878 The Orphanage Is Very Good
Shen Hanxing pursed her lips and nodded. Lele was burden-free. He was not picky with his food and was obedient and sensible. After dinner, he even took the initiative to climb down from the stool and wanted to help clean up the dishes. His sensible action made grandma feel sorry for him.” Lele, come and eat some fruits.” She held Lele’s hand and sat down on the sofa. She said lovingly, “You’re still young. You don’t have to do these things.”
“I can do it. I can also wash the dishes.” Lele was a little uneasy. He had never lived in such a beautiful house or eaten such a sumptuous dinner. Everyone here was kind to him. Even Ji Yan, who had always had a cold face, would silently prepare a chair for him to reach the dining table. He could eat to his heart’s content. No one scolded him, and no one hit him.
This feeling was too unfamiliar. A huge sense of happiness filled Lele’s chest. He should be happy, but his eyes were wet and uneasy. He was eager to do something to prove that he was not a useless burden. It seemed that only if he was a little more obedient and sensible would he be able to keep such a happy life.
Lele looked at Grandma eagerly and whispered, “In the orphanage, we washed the dishes ourselves. I can wash them very cleanly. I can also help grandma and my brothers and sister.” As if to prove himself, he raised his tiny hand. It was a terrible sight. It was black and thin. His nails were probably trimmed by himself. They were not round at all. They were messy and angular. Some of them were even cracked. There were also marks on the back of his hand. There were calluses on his tiny palm. The skin on his hand was even rougher than an adult’s. Grandma’s eyes turned red when she saw it.
“What a sin.” Grandma grabbed Lele’s hand and could not help but cry. “What kind of life is this child living?” The older she got, the more soft-hearted she became and the more teary she became.
Seeing her grandmother cry, Lele panicked and looked at Shen Hanxing for help. “Grandma, don’t cry. Sister, did I say something wrong?”
“You didn’t say anything wrong. It’s Grandma who cares about you.” Shen Hanxing stood beside Lele and rubbed his head. “Lele, how are you doing in the orphanage? Was he unhappy? Did the people in the orphanage not treat you well?” She didn’t have the chance to ask before, but now she finally asked this question. She didn’t know if the middle-aged woman’s attitude towards Lele today was accidental or the same for all the children in the orphanage. Her attitude was so contemptuous that she didn’t treat these children as children, like some tool.
As orphans, it was normal for them to wash the dishes themselves in the orphanage. Children without their parents’ love had no right to be willful. They had to bear the burden of life at a young age and understand the cruelty of reality. Shen Hanxing was not pretentious enough to blame the orphanage for this. However, Lele looked too pitiful. She did not look like a poor orphan… Shen Hanxing’s heart sank when she saw the genuine fear in Lele’s eyes. She had a feeling that Angel Orphanage was hiding other secrets. If she took Lele away, what about the other children? How many Lele was there in that so-called orphanage?
“I… The orphanage… It’s good. It’s good.” Lele stuttered. He seemed to have thought of something, and his eyes filled with fear. It was as if mentioning the orphanage was enough to scare him out of his wits.
They had reached a safe place and left Angel Orphanage, but Lele’s little face was still pale. His body was trembling as she stuttered, “The people in the orphanage are very good to us… They’re all very good…” He lowered his head, and a sad expression appeared on his small face. He thought he must be a bad child who lied to his beautiful sister. No one would like a misbehaving child like him, but he still clenched his tiny fists and continued, “I-I’m not unhappy in the orphanage… It’s just that it’s not as good as this place…”
Lele was too young to hide his emotions. He didn’t know that his fear was beyond words. He tried to raise his head and smile, but this smile was uglier than crying. “Sister…Are you sending me back?” If he lied, would his pretty sister abandon him? Send him back to the orphanage? He thought of the grumpy director of the orphanage, the staff who liked to hit people, and the terrifying scene in the dark room.