Chapter 85's aftermath: She survived.
Bao'er's story spread far and wide due to its smooth plot, renowned author, and powerful emotional impact, among other reasons. Yao Xiaoyu believed that publishing the article had fulfilled her mission, and the rest was none of her concern. Yet, she inexplicably found herself busy. Later, Yao Xiaoyu recalled that it all stemmed from a single thought—
Will Shanghai orphanages enrich their staff while mistreating the children?
Yao Xiaoyu wasn't one to dawdle. After confirming that they didn't mind visiting the place, she grabbed a stack of silver dollars and rushed over with Tao Xiaoxiao in her pocket.
Orphanage.
The child, who couldn't get a table and could only do handicrafts on the wall, gave Yao Xiaoyu and Tao Xiaoxiao the cutest smile, hoping that the two kind ladies would give him more money later.
"This is where the children sleep. The blankets are stuffed with cotton, not straw or cattail fluff."
Jiang Mo enthusiastically introduced the orphanage to the two young ladies: they said that as long as they were sure the orphanage was genuinely concerned for the children, they would donate ten silver dollars.
That's ten silver dollars, enough to buy nearly three dan (a unit of weight) of the finest rice. If you exchange it for aged rice, sweet potatoes, or cornmeal, the quantity would multiply dramatically!
Although the orphanage is currently in good financial condition, the number of wealthy people in Shanghai is limited, the stories will be forgotten, and funding will gradually decrease, so they need to plan ahead.
Is there no dignity in cooperating with a tour?
Shanghai has plenty of people, and once the two girls announced their demands, countless people wanted to earn those ten silver dollars!
"This is the kitchen. The child eats two meals a day, and I make a pot of egg drop soup with five eggs once a week!"
Looking at the proud expression on Jiang Mo's face, Yao Xiaoyu felt a tightness in her chest, even though she knew that the conditions were already very good. Tao Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, showed some envy. Eggs in her family were only eaten on birthdays. Her brothers and sisters would have them boiled whole, while hers would be made into egg drop soup for the whole family to eat.
If she had known there were places like this that take in children, she would have come here when she was a child.
After a quick look around the orphanage, Yao Xiaoyu was finally convinced that it wasn't a corrupt place, so she took out the silver dollars with peace of mind. The ten silver dollars wrapped in newspaper were just a small portion. Thinking of the sweet potatoes she had seen in the kitchen, Yao Xiaoyu sighed and took out three more and put them on the table.
"These are for buying eggs; I make five eggs for egg drop soup every day."
Yao Xiaoyu held up three silver dollars, indicating that these funds should be used for a specific purpose. One silver dollar could buy more than 150 eggs, and if five were used a day, they could last for more than 90 days. Yao Xiaoyu did not expect the orphanage to accept the treatment of one egg per person per day, but a bowl of hot egg drop soup in winter would at least help nourish the body.
"I'll come again, if there's no egg drop soup..."
Yao Xiaoyu gave a meaningful smile. Jiang Mo shuddered. Her original plan to use silver dollars to buy more affordable grain vanished instantly, but she still stubbornly decided to scrape some scraps out. With the New Year approaching and prices rising, it was normal for one silver dollar to only buy 150 eggs. The copper coins she could scrape out from three silver dollars could buy several kilograms of flour.
Yao Xiaoyu knew that Jiang Mo couldn't possibly be completely scheming, but she could manage to save as much money as possible on the surface. This vice dean truly treated the children like his own, and the saved silver dollars would ultimately end up in the children's mouths anyway.
After confirming that there were no problems with the Shanghai orphanage, Yao Xiaoyu hadn't even had a few days of leisure when she heard that someone wanted to save money and gain fame by distributing porridge with moldy rice. Yao Xiaoyu felt that this matter had nothing to do with her, but her body wouldn't listen and she went to find Tao Jingu.
After all, we've already visited the orphanage, so there's nothing wrong with doing something for the children.
Bad news: It's true that moldy rice was used to make porridge.
Good news: This hasn't spread yet; there's only one company doing this, so it's not too late to stop it.
Yao Xiaoyu didn't use any fancy solutions. She first had Tao Jingu spread the word about the moldy rice porridge, using this family's porridge distribution point as the center, emphasizing that it might cause serious problems for the elderly, children, and the weak. Then she found a reporter from a tabloid with the strongest reach and used zongzi candy to get a child on the street to hand her a piece of paper with the moldy rice incident written on it in her left hand.
Regular newspapers might need blank space for publication, but tabloids prioritize timeliness. Whether it's true or not doesn't matter, as long as it's fast. With all of Shanghai concerned about Bao'er's situation and wanting to show their kindness, Mei Mi was a natural hot topic.
The paper was handed over at dusk, and the newspaper was published at dawn. Mei Mi's reputation plummeted, and her watchful competitors seized the opportunity to take over her business, including the porridge distribution—they got all the big benefits, but were still willing to squeeze out a few scraps of meat from between their teeth to fool people.
The outcome of the moldy rice incident can be seen as a warning to others. The families who had some ulterior motives for distributing porridge also became honest. Yao Xiaoyu originally thought she could have a peaceful winter, but then she heard that a rich person wanted to build a private orphanage!
Private orphanage!
Taking bribes and deducting money were no big deal anymore. Almost instantly, the White Educational Assistance Network, Little St. James Island, and that hellish joke about "the priest letting the devil out of the boy, and the devil saying that was my line" flashed through Yao Xiaoyu's mind, and her head was spinning.
Orphanages are currently receiving a lot of attention, so they may remain relatively quiet for a while, but what will happen when no one pays attention anymore?
Yao Xiaoyu tried to stop it, but the tabloids were no use. She wanted to find out if there were any relevant laws, and then she remembered that money could make the devil turn the millstone. She tried to explain the terrible situation that might occur in the future, but she was accused of being shameless for doing good deeds. She pulled out countless hairs at home, and finally came up with a way that did not involve laws.
One week later.
The writer recommended by Ms. Qiu, "Human Social Observer," published her article "A Brief Discussion of Concerns about Private Orphanages." In the article, she used storytelling to list a series of serious consequences, including but not limited to substandard products, embezzlement, bribery, and money laundering. The article was highly readable and took advantage of the hot topic of orphanages, so it spread throughout Shanghai.
After some time, the newspaper announced that the wealthy people had decided to unite and establish a large orphanage, and that Master Lin would be in charge of the orphanage. Yao Xiaoyu's heart, which had just settled down after seeing the news of the joint orphanage, immediately jumped again.
Yes, Yao Xiaoyu's goal was to get them to run an orphanage together—taking in homeless children was a growing trend, but small orphanages were all family members, so it was hard for news to get out if something happened; large orphanages, although they would be more complex and intertwined, were ultimately more beneficial than harmful than a one-person orphanage.
But who exactly is this Master Lin?
Yao Xiaoyu, who didn't care much about the so-called high society, made some inquiries and became even more anxious—Master Lin's real name was Lin Luoyu, and he had arrived in Shanghai a year ago, famous for his accurate predictions.
In layman's terms, he's a fortune teller.
Yao Xiaoyu wasn't against traditional culture, but the orphanage director made her decide... Yao Xiaoyu agonized over her decision for a long time until the person Lin Luoyu had chosen started working. She secretly inquired about him and discovered that his abilities and character seemed alright?!
Was it really just a lucky accident?
Yao Xiaoyu didn't know if this master was a coincidence or truly capable, but at least she had spared her hair and was in the mood to enjoy the mutton head meat she had been craving since last year.
This mutton head meat is only sold after the beginning of winter and before the beginning of spring, and only at night. Around eight or nine o'clock, when people are getting their faces shaved with razors, the shouts of people carrying bamboo baskets can be heard far and wide. Although it is called mutton head meat, mutton shank and mutton tendon are also sold.
The customer would tell the vendor what part of the mutton head they wanted, and the vendor would use a gleaming knife to slice the meat as thin as paper. Then, he would sprinkle it with peppercorns and fine salt from a cow horn. Yao Xiaoyu was lucky; after a few tries, she came across crispy sheep ears, sheep eyes with a runny yolk, and even sheep tendons with ice crystals. They were chewy, crisp, and refreshing, perfect for a late-night snack.
...
The impact of Bao'er's story lasted until spring arrived and the flowers bloomed. This past winter was no warmer than before, but many more people survived in Shanghai.
"Kind lady, please give me anything you like, whether it's food, clothing, or other necessities."
Yao Xiaoyu, who had broken off a willow branch with newly sprouted leaves, looked at the entangled child for a while and took out a silver coin.
"A short jacket, plus a small wooden box for selling cigarettes, worth about one silver dollar, and cigarettes could be bought on credit from the owner."
The child hesitated for a moment, then took the silver coin and ran away. Yao Xiaoyu watched her back, wondering if her empty words would have any effect, but saying a few more words was better than doing nothing.
"Why are you being so generous today?"
Tao Xiaoxiao asked with some curiosity, Yao Xiaoyu often acted as the rich man for the rickshaw pullers, but she rarely gave even copper coins to the homeless children. She would usually buy steamed buns and flatbreads from nearby stalls and watch them eat them herself. Her reason was quite good - who knows if these children have someone behind them!
This "someone" doesn't refer to having connections or influence, but rather that the begging child is being controlled by someone.
Some novels or TV series have plots like this: the protagonist gives money or food to a disabled/non-disabled beggar/animal that behaves strangely, but discovers something is wrong through some small actions/strange eyes, and then exposes a gang that artificially creates disabilities to make money/controls beggars to make money/harvests and mutilates animals.
Sometimes, to flesh out the characters, the protagonist is made to walk a few steps and then realize something is wrong. He quietly turns back to check and finds that the steamed bun/money he just gave away has been snatched from the beggar's hand and stuffed into his mouth/pocket. Some beggars even curse and physically assault the beggar.
These are just scenes from movies or novels in modern times, but they were all real at that time.
Yao Xiaoyu didn't want what she gave away to end up in the hands of such people, so she was used to buying food for those who begged, and making sure they ate it on the spot; she even avoided buying expensive food.
She had witnessed firsthand the scene of a wealthy businessman vomiting on the ground after drinking too much, followed by beggars rushing over to clean it up. Those behind the scenes had no interest in ruminating on coarse grain buns, but they might be willing to eat something different. Even if they couldn't eat it, they would beat up someone they controlled because they were unhappy to see that person was eating something they had never tasted before...
Such acts of giving silver dollars are so rare that you can count them on your fingers.
I saw that child last year.
Yao Xiaoyu said in a good mood that although the child looked thinner and dirtier than before the New Year, the scars on his hands were exactly the same.
She survived.
"So this is the lucky winner you picked for the New Year?"
Tao Xiaoxiao suddenly realized that Yao Xiaoyu used to call the coachman who gave her a silver dollar a lucky coachman. She got used to it and immediately connected the two sides—Yao Xiaoyu was always generous, so it was normal for her to throw money at a familiar face.
Yao Xiaoyu didn't reveal her complicated thoughts, but tacitly agreed with Tao Xiaoxiao's guess. She took everyone to eat braised chicken feet and wings. The waiter had an excellent memory and remembered Yao Xiaoyu's generosity. He even recommended their restaurant's lamb trotters. Yao Xiaoyu naturally agreed. Although it wasn't winter, a time for nourishing the body, if it was just about the taste, braised lamb trotters was a top-notch dish.
The method of making chicken and duck wings and feet stew is not difficult. The wings and feet of chicken and duck are fried until golden brown, and then simmered in broth in a clay pot until tender. Because it is a signature dish, the kitchen always keeps a large portion. When a customer orders it, a bowlful is scooped out and placed on an alcohol stove to be eaten slowly like a dry pot. After the chicken and duck feet and wings are finished, the remaining broth is excellent for cooking noodles, stewing tofu, and stir-frying.
The method for making braised lamb trotters is similar, but because they contain more collagen, they have a richer texture and feel more nourishing, and they don't have any gamey smell at all.
The stir-fried vegetables were a plate of small white mushrooms. Yao Xiaoyu could tell at a glance that they were extremely fresh—the small ones had caps no bigger than soybeans, and the largest ones were no bigger than her fingernail. They looked like they had been out working since they were less than a month old, and each bite was a burst of freshness.
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Author's Note: Lin Luoyu appeared in Chapter Six, "Borrowing a Pen." She possesses genuine skills, acting as a small but effective tool for selecting suitable individuals (in the context of that society, not for Xiaoyu). For instance, the orphanage director she selected wasn't a purely good person, but she had principles and could secure donations and various resources for the orphanage, ensuring the children weren't used as commodities. (If you feel Lin Luoyu's appearance is inappropriate, please comment and I will remove this section.)
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