“Hello?
Jake?”
An elderly woman’s voice came from the other end, sounding quite energetic.
“What made you think of calling me?”
“Director, I want to come back to the orphanage for a visit,” Jake smiled.
“I wonder if you’re free today?”
“I’m free, I’m free!”
The old director’s voice instantly brightened.
“Then I’ll head over now.
It’ll take about an hour or so.”
“Take it easy on the road, don’t rush.”
“Don’t worry.”
Jake smiled and said, “I’ll hang up for now, then, and call you when I arrive.”
“Alright, alright.”
The call disconnected.
Inside the orphanage office.
An elderly woman in her late sixties wearing a navy-blue buttoned jacket put down the phone.
Her hair was completely white, her face crisscrossed with deep wrinkles.
The hint of a smile left over from the phone call was gradually fading away.
The old director stared blankly at the children kicking a rubber ball in the yard for a long time.
Once she snapped back to her senses, she picked up the phone and called the kitchen.
“Hello?”
“Give the kids an extra dish for dinner tonight.
Make some braised pork, steam a fish, and stir-fry a few more greens.”
“Director…” A brief silence came from the other end.
“We’ve already exceeded this month’s food budget.”
“I’ll pay for it.”
“…Alright then.”
The kitchen responded and didn’t ask further questions.
Not long after.
“Director?”
A head poked through the doorway—it was Xiao Zhou, a care worker at the home.
“Did you look for me?”
“Xiao Zhou, go out later and buy a few sets of new clothes,” the old director pulled several banknotes from her drawer.
“The kids barely have any clothes to wear.”
Xiao Zhou froze for a moment.
“Isn’t the home…”
“Just go buy them.”
The old director handed over the cash.
Xiao Zhou didn’t ask any more questions either, taking the money and stepping out.
The old director leaned against her chair and let out a long sigh.
Jake was far too sensible a child.
Every time he came back, he would try to stuff money into her hands.
When she refused to take it, he would secretly hide it in her desk drawer and only text her about it after he left.
If he saw the children wearing worn-out clothes and eating poorly, he would definitely pull out money again.
It was better to hide it from him as long as she could…
Around four in the afternoon.
Jake’s motorcycle came to a stop in front of the orphanage.
This area was part of Haicheng’s old district, surrounded by residential buildings from the 1970s and 80s.
The plaster was peeling off the walls, and power lines crisscrossed overhead like a spiderweb.
The orphanage was an old three-story building with a faded sign hanging on its iron gate.
[Haicheng Social Welfare Home]
He pushed open the iron gate and walked into the yard.
A few small children were chasing each other and playing in the yard.
Seeing him walk in, they all stopped and looked at him timidly.
“Don’t recognize me anymore?”
Jake greeted the children, but received no response.
Looking at the children’s unfamiliar and guarded eyes, he stood where he was, feeling a slight pang in his heart.
He had really come back too infrequently…
“Oh, Jake is here?”
Xiao Zhou walked over holding a mop in her hand.
“The director is inside waiting for you.
Go on in!”
“Alright, Sister Zhou.”
Jake responded and walked into the building.
The office was at the end of the first-floor corridor.
The old director was wearing reading glasses, looking through some documents.
Hearing footsteps, she raised her head, an involuntary smile appearing on her face when she saw who it was.
“You’re here?”
The old director looked Jake up and down, asking with gentle scolding, “Look at you, haven’t you been eating properly?
You’ve gotten thin again.”
“Busy with work, can’t help it.”
Jake walked in with a smile and sat down on the chair opposite the desk.
“Director, how are things at the home lately?
Are the kids doing well?”
“Not bad,” the old director leaned back against her chair.
“The city increased our funding this year, so after the surgeries, the children’s conditions have improved quite a lot.”
This was clearly a good thing, but Jake caught something off about it.
“Funding for surgeries?”
He asked in confusion, “That doesn’t sound right.
Doesn’t the home have a free surgery policy?”
“Ah, that…”
The old director sighed softly.
“That was actually funded by a charitable trust.
But they ran into some trouble recently, so the free surgery sponsorship was canceled.”
The smile on Jake’s face froze.
The reason he was able to get free surgery when he was one year old was precisely thanks to that charitable trust’s consistent sponsorship over the past decade or more.
Now it had actually been stopped?
Seeing his expression turn sour, the old director quickly feigned lightness: “Although we can only pay out of pocket for surgeries now, the city approved more funding, and social donations are much higher than before.”
“Did you see when you came in just now?
The clothes on the children are all newly bought.”
She continued to reassure him, “Rest assured, our home is thriving day by day!”
“I see…”
Jake nodded, forcing another smile onto his face.
“As long as things are going well at the home, I’m relieved.”
Originally, he thought that with money on hand, he could donate a bit when he visited today.
However, the Euro exchange had failed, and he only had a little over ten thousand RMB left on him, which might not even cover his check-up fees in two days.
Since the home still had funding and donations supporting it, he would leave it for next time…
The two chatted for a while longer.
As they talked, mealtime arrived.
“Come on, let me get you some food.”
The old director stood up.
“The kitchen made braised pork today, your favorite when you were little.”
Jake followed her toward the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was at the innermost part of the first floor.
The children gathered around the table, staring eagerly at the dishes, but not a single one picked up their chopsticks.
“What are you all standing around for?
Eat!”
Xiao Zhou brought out the last dish from the kitchen and called out with a smile.
Only then did the children move.
Pairs of small hands clutched chopsticks, reaching into the plates competitively, wolfing down the rice furiously.
Their cheeks were stuffed full, unable to even pause to speak.
Jake watched their excited demeanor, finding it both strange and somewhat funny.
Why did it look as if they hadn’t eaten in ages?
“You eat too, don’t just watch.”
The old director sat beside him, placing a piece of braised pork into his bowl with her chopsticks.
“Okay.”
Jake lowered his head and took a mouthful of rice.
“By the way, Jake,” the old director suddenly said, “you’re twenty-three now, it’s time to consider your personal life.
You don’t look bad and have a good personality, so how come no girl has taken a liking to you?”
As soon as these words came out, several older children at the table secretly raised their heads, covering their mouths and laughing.
“Cough, cough!”
The rice Jake had just shoveled into his mouth almost choked him.
Before he could say anything, a little boy beside him whose mouth was still stuffed with rice chimed in indistinctly: “Big Brother is such a good person, there must be girls who like you!”
“How do you know Big Brother is a good person?” Jake smiled and teased him.
“That’s not true!”
The little boy shook his head vigorously, swallowed his food, and shouted, “Whenever you come, we get good food and new clothes to wear!
How could you not be a good person?”
The atmosphere at the dinner table instantly fell silent.
Xiao Zhou’s hand holding her chopsticks froze in midair, and the smile on the old director’s face vanished.
Her lips moved as if wanting to say something, but in the end, all that came out was a sigh.
Jake stared blankly at the old director.
New clothes, good food…
That was it.
The orphanage needed money in every aspect, and a single surgery cost a fortune.
How could funding and donations alone be enough?
Scrimp and save was unavoidable.
This table of food, these new clothes—it was very likely all paid out of her own pocket…
“Director.”
Jake felt a slight sting in his nose as he forced a smile and asked, “Tell me the truth…
has the home been unable to hold on for a long time now?”