Don't let Grandma Xingxing's short stature and small feet fool you; her bound feet were incredibly fast, and Xu Gui and the others couldn't keep up.
Her eyes seemed to blaze with fury. When they arrived at the orphanage gate, a young woman was talking to a staff member in the courtyard.
Grandma Xingxing saw her, strode over, and promptly slapped her across the face.
"Slap!"
A slap rang out, and the woman's face was slightly turned to the side. She turned her head, looking at her grandmother in disbelief, and cried out, "Mom?! What are you doing?"
Her grandmother looked at the woman with heartache, her lips trembling as she said, "You ask me what I'm doing? I want to ask you what you're doing! Xingxing is your own son! He's sick, and instead of taking him to see a doctor, you're using those superstitious things to harm him! Have all those years of schooling gone to waste?"
Her aged face was filled with disappointment. "How could you be so heartless?"
The woman in front of her was naturally Wang Lingxing's mother, her grandmother's daughter.
Xu Gui was also meeting her for the first time. When she visited the Wang family before, she had only met Grandma Wang and Father Wang, and at the time she only felt that Wang Lingxing didn't resemble them much. Now, seeing Wang Lingxing's mother, she realized that he resembled his mother.
Wang Lingxing's mother's surname is Yang, and her name is Yang Ai. She is very beautiful. Although she already has a son as old as Wang Lingxing, she still looks young, like a fragrant flower. It's more like she's Wang Lingxing's older sister than his mother.
Being slapped by her own mother in front of so many people, Yang Ai felt embarrassed. When she heard what Xingxing's grandmother said, she said angrily, "What can I do? Who told him to get such a shameful disease? If he wasn't sick, how could this have happened?" Her grandmother
said angrily, "Isn't this because you put too much pressure on the child?"
"Speaking of pressure, isn't his classmate at school under more pressure than him? Her mother is bedridden, and her father is just a farmer who even has to worry about tuition fees. Why don't you see her getting sick? That girl even gets first place in every exam. But what about Wang Lingxing?"
Yang Ai didn't think they were wrong, and even argued vehemently.
"Our family is so well-off! His grandma makes him nourishing soup every few days, and we give him plenty of money every week. He's never had to worry about food, clothing, or shelter since he was little. But he can't even maintain a top-three ranking in his studies, and then he got this strange illness—neither male nor female, neither yin nor yang!"
"Do you know how people in the neighborhood are laughing at us now? People point and whisper about me when I go out!"
She added bitterly, "Because of him, I got scolded by his grandma and dad, who said I don't know how to raise a child. Haven't I taught him properly? What can I do if he's so hopeless?"
Hearing this, the director couldn't help but feel grateful that Wang Xingxing wasn't there. He had originally planned to come over, but Xu Gui stopped him, telling him to go play with Wu Xueya and Zhao Di—the three had developed a deep friendship over the past few days.
It was thanks to Xu Gui that he stayed; otherwise, hearing his own mother say such things would have been incredibly upsetting for him, definitely not good for his condition.
Perhaps Xu Gui had anticipated this scene... The dean couldn't help but look at the person beside her. Xu Gui stood with her, arms crossed, quietly watching her grandmother and Yang Ai talk.
After listening to Yang Ai's twisted logic, the grandmother couldn't help but say, "There are all kinds of people in this world. A star is a star, and his deskmate is his deskmate. How can you use his deskmate's standards to judge him?"
Yang Ai retorted, "Then why can't he be as excellent as his deskmate?"
She said disdainfully, "When he was little, I thought he was clever and cute, but I didn't expect him to become so stupid as an adult. The doctor even said that he might be under too much pressure. What pressure could he possibly have? He has no worries about food or drink. His life is much better than mine back then!"
The grandmother was so angry at her words that she almost fell over. She pressed her chest, breathing heavily, looking like she was about to run out of breath.
"Second Aunt!" The grandmother's nephew came over, reached out to support her, and asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"
The grandmother waved her hand at him, her expression somewhat dejected.
The nephew glared at Yang Ai and sneered, "Yang Ai, people say you've forgotten your family after marrying into City A. I used to think it was a misunderstanding, but now it seems it's true. You really have a husband and have forgotten your own family."
Hearing this, Yang Ai retorted unhappily, "I'm just telling the truth. My mother doesn't like it and is unhappy. What can I do? Can't I even say a few words to my own son? Is that it?"
Grandma interrupted their argument. She looked at her daughter, whom she hadn't seen for three years, and felt that she looked even younger than three years ago, yet also more unfamiliar.
Now, she looked like a true city dweller—stylish and proud, completely different from her former self.
Grandma closed her eyes and asked, "What exactly are you here for? You're not here to take Xingxing back, are you?" Her tone became somewhat sarcastic at the end.
"…I heard from my uncle that you came to City A, so I wanted to come and see you. As for Xingxing," Yang Ai looked away guiltily and said, "If you really want to take him back to our hometown, then take him back."
Grandma lifted her eyelids to look at her and asked, "What about you? Aren't you going to take care of him?"
Yang Ai's eyes darted around and she said, "We have no choice. If he stays at home, what will people think of us?"
At this point, she suddenly glared at Xu Gui, seemingly getting angry, and said indignantly, "It's all that little star's fault. If she hadn't broadcast this, how would people know that Wang Lingxing has a strange illness, and how would they be laughing at us like this?"
Grandma said angrily, "If Miss Xu hadn't exposed this, you probably still wouldn't have admitted that Xingxing was sick, and you would still be looking for those swindlers to 'exorcise' Xingxing, right?"
"You would rather believe that Xingxing is haunted by a ghost than admit that he is sick… Are you the kind of parents and grandmothers you are?" Grandma questioned.
Yang Ai: "I'd rather he were possessed by a ghost than have a mental illness and become a madman!" At least people wouldn't laugh at them for having a madman in their family.
Grandma looked at her in shock and disappointment, completely unable to believe that her once innocent and ambitious daughter had become like this. How could she say such a thing with such self-righteousness?
Yang Ai, however, was completely self-righteous, seemingly not thinking there was anything wrong with her words. She looked at her grandmother and said, "Mom, if you're willing to take him back to our hometown, that would be best. His father and I have already discussed it and will give you three thousand yuan a month as child support..."
She continued, "Actually, he's already nineteen, an adult. We don't need to pay him child support anymore, but he's sick, so his father and I think we should raise him for another two years... What we're doing is more than enough for him."
Hearing this, Grandma felt not happiness, but only sorrow. She wiped away her tears.
"Alright, then so be it," she said, having given up on the Wang family. As for her daughter, Yang Ai—this wasn't her daughter; her daughter was dead. This person belonged to the Wang family.
Yang Ai seemed to sense her disappointment, her expression somewhat embarrassed.
"Mom, you have to think about me too. If I could, I wouldn't want to give up my child," she said. "But look at Xingxing, what hope do I have for him?"
"You don't need to say anything," her grandmother said listlessly. "I just hope you remember that since you promised to transfer three thousand yuan to the child every month, don't forget!"
Yang Ai nodded and said, "Don't worry about that. No matter what, Xingxing is still my child. How could we really abandon him? It's just that you'll have to take care of him in the future."
Her grandmother forced a smile, too lazy to talk to her anymore.
Yang Ai looked around and asked, "Where's Xingxing? I don't see him. I'm his mother, and he doesn't even come to see me?" Her tone was somewhat dissatisfied.
Grandma said, "I told him not to come, and thankfully he didn't. Otherwise, how heartbroken he would have been to hear those despicable things you just said!"
Yang Ai, however, didn't seem to care. She looked around and said, "Maybe I should see him. I've come all this way, and it won't be so convenient to see him again after he goes back to his hometown with you."
She looked somewhat saddened, but everyone felt no emotion after hearing her words.
Yang Ai then said, "Where's Xingxing? I'll go find him."
The director frowned, hesitatingly looking at Xu Gui.
The director truly felt sorry for Wang Lingxing. Although he had only been at their orphanage for two days, the child was quiet, well-behaved, and incredibly obedient, which made her feel sorry for him. Therefore, the director genuinely hoped he would get better and better.
Because of this, she wasn't sure whether to let Wang Lingxing see Yang Ai, since even she, an outsider, found Yang Ai's words excessive.
What if she really sees Wang Lingxing and says even more outrageous things?
"Let her see him," Grandma said sadly. "She's right. Who knows when they'll see each other again? Maybe in a couple of days, she'll completely forget about her son." Grandma said self-deprecatingly
.
Yang Ai, somewhat dissatisfied, said, "Mom, do you think I'm that heartless?"
Grandma was already too lazy to pay attention to her. Yang Ai, seemingly unconcerned, enthusiastically asked a staff member to take her to see Wang Lingxing. The staff member glanced at the director, and seeing the director nod, then led her to find Xingxing.
Watching her leave, Grandma wiped away her tears, looking extremely dejected.
At that moment, Wang Lingxing was taking care of the other children in the orphanage with Zhao Di and the others. Yang Ai saw him and, from a distance, called out happily, "Xingxing!"
Hearing her voice, Wang Lingxing was startled. When he looked up and saw her, he silently stood up, but didn't move his feet.
Yang Ai walked over and hugged him tightly, exclaiming happily, "Oh, my precious son!"
After hugging him, she let go, cupped his face, and looked him over, saying with some heartache, "You've lost weight!"
Wang Lingxing didn't speak, just looked at her silently. Yang Ai didn't seem embarrassed at all. She held his hand and asked him with concern, saying, "...When you go back to your hometown with your grandmother, you must be a good boy..."
Seeing her kind and caring demeanor, anyone who didn't know better would think she cared a lot about this son. However, everyone in the orphanage knew how she treated Wang Lingxing, so seeing her like this only made them feel a little strange.
"...She seems quite concerned and fond of Wang Xingxing," the aunt in the courtyard whispered to Xu Gui—they were watching the scene from a slight distance.
But if she liked this son so much, why did she say those things before?
The aunt was puzzled.
Xu Gui chuckled lightly, saying calmly, "If you hadn't seen your favorite toy or pet for several days, you'd be just as excited as she is."
Xu Gui clearly saw that Yang Ai's affection for Wang Lingxing was too superficial.
She did like her son, but it wasn't deep, not a mother's love for her child; it was more casual, unrequited, and superficial.
Moreover, this Miss Yang seemed to have some histrionic personality disorder—she seemed quite happy to put on this act of maternal love and filial piety in front of others.
The aunt, listening, felt even more confused, after all, she didn't know what histrionic personality disorder was.
Yang Ai didn't stay at the orphanage long. After performing the "motherly love and filial piety" scene with everyone, she left, her steps extremely light, without showing the slightest reluctance.
Before leaving, she transferred 20,000 yuan to Wang Lingxing, saying, "From now on, listen to your grandmother, understand? If you need money, just call your mother, okay?"
Wang Lingxing nodded calmly, saw her to the orphanage gate, and quietly watched her leave.
He stood there, motionless, like a statue devoid of joy or sorrow. It wasn't until Yang Ai had been gone for a while that he seemed to finally come to his senses, slowly turning around to go inside.
But as soon as he turned around, he froze.
There, in front of him at the orphanage gate, stood Wu Xueya, Zhao Di, and several other children from the orphanage, smiling at him.
"Brother Xingxing looked so silly just now, so blank!"
"Brother Xingxing, have you finished seeing Auntie off? If you're done, let's go back and play with the puzzle! We'll definitely finish the puzzle today!" "
And my building blocks, Brother Xingxing, can you help me check my building blocks? Why does the one I put together look different from the picture?"
"Brother Xingxing!"
"Brother Xingxing..."
Several younger children from the orphanage rushed over and surrounded Wang Lingxing. Wang Lingxing was patient and never showed any impatience towards the children, so they loved playing with him.
At this moment, the children took turns pulling his hands, wanting him to go back and play with them.
Wu Xueya also said, "Xingxing, Aunt Song said she cooked mung bean soup and told us to hurry back and eat it."
Wang Lingxing looked at them, his stunned expression slowly relaxing. He smiled and nodded, replying, "Okay!"
He was surrounded by the children and walked towards the orphanage. The children's chattering voices were carried into the air by the wind. The weather was sunny today, with blue skies and white clouds—a beautiful day.
Xu
Gui decided not to return to the hotel that afternoon.
Instead, she set up her fortune-telling stall under the large tree near the orphanage entrance—an old locust tree, over a hundred years old, with a vast canopy that provided ample shade when one stood beneath it and looked up.
On sunny days like this, its presence effectively blocked out the sun's rays, offering a welcome respite from the heat.
Xu Gui looked around and decided this was the perfect spot, especially since it was close to the orphanage and convenient. After careful consideration, she decided to set up her stall there that afternoon.
The orphanage had the tables and chairs she needed for her stall. Hearing that she would set up under the locust tree nearby, the children from the orphanage were incredibly enthusiastic. One by one, they brought stools and tables, requiring absolutely no adult assistance. If anyone offered to help, they refused, which was rather amusing.
And so, Xu Gui's fortune-telling stall was quickly set up. Since she hadn't brought her fortune-telling banner, she simply took a piece of A4 sketch paper, wrote the words "fortune-telling" on it, and pasted it onto the trunk of the locust tree. Then she sat down on a stool and began waiting for customers.
The cameraman circled around, found a suitable angle, set up his equipment, and started the live stream.
It was already 3 PM. Xu Gui usually started her live stream at 1 PM, but today it was at this time. Some viewers were already waiting in the live stream room, but when Xu Gui's live stream started, they noticed that the background had changed.
This time it wasn't the familiar overpass or the hotel, but yet another unfamiliar place.
"[You've changed your livestream location again?]" Viewers were curious.
Xu Gui explained, "I went back to the orphanage this afternoon, and I'm livestreaming from near the orphanage now."
Hearing this, the viewers in the livestream room suddenly understood. "
[No wonder there are so many children around Gui Gui! So this time she's livestreaming near the orphanage. Are all these children still from the orphanage?]
..."
Many children from the orphanage surrounded Xu Gui, some curious about the dark-colored camera in the cameraman's hand. Although curious, they were all sensible enough not to touch it, only standing beside it and looking at it without touching it.
A literate child looked at the sketch paper Xu Gui had pasted on the locust tree and read the two characters on it: "Fortune telling."
What was fortune telling? The children from the orphanage vaguely knew what it meant, after all, the directors often talked about Xu Gui's fortune telling, and they often watched Xu Gui's livestreams.
Their understanding of fortune telling was that Sister Xu Gui knew everything... and that understanding wasn't wrong.
"The directors say that Sister Xu Gui can predict anything in this world. When Aunt Tuanzi found Brother Xueya, it was Sister Xu Gui who predicted it…" One child thought, a hint of anticipation appearing in his eyes: "Then, can Sister Xu Gui also predict who my parents are?"
"…"
Xu Gui never expected that her first customer this afternoon would be a child from the orphanage.
She looked at the child lying on her lap, who looked up at her and asked, "Sister, the directors say you can predict anything. Can you help me find out where my mom and dad are?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out two one-yuan coins, holding them up, saying, "I have money."
Xu Gui looked at the coins, paused for a moment, and then took them. Seeing her take the coins, the child's face lit up with excitement, looking at Xu Gui with great anticipation.
"Um, you want to know where your parents are?" she asked.
The child nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes."
Xu Gui pretended to do some calculations and said, "Ah, I've figured it out. Your parents went to a very, very far place."
The child tilted his head, "A very, very far place?"
"Yes." Xu Gui smiled and nodded, reaching out to stroke his round head, saying, "It's just that it's too far away. Although they really wanted to take you with them, they simply couldn't, so they had to leave you in the orphanage."
The child asked, "Can't I go to see them?"
Xu Gui shook her head, saying, "No, because they really have so many things to do. If you go, you'll bother them."
The child was somewhat disappointed, his eyes brimming with tears as he asked, "Just like you, Sister Xu Gui?"
Xu Gui nodded again, "Yes, they're just as busy as I am. Oh, no, they're even busier than you, Sister Xu Gui. They don't even have time to eat or sleep. Otherwise, how could they not take you with them, since they love you so much?"
The child asked with teary eyes, "Is that really true? So, I'm not an orphan, right?"
"Of course you're not an orphan!" Xu Gui's expression changed slightly, and he said with certainty, "You need to know that your mom and dad love you more than anyone else in the world."
Sensing the certainty in Xu Gui's words, the child immediately stopped crying and smiled, saying, "Then I'll tell Dou Dou and the others that I'm not an orphan, and they can't call me that anymore!"
With that, the child ran off, leaving Xu Gui momentarily stunned by his words.
"He started kindergarten last year," the director standing nearby said. "Many of the children in kindergarten are from nearby families. Maybe their parents said something to them, and they started saying that Xiao Shu is an orphan…"
Xu Gui fell silent.
The children in the orphanage had all experienced this, including Xu Gui. The children who spoke probably didn't mean any harm; they had just overheard their parents saying it and remembered it, parroting it back.
But for the children in the orphanage, this seemingly casual remark was a devastating blow.
The director sighed.
Hearing this, the viewers in the live stream fell silent, even the previously lively chat became much quieter.
Just then, a comment suddenly appeared on the screen: "Ah, I remember who this kid named Xiaoshu is. Two years ago, there was a car accident here. A family of three was driving normally when they were hit by a sports car traveling in the wrong direction. The couple in the car died instantly, only their child survived."
The reason their child survived was that, in the instant of the accident, the father defied his instincts and faced the side of the car that was being hit, while the mother used her body to firmly shield him in her arms.
It's said that when firefighters arrived and rescued them, the father, sitting in the driver's seat, was almost completely crushed by the front of the sports car, unrecognizable.
The child's mother's back was completely broken, but her spine still arched, firmly protecting her child in her arms, while she herself was crushed and mangled by the deformed vehicle.
This scene shocked not only the firefighters who rescued the child but also the onlookers. Afterwards, the incident was widely reported, and the media continuously publicized the greatness of maternal love.
The child's photo also appeared online, which is why someone recognized Xiaoshu as the child from the accident.
Netizens suddenly understood why Xu Gui said the child's parents had gone to a very, very far place—a distance between life and death.
[…Xu Gui was right. His parents truly loved him very, very much. No one in this world loved him more than them!]
At that moment, Xu Gui's determination to make the orphanage the world's number one became even stronger and more resolute.
She thought: she must earn a lot of money, and then she must build a huge amusement park in the orphanage, an amusement park even better than Disney's. She wanted everyone to envy the children living in the orphanage.
Yes, envy, not mocking the children for having no parents.
Thinking this way, Xu Gui's fighting spirit to make money grew even stronger.
She pondered: perhaps she could try doing business with wealthy people instead of just setting up a stall on the roadside? That way, she might make money faster.
After all, the money of the rich is the easiest to earn.