanage, her eyes lit up; she truly considered it her home.
Yu Yin hadn't expected there to be so many children at the orphanage. She'd seen quite a few beds during her visit, but hadn't anticipated this many. Perhaps the younger children were sleeping together in groups.
"Dean Zhang, we brought some fabric and cotton with us, thinking of making some bedding and clothes for the children. Could you provide us with a rough size range for the clothes?"
"Sure, but how will you do it?" Dean Zhang hadn't expected Yu Yin and the others to think of making clothes for the children; he had assumed it was just a matter of donating some money.
“Ah Xiang found some housewives with free time, and they helped with the work. We paid them accordingly.”
“Comrade Yu, I know the factory manager of the garment factory. He is a veteran and often helps our orphanage. We can have the clothes made by them; it will save us trouble and also save some processing fees.” Director Zhang also wanted to save Yu Yin some money.
"That's great. In that case, we'll have them make the bedding and the clothes make the garments. That way, it'll be faster." Yu Yin wasn't thinking about saving on processing fees; she just felt that the sooner the clothes were made, the sooner the child could wear them.
Dean Zhang said she would contact the garment factory, and production should begin tomorrow. Their garment factory isn't doing very well right now, and they don't have much work.
Yu Yin and the others felt that they had discussed the matter thoroughly and agreed to come over tomorrow. The supplies would arrive in the afternoon and be delivered directly to the orphanage tomorrow before being distributed to the children.
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