Chapter 537: Chapter 158: A New Story! The Beginning!_3
Ian counted how many children Lady Yelena had praised as the smartest kids, naming each one, almost covering all the little ones in the orphanage.
"Hahahahaha~"
Being exposed, Lady Yelena wasn’t embarrassed; instead, she burst out laughing. The two of them, chatting and laughing, finally returned to the slightly worn-out old house.
Wu Orphanage.
The exterior of the orphanage was still weathered, the gray-white walls full of traces left by rainwater. Ti had left its indelible mark on this historic orphanage.
"Welco ho, child."
Lady Yelena stepped forward and pushed open the door. The iron gate was already rusted, the hinges screeching harshly from long neglect. On the lintel, a once-auspicious pattern carvings now blurred, leaving only varied scratches, mories of curious touches from past children.
The dim glow of the gas lamp spread in the rain, signaling the early arrival of nightfall.
Pushing open the slightly heavy door, the sowhat desolate scene inside looked rather serene. A scent mixed with food and disinfectant greeted him; it was a most familiar aroma in Ian’s mory. It was like an invisible bond connecting him to every corner of this small world.
"It’s indeed cabbage and radish stew!"
Ian dashed towards the kitchen. Just like him, there were quite a few little ones waiting in the kitchen for the al. Seeing Ian co in, they imdiately erupted in cheers.
"It’s him! It’s him! The man who brings cabbage stew is our king!"
"Ian, I missed you so much! Without you, no one kicks my butt!"
"Oh my gosh! Ian, you’ve grown so tall! When you threaten
not to listen to you and crawl through your legs tomorrow, I think I won’t feel your legs are too narrow anymore!"
"I want a hug! Ian! I want a hug! Mia, get out of the way!"
...
The kids started chattering noisily.
They gathered around, greeting him with a babble of voices. So were asking about interesting stories from his trip, while others couldn’t wait to know what treasures Ian had in his suitcase.
"There are dangerous items in here!"
Ian quickly stopped a few curious little ones.
"Welco ho, Little Ian."
The cook lady in the kitchen was also delighted. She deeply missed having Ian help with cooking; this little guy always found a way to bring in so at.
"Aunt Marilyn, let
see if your skills have gotten rusty!" Saying this, Ian planned to fish so food out of the pot with his hand, unsurprisingly getting a tap on the hand from Lady Marilyn, the cook, with her iron ladle. The familiar pain made Ian grin, eyes filled with a playful smile.
"Mind your manners, young man. Take the younger ones to wash hands for dinner, rember to wash three tis." Lady Marilyn instructed Ian.
"Got it."
Ian nodded obediently.
Yet.
Before leaving the kitchen with his pals, he walked up to Lady Marilyn and stuffed the bundle of cash that Lady Yelena had refused into Lady Marilyn’s apron pocket.
"Dean Yelena asked
to give you this, to buy more milk for the kids." Leaving this authoritative-sounding reason, Ian sprinted out.
"Wait for ! Ian! You haven’t hugged
yet!"
"Annie said you might not co back; you must go and poke her mouth!"
"Ian! Ian! I’ll give you all my at tonight! Can you tell us stories about the outside world!" A group of kids imdiately chased after Ian.
Ian took them to Dean Yelena, and only then did these little ones calm down a bit, a scene that brought a restrained smile to Dean Yelena’s face.
"Distribute the gifts you brought back after dinner, don’t let them eat so many snacks that they won’t eat supper." Lady Yelena handed the suitcase back to Ian.
She could pretty much guess what Ian had in mind.
"If I don’t give it to them now, they won’t be able to eat tonight." Ian knew too well how children’s minds worked, and he opened up his big suitcase and took out a large backpack.
All the kids watched him with bright eyes.
Then.
In the eyes of the children brimming with admiration and excitent, Ian seed to them like an omnipotent magician as he poured a pile of snacks onto the stone slabs under the eaves. Snacks of various kinds spilled out like a rainbow, vivid and colorful, instantly capturing all of the children’s attention.
Chocolate sticks, potato chips, jelly, and brightly packaged fruit candies... These might be ordinary to city kids, but here, they were treasured rarities.
"Co take so, everyone gets a share!" Ian shouted with a smile. The kids paused for a mont and then erupted into joyful cheers.
In front of the old house.
The young figures huddled together.
Yet...
Unexpectedly, they didn’t rush.
Though their eyes sparkled with longing for the treats, they didn’t swarm forward as Ian had expected. Instead, they all looked at Ian.
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