Chapter 2056: The truth about the orphanage (2)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Are you the head warden?”
Shen Manting was taken aback when she realized the man standing before her was about the sa age as Shen Luo’an.
The man stared at her for a while and said, “The head warden is resting at the mont. Is there anything?”
Shen Manting let out a sigh of relief and explained, “I used to live here. I’m back to see him.”
“I see...” The man glanced at Shen Manting curiously and asked, “Who are you? You look familiar.”
He thought that she appeared too thin.
She was so skinny that she no longer resembled the person he had in mind.
He couldn’t recognize her at all.
Shen Manting grinned. “Do you know ? I’m He Yuncun.”
The man stared at her, astonished. “Yuncun? Is that really you? Why did you...”
Why had she beco so thin?
“I’m really Yuncun,” Shen Manting replied calmly. Then, she glanced at Shen Luo’an and slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow. “This is my husband, Shen Luo’an. He’s a scientist.”
The man was even more shocked. “A scientist?”
“No, I’m not.” Shen Luo’an patted Shen Manting’s hand and insisted, “My job is only to conduct research on drugs. Is the head warden around?”
“Oh, he’s taking a nap right now. He’s not feeling very well lately.”
He glanced at Shen Manting as he spoke. “Our little Yuncun is now all grown up! How ti flies. Do you rember ?”
“Who are you?”
Shen Manting stared intently at him, furrowing her brow.
She thought that he looked familiar, but so many years had passed that Shen Manting couldn’t recognize who he was at all.
The man laughed and said, “Don’t you rember ? I’m He Junsheng.”
“He Junsheng?” Shen Manting clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp. “No way! How could you be him?”
He Junsheng felt embarrassed and rubbed his head timidly. “I have to admit that I’ve indeed changed a lot. Co on in and have a seat.”
He led them inside. Shen Manting’s face still bore an expression of utter disbelief.
“Didn’t you used to be the naïve, simple-minded boy back then? You look much wiser now!”
Shen Manting was left with the ntal capacity of a 12-year-old, so her vocabulary was understandably limited.
Yet, her seemingly simple statent was an apt observation.
He Junsheng felt even more embarrassed and muttered, “Well, I guess so...”
Shen Luo’an pursed his lips and nudged Shen Manting. He explained, “She was hit by a car two years ago and landed in a coma for two years. She lost her mory and only rembers events in her life before the age of 12.”
He Junsheng was taken aback and turned to glance at Shen Manting. He finally understood the situation.
He stared at her with a sympathetic gaze and said, “Yuncun is a smart girl. The head warden favored her. I’ll go and see if he’s awake yet.”
“Hold on,” Shen Luo’an blurted. “Since you grew up together with her, you should know a lot about her. Let’s have a chat first.”
He Junsheng glanced at Shen Manting and nodded. “Excuse for a mont. I’ll make so tea for you.”
Shen Luo’an didn’t refuse his hospitality as he was getting thirsty by now. anwhile, Shen Manting made herself at ho and settled herself on the nearest stool within reach, dragging Shen Luo’an along with her.
The aging state of the interior furnishings that seed to date back more than a decade ago suggested that the building had a fairly long history.
Shen Manting glanced around the room. She suddenly stood up and said, “Honey, co and take a look at the butterflies ifang and I drew back then.”
Shen Luo’an rose to his feet and walked over to her.
He saw faint traces of the drawings.
Of the two butterflies, one appeared distorted, while the other seed to be taking flight gracefully.
The girls inscribed their nas below the drawings. Zhang ifang signed off beneath the crooked butterfly.
He Yuncun’s na appeared beneath the nicer-looking butterfly.
A smiley face was scribbled next to the final character of her na.
The lines of the drawings seed to have faded with the passage of ti.
The orphanage was not very spacious and the decorations looked rather ancient.
Just as Shen Luo’an finished surveying the room, He Junsheng served them tea.
Shen Luo’an led Shen Manting back to their seats. He Junsheng grinned. “We haven’t had any guests in a while. The tea set has been neglected for quite so ti, but I’ve cleaned it.”
As He Junsheng was bringing the water to a boil, he examined Shen Manting’s appearance and remarked, “I believe she has only recently recovered, hasn’t she? She looks frail.”
“She woke up from her coma a few days ago.” Shen Luo’an looked at him. “But are you sure she is indeed He Yuncun?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” He Junsheng stared at her. “I could tell she’s clever and quick-witted like the Yuncun I know. Who else could she be but Yuncun?”
“Then... how about Zhang ifang?” asked Shen Luo’an.
He Junsheng beca solemn at the ntion of her na. “ifang was quieter and more reserved. She wasn’t very bright either. She’s not nearly as smart as Yuncun.”
“Where is she?”
“She disappeared when she was still a teenager. No one knew where she went. We called the police and checked the surveillance cara footage, but we couldn’t find her anywhere.”
The water ca to a boil. He Junsheng disinfected the tea set carefully. “Such a pity. ifang was kind-hearted and lovely.”
“My grandmother adopted her back then,” Shen Luo’an said, looking at him. “At the ti, she was looking for soone whose astrological sign was compatible with hers. The person she wanted to adopt was Zhang ifang.”
He Junsheng’s hands trembled. He lost his grip on a teacup.
The boiling water from the teacup spilled onto Shen Manting’s hand.
Shen Manting grimaced in pain and instinctively retreated, grasping her scalded hand with her other hand.
Shen Luo’an was startled. He grabbed her hand to check for injuries. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Shen Manting felt a little embarrassed. She pushed his hand away and looked at He Junsheng. “Is there no way that ifang could have been found?”
He Junsheng suddenly looked flustered. “I...”
“Who’s here?” The voice of an old man traveled across the room. The elderly man walking into the room seed to be in his fifties or sixties.
Shen Manting recognized him at first glance. “Uncle Warden.”
She walked up to him and supported him by the arm.
The head warden was surprised to see Shen Manting. “I suppose you’re...”
“I’m Yuncun!”
Shen Manting blurted out her na without hesitation. However, the head warden’s expression changed once he heard her na.
He glanced at Shen Luo’an and asked, “Who is this?”
“He’s my husband!” Shen Manting grinned as she helped the old man to his seat. “It’s been a while.”
“Yes, indeed.” The head warden laughed uneasily. “You haven’t visited in a long ti. Now you’re back here...”
“Warden, I want to know where Zhang ifang had gone.”
The head warden could no longer keep his composure. “Zhang ifang...” he began hesitatingly.
He Junsheng glanced at him, frowning. “Go on, Warden.”
“ifang... ifang had been adopted,” the head warden muttered sheepishly. “She hadn’t returned in years.”
“Didn’t she go missing?” Shen Luo’an asked, “Just now, Mr. He ntioned that Zhang ifang went missing when she was a teenager, but now you claid that she had been adopted. She was also adopted by our family when she ca of age. What’s this all about?”
The family had intended to adopt Zhang ifang.
However, they ended up adopting He Yuncun instead.
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