Some children were reluctant to eat the cakes they had received immediately, and hid them in their pockets carefully, wanting to save them for later.
But when I saw how happy other people were, I couldn't help swallowing.
When Ah Man saw this scene, she couldn't help but think of herself who didn't have enough to eat in the past. Fortunately, she is a girl now, and not only can she eat enough every day, but she can also eat well!
Zhu Ming felt sad, as if he saw his childhood self.
The sight of the children eating the cakes with their bright smiles on their faces made him feel even more sad. At this moment, he seemed to understand why Miss Zhao set up a foundation to do charity.
When Manager Yan learned that someone was distributing cakes to children outside, he suspected that someone was deliberately using cakes to lure the children, so he hurried out. What he saw was the scene of children chatting and laughing around Xue Huan.
He walked over, and the children stood in line and greeted him, "Uncle Yan."
Manager Yan nodded and his eyes fell on Xue Huan and the other two. He quickly determined that Xue Huan was the one in charge among the three, because from their posture and position, it could be seen that Ah Man and Zhu Ming respected her.
He stepped forward and bowed to Xue Huan, "May I know your name, young lady?"
"My last name is Zhao."
"Miss Zhao, what are you doing?" His eyes fell on the pastries in the children's hands.
Xue Huan said, "Why don't we go inside and talk?"
Steward Yan looked apologetic and gestured to them, "Come in."
In the yard, there were girls drying clothes, boys feeding chickens, and several children stringing beads. It was a busy scene.
Manager Yan wiped his hands on his trouser legs, feeling a little embarrassed. "Excuse me for calling Miss Zhao, it's a bit messy here."
Xue Huan shook her head to indicate that she didn't mind.
She walked over to a group of children doing handicrafts and stopped to watch. The children felt a little awkward under her gaze, but their hands were still nimble, and they strung beads quickly and steadily.
"What are you doing?" she asked softly.
An older girl replied, "Sister, we are stringing beads. We can exchange them for money when we are done."
"Oh? How much can one string be exchanged for?"
Girl: "One penny per string."
"I think this string of beads is very exquisite, why is it only worth one penny?"
The girl looked at Manager Yan, obviously not knowing how to answer.
Manager Yan said, "Miss Zhao, I took over this bead stringing job from someone else. The beads belong to someone else, so we are just earning a fee for our hard work."
Xue Huan: "But I think their craftsmanship is worth more than this."
She picked up a pre-strung rabbit-shaped beaded hairpin. "These beads, silk thread, and other materials are all very common. The cost would never be more than 5 wen, but a string like this can be sold for dozens of wen. It can be said that their craftsmanship is far more valuable than the beads themselves."
Manager Yan was shocked.
The girls who were stringing beads couldn't help but look at her, their eyes shy and bright.
This was the first time they had received such direct praise.
Xue Huan put down the pearl hairpin and said, "Manager Yan, could you please show me around?"
Manager Yan hesitated for a moment and nodded.
Although we don't know the purpose of Miss Zhao coming here, but from her words and actions, we can tell that she is not here for fun. She may want to adopt a child?
Even if it is not, the Huiyou Bureau is not a private place. As long as you are not here to cause trouble, you can come.
After following Manager Yan around, Xue Huan had a more detailed understanding of the situation at the Huiyou Bureau.
The Huiyou Bureau is obviously not having an easy time. The vacant land has been converted into vegetable fields by Manager Yan, and they also raise some livestock such as chickens, ducks and geese, so they are considered self-sufficient.
Most of the children in the bureau are girls, and most of the boys have some kind of physical defects.
This makes sense. Even in later generations, the idea of favoring sons over daughters still exists, and is even deeply rooted in the minds of some people. In this era where continuing the family line is more important than anything else, the preference for sons over daughters must be even more serious.
Many families cannot afford to raise children, so when girls are born, the better ones are abandoned on the roadside by their parents, while the unfortunate ones are drowned.
Boys can be abandoned, except for a few cases where they are accidentally lost or have no one to take care of them, most of the time it is because they have physical disabilities and their families have no money for their medical treatment.
Although Fengchi County appears to be prosperous on the surface, in fact, the vast majority of families are just ordinary people who are barely struggling to make ends meet.
This can be seen from the government-run Children's Welfare Bureau.
This is the case when they receive government funding every month. As for the other two privately-run schools, I don’t know what the situation is like.
Xue Huan feels that her charity work has a long way to go.
Finally, the group arrived in the hall.
Steward Yan asked, "Miss Zhao, are you here to adopt a child?"
Judging from the way Miss Zhao was close to those children just now, she obviously likes children. Judging from her age, she may not have given birth for several years after marrying into her husband's family. Therefore, Manager Yan made such a guess.
As soon as Manager Yan said this, the group of children in the yard couldn't help but prick up their ears.
Xue Huan shook her head.
Seeing this, the eyes of those children who had been full of hope dimmed for a moment, but soon they rekindled their hope.
"No, I came here to donate some supplies to the Children's Welfare Bureau."
Yan Guan was surprised at first, then delighted, "Really?"
Xue Huan: "Of course. Ah Man, Zhu Ming, please bring in the things we brought and distribute them to the children."
A'man and Zhu Ming moved the things from the car and placed them on the stone table in the yard. If there was no room on the table, they would just put them on the ground. The two of them divided the work and distributed food, toys, etc. to the children one by one.
The children were very happy and kept touching the new snacks and toys.
Seeing the children as happy as if it were New Year's Eve, Manager Yan's originally serious expression melted. He stood up from his chair and bowed deeply to Xue Huan. "On behalf of the children, I, Yan, would like to thank Miss Zhao."
The children also came over to thank her sensibly, and some timidly pulled her sleeves and gave her their treasured treasures.
There were smooth, round pebbles, cicada shells, and so on. They were not valuable things, but they were the children's thoughtfulness. Xue Huan accepted them one by one, thanked them, and put them carefully into her purse.
A'man and Zhu Ming also received sincere gratitude from the children.
Xue Huan touched the children's heads, watched them skipping away, and stood up to continue talking with Manager Yan.
Manager Yan originally thought that the things she had just distributed to the children were the supplies she had mentioned, but it turned out that they were not! Those were just the gifts she brought to visit the children this time!
"Manager Yan, you should have heard of me. I'm Zhao Xiaoxian, the owner of Zhaoji Snack Shop. I recently established a charity foundation that specializes in charity work, such as the donation of supplies to the Qionglin Children's Welfare Bureau.
"I already have a general understanding of the situation at the Welfare and Children's Bureau, but you'll need to draw up a list of what the children need specifically. Here's my business card with the address of the Welfare and Children's Bureau on it. Once you've drawn up the list, just go directly to the foundation. If there are no problems with the list, we'll purchase all the supplies on it and send them to the Welfare and Children's Bureau."
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