CH 28.1

Chapter 28.1 – A Fish

Before going to the cemetery, Lu Tinghan took Shi Yuan to another place.

The car was parked outside the old city, and the February spring breeze was blowing unexpectedly. The two walked on the street, there was moss crawling in the cracks between the bricks and a few trembling growing weeds.

In a war, this area was completely destroyed. Even if it was rebuilt, it could not return to its original appearance, leaving a large number of ruins.

This was a residential area with inconvenient transportation, few urban facilities, and no bus station. The nearest supermarket was 11 kilometers away. The power supply and water supply were not stable. The only advantage was that the rent was cheap and it would not be difficult to buy an old house with a little effort, you only need to put up with the peeling ceiling and cracked walls.

The road was empty, Shi Yuan looked around, the windows were either covered by curtains, or the glass was so yellowed that no one could be seen.

After walking like this for about ten minutes, the sound of laughter came from the wind.

A pure white building stood not far away, and there was a small courtyard at the entrance, where children were chasing each other, swings, slides, sand pools, wooden horses… There were cartoon graffiti painted on the wall, exaggerated and colorful. There was a sign on the iron gate at the main entrance: [Star Children’s Welfare Home]

The staff waited at the main entrance and opened the door for them.

Shi Yuan followed Lu Tinghan through the wildly running children, all the way to the 5th floor of the building, and entered the dean’s office.

The dean’s name was Martha Faith, an elderly woman with graying hair and reading glasses.

She stood up to greet them and held Lu Tinghan’s hand, her eyes narrowed into a smile, “General, you haven’t been here for a long time, the children are clamoring to see you.” Her eyes fell on Shi Yuan. “Who is this…”

“Hi, my name is Shi Yuan,” Shi Yuan said.

“Hello.” Martha shook his hand too.

It was an old hand. Shi Yuan felt its wrinkles and loose skin, but it was not annoying. She smiled and said, “This is the first time the general has brought someone together. Are you his…?”

Shi Yuan thought for a few seconds: “Card friend.”

Lu Tinghan: “……”

Shi Yuan felt that if Martha was not there, his forehead would have been flicked again by Lu Tinghan.

Martha led them down the corridor, talking as they walked.

She said that the west wall collapsed during the alarm and had been under repair, and that there were children who had been naughty and had come close to the site to play, but fortunately, she had found them.

She said that 4 more children had been adopted, but there were almost 10 new children. Some were abandoned and some lost their parents by accident.

She said that thanks to the policy support of the Alliance, when it was the most difficult time, someone helped to go to the supermarket more than ten kilometers away to purchase, and the children could still eat healthy food. If they had the opportunity, they would expand the dormitory and kitchen. The building capacity was too small now, and the children were crowded together;

She said that it was fortunate that for so long, Lu Tinghan had been donating to the orphanage in his private name, so that the institution was not too strapped for cash and survived the most difficult times.

Martha walked very slowly, with her back hunched, Lu Tinghan followed slowly, reaching out to support her when going down the stairs.

Walking to a corridor window, they looked out.

Sunshine filled the small courtyard, the chains of the swing creaked, and children slipped down the slides one by one with the sound of laughter and screams, it was very lively.

Martha said: “I have discussed this with the people in the institute, when I retire, I will let Scott be the dean.”

“How is your health?” Lu Tinghan asked.

“Well, my legs don’t work well when it’s cold and they always hurt.” Martha smiled. “A little bit of everything, but nothing serious, people are like that in their old age, the good thing is that I can still climb up to the 5th floor, and my head is clear.”

Afterward, she hesitated for a long time and asked, “…General, tell me the truth, is the peak period coming soon?”

Lu Tinghan replied: “You don’t have to worry about this. The scientific research department has been paying attention to various signs. If there is a conclusion, everyone will be notified as soon as possible.”

“That’s good.” Martha’s strands of white hair trembled in the wind and curled up. “Then I’m relieved, otherwise, the children will always pester me and ask, I don’t understand this either, so I’ll rest assured after listening to you.”

A group of children ran over in the stairwell, and the girl called softly: “Grandma Martha! Come and play with us!”

Immediately, they surrounded them.

Shi Yuan saw the heads and hairs of those human cubs, a large group surrounded Martha, all smiling.

While coaxing the children, Martha said to them: “Just take a walk and look around, and if you’re not in a hurry, have lunch in the courtyard before you leave. It is rare for you to visit, sit and have a cup of tea.”

She went with the children, and Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan strolled around the courtyard again.

A few older children secretly followed behind them, as if they recognized Lu Tinghan, they whispered to each other.

They walked around the entire orphanage, and Lu Tinghan looked at everything, from the walls to the gate to the slide in the courtyard, so seriously that it was like reading a military report.

Walking back to the first floor, before the courtyard, Lu Tinghan stood still.

Shi Yuan followed his gaze and saw a little girl in a floral dress standing by the sandpit, watching two little boys build sandcastles.

Lu Tinghan said: “She is He Yu’s daughter, do you remember him?”

Of course, Shi Yuan remembered.

After that man was infected, he was unwilling to accept euthanasia and took Shi Yuan as a hostage to escape the team. After that, he died at the hands of Lu Tinghan.

He said his daughter was only five years old and he still wanted to see her.

To Shi Yuan’s surprise, Lu Tinghan could still remember He Yu—even he understood that for whatever reason, there must be many people who died directly or indirectly at the hands of Lu Tinghan. The world was a dangerous place and full of misfortunes, unfortunately, He Yu was by no means special.

What’s more, Lu Tinghan could also remember He Yu’s daughter.

Lu Tinghan said: “The children of sacrificed soldiers under the age of 14 will be sent to welfare homes.”

Shi Yuan asked him: “Do you know any other children?”

“Some of them.” Lu Tinghan continued to walk forward.

“You only need to meet them once to remember them?” Shi Yuan asked.

Lu Tinghan: “Almost. I may not remember their full names, but I know their faces.”

Shi Yuan thought that when Lu Tinghan taught him how to play cards, he always asked him to memorize the cards and remember them. For Lu Tinghan, this was probably very simple, just like he could easily remember those who were on one side of the table.

‘My human is really smart.’

They ate lunch in the courtyard.

In the shade of the trees, they sat at the table under the big tree in the courtyard with their dinner plates.

The meals for children and employees were the same, but the portions were different. Shi Yuan got mashed potatoes, boiled broccoli, tomato spaghetti, and boxed milk, all of which tasted good.

Shi Yuan bit the straw and asked, “Lu Tinghan, will I be as smart as you one day?”

Lu Tinghan raised his eyebrows, as if he didn’t expect him to ask this question, and replied: “Maybe. Everyone has their own strengths.”

After lunch, Lu Tinghan asked Shi Yuan to walk around casually, and went to meet Martha and other faculty members by himself. When he came out after the meeting, he couldn’t find Shi Yuan.

Looking around, he walked outside and saw Shi Yuan surrounded by children under the banyan tree. Shi Yuan was at a loss, looked at him as if he saw a savior, and immediately walked toward him—

The children disagreed, laughing and throwing themselves on him one by one, saying ‘big brother, come play with us!’

So, Lu Tinghan watched helplessly as Shi Yuan strenuously walked towards him, but more and more children hung on his body. In the end, he was like an overwhelmed wooden boat, gradually sinking, softly and slowly falling down, submerged by a pile of children.

Lu Tinghan: “…”

Lu Tinghan took a few steps forward, accurately grasped Shi Yuan’s devil horns, lifted them, shook them, and shook off five or six children, and then put Shi Yuan on the ground smoothly.

Shi Yuan curled up his tail and hid behind him: “This place is too scary!”

Human cubs were not as scary as adults, but they were more numerous and more enthusiastic, so they still scared him. Relying on Lu Tinghan, Shi Yuan finally got rid of the terrifying pile of children.

They stood by the sand, the swings were rattling in the wind, the children found something and laughed all over again.

Shi Yuan asked for a touch and then calmed down.

Lu Tinghan heard him say: “I thought about it while I was waiting for you. I don’t have any strengths either, ah. Although Mr. Cheng always praises me, I have quite a lot of trouble acting, I can’t say I have talent.”

“No, you have,” Lu Tinghan said.

Shi Yuan was stunned for a moment: “What is it?”

Lu Tinghan smiled, and just pinched Shi Yuan’s face without answering.

Shi Yuan: ?

He didn’t understand what the answer was, and his tail curled up into a question mark in confusion.