Chapter 355: The Orphanage’s Dilemma The cotton the Qin family gave to the orphanage…
The cotton-padded clothes that Xiao Qin's family sent to the orphanage were "torn" cotton-padded clothes and quilts, which were patched up on the outside. Except for beggars, no one else would necessarily look down on them.
At first, Sun Xiaoguo also thought that what Qin Run sent was a real tattered cotton-padded jacket. He and Li Yun wanted to fold it up and stuff some willow catkins into it so that the children could wear it warmer.
But after they took the cotton-padded jacket out of the sack, they found that it was not as thin and heavy as they had imagined. Moreover, for some reason, the cotton-padded jacket in the sack was fine before it was unpacked. But once they unpacked the white thing inside, the cotton-padded jacket in the sack suddenly expanded like smoke floating in the air.
The cotton-padded jacket in his hand was not heavy, but fluffy and soft. Li Yun found a pair of scissors and cut a small hole in the jacket. When he found that the cotton inside was not the gray-black tight cotton in the torn jacket in his memory, his hands could not help but tremble.
The older children in the orphanage often go out to find work. Previously, a few children worked at the Food City Farm for more than ten days in a row. When they came back, they told the other children about the cotton incident as a story.
Sun Xiaoguo, Li Yun and other "deans" naturally knew about this. Perhaps, the last time Xiaobao and Xu Yunfan brought them meat, they did not know the identity of this father and son. After such a long time, it is impossible for them not to know the legend about Xu Yunfan.
Li Yun's eyes were red. "Brother Xiaoguo, look, this... this is what Young Master Qin is..."
"This is new cotton." Sun Xiaoguo took a look at a dozen eight or nine-month-old children who were huddled under a torn quilt and shivering because they had no choice but to put on all their clothes because they had no warm clothes.
I don’t know if they were dulled by the cold, or if they understood that crying would be of no use, but they were all very well behaved and didn’t cry or make a fuss. However, the more sensible they were, the more Sun Xiaoguo’s heart ached as if it was being cut by a thousand knives.
Not every crying child gets candy.
The temptation of new clothes to children is indeed huge. All the children in the yard gathered in the house, looking at Li Yun with envy as he put on the "worn-out" cotton jacket for Xiao Dangdang.
After a while, Li Yun asked Dangdang, "Dangdang, are you warm?"
"It's warm, Daddy Xiaoguo, it's so warm, you can feel it, it's warm inside your clothes, you don't have to shiver anymore."
Are cotton-padded jackets warm?
Li Yun understood what Xiao Dangdang said, and he and Sun Xiaoguo shared the cotton-padded jacket.
Sun Xiaoguo watched as the children lovingly touched their cotton-padded jackets, each one smiling happily, their cheeks reddened by the cold. A sour feeling welled up in his heart. "Don't tell anyone about these cotton-padded jackets today, okay? If anyone asks, just say they're rags. Remember that?"
The older children immediately understood Sun Xiaoguo's intention, "Daddy Xiaoguo, we understand. Don't worry, we will teach our younger brothers and sisters."
In ancient times, it was rare for people to get pregnant before marriage. Most of the abandoned children were disabled children, and most of these children were boys.
If it is a daughter, some family members may dislike her, but they can give her a bowl of rice a day and sell her when she is thirteen or fourteen years old, and they can pocket a few taels of silver.
Before the late emperor came to the throne, the status of boys in the Dayan Dynasty was very low. After all, boys were not as fertile as girls, and many of them could not give birth to two children. In addition, they were not as strong as boys, and were not as good as girls as girls, and not as good as boys as boys. In an era that emphasized having many children and being blessed, boys were considered lowly. If many families gave birth to boys, their children would basically be drowned.
Later, the late emperor came to the throne and promulgated relevant laws, which improved the status of the brothers. However, the ideas and concepts of the older generation had already been formed, and the younger generation was influenced by them and inevitably felt the same way. The situation did not improve until recent decades.
But this is not the case in every household. For physically disabled boys and girls who cannot find a wife, they will definitely choose a girl's family first.
The ancients believed that only men could carry on the family line, and many people valued boys over girls, so much so that in some areas, there were more men than girls and boys, and in some remote villages, there were many men who could not find wives.
In the belief that there are three types of unfilial behavior, and the worst is to have no descendants, they would spend money to buy a wife to carry on the family line and give birth to many sons. With more sons, there would be more people who could work. With more work to do, why would they worry about going hungry?
Therefore, if you want to marry a wife, you must marry a girl. And for this reason, boys are the ones who are abandoned the most.
In the orphanage, two-thirds of the children were boys. When Li Yun was driven out of her husband's home, she did not have much silver on her, only a little over one hundred taels. It was because of this silver that she dared to take these children home.
Sun Xiaoguo, who was also a boy, couldn't help laughing when he saw the children jumping and dancing, and took the remaining twenty quilts into the room.
This room is very big. It was originally three rooms in the backyard, but the children needed care in the middle of the night, and there were only three adults, so they couldn't run over, so they simply connected the three rooms into one.
Huifang, who was feeding medicine to a few one-and-a-half-year-old boys in the room, saw her two younger brothers coming in with a bunch of things, and couldn't help but be curious, "What did you pick up? There are so many, what are they?"
Huifang is in her early thirties, but looks like she is in her early fifties. She has gray hair on her temples, a weathered face, and eyes full of fatigue, but her voice is gentle, and the corners of her mouth are always raised, making her look very kind.
"Sister Fang, there are quilts and some swaddling clothes for children in here. They are very warm." Sun Xiaoguo said happily.
Li Yun added, "There are also a few cans of something they say is milk powder. Mr. Qin said that this milk powder can be mixed with hot water and fed to babies a few months old. It's very nutritious. If the baby doesn't have breast milk, he can drink this. He also gave us this milk bottle."
"Are these all gifts from Mr. Qin?" Huifang propped herself up and stood up. "This is too much. They're all cotton, very expensive."
Knowing what Huifang was going to say, Sun Xiaoguo quickly said, "Sister Fang, I refused. Mr. Qin is a very good person."
"Just put it away. Tell the children to remember that one should never forget their roots, nor should they forget gratitude." Huifang helped take out the cotton balls on the straw bed, as well as the old quilts whose cotton had melted. "With these, we won't be afraid of freezing to death this winter. It's been really cold this year."
"Yes, it's much colder this year than last year. Sister Fang, is your hand okay?" Li Yun didn't dare to look at Huifang's hand. He couldn't bear it, and he didn't dare.
It is cold in winter, and many families with some means do not want to use cold water, so they will hire laundry women to come to their homes to wash clothes, charging ten cents for each wash. Every year, Huifang looks forward to the weather being a little cooler, but is also afraid that the weather will be too cold.
She has been washing for two months this year. Her hands are red and swollen from the cold, and some parts are cracked and bleeding. The pain is so severe that she sometimes can't even straighten her fingers.
"It's nothing."
"Sister Fang, let me do your work tomorrow. I can do the laundry." Sun Xiaoguo said.
"No." Huifang refused without a second thought. "You two are weaker than me. The children are not feeling well and need help. You should take good care of them at home."
Last year, Sun Xiaoguo and Li Yun also went to wash clothes, and they had a fever when they came back the next day. Huifang didn't dare let them go again. Although Qin Dongjia also sent medicine, Huifang was reluctant to use such precious things.
Sun Xiaoguo nodded, indicating that he understood. He understood that the Qin family could only send them supplies once, and they could not expect them to send them a second time. These medicines had to be used sparingly.
But to their surprise, two months later, a carriage stopped outside the gate, and a child called out in a clear voice, "Excuse me, is anyone there? Is anyone home? Can you open the door for Xiaobao?"
When Da Niu heard the sound, he knew immediately that this was not his younger brother. Whose child came to play here?
It was drizzling outside. Even in April, the weather wasn't particularly warm. Da Niu didn't dare delay and hurried to open the door. He saw three little brothers, resembling porcelain dolls, standing at the door. Each of them was carrying two large bags. A gorgeous carriage was parked not far away. "Who are you? Why are you here? It's raining. Go home!"
Xiaobao looked up and said, "Brother, I'm Xiaobao, and they are my second and third uncles. I came to see my brothers and sisters. Can you let us in? We brought some delicious meat."
Daniu looked at the things they were carrying and didn't dare to make a decision. He swallowed hard and said, "Wait a moment, I'll call my father."
Sun Xiaoguo arrived and immediately recognized Xiaobao. "Young Master, why are you here? Come in quickly. It's raining heavily outside. Be careful not to get wet."
Qin An followed behind Sun Xiaoguo and glanced at the group of young men standing in a row under the eaves after hearing the noise. He was in a good mood and said, "Uncle Li, I brought my brother and Xiaobao here to play. This is the meat we packed for the banquet this morning. Please don't be disgusted, it's all clean."
It's packaged meat again.
In fact, when Sun Xiaoguo saw the meat wrapped in the white bag in Xiaobao's hands, he remembered that a few months ago, a young man brought his son to give them a sack of meat. There was so much meat that really made the children happy for several days.
"Oh, I remember now. Master Xiaobao came here once before, also to deliver meat. He delivered a sack of meat."
Xiaobao nodded, "Yes, uncle, you still remember me. I'm so happy."
Sun Xiaoguo looked at the happy-smiling Xiaobao and sincerely felt that this child was good, polite, and modest. He was nothing like the other young masters he had met before, who did not treat him as a human being.
"I remember that Master Xiaobao is very cute, and your father is also very good, a rare handsome man."
"Brother Xiaoguo, who's here?" Li Yun came out of the house holding a child. He was stunned when he saw Xiaobao and the other two. "Who are they?"
Sun Xiaoguo introduced the meat to Li Yun, and then took the meat from Xiaobao and sent it to the kitchen. The meat in Qin An and Qin Mu's hands was also taken away soon.
Xiaobao and the others were led around the orphanage by their brothers. Qin Mu frowned and said, "Second brother, Xiaobao, many rooms here are leaking. Even the sleeping rooms are leaking. This can't go on. It's only drizzling today. If it rains heavily, we won't be able to sleep here."
"Yes, then what should we do?" Qin An asked without hesitation.
Da Niu is the oldest child in the orphanage. Because he has been weak since childhood, Huifang hopes that he will have a strong body when he grows up, so she named him Da Niu.
He was also holding a few months old child in his arms and followed Qin An. "There's nothing we can do. It's too high up. Mom and the two dads made a ladder to get up there, but the wooden planks are rotten and they don't know how to fix it."
Huifang and Sun Xiaoguo were afraid of heights, and their legs were shaking like sieves when they stepped onto the ladder, let alone going up to repair it.
Xiaobao: "There is a way. Just let dad come. Dad can fix it. Dad is the best at this. Brother Danniu, don't disbelieve me, our house was decorated by my dad. It's so beautiful."
In the kitchen, Sun Xiaoguo and Li Yun divided the work together, one cooked and washed vegetables, and the other cut meat and cooked, trying to make a rich meal to entertain Xiaobao and the other two young masters. They used the meat sent by Xiaobao to entertain them, which was already the best dish they could serve to entertain guests.
"Master Xiaobao, Master An, Master Mu, children, it's time to eat." Sun Xiaoguo prepared a table full of dishes, which were even richer than what they ate during the Chinese New Year.
Sun Xiaoguo and his friends were so enthusiastic that they insisted on keeping them to eat before leaving. Qin An couldn't refuse and had to stay with his little treasure Qin Mu. At this moment, the children from the orphanage were standing in a row, smelling the aroma of meat wafting from the table, secretly swallowing their saliva. They were obviously very greedy, but no one asked to eat it right away.
Even when they were standing aside with a pair of chopsticks and a bowl of rice in their hands, no one started eating. Instead, they waited for Sun Xiaoguo and the other two adults to invite Xiaobao and the others to eat. Only after they had started eating did the children start picking up the food.
There were too many children in the orphanage, so sitting down to eat was impossible. The few stools available were given to children with limited mobility. Sun Xiaoguo asked Xiaobao and the others to sit at the table so they could eat more easily. Xiaobao shook his head and said, "No need to sit. Leave the stools for my brothers. I can eat standing up. Uncle, your fried meat smells so good."
"Yes, it's just like what my eldest brother cooked, it's delicious." Qin Mu took a bite of the meat and said, "It's really inconvenient to not have a stool to sit on. I'll ask my father to bring you a stool tomorrow!"
"Master Mu, no need for that. It's too expensive. We can't do that." Li Yun was shocked. Although the Qin family was rich, they had no obligation to do that. They accepted the things but couldn't do anything for others, and they always felt bad.
In response, Qin Mu just waved his hand and said, "It's just a few tables and chairs. My father can afford it. With stools, my brothers can have stools to sit on."
Qin An thought, even if his father didn't give him any money, he still had plenty of money.
Fu Qingxu loved his little brother very much. He would not give Qin Mu rain even if he asked for wind. He heard that Qin Run only gave two cents to each of Qin Mu's three children every day. Fu Qingxu felt distressed. He didn't know how much silver he gave to Qin An and Qin Mu in private. Every time, Fu Qingxu told them not to tell others and to use it secretly. The two of them took it obediently. As a result, the money was in Qin Run's hands in the evening.
…
Today was Xu Yunfan's day off. Early in the morning, before he could even sleep in, Xiaobao woke him up. "Dad, get up! Hurry up and get up! If you don't get up, Xiaobao will fart and hit you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a rustling sound, and then something came onto the bed.
Xu Yunfan opened his eyes with a start and saw two white fleshy buttocks covering his face. He woke up instantly and slapped Xiaobao on the buttocks, "Are you trying to rebel?"
"Hehe...if daddy doesn't get up, then let daddy smell Xiaobao's stinky butt."
Xu Yunfan: "Are you itching for trouble? Get out of here! Did you wash your butt last night? Did you wipe it clean after going to the toilet? You're so smelly, yet you sit on your daddy's handsome face? How can your daddy kiss you when it smells like shit?"
"It doesn't stink. Daddy Qin washed my butt last night and even rubbed it with soap. It smells nice. If you don't believe me, try it."
"I'm smelling your head." Xu Yunfan sat up, pushed Xiaobao down, and scratched the itchy spot on his waist.
After the father and son played for a while, Xu Yunfan let go and let Xiaobao, who was almost laughing several times, rest. "Tell me, what are you doing so early in the morning? You'd better have something to do. Otherwise, your father is finally looking forward to sleeping in today, and you'll ruin it. You probably don't want to know the consequences."
"Father, can you please help Xiaobao? The orphanage has so many leaks. Father is so capable, can you also help Brother Da Niu and the others fix their house?"
"Didn't the imperial court send people to repair it before?"
"Really? Then why is the house still leaking?"
Xu Yunfan gritted his teeth and said, "Why else? These people are cutting corners. That's all right. Wait until your father goes to court the day after tomorrow, and I'll see if he doesn't skin them alive."
"That's good, Dad. It's not good for them to do this. I went to check yesterday. The house is wet because of the leak. It's not good. Dad, this can't wait. Can you go and help your brothers and sisters fix the house? Okay, Xiaobao loves Dad the most."
In order to prove that he was not hypocritical, Xiaobao kissed Xu Yunfan twice and did not mind that he had not washed his face yet. This was definitely true love.
Xu Yunfan wiped the saliva from his face: "...You really know how to make things difficult for your father."
Having said that, Xu Yunfan still called a few brothers to go to the orphanage together.
In the past, Xie Baizhou and his friends were all masters of doing housework. But since they met Xu Yunfan, the four of them have done more work than in the previous ten years combined.
Today, Xu Yunfan went even further. Instead of showing up at the door, he just sent someone over to inform them that there was work to do and asked them to come over quickly.
It's such a hot day, and they are asked to work?
The four of them were both angry and amused. When there was trouble, the brothers would help each other, and when there was nothing to do, Xu Yunfan stabbed his brothers in the back. He did it without any hesitation.
But what can they do? The other person has decided their future happiness. If Xu Yunfan praises them in front of the sisters, it will be more useful than them coming to him to show their presence.
I'm trying my best to find a wife to marry me in the future.
Shen Ruxi went back to his room and changed into some tight clothes that would be convenient for him to work with. After thinking for a while, he asked the housekeeper to get him a hammer. Seeing this, Shen's mother's eyelids jumped, "Ruxi, what are you going to do? Miss Lin and her mother will be here soon."
"Let them come, what does it have to do with me? Do I need to receive the female relatives?" Shen Ruxi pretended to be confused.
"You little brat, don't you understand what your mother means?"
Grandma Shen coaxed, "Ruxi, listen to your mother. Be good. You're twenty now, and it's time to think about the important things in life. Don't go out to play today, okay? The girl came here because she knows our intentions. If you're not here, what will she think? Even if it doesn't work out, the Lin family's family background is not as good as our Shen family, but she is a girl, you have to give her some face, okay?"
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