Chapter 143
The driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror and asked cautiously, "Going to the orphanage... Why are you going there? Is this child your son?"
"No. This is my brother." Lu Jiamu seemed not to notice the driver's hostility. He patted the little boy's head and answered patiently, "My brother stayed in an orphanage for a while. We want to get his file now."
The driver still had some doubts and glanced at Yu Leng: "What about him?"
"My brother too."
"Your two brothers?"
Yu Leng glanced at Lu Jiamu. Although he didn't ask questions like "Who is your brother?", because they were too close, Yu Leng could already feel the inexplicable strong hostility in the driver's heart, which made him upset and he just wanted to open the door and get out of the car quickly.
"No one can leave!" The driver grabbed the door first and said, "Get out right after you got in. Do you think taking a taxi is a joke?"
Seeing how excited he was, Yu Leng subconsciously wanted to touch the driver's hand to find out what was wrong, but was scolded even more harshly: "What do you want to do?!"
"I didn't mean to do anything." Yu Leng was frightened by the sudden shout and retracted his hand. He could only ask, "No, let's just take a taxi. Why are you checking the household registration with that guy?"
"How can I not ask?" The driver shouted righteously, trying to intimidate the two people in the back seat, looking like he was ready to fight. "With your behavior, no matter what kind of car you take in this area, I will ask you clearly! Now, tell me clearly, who does this child belong to and where did he come from, or I will drive directly to the police station!"
Yu Leng vaguely realized that there might be something wrong with the boy's appearance. But because they had only taken the boy out a few times, and the few times they went out, no one asked any questions, so he never thought about it.
It seems that if I don't explain it clearly today, this person might actually drive the car to the police station. That would be a bit troublesome.
"You are such a kind and enthusiastic person. I like kind and enthusiastic people the most." Lu Jiamu had already seen that the other party was a kind person, and he was obviously not scared by his threat. He praised him first, and then suddenly asked, "Driver, your accent sounds quite good. Are you a local?"
The driver was puzzled, with a look of "Don't think I'm afraid of you" written all over his face: "I've been driving a taxi in this area for more than ten years. Why are you asking this?"
"We just need a local driver. Don't be nervous, this is indeed my brother." Lu Jiamu held the little boy in his arms, "Do you know about immunodeficiency disease?"
The driver nodded, not quite understanding: "I think I've heard of it."
Lu Jiamu began to make up excuses: "My brother has this disease, so he has to dress like this when he goes out, otherwise he will be infected. This is also one of the reasons why he was sent to an orphanage."
Even though he was threatened to go to the police station, he still spoke slowly and calmly without any nervousness, and his explanations were well-reasoned, which really didn't seem like a human trafficker. In addition, although the little boy looked terrified, he didn't resist Lu Jiamu, nor did he mean to ask for help, so the driver was already 50% convinced by what they said.
"This is all on record. If you're worried, you can take us to the public security bureau. This is my brother. We love him so much, how could we abandon him?"
He spoke so calmly that the driver almost believed him completely.
No one spoke, and awkwardness spread throughout the carriage.
Lu Jiamu looked at him and blinked gently.
"Is that so? That's a mistake, a mistake." The driver finally reacted and laughed awkwardly, loosening his grip on the door handle. "The main thing is that you two men are bringing a child, and there's no woman with you, and you're going to an orphanage. I need to ask for clarification."
Lu Jiamu smiled gently and harmlessly, "It's okay. Because my brother and I are so far apart in age, people often have misunderstandings. Asking a few more questions is also a manifestation of responsibility. You are such a good person."
Hearing that he was still trying to save face, the driver felt even more embarrassed and asked hesitantly, "It must be hard for you to take care of this child, right? Don't your parents care?"
Lu Jiamu said slowly, "My parents passed away early. Although life is not easy now, it is better than before. We are raising my younger brother together, and we always think of him first when we have something good to eat and drink."
The driver was very moved.
Compared to Yu Leng, who seemed a little irritable at first glance, Lu Jiamu was gentle and humble, and he really had the demeanor of a big brother in the family. The driver had a great liking for him and sincerely respected him.
"I've been driving a taxi for so many years, and I've often heard of brothers turning against each other and shirking their responsibility for raising their children. But it's rare to see brothers like you, whose parents have already passed away and who are still trying to help their disabled siblings. It's a truly respectable character." The driver sighed, stroking his big bald head with emotion, and his whole face became amiable. "People say that an elder brother is like a father. It must not be easy for you to be the eldest brother."
Lu Jiamu smiled and nodded as a sign of agreement.
Although he became a younger brother one moment and an elder brother who was like a father the next, Yu Leng always felt that Lu Jiamu was deliberately taking advantage of him, but such verbal things were not enough to make Yu Leng care too much.
He just reminded the driver: "Since this was all a misunderstanding, let's get going quickly."
"I'm sorry to have delayed you three." The driver immediately sat up straight and started the car again. "How about I give you a free ride this time without using the watch? Just consider it as an apology for the misunderstanding just now."
"You can pay by the meter. We don't mind this little money." Lu Jiamu waved his hand. "But we may have to go to many remote places today, and both of us have some inconvenience in moving. If we encounter any emergencies, I hope you can take care of us."
When the two people hailed a taxi at the station, the driver had already noticed that they seemed to have suffered some injuries, and gauze and plaster could be seen. This was the main reason why he dared to confront the two people directly.
You may not be able to defeat two people at once, but would you still be afraid if you fight two half-crippled ones?
"Are there any heavy items?" After hearing what Lu Jiamu said, the driver didn't hesitate and turned on the meter. "Don't worry. I will definitely take care of you for such a big deal. I'll be waiting by the side when you get off the car. If you need me, just call me. I'll be your private driver today."
After expressing his opinion, he realized that because he felt that these two people were not good people, he only paid attention to the three words "orphanage" and did not hear clearly which orphanage it was.
The driver asked a little embarrassedly: "Which orphanage did you mention just now?"
Lu Jiamu repeated: "Orphanage No. 32."
The driver tapped his hands on the steering wheel, raised his head slightly as if thinking carefully, and then muttered: "I have been driving a taxi in this area for more than ten years. Although I can't say that I am familiar with every corner, I have been to almost all the streets and alleys. It's better than knowing the way with those crappy maps."
As he spoke, he opened the map and after searching carefully for a while, he confidently said, "There are several orphanages nearby. I roughly know where they are. But they have nothing to do with No. 32. Are you sure it's in this area? It's expensive to rent across the district."
"Sure."
The driver turned around and looked at them. “And young men, even an orphanage should have a proper name. What is the full name of the place you are going to?”
Lu Jiamu showed a bit of embarrassment: "For some reasons, we only know that the welfare home that took in my brother was No. 32 Welfare Home, but we don't know his full name."
The driver took a look at the timid little boy and guessed that the little boy might have returned to his brothers, but he was too young to remember where he was before.
These must have been some unpleasant memories, and the driver kept quiet and didn't ask any further questions.
"I've noticed that South City has been developing very fast in recent years. The infrastructure in some well-located places has been upgraded several times. The orphanage where my brother worked at the time may have been demolished or destroyed for some reason. So we really want to find some locals to find out more about the situation." Lu Jiamu added meaningfully, "Anything that may be related to the old welfare home, gossip, scandals, or even urban legends, may be helpful to us."
Seeing that they had finally come to the topic of urban legends, Yu Leng secretly became more energetic: "You have been driving a taxi for so many years, and you meet different people every day. Has anyone told you any unusual stories? Even a little bit will do."
The driver thought that the two people were just eager to investigate and were unwilling to give up even the slightest clue that might be useful, so he did not doubt their questions.
But he thought carefully for a long time and still couldn't think of anything: "Before you got in my car today, I seemed to have rarely heard anyone mention the welfare home. The welfare home in this area usually seems to have no sense of existence. If I hadn't passed by occasionally, I wouldn't have known about it. It may also be because people who want to go to the welfare home don't like to take a taxi."
The two people in the back seat looked at each other, and they had a tacit understanding, so no one forced the question further.
The driver seemed to be a talkative and straightforward person. If he had heard any legend, even if he thought it was too far-fetched and would not speak it out directly, he would at least express it.
Now he said that the welfare house in this area has a low presence, which may be true. He said that he has not heard any gossip or rumors, which may be that the strange news about the welfare house has been covered up by some means and no information has been circulated.
This urban area is so prosperous and crowded that trying to find out a little bit about the old times is obviously like looking for a needle in a haystack and a waste of time.
But this was also within their expectations.
Lu Jiamu said: "Master, let's find a welfare home nearby. We want to ask their staff."
The driver said "OK" and started the car.
Lu Jiamu looked down at the little boy and didn't continue talking to him.
Yu Leng climbed up to the car window and looked out for a while, then suddenly said immaturely: "Master, this is boring. Tell us some stories. My brother loves to listen to stories the most."
"Story? What story?"
Yu Leng looked at the little boy: "Brother, what story do you want to hear?"
The little boy was already very nervous because he was being held in arms. Now he was suddenly asked for his opinion and he became so nervous that he started to tremble.
But he was not stupid. On the contrary, he was very sharp-minded and understood Yu Leng's intention: "I want to hear... I want to hear... a ghost story?"
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