From Monday to Wednesday, every morning at 7 o'clock, Lin Chaoxi would go to Zhuanzhu Lane to report on time. In the afternoon, he would go to the park to "play" with Lao Lin for a while, and then return to the welfare home.
She was not eager for quick success, because Lao Lin was too cruel, and she suddenly realized that he had always been a lovely father. Now that they were no longer father and daughter, she could see the truer side of Lao Lin: decadent, irritable, willful, self-exiled...
Lin Chaoxi even thought that her coming to this world this time might be an opportunity from heaven, allowing her to explore the past that Lao Lin had never mentioned to her.
When she went out on Wednesday morning, Mother Lin, who was taking care of them, probably finally realized the problem with her daily going out and returning time, so she specifically told her to come back after finishing her interest class today.
As usual, Lin Chaoxi knocked on Old Lin's door with a "sorry" and the earth-shaking "woof!" of the Chihuahua next door.
She has been "showing filial piety" to Lao Lin for four days, but Lao Lin's attitude towards her has always been: You are so annoying → Can you please get out → Forget it, I'm scared of you → Please → Get out!
This cycle repeated itself over and over again, and Lin Chaoxi always knew when to stop.
For so many days, Lao Lin would make breakfast every day, and after eating, she was thrown out of the house by Lao Lin, who was so angry that he died. So the saying "hard on the outside but soft on the inside" actually refers to Lao Lin himself.
Although Lao Lin cooks every day, he is still not very interested in cooking and has a long way to go to become his father. Therefore, the only thing that makes Lin Chaoxi feel a little excited is that after the interest class on Wednesday afternoon, the teacher announced the list of participants in the Jinbei Summer Camp Competition. According to the total score of the in-class test, she ranked third and Lu Zhihao ranked seventh. This Saturday, they can go to the experimental primary school next door to participate in the summer camp selection test.
Before returning to the welfare home, Lin Chaoxi was quite happy, thinking that the director's mother would be very happy to know about this. But when she really arrived at the welfare home, she realized that Lin's mother asked her to go home early, fearing that there was something else going on.
In the welfare home parking lot, a black Buick stood out in the sun.
The parking lot in the courtyard is small and the alley is narrow, so few people drive to work. So whenever the children see an unfamiliar vehicle from the outside, they probably know that it is the adoptive parents who have arrived.
Dean's Office.
Lin Chaoxi was called upstairs as soon as she came back. She stood at the door. Before she went upstairs, she heard that it was Lin Aimin's adoptive parents who came, but she didn't think much about it.
She knocked on the door three times politely, and only pushed it open when she heard the director's mother say "Come in" from inside.
A middle-aged couple was sitting on the wooden sofa in the office.
Both men and women were in their forties, dressed in formal attire, and looked very well-mannered, especially the lady, who wore a black long dress with a diamond necklace. Her outfit should have been a bit cool, but because of her gentle temperament, she was very appealing.
She is looking at the other person, and the other person is also looking at her.
"These two are Professor Zhang, who is going to adopt Lin Aimin, and his wife, Professor Shen."
In fact, the director's mother didn't need to introduce them. When the other party wanted to adopt Lin Aimin, Xiaolin Chaoxi and Xiaolin Aimin had secretly seen this couple. The director's mother was very strict in selecting people. She would rather adopt more children than give them away casually, so this couple must be good in every way.
Lin Chaoxi was very happy and nodded to the couple: "Hello."
"She is Lin Chaoxi." The dean said calmly.
Lin Chaoxi's heart skipped a beat, and the smile remained on his face, as he had a bad feeling.
"The situation is this. Lin Aimin was born with a thumb defect and is a disabled child. After Professor Zhang and Professor Shen adopted him, there was still a vacancy. They heard Lin Aimin mention you and got to know you from all aspects. They liked you very much, so they decided to adopt you."
This passage is extremely clear and uses declarative language, which actually explains the situation to her rather than soliciting her opinion.
For Lin Chaoxi, it was like a bolt from the blue.
She had just found Lao Lin, she hadn't acknowledged him as her father yet, she hadn't figured out what happened to Lao Lin, and Lao Lin was still bothering her. How could she be someone else's daughter?
Lin Chaoxi was confused for a moment. She could only nod her head to show that she understood, but she didn't say anything.
The atmosphere in the office was a little silent.
The gentle Professor Shen spoke up: "If you want, you can come home with us and we can take you and Ai Min out to play."
Lin Chaoxi pursed her lips and said nothing, forcing herself to calm down and think about what to do next.
Professor Shen added, "We heard that you are very smart, so we want to transfer you to the Experimental Primary School so that you can study with Ai Min next year."
"Thank you."
Lin Zhaoxi looked up at Mrs. Shen, bowed stiffly, and then said to the dean's mother, "Can I talk to you alone for a few minutes?"
…
The office door closed again, and Lin Chaoxi looked at the dean sitting behind the desk.
From Xiaolin Chaoxi's memory, she knew that she was in her forties and her surname was Dang. All the earthquake orphans of that era had this surname.
The party director has devoted all her efforts to the children of the Red Star Welfare Home. She hopes that all the children can be happy and is the head of the family here. Being the head of the family means that although she is kind and has a good sense of education, her authority is unquestionable.
Even so, Lin Chaoxi decided to get straight to the point.
"I don't want to go," she said.
"Why?" Dang Aiping asked.
"I think it's great here, there's no need to leave," said Lin Zhaoxi.
"You think this place is good because you haven't been to a better place," Dang Aiping said. "A comfortable living environment and parents who love you are very important."
"Yes."
"You agree, then?"
"disagree."
Dang Aiping said calmly, "I don't agree with your disagreement either."
Looking at the woman's peaceful face, Lin Chaoxi knew very well that her "disagreement" was serious.
She said: "According to national laws, if the adoptee is over 10 years old, the adoption must be approved by the adoptee."
Dang Aiping asked: "Are you sure you want to use national laws to deal with me?"
"I respect you very much." Lin Chaoxi took a deep breath, "But I don't agree. I want to stay here. You can't force me."
"The couple outside the door are the best choice for you."
"There is no best. Matters like family cannot be measured by any external conditions." Lin Chaoxi felt that she was no longer talking like a child, but she could no longer pretend. She had to do her best to convince Dang Aiping.
"You just feel nostalgic for it because you grew up here. When you go there, you will understand my painstaking efforts."
"I'm not a kid anymore!" Lin Chaoxi shouted, and suddenly saw the walls of the office full of awards.
She took a deep breath and asked, "I...want to ask you, why has no one adopted me in all these years?"
Dang Aiping said nothing.
"Because I have a bad temper." Lin Chaoxi did not make things difficult for her and answered himself: "Because I always see adoptive parents with cold faces, and I really don't like them, but there is another more important reason..." Lin Chaoxi stopped, looked into her eyes and said, "Because no one wants girls."
"So?" The director's mother's tone did not change at all, "Now someone is willing to adopt you, we should all cherish this opportunity?"
"But there are still so many children in the orphanage who cannot be adopted."
"I'll find a way for the others, just take care of yourself first."
"Dean Mom, every time I go into your office, I see so many of our certificates and trophies. I wonder why you do this. You are probably very proud, or you want to encourage every child who comes in. Actually, you can do it, too. So I wonder, if I can do something amazing, can't I encourage others as well?"
"You are very talented, Chaoxi." The dean said, "In that family, you can get things just by opening your mouth. If you stay in the hospital, you will probably have to work a hundred times harder."
"I would rather put in a hundred times the effort," Lin Chaoxi said. "At least by putting in a hundred times the effort, I can tell many other children like me that even if you grow up in an orphanage, you can still achieve the same results as normal people. You are never worse than others!"
The dean was silent for a long time, but finally, she said, "That's too tiring, you don't need to bear this."
Lin Chaoxi was blocked by this sentence. This sentence was very true, but it also made her very uncomfortable and aggrieved. The matter of the welfare home, the matter of Lao Lin, and the things she had missed, countless emotions piled up in her heart.
But now, she is alone and has no choice but to be braver.
She suddenly raised her head, looked at the dean seriously, and said word by word: "Let's find something. I will prove to you that I don't need to go to a family with a good environment. I can still do it here."
"What do you want to say?"
"Jin Cup Mathematical Olympiad, if I can win the Jin Cup Provincial Team Championship, you will not let me go. In the future, I can also freely choose the family I want to go to. Is that okay?"
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