“I’m not familiar with Madam Mo. Whatever I know about her is gathered from when she attends public events with Police Chief Mo, the press releases distributed by the media, and the occasional piece of sensational online news. I’ve always thought of her to be a friendly and nice person,” Lin Chu said moodily.
“She’s not a bad person, but she does carry the same problem most people in big, influential families have. She does not have bad intentions, but she is petty. Having said that, when it comes to doing good, she really does put in the effort. How should I put it? People are not perfect, and everyone has their shortcomings. This minor flaw would be hers. Madam Mo has acted this way from the very beginning, and it has been many years since anyone could remember otherwise. It’s something that she can’t shake off, otherwise, Police Chief Mo and Mo Jingsheng would have gotten her to turn over a new leaf by now. Nevertheless, even they were not successful,” Yan Beicheng explained.
“Mo Jingsheng might have a nonchalant character, but he is a good person,” said Lin Chu.
“Both brothers turned out more like Police Chief Mo. They’re boys, after all. When they were growing up, their father was the one that disciplined them. Police Chief Mo may usually be stern, but he was aware of Madam Mo’s characteristic and was quite careful not to completely hand over his two sons to her to discipline nor let them spend all their time with her. When they were about to start attending elementary school, Police Chief Mo sent them away to boarding school; they’ve never even been to Jixia Academy. Furthermore, after they graduated from high school, they were sent to military school. This was why Madam Mo did not have many opportunities to get involved in their lives while they were growing up,” Yan Beicheng continued explaining.
Lin Chu dug her tidily clipped fingernails into her hand and pouted in frustration. “I’m getting even more worried because of your explanation. I don’t feel comfortable with Jingxi spending time with Madam Mo. I’m worried Madam Mo will raise him to value social hierarchies and teach him to divide people into different classes, wherein everyone below him was a bad person. She will not be a good influence on Jingxi. I can tell them Madam Mo has no intention of letting Mo Jingxi continue having a relationship with everyone in the orphanage. Jingxi can be stubborn sometimes, and he is not someone who easily forgets his roots. He won’t listen to Madam Mo, so the two of them might end up in an argument if such a moment arises.”
“Jingxi is a sentimental boy. He would rather get hurt for the sake of those he loves than forget the orphanage just because Madam Mo wants him to. I’m worried he will make Madam Mo unhappy because of this matter. After all, he did not grow up in the Mo family, and he’s only going there now at the age of eight. It won’t be a home that he is familiar with and I’m worried Madam Mo will lose her patience with him after a while.”
“Jingxi is a boy. Police Chief Mo won’t allow him to be completely taken care of by Madam Mo. Don’t forget, he will undoubtedly place a lot of importance on the first grandchild of the family. You don’t need to worry with Police Chief Mo watching over him,” replied Yan Beicheng. “Mo Jingxi will not be subjected to any injustices if Police Chief Mo is present, as was the case for Mo Jingsheng and Mo Jingyu.”
Lin Chu sighed. “Judging by what you have just told me, Jingxi is a boy, so Police Chief Mo will bring him up in a very disciplined environment, just as he had with Mo Jingsheng and Mo Jingyu. Jingxi had just found his family but will need to leave them almost immediately to go to a boarding school at such a young age. It’s really sad.”
At the very least, Mo Jingsheng and Mo Jingyu had been able to live at home for a few years before being sent away to boarding school.
“If that happens, it won’t be easy for me to see him,” Lin Chu mumbled sadly.
Yan Beicheng had no idea how to console Lin Chu.
If Mo Jingxi stayed with the Mo family, Lin Chu would be worried that Liang Xiulin would be a bad influence on Mo Jingxi. If Police Chief Mo were to interfere, Lin Chu would feel bad for Mo Jingxi as he would be brought up in a strict environment.
“No matter what, the decision is up to the Mo family. It doesn’t matter how worried you are, you can’t interfere with how the Mo family plans to bring him up. I can just tell that you are going to be the kind of mum who will let your son get away with everything,” Yan Beicheng said as he gave her a glance.
“Says who? I think I would be able to talk some sense into my son,” Lin Chu replied as she momentarily let go of the issue concerning Mo Jingxi.
Yan Beicheng was right. No matter how much she worried about it, Lin Chu could not protest against the Mo family’s methods of raising their child.
Lin Chu could only wait and see what would happen.
…
The Mo family was very efficient in handling their affairs. After all, they were people of influence. All it took was one word from them and their subordinates would immediately act to get things done. This was especially so when Liang Xiulin was unwilling to waste even a single day. Thus, the procedure was completed after just two days.
Liang Xiulin frequented the orphanage over the two days with bags filled with different items to be given out to all the children.
This was, of course, done in an attempt to shut the old principal’s mouth. Besides, Liang Xiulin had the money to spare.
It was afternoon when the procedure was completed. Liang Xiulin could not hide her excitement as she got the driver to go directly to Mo Jingxi’s school so that she could wait for him at the school’s entrance.
They took the family’s private car as it would have been too flashy to use Police Chief Mo’s official vehicle. The license plate alone would have shocked people.
Liang Xiulin wore a pair of sunglasses as she watched Mo Jingxi walked out from school through the tinted windows. Shi Tou and Tian Tian were by his side.
Liang Xiulin immediately rolled down the car window and called out in excitement, “Jingxi!”
Mo Jingxi turned toward her voice and smiled shyly at Liang Xiulin. Then, he brought Shi Tou and Tian Tian along with him.
“Grandma,” Mo Jingxi greeted her.
Liang Xiulin opened the car door and reached out to rub Mo Jingxi’s forehead, wiping away the non-existent sweat on it.
It was cold now, and it would be difficult to sweat in this weather even after exercise. Furthermore, if one were to sweat, the wind would have dried it by now.
Liang Xiulin pulled Mo Jingxi’s coat tightly around him before turning to Shi Tou and Tian Tian with a smile. “Get in the car, everyone.”
Mo Jingxi was about to get in when he realized that Shi Tou and Tian Tian were not moving. Instead, they were looking at each other in hesitation.
“What’s going on? Come along now. What’s wrong with the two of you?” Mo Jingxi waved them over, but they did not move, so he went over to pull each of them by the arm.
Shi Tou and Tian Tian may have been one year younger than Mo Jingxi, but they could tell that Liang Xiulin was simply being patronizing toward them.
Liang Xiulin would not be so terrible as to not even give two little children a lift. She would not want Mo Jingxi to be unhappy, so she smiled as she got invited the two children into the car.
In the end, Shi Tou and Tian Tian got into the car alongside Mo Jingxi and sat in the backseat together. Meanwhile, Liang Xiulin got into the passenger’s seat.
The car headed straight toward the orphanage. Liang Xiulin turned to the back and said to Mo Jingxi, “Jingxi, the procedure has been completed. I’ll bring you back to the orphanage to say your goodbyes to everyone. After that, we’ll go home.”
Mo Jingxi had not expected things to move so fast, and this was too sudden for him. He did yearn for a family, but for some reason, when that moment finally arrived, he was hesitant to leave the orphanage so quickly. He wanted to spend more time with the old principal and the other children.
Deep down, Mo Jingxi probably knew that it would be close to impossible to visit the orphanage and see everyone again once he went to the Mo family home.
“Does it need to be so fast?” Mo Jingxi could not help asking. He wanted to ask Liang Xiulin if he was allowed to occasionally stay over at the orphanage.
Liang Xiulin frowned slightly as she asked in surprise, “Don’t you want to come home with us? Jingxi, you are out grandson. We’ve searched for you for so many years. Not a day passed that we didn’t think about you and your wellbeing. We were worried that you were suffering somewhere, worried that something bad had happened to you. Our family has been looking forward to this day for such a long time. Don’t you want to come home with us? Jingxi, we’re your family.”
Mo Jingxi quickly shook his head. “It’s not that. I want to be with my family too. It’s not that I don’t want to come home with you, but I can’t bear to leave the old principal and all my little brothers and sisters.”
Mo Jingxi lowered his head sadly and asked in a quiet voice, “Grandma, can I visit the orphanage to stay over for a few nights during the school holidays?”
Liang Xiulin heard this and thought about how Mo Jingxi already had a home. She was confused as to why he would still want to spend time at the orphanage.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Liang Xiulin said patronizingly.
Even Mo Jingxi could tell what her tone implied. Thus, he did not give up. “Grandma, you promised me that even if I went home with you, I can still come back to the orphanage often to visit the old principal and my brothers and sisters.”
Liang Xiulin pursed her lips slightly. She tried not to show her annoyance as she replied, “Yes, I did promise you that you can visit them often, but if you want to stay there for a longer period of time, then we will need to see how things go. After all, the orphanage is a home for children who do not have families taking care of them. You shouldn’t take up space there.”
Mo Jingxi lowered his head and mumbled, “Chu Chu often visits to stay overnight too.”
“I said we’ll talk about it later!” Liang Xiulin finally flat-out rejected him as her voice became stern. Then, she turned to face front and stopped talking to Mo Jingxi.
If she was able to, Liang Xiulin would stop Mo Jingxi from keeping in contact with Lin Chu. After all, it was plain to see what influence Lin Chu had on him; she was not a good role model for Mo Jingxi.
Liang Xiulin did not know what the Yan family was thinking. How could they simply accept a daughter-in-law like Lin Chu?
Old Master Yan and Old Lady Yan had even frequently shown her off. Liang Xiulin did not understand what there was to show off when it came to a person such as Lin Chu.
If Lin Chu was not the wife of Yan Beicheng and did not have the backing of the Yan family, and if not for the Mo family’s need to maintain a relationship with the Yan family, then Liang Xiulin would definitely not allow Mo Jingxi to stay in contact with Lin Chu.
Mo Jingxi lowered his head in disappointment. Shi Tou and Tian Tian glanced at each other briefly before looking worriedly at Mo Jingxi.
They were happy that Mo Jingxi had found his family, but looking at the way things had turned out, Mo Jingxi did not seem as happy as before.
Soon, the car arrived at the orphanage. However, they did not expect to see Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng when they entered the compound. Liang Xiulin was a little surprised as she had not told Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng that they were taking Mo Jingxi home today.
Liang Xiulin had thought of this as their private affair and did not see the need to inform Lin Chu of any details. After all, Lin Chu did not need to be such a busybody with their affairs.
Mo Jingxi was feeling a little dejected, but when he saw Lin Chu, he immediately brightened up. He called out “Chu Chu” happily and ran toward her.
As Lin Chu was pregnant, he could not jump into her arms as per usual. Instead, he was blocked by her pregnant belly.
All Mo Jingxi could do was reach out his short, little arms to hug Lin Chu as his face nestled against her big belly.
Yan Beicheng did not like this at all. He pinched Mo Jingxi by the neck and lifted him to the side such that Mo Jingxi’s little legs could not even touch the ground. He looked like a little tortoise as his arms and legs wriggled about in the air.
Liang Xiulin smiled. “What are the two of you doing here?”
“I told Yan Beicheng that the procedure had been completed. We can officially take Jingxi home today, so I thought Jingxi would have liked to see everybody before he left,” Mo Jingsheng appeared from the side and explained without much emotion.
Mo Jingxi nodded vigorously. If there was someone in the Mo family who made him feel safe, it was Mo Jingsheng.
The old principal was also feeling especially sad. This child with whom she had lived with for more than seven years of his eight years was about to leave the orphanage. Even if she knew that he was going back to his family and would probably enjoy a better life, have a brighter future, and enjoy much finer things than he would have in the orphanage, she still could not stop herself from feeling sad.
“Will you stay for dinner? Have a meal before you leave,” the old principal said to Liang Xiulin.
It was not the time to care about what Liang Xiulin thought. The most important person today was Mo Jingxi.
Liang Xiulin did not want to eat here. What could they possibly eat in the orphanage that was good? Besides, she had gotten her housekeeper to prepare a feast at home as a celebration for Mo Jingxi’s first meal at home.
Because of this, she said, “Old Mo is not back from work yet. We wanted to welcome Jingxi home together today. It would be really late if we were to wait for him.”
The old principal smiled and did not say anything more.
“Grandma, I’d like to have dinner here before leaving,” Mo Jingxi said and turned to look at Lin Chu.
Liang Xiulin was about to turn him down when Mo Jingsheng said, “I’ll give dad a call and get him to come directly from work.”
There was really nothing more Liang Xiulin could do after Mo Jingsheng said this.
A wide smile spread across Mo Jingxi’s face as he called out happily, “Thank you, Uncle!”
A slight smile appeared on Mo Jingsheng’s face, making his expression look much gentler than before.
The old principal scuffled Mo Jingxi’s soft, short hair. “I’ll make you a big feast of food tonight. I’ll prepare all your favorite food too, since you… you won’t have much chance to enjoy them in the future.”
Mo Jingxi nodded. His lips curled up slightly as he tried his best not to cry, but his eyes were already red.
Liang Xiulin pursed her lips. She did not like hearing the old principal saying these kinds of things. It sounded unlucky, as if she was cursing Mo Jingxi. Thus, the expression on her face darkened.
Teacher Yuan did not care much for Liang Xiulin as she and Teacher Wang were not fond of this woman. They must have been blind to have thought that this woman was a kind and generous soul.
She bent over to hold Mo Jingxi’s little face and wiped away the tears on the corner of his eyes as she said, “The market had really fresh ingredients today, so the old principal went over first thing this morning to buy all your favorite foods.”
Mo Jingxi kept nodding as he rubbed his eyes with his arms. “In the future… In the future, I’ll come back to enjoy more food from the old principal.”
The old principal’s eyes became red too. She trembled as she took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll wait for you then. I’ll go and prepare the food now. Just give the orphanage a call whenever you’d like me to cook something, then I’ll get someone to bring it over to you.”
“Okay,” Mo Jingxi’s lips curled up as he nodded whilst sniffling. His lips were completely twisted from trying to hold back the tears.
He looked at the white-haired old principal and said, “I’ll… I’ll grow quickly so I can take care of you in the future.”
“Good boy. I know you’re a good boy, so I’ll wait for you, my child. Stop crying, you shouldn’t be sad anymore. You’ve found your family and that’s a good thing. There’s nothing I want more in life than to see every one of you live a good life. You’ve got such a good family to love and take care of you, and that’s the best thing in the world. Don’t cry over such a good thing,” the old principal rubbed Mo Jingxi’s head once more.
The more the old principal consoled him, the more Mo Jingxi struggled to hold his tears back. He suddenly burst into tears and started crying.
“Principal, I can’t bear to leave everyone. Sob sob sob sob! If… If only everyone could come home with me. Sob sob sob sob! I can’t bear to leave any of you…” Mo Jingxi wept as he said.
He held up an arm to cover his eyes as his sleeves became completely wet from his tears.
“My good child, don’t cry. How can you cry over something good? It’s not like we won’t see each other anymore, right? Just come and visit us whenever you miss us. We can visit you too,” the old principal consoled him.
“That’s right. We can still see each other often,” chimed in Lin Chu.
Mo Jingxi was finally consoled as he nodded amidst his tears. He sniffled and tried his best to stop crying.
“Good boy. Look at you, your face is full of tears. Shi Tou and Tian Tian are waiting for you – they have presents for you,” the old principal took out some tissues to wipe away his tears.
Mo Jingxi sniffled again and turned toward Shi Tou and Tian Tian.
“You guys have a good chat. I’ll go and start cooking,” the old principal patted Mo Jingxi’s shoulders as she said.
Then, the old principal walked into the kitchen as Shi Tou took out a little box to give to Mo Jingxi. “Brother Jingxi, I know you’ve always wanted this. I secretly peeked at the note where you wrote down what you’d like for a birthday present. It was just a tiny peek, a peek this small.”
Shi Tou gestured at how small it was by holding out his thumb and index finger, with the two almost touching. “I bought this with my Lunar New Year money.”
Even though the children in the orphanage did not really have an allowance, they still received Lunar New Year money during the annual celebration.
This was always donated by alumni of the orphanage, which included Lin Chu and some other volunteers.
They did not give much; some gave fifty Yuan, some gave a hundred, but they could still save this up.
Mo Jingxi took the box from him. Shi Tou had given a set of toy tools. When he opened it, he found tools such as a spanner, hammer, and even more uncommon things like a screwdriver; everything was in there. As a starter toolbox for children, there were even parts provided for children to build their own workstation. This encouraged children to build things on their own.
It was not difficult to assemble if one followed the instructions on the paper provided but would give any child a deep sense of accomplishment upon completing the task.
The old principal had gotten all the children to write down their birthday wishes for the year. Everyone had written what birthday presents they wanted, and this was what Mo Jingxi had listed down for himself.
This toy toolbox was priced according to how many tools it contained and whether or not it included a workstation. The one Shi Tou had given him was the deluxe version.
Mo Jingxi knew Shi Tou had always tried his best to save up as much as he could. He must have spent quite a lot just to buy him this present.
Mo Jingxi hugged the toolbox right. “Thank you, Shi Tou. I’ll treasure this forever. Wait for me to come back and play this with you.”
Shi Tou broke into a wide smile. “Okay.”
Tina Tian took out a big bag which was filled with many dolls. Teacher Wang had taken her shopping so that she could get them, and she had used her own Lunar New Year money as well.
There wore different colored clothes while cotton and black threads were used for their hair.
In order to make them look pretty, Tian Tian did not use leftover cloth as she did for her own dolls.
The dolls’ faces were beige, and their clothes were made according to the color that they usually wore.
Tian Tian had made a set of dolls that resembled every single one of the children in the orphanage.
Tian Tian was small and she was not that skilled, but one could still identify each doll’s character by their hair and the clothes.
“I’ve stitched everyone’s names on the back of the dolls. If you aren’t able to make it back in the future, you can look at these dolls and it will be as if all us are with you,” Tian Tian smiled as she said.
There were so many dolls in the bag. Mo Jingxi wondered how long it took her to finish them.
Mo Jingxi took the bag and set it aside carefully. “I’ll make sure to keep them on display and look at them every day once I leave.”
Mo Jingxi handed them over to Mo Jingsheng, in case he forgot to bring it along with him. “Uncle, let’s put this in the car first.”
Mo Jingsheng nodded. He did not let Mo Jingxi go out as he took the presents by himself to put it in the back of the car.
Police Chief Mo arrived at a little past six.
“Why are you off work so early?” Liang Xiulin asked in surprise.
“I came off work early,” Police Chief Mo explained as he walked toward Mo Jingxi.
Mo Jingxi had not interacted much with Police Chief Mo before this. He was very nervous about Police Chief’s Mo’s stern personality, so in order to release the tension, Mo Jingxi forced himself to tell Police Chief Mo about the presents Shi Tou and Tian Tian had given him.
A slight smile actually appeared on Police Chief Mo’s face as he did this. It looked stiff, as it was not something that Police Chief Mo was used to. However, it made his face look strange, and he undoubtedly looked better when he was not smiling.
“I’m not familiar with Madam Mo. Whatever I know about her is gathered from when she attends public events with Police Chief Mo, the press releases distributed by the media, and the occasional piece of sensational online news. I’ve always thought of her to be a friendly and nice person,” Lin Chu said moodily.
“She’s not a bad person, but she does carry the same problem most people in big, influential families have. She does not have bad intentions, but she is petty. Having said that, when it comes to doing good, she really does put in the effort. How should I put it? People are not perfect, and everyone has their shortcomings. This minor flaw would be hers. Madam Mo has acted this way from the very beginning, and it has been many years since anyone could remember otherwise. It’s something that she can’t shake off, otherwise, Police Chief Mo and Mo Jingsheng would have gotten her to turn over a new leaf by now. Nevertheless, even they were not successful,” Yan Beicheng explained.
“Mo Jingsheng might have a nonchalant character, but he is a good person,” said Lin Chu.
“Both brothers turned out more like Police Chief Mo. They’re boys, after all. When they were growing up, their father was the one that disciplined them. Police Chief Mo may usually be stern, but he was aware of Madam Mo’s characteristic and was quite careful not to completely hand over his two sons to her to discipline nor let them spend all their time with her. When they were about to start attending elementary school, Police Chief Mo sent them away to boarding school; they’ve never even been to Jixia Academy. Furthermore, after they graduated from high school, they were sent to military school. This was why Madam Mo did not have many opportunities to get involved in their lives while they were growing up,” Yan Beicheng continued explaining.
Lin Chu dug her tidily clipped fingernails into her hand and pouted in frustration. “I’m getting even more worried because of your explanation. I don’t feel comfortable with Jingxi spending time with Madam Mo. I’m worried Madam Mo will raise him to value social hierarchies and teach him to divide people into different classes, wherein everyone below him was a bad person. She will not be a good influence on Jingxi. I can tell them Madam Mo has no intention of letting Mo Jingxi continue having a relationship with everyone in the orphanage. Jingxi can be stubborn sometimes, and he is not someone who easily forgets his roots. He won’t listen to Madam Mo, so the two of them might end up in an argument if such a moment arises.”
“Jingxi is a sentimental boy. He would rather get hurt for the sake of those he loves than forget the orphanage just because Madam Mo wants him to. I’m worried he will make Madam Mo unhappy because of this matter. After all, he did not grow up in the Mo family, and he’s only going there now at the age of eight. It won’t be a home that he is familiar with and I’m worried Madam Mo will lose her patience with him after a while.”
“Jingxi is a boy. Police Chief Mo won’t allow him to be completely taken care of by Madam Mo. Don’t forget, he will undoubtedly place a lot of importance on the first grandchild of the family. You don’t need to worry with Police Chief Mo watching over him,” replied Yan Beicheng. “Mo Jingxi will not be subjected to any injustices if Police Chief Mo is present, as was the case for Mo Jingsheng and Mo Jingyu.”
Lin Chu sighed. “Judging by what you have just told me, Jingxi is a boy, so Police Chief Mo will bring him up in a very disciplined environment, just as he had with Mo Jingsheng and Mo Jingyu. Jingxi had just found his family but will need to leave them almost immediately to go to a boarding school at such a young age. It’s really sad.”
At the very least, Mo Jingsheng and Mo Jingyu had been able to live at home for a few years before being sent away to boarding school.
“If that happens, it won’t be easy for me to see him,” Lin Chu mumbled sadly.
Yan Beicheng had no idea how to console Lin Chu.
If Mo Jingxi stayed with the Mo family, Lin Chu would be worried that Liang Xiulin would be a bad influence on Mo Jingxi. If Police Chief Mo were to interfere, Lin Chu would feel bad for Mo Jingxi as he would be brought up in a strict environment.
“No matter what, the decision is up to the Mo family. It doesn’t matter how worried you are, you can’t interfere with how the Mo family plans to bring him up. I can just tell that you are going to be the kind of mum who will let your son get away with everything,” Yan Beicheng said as he gave her a glance.
“Says who? I think I would be able to talk some sense into my son,” Lin Chu replied as she momentarily let go of the issue concerning Mo Jingxi.
Yan Beicheng was right. No matter how much she worried about it, Lin Chu could not protest against the Mo family’s methods of raising their child.
Lin Chu could only wait and see what would happen.
…
The Mo family was very efficient in handling their affairs. After all, they were people of influence. All it took was one word from them and their subordinates would immediately act to get things done. This was especially so when Liang Xiulin was unwilling to waste even a single day. Thus, the procedure was completed after just two days.
Liang Xiulin frequented the orphanage over the two days with bags filled with different items to be given out to all the children.
This was, of course, done in an attempt to shut the old principal’s mouth. Besides, Liang Xiulin had the money to spare.
It was afternoon when the procedure was completed. Liang Xiulin could not hide her excitement as she got the driver to go directly to Mo Jingxi’s school so that she could wait for him at the school’s entrance.
They took the family’s private car as it would have been too flashy to use Police Chief Mo’s official vehicle. The license plate alone would have shocked people.
Liang Xiulin wore a pair of sunglasses as she watched Mo Jingxi walked out from school through the tinted windows. Shi Tou and Tian Tian were by his side.
Liang Xiulin immediately rolled down the car window and called out in excitement, “Jingxi!”
Mo Jingxi turned toward her voice and smiled shyly at Liang Xiulin. Then, he brought Shi Tou and Tian Tian along with him.
“Grandma,” Mo Jingxi greeted her.
Liang Xiulin opened the car door and reached out to rub Mo Jingxi’s forehead, wiping away the non-existent sweat on it.
It was cold now, and it would be difficult to sweat in this weather even after exercise. Furthermore, if one were to sweat, the wind would have dried it by now.
Liang Xiulin pulled Mo Jingxi’s coat tightly around him before turning to Shi Tou and Tian Tian with a smile. “Get in the car, everyone.”
Mo Jingxi was about to get in when he realized that Shi Tou and Tian Tian were not moving. Instead, they were looking at each other in hesitation.
“What’s going on? Come along now. What’s wrong with the two of you?” Mo Jingxi waved them over, but they did not move, so he went over to pull each of them by the arm.
Shi Tou and Tian Tian may have been one year younger than Mo Jingxi, but they could tell that Liang Xiulin was simply being patronizing toward them.
Liang Xiulin would not be so terrible as to not even give two little children a lift. She would not want Mo Jingxi to be unhappy, so she smiled as she got invited the two children into the car.
In the end, Shi Tou and Tian Tian got into the car alongside Mo Jingxi and sat in the backseat together. Meanwhile, Liang Xiulin got into the passenger’s seat.
The car headed straight toward the orphanage. Liang Xiulin turned to the back and said to Mo Jingxi, “Jingxi, the procedure has been completed. I’ll bring you back to the orphanage to say your goodbyes to everyone. After that, we’ll go home.”
Mo Jingxi had not expected things to move so fast, and this was too sudden for him. He did yearn for a family, but for some reason, when that moment finally arrived, he was hesitant to leave the orphanage so quickly. He wanted to spend more time with the old principal and the other children.
Deep down, Mo Jingxi probably knew that it would be close to impossible to visit the orphanage and see everyone again once he went to the Mo family home.
“Does it need to be so fast?” Mo Jingxi could not help asking. He wanted to ask Liang Xiulin if he was allowed to occasionally stay over at the orphanage.
Liang Xiulin frowned slightly as she asked in surprise, “Don’t you want to come home with us? Jingxi, you are out grandson. We’ve searched for you for so many years. Not a day passed that we didn’t think about you and your wellbeing. We were worried that you were suffering somewhere, worried that something bad had happened to you. Our family has been looking forward to this day for such a long time. Don’t you want to come home with us? Jingxi, we’re your family.”
Mo Jingxi quickly shook his head. “It’s not that. I want to be with my family too. It’s not that I don’t want to come home with you, but I can’t bear to leave the old principal and all my little brothers and sisters.”
Mo Jingxi lowered his head sadly and asked in a quiet voice, “Grandma, can I visit the orphanage to stay over for a few nights during the school holidays?”
Liang Xiulin heard this and thought about how Mo Jingxi already had a home. She was confused as to why he would still want to spend time at the orphanage.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Liang Xiulin said patronizingly.
Even Mo Jingxi could tell what her tone implied. Thus, he did not give up. “Grandma, you promised me that even if I went home with you, I can still come back to the orphanage often to visit the old principal and my brothers and sisters.”
Liang Xiulin pursed her lips slightly. She tried not to show her annoyance as she replied, “Yes, I did promise you that you can visit them often, but if you want to stay there for a longer period of time, then we will need to see how things go. After all, the orphanage is a home for children who do not have families taking care of them. You shouldn’t take up space there.”
Mo Jingxi lowered his head and mumbled, “Chu Chu often visits to stay overnight too.”
“I said we’ll talk about it later!” Liang Xiulin finally flat-out rejected him as her voice became stern. Then, she turned to face front and stopped talking to Mo Jingxi.
If she was able to, Liang Xiulin would stop Mo Jingxi from keeping in contact with Lin Chu. After all, it was plain to see what influence Lin Chu had on him; she was not a good role model for Mo Jingxi.
Liang Xiulin did not know what the Yan family was thinking. How could they simply accept a daughter-in-law like Lin Chu?
Old Master Yan and Old Lady Yan had even frequently shown her off. Liang Xiulin did not understand what there was to show off when it came to a person such as Lin Chu.
If Lin Chu was not the wife of Yan Beicheng and did not have the backing of the Yan family, and if not for the Mo family’s need to maintain a relationship with the Yan family, then Liang Xiulin would definitely not allow Mo Jingxi to stay in contact with Lin Chu.
Mo Jingxi lowered his head in disappointment. Shi Tou and Tian Tian glanced at each other briefly before looking worriedly at Mo Jingxi.
They were happy that Mo Jingxi had found his family, but looking at the way things had turned out, Mo Jingxi did not seem as happy as before.
Soon, the car arrived at the orphanage. However, they did not expect to see Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng when they entered the compound. Liang Xiulin was a little surprised as she had not told Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng that they were taking Mo Jingxi home today.
Liang Xiulin had thought of this as their private affair and did not see the need to inform Lin Chu of any details. After all, Lin Chu did not need to be such a busybody with their affairs.
Mo Jingxi was feeling a little dejected, but when he saw Lin Chu, he immediately brightened up. He called out “Chu Chu” happily and ran toward her.
As Lin Chu was pregnant, he could not jump into her arms as per usual. Instead, he was blocked by her pregnant belly.
All Mo Jingxi could do was reach out his short, little arms to hug Lin Chu as his face nestled against her big belly.
Yan Beicheng did not like this at all. He pinched Mo Jingxi by the neck and lifted him to the side such that Mo Jingxi’s little legs could not even touch the ground. He looked like a little tortoise as his arms and legs wriggled about in the air.
Liang Xiulin smiled. “What are the two of you doing here?”
“I told Yan Beicheng that the procedure had been completed. We can officially take Jingxi home today, so I thought Jingxi would have liked to see everybody before he left,” Mo Jingsheng appeared from the side and explained without much emotion.
Mo Jingxi nodded vigorously. If there was someone in the Mo family who made him feel safe, it was Mo Jingsheng.
The old principal was also feeling especially sad. This child with whom she had lived with for more than seven years of his eight years was about to leave the orphanage. Even if she knew that he was going back to his family and would probably enjoy a better life, have a brighter future, and enjoy much finer things than he would have in the orphanage, she still could not stop herself from feeling sad.
“Will you stay for dinner? Have a meal before you leave,” the old principal said to Liang Xiulin.
It was not the time to care about what Liang Xiulin thought. The most important person today was Mo Jingxi.
Liang Xiulin did not want to eat here. What could they possibly eat in the orphanage that was good? Besides, she had gotten her housekeeper to prepare a feast at home as a celebration for Mo Jingxi’s first meal at home.
Because of this, she said, “Old Mo is not back from work yet. We wanted to welcome Jingxi home together today. It would be really late if we were to wait for him.”
The old principal smiled and did not say anything more.
“Grandma, I’d like to have dinner here before leaving,” Mo Jingxi said and turned to look at Lin Chu.
Liang Xiulin was about to turn him down when Mo Jingsheng said, “I’ll give dad a call and get him to come directly from work.”
There was really nothing more Liang Xiulin could do after Mo Jingsheng said this.
A wide smile spread across Mo Jingxi’s face as he called out happily, “Thank you, Uncle!”
A slight smile appeared on Mo Jingsheng’s face, making his expression look much gentler than before.
The old principal scuffled Mo Jingxi’s soft, short hair. “I’ll make you a big feast of food tonight. I’ll prepare all your favorite food too, since you… you won’t have much chance to enjoy them in the future.”
Mo Jingxi nodded. His lips curled up slightly as he tried his best not to cry, but his eyes were already red.
Liang Xiulin pursed her lips. She did not like hearing the old principal saying these kinds of things. It sounded unlucky, as if she was cursing Mo Jingxi. Thus, the expression on her face darkened.
Teacher Yuan did not care much for Liang Xiulin as she and Teacher Wang were not fond of this woman. They must have been blind to have thought that this woman was a kind and generous soul.
She bent over to hold Mo Jingxi’s little face and wiped away the tears on the corner of his eyes as she said, “The market had really fresh ingredients today, so the old principal went over first thing this morning to buy all your favorite foods.”
Mo Jingxi kept nodding as he rubbed his eyes with his arms. “In the future… In the future, I’ll come back to enjoy more food from the old principal.”
The old principal’s eyes became red too. She trembled as she took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll wait for you then. I’ll go and prepare the food now. Just give the orphanage a call whenever you’d like me to cook something, then I’ll get someone to bring it over to you.”
“Okay,” Mo Jingxi’s lips curled up as he nodded whilst sniffling. His lips were completely twisted from trying to hold back the tears.
He looked at the white-haired old principal and said, “I’ll… I’ll grow quickly so I can take care of you in the future.”
“Good boy. I know you’re a good boy, so I’ll wait for you, my child. Stop crying, you shouldn’t be sad anymore. You’ve found your family and that’s a good thing. There’s nothing I want more in life than to see every one of you live a good life. You’ve got such a good family to love and take care of you, and that’s the best thing in the world. Don’t cry over such a good thing,” the old principal rubbed Mo Jingxi’s head once more.
The more the old principal consoled him, the more Mo Jingxi struggled to hold his tears back. He suddenly burst into tears and started crying.
“Principal, I can’t bear to leave everyone. Sob sob sob sob! If… If only everyone could come home with me. Sob sob sob sob! I can’t bear to leave any of you…” Mo Jingxi wept as he said.
He held up an arm to cover his eyes as his sleeves became completely wet from his tears.
“My good child, don’t cry. How can you cry over something good? It’s not like we won’t see each other anymore, right? Just come and visit us whenever you miss us. We can visit you too,” the old principal consoled him.
“That’s right. We can still see each other often,” chimed in Lin Chu.
Mo Jingxi was finally consoled as he nodded amidst his tears. He sniffled and tried his best to stop crying.
“Good boy. Look at you, your face is full of tears. Shi Tou and Tian Tian are waiting for you – they have presents for you,” the old principal took out some tissues to wipe away his tears.
Mo Jingxi sniffled again and turned toward Shi Tou and Tian Tian.
“You guys have a good chat. I’ll go and start cooking,” the old principal patted Mo Jingxi’s shoulders as she said.
Then, the old principal walked into the kitchen as Shi Tou took out a little box to give to Mo Jingxi. “Brother Jingxi, I know you’ve always wanted this. I secretly peeked at the note where you wrote down what you’d like for a birthday present. It was just a tiny peek, a peek this small.”
Shi Tou gestured at how small it was by holding out his thumb and index finger, with the two almost touching. “I bought this with my Lunar New Year money.”
Even though the children in the orphanage did not really have an allowance, they still received Lunar New Year money during the annual celebration.
This was always donated by alumni of the orphanage, which included Lin Chu and some other volunteers.
They did not give much; some gave fifty Yuan, some gave a hundred, but they could still save this up.
Mo Jingxi took the box from him. Shi Tou had given a set of toy tools. When he opened it, he found tools such as a spanner, hammer, and even more uncommon things like a screwdriver; everything was in there. As a starter toolbox for children, there were even parts provided for children to build their own workstation. This encouraged children to build things on their own.
It was not difficult to assemble if one followed the instructions on the paper provided but would give any child a deep sense of accomplishment upon completing the task.
The old principal had gotten all the children to write down their birthday wishes for the year. Everyone had written what birthday presents they wanted, and this was what Mo Jingxi had listed down for himself.
This toy toolbox was priced according to how many tools it contained and whether or not it included a workstation. The one Shi Tou had given him was the deluxe version.
Mo Jingxi knew Shi Tou had always tried his best to save up as much as he could. He must have spent quite a lot just to buy him this present.
Mo Jingxi hugged the toolbox right. “Thank you, Shi Tou. I’ll treasure this forever. Wait for me to come back and play this with you.”
Shi Tou broke into a wide smile. “Okay.”
Tina Tian took out a big bag which was filled with many dolls. Teacher Wang had taken her shopping so that she could get them, and she had used her own Lunar New Year money as well.
There wore different colored clothes while cotton and black threads were used for their hair.
In order to make them look pretty, Tian Tian did not use leftover cloth as she did for her own dolls.
The dolls’ faces were beige, and their clothes were made according to the color that they usually wore.
Tian Tian had made a set of dolls that resembled every single one of the children in the orphanage.
Tian Tian was small and she was not that skilled, but one could still identify each doll’s character by their hair and the clothes.
“I’ve stitched everyone’s names on the back of the dolls. If you aren’t able to make it back in the future, you can look at these dolls and it will be as if all us are with you,” Tian Tian smiled as she said.
There were so many dolls in the bag. Mo Jingxi wondered how long it took her to finish them.
Mo Jingxi took the bag and set it aside carefully. “I’ll make sure to keep them on display and look at them every day once I leave.”
Mo Jingxi handed them over to Mo Jingsheng, in case he forgot to bring it along with him. “Uncle, let’s put this in the car first.”
Mo Jingsheng nodded. He did not let Mo Jingxi go out as he took the presents by himself to put it in the back of the car.
Police Chief Mo arrived at a little past six.
“Why are you off work so early?” Liang Xiulin asked in surprise.
“I came off work early,” Police Chief Mo explained as he walked toward Mo Jingxi.
Mo Jingxi had not interacted much with Police Chief Mo before this. He was very nervous about Police Chief’s Mo’s stern personality, so in order to release the tension, Mo Jingxi forced himself to tell Police Chief Mo about the presents Shi Tou and Tian Tian had given him.
A slight smile actually appeared on Police Chief Mo’s face as he did this. It looked stiff, as it was not something that Police Chief Mo was used to. However, it made his face look strange, and he undoubtedly looked better when he was not smiling.
