The orphanage was located in the northern district of Wanghai, quite a distance from their school, making it impossible to reminisce about the past. In order to save time, Ye Fei directly hailed several taxis.
Upon hearing that they were heading there, the taxi drivers were reluctant to take them. Only after Ye Fei agreed to pay five times the fare did they reluctantly agree.
Arriving in the area where the orphanage was located, Ye Fei realized why the drivers were unwilling to come here. The roads were extremely rugged, causing the car to bump and sway nauseatingly, coupled with the foul odor emanating from the small ditches along the roadside, almost inducing vomiting.
But that wasn't the worst part. The most discomforting aspect was the exceptionally narrow roads. There were several spots where the taxi could barely pass through. A slight misjudgment could easily lead to colliding with the stones or other obstacles at the road edges.
Just when Lin Ling, who had the weakest constitution, was on the verge of vomiting, the taxi finally stopped in front of a very dilapidated small courtyard.
Ye Fei knew this was the orphanage. Upon seeing it, his first thought was, "Can people actually live in a place like this?" But then he chuckled at his own cynicism. He had just mentioned how Tang Rou was oblivious to the world's hardships. Now, it seemed he wasn't exempt either. After all, how could Purple Hair grow up here if it wasn't habitable?
Following the bald men into the courtyard, the shock in Ye Fei's heart intensified. It was a tiny quadrangle filled with various household items, covering less than thirty square meters. Adjacent was a large piece of discarded plastic sheet, probably used to cover things during rainy days. It appeared they didn't even have a proper kitchen.
Compared to Ye Yunqi and Lin Ling, Ye Fei was more deeply moved. He knew this orphanage housed over a hundred children. Considering the size of the place and the few rooms, did this mean ten or more children shared a single room?
Ye Fei felt a pang of sadness. He couldn't understand why in the bustling city of Wanghai, there existed such a forgotten corner. He wondered what the officials were up to. Even if they were corrupt, what about his own aunt? Was she unaware of the situation here?
At that moment, Ye Fei couldn't help but feel somewhat dissatisfied with Liu Fengyi, whom he had always respected.
Purple Hair, who grew up here, saw Ye Fei and the others looking shocked but merely smiled indifferently. He had seen this expression too many times.
Even the first time the bald men came here, they had a similar expression. Perhaps no one, except themselves, truly understood how difficult the children's lives were here.
"This is it." Purple Hair said to Ye Fei, sighing, "With such a small area, even if the developers agree to compensate us, we won't get much."
Ye Fei nodded thoughtfully, pondering the issue. It seemed that merely confronting the developers wouldn't solve the problem. He needed a better solution, preferably one that empowered the orphanage to be self-sufficient. However, Ye Fei was clueless about making money and couldn't think of any good ideas at the moment.
Ye Yunqi, curious, asked, "Since you grew up here without much money and usually look like a troublemaker, how did you manage to get into the top high school?"
She was straightforward, asking whatever came to her mind, without considering whether Purple Hair might feel embarrassed.
Purple Hair, unfazed, replied with a smile, "I was a special enrollment student. I ranked first in the school's entrance exam, so the school waived all my fees. For my daily expenses, the bald guys helped, and some... well..."
Glancing at Ye Fei, he continued somewhat sheepishly, "Some were from you, which helped me get by."
Ye Yunqi and Lin Ling were astounded. They never expected that this troublemaker was the top student in the school upon admission. It seemed unbelievable.
Ye Fei then revealed, "Not only during admission, but now Purple Hair is also in the top three in the senior year group. Most of the money I gave him was used for the orphanage, right?"
Purple Hair smiled embarrassedly, "My family is in dire straits, and I don't need much money myself, so I use it at home. I must thank you for the money you gave; it helped us through several tough times."
"Maomao, is that you?"
Perhaps hearing the voices in the courtyard, a lady in her seventies emerged from a house to the north. Seeing Purple Hair in the courtyard, she asked, "Why are you back at noon?"
Purple Hair hurried over to support the old lady, saying, "I brought some classmates over during lunchtime to take a look, Grandma. How come you're up? Where's Sister Xue?"
The kindly old lady smiled and said, "Xue took Yaya and the others to work at the nearby field. I'm feeling much better now and thought of moving around a bit. Oh, isn't this Baldy? Come in and have a seat." It seemed that this old lady was quite familiar with Baldy and his friends.
Baldy and his friends were also acquainted with the old lady, saying, "It's alright, Grandma Li. Today we bring you good news. This is our classmate Ye Fei, along with his sister and, uh, girlfriend. He heard about our situation here and wants to help."
"Oh, I see. Come on in then," Grandma Li didn't show too much enthusiasm towards Ye Fei and his friends; she had seen too many people like them before.
In the past, wealthy young masters often came here, claiming they wanted to help. But after putting on a show and gaining some reputation, they never bothered to check back. In her eyes, Ye Fei and his friends were probably the same.
Ye Fei and his two companions were extremely intelligent. They could tell from Grandma Li's expression what she really thought, so they didn't harbor any resentment towards her coldness.
But Purple Hair was a bit anxious. "Grandma, Ye Fei is different from those people in the past. He genuinely wants to help us, and..."
At this point, he leaned in and whispered something to Grandma Li.
Grandma Li seemed surprised and looked at Ye Fei, asking, "Are you Mayor Liu's nephew?"
Ye Fei nodded, "Yes, Liu Fengyi is my aunt."
"Oh, I'm sorry for neglecting you earlier. Please come inside and have a seat," Grandma Li said apologetically.
After receiving confirmation, Grandma Li suddenly became warm and welcoming, leaving Ye Fei and his friends somewhat puzzled. This Grandma Li didn't seem like a superficial person at all.