After some time apart, Chen Nian had become noticeably more cheerful than when he had first arrived at the orphanage. He was now able to play happily with the other children.
One of the orphanage staff members said, “Actually, Nian Nian is a very bright child. When the teacher teaches them how to read and write, some of the children have trouble paying attention, but he studies very seriously and learns incredibly fast. Most of the time, he understands everything after the teacher explains it just once.”
“Has anyone been bullying him?”
“Not that we’ve seen. There are plenty of staff members here, and we won’t let something like that happen. When he first arrived, he seemed a little withdrawn and couldn’t really fit in with the other children, but now they’ve all become good friends. No one’s bullying anyone.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Watching the lively little figure running around the playground equipment, Sheng Yan couldn’t help but smile.
The moment Chen Nian spotted her, he immediately ran over.
“Big Sister, you’re here!”
“Have you been happy lately?”
“Very happy.” Chen Nian grinned. “When I first got here, I didn’t know how to play with all these things, so the others wouldn’t include me. But now I’ve learned. The slide is so much fun, and I’ve even learned how to ride a bicycle.”
“Really?” Sheng Yan asked in surprise.
“Really! I’ll show you right now.”
He wheeled over a small bicycle with two training wheels attached to the back, climbed on, and rode several laps in front of Sheng Yan.
“That’s amazing!”
Chen Nian beamed at the praise. After getting off the bicycle, he came over and sat beside her.
“I didn’t just learn how to ride a bicycle. Someone also took me on a ride in a little iron beast, and I found out that the little iron beast runs much faster than a bicycle.”
His transformation filled Sheng Yan with relief and happiness.
“Big Sister, have you been happy lately? And how’s Little Sister? Is she doing well?”
“We’re both doing very well.”
Other than not being able to see Jiang Hongyan, everything else was going quite well.
“Nian Nian, actually, I’m much older than you. My daughter is about your age, so having you call me Big Sister makes me feel a little embarrassed.”
“Then what should I call you? Auntie, right?”
“That title does fit a little better.”
“But I think calling you Big Sister fits too. You look very young.”
Sheng Yan couldn’t help smiling.
“It seems you’ve learned quite a lot lately. You’ve even become so sweet with your words.”
“I’m telling the truth. But I really have been studying hard these days. I can do addition and subtraction now, I’ve learned several poems, and I recognize lots of characters. Still, I feel like the writing here is a little different from the writing back where I came from. These characters are much easier to recognize and much simpler to write.”
Back when he had lived in Xiaohe Village, his family had never had enough money to send him to school. The only reason he knew a few characters at all was because of some old books that had been passed down through the family from who knew which ancestor.
After arriving here, Chen Nian had discovered that there were so many books to read, many of them filled with beautiful illustrations that made them especially interesting.
There were not only books but also cartoons to watch, and the playground was full of fun things to play with. Everything fascinated him.
“There are bound to be some differences. Don’t worry about those things. The more knowledge you learn, the more it will benefit you.”
“Mm, I understand.”
After leaving the orphanage that day, Sheng Yan contacted the staff and donated books, drawing supplies, notebooks, and other school materials the children needed.
She couldn’t adopt Chen Nian, but by donating these things, she could at least make sure he benefited from them as well.
After all, raising a child wasn’t as simple as providing food and water. Their emotional and intellectual needs were just as important.
The children at the orphanage were all still very young, at the perfect age to learn, and those supplies would be of great help to their growth.