After leaving the law firm and arriving downstairs, Shen Moran saw Su Nian happily bouncing toward the front passenger seat. Shen Moran grabbed her by the collar, stuffed her into the back row, and sat in the front seat herself.
Su Nian was a bit unhappy that her sister had taken her spot. She slumped into the back row, sitting all alone in the middle, and cast a resentful look at her sister.
Sun Heng, on the other hand, was delighted. She had always liked Shen Moran’s cool and aloof demeanor. She originally thought Shen Moran would not want to sit beside her and had not intended to force the issue, so she was pleasantly surprised that Shen Moran had taken the initiative. Sun Heng’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she thoughtfully said, “Fasten your seatbelt, the road ahead is quite bumpy.”
Shen Moran gave a faint “mm” and leaned back against the headrest after securing her seatbelt.
The journey took over an hour. At first, Su Nian chirped away like a little sparrow, praising the beautiful flowers on one side and the delicious food on the other. Eventually, she seemed tired and sat in the back clutching her phone, tapping away as she chatted with someone.
Shen Moran remained indifferent throughout the trip. Sun Heng tried to strike up a conversation several times, only to be met with brief, dismissive replies. Eventually, Sun Heng simply closed her eyes, folded her arms, and rested in the passenger seat.
Sun Heng scratched her cheek, watching the two sisters occupied with their own affairs, and decided to turn on some music to pass the time while she drove.
Soon, they arrived at the entrance of the orphanage.
From a distance, Sun Heng spotted a tiny figure standing at the gate. She squinted slightly and realized it was Sang Nian.
Sang Nian was wearing a coat that was too big for her. She stood under the security booth at the entrance of the orphanage, scanning the area. When she saw Sun Heng’s car turning in, she jumped up, waved her hands, and ran to the gate on her short legs to greet them.
Just as Sun Heng was wondering about her presence, Su Nian leaned over the back of the seat and said, “Sister, park next to Sang Nian!”
Shen Moran slowly opened her eyes. Seeing her sister’s glowing excitement, she glanced at the little girl at the gate, whose cheeks were flushed red from the wind.
After Su Nian got out of the car, she did not run over immediately. Instead, she circled to the back of the car and thumped the trunk, shouting, “Sister, open the trunk!”
Before leaving, Su Nian had packed a large schoolbag into the trunk. Sun Heng had asked her what was in it, but the little girl had been secretive. Seeing her behavior now, Sun Heng vaguely guessed that she had brought things for the children at the orphanage.
Sun Heng opened the trunk and stepped out. Sang Nian stood beside Su Nian, greeting them happily. “Sister Heng.”
“Mm.” Sun Heng walked over, hands in her pockets, looked into the trunk, and asked, “What are you two up to?”
Su Nian lifted the large backpack out, placed it on the ground, and looked up at Sun Heng with a bright smile. “These are the things I brought for Sang Nian. We had agreed on this earlier.”
Agreed?
Sun Heng remembered that this was only their second meeting. Were they already exchanging gifts?
Was their friendship really that deep?
Sun Heng could not quite grasp the nature of children’s friendships, but Shen Moran knew exactly what was happening. Her sister was prone to fickleness. Seeing Su Nian’s sparkling eyes as she looked at Sang Nian, she had a bad feeling.
Teenagers were truly hard to manage.
While Sun Heng was still curious, the two children had already started talking amongst themselves.
“This is the tablet I used to use. The charger is right here. I will help you connect to the internet later so you can use it!”
“These are the clothes my mom bought for me that did not fit. I have never worn them, so they should fit you perfectly.”
“I brought two pairs of shoes for you, too. I have worn them a few times, but they are not dirty. I washed them before coming here, so I hope you do not mind.”
“And this, my favorite snack. I went to the store specifically to buy it for you last night. It is delicious; you must eat it all!”
Su Nian even pulled a mobile phone from the bottom of the bag and pressed it into Sang Nian’s hand. “This is the phone I do not use anymore. Yours is broken; you cannot even see a face clearly when you take photos with it. Just use this one from now on.”
Sang Nian was caught off guard by the pile of items. She instinctively looked at Sun Heng, who was watching the two children with interest. Beside her stood Shen Moran, whose expression seemed quite sour. Her mouth was set in a frown, and her cold, icy gaze was fixed on Sang Nian.
Shen Moran’s frigid glare made Sang Nian shiver, and she hurriedly tried to shove the phone back.
“I cannot accept this,” Sang Nian told Su Nian. “It is too expensive, and the teachers do not let us have mobile phones.”
Su Nian looked at her blankly. “It is not that expensive, only a few thousand yuan. Besides, these are all things I used to use. I only brought my old things because you said you did not want me to buy you new ones.” She looked at Sang Nian, confused. “Do you despise them?”
Sang Nian’s face flushed red, and she shook her head to explain. “No, I do not despise them. It is just that the teachers at school do not allow phones, and I do not have much use for them at the orphanage. You should take them back. The old clothes and shoes are fine to keep, though; I can give them to the other students.”
Su Nian approached her with a look of grievance, taking Sang Nian’s hand and saying, “But I have already brought them here. Do you have the heart to make me take them back?”
Sang Nian blushed and tried to pull her hand away, but Su Nian held it tightly and tried to stuff the phone back into her arms.
Watching the two children push and pull, Sun Heng could not help but laugh. All three of them looked at her. Sun Heng changed her posture, leaning against the car as if she had no bones, crossed her arms, and said, “Oh, little Sang Nian, just take them since they are all used items. You were never this polite when I bought you new clothes and gifts in the past.”
Little Sang Nian looked up at her. “Sister Heng, you are different.”
Sun Heng asked with a smile, “How am I different?”
Sang Nian could not put it into words. Sun Heng visited the orphanage every so often to send warmth. At first, she bought clothes and gifts, but later, finding it troublesome, she simply gave the children money to buy what they needed.
Furthermore, Sun Heng visited the orphanage to celebrate holidays with everyone, so in Sang Nian’s heart, Sun Heng was like the teachers, family, not a stranger.
Su Nian was a little unhappy hearing Sang Nian’s words. She tugged at her sleeve and asked softly, “Then, between me and Sister Heng, whom do you like more?”