Chi Lian turned around and run to the area T4 had identified as the one where the crying baby sound was coming from.
There she found a child in a box. It did not look like a newborn baby, more like a year or two year old child. From her dressing, Chi Lian assumed that it was a girl. She was dressed in tiny torn leggings and a shirt that had on the words 'Little princess.'
There was dirt and ash all over her face.
Chi Lian carried her out of the box and soothed her.
"Who would do such a terrible thing to a little child." She asked.
"I am already viewing the security footage around the area. Perhaps we can locate the parents of the child if we can find who dumped her here."
Chi Lian pulled some water out of her storage to wash the child's face. Then she got some bread and milk from the storage and fed her slowly.
The child must have been so hungry because she gobbled up the bread and milk like a starving wolf in the wild.
She must have been starving for days or hours. Chi Lian thought.
Perhaps the child was exhausted or just relieved to feel safe; she fell asleep shortly after eating.
Finally, T4 came up with a useful lead. "The child was abandoned here by three men in a black van. I have traced its journey and it came from a little house half a mile away from here named Sunshine orphanage.
Chi Lian could not help but wonder if the orphanage had thrown the child out.
"Let's go and find out what happened."
T4 changed the settings of the motorcycle and it turned into a small electric car.
Chi Lian gaped in amazement.
"I told you, our technology is superior." T4 boasted.
"If elder brother sees this, he will beg me to let him take it apart so that he can study it."
She set the speed to near maximum speed because she did not want anybody stopping her or checking what she was carrying. They could easily call her a child trafficker.
The car rushed through traffic on the road leaving only a gust of wind behind. Those who saw something pass by them could not be sure of what they had seen because it was gone in an instant.
It took her two minutes to reach the dirt road which led to the orphanage.
"Set speed to normal." She said.
The car slowed down and slowly, she made her way to the gate of sunshine orphanage. There was nobody at the gate but it was open so let herself in.
Inside the depilated place were two old buildings, dying plants and hungry looking children. The once yellow bright paint on the buildings had turned dirty brown. Cracks were running through the walls. These buildings appeared to be on the brink of collapse.
How does such a downtrodden place exist in this city! She wondered.
A few of the children walked to her bravely. The oldest one in the group must have been twelve or thirteen years old.
"Wha-wha-what can we do for you?" he stammered. The boy looked nervous and he was struggling with his words.
"Can I see the proprietor of this place?" she asked.
"Huh." The children all looked confused.
"Who is in charge of the children here?"
"Principal Wang." The children answered together.
"Where can I find her?"
They pointed her to the left side of the two story building.
She parked her car under the shade of one of the trees and carried the sleeping girl out from the back.
She pulled a few snacks and sweets out of her storage. To the children, it seemed as if she was pulling the snacks out of air. The audience of children that was watching her with curious eyes was filled with wonder.
Chi Lian laughed and made a 'shush' sound with a finger over her lips.
The children laughed while the youngest ones clapped and waited for what they assumed to be a magic show to continue.
"I promise to buy you all good food today." She said.
She went into the building and knocked on the door marked principal. It was opened by an older woman dressed in a brown old dress. She looked exhausted and tired.
"Are you the person in charge of the children here?"
"Yes." She replied. Her eyes moved to the child on Chi Lian's shoulder. The little girl was awake and sucking on her thumb.
"Mei-Mei." The woman gasped. Her hands reached out for the child but the child refused to let go Chi Lian. In fact, she started crying.
Apprehensive, Chi Lian steeped away from the woman. She needed to first establish whether this person could be trusted.
"Mei-Mei is one of our children. Are you the one who stole her?"
Rolling her eyes, Chi Lian answered, "Would I be here if I had stolen the child?"
"Of course not, please have a seat." She indicated to the worn out sofa in the middle of the tiny office.
"I found her in a box near a trash bin. She had been dumped there." Chi Lian explained.
"Some human traffickers have been going around stealing children from orphanages. I don't know why. As you can see, we are a poor institution. I lack the resources to feed and clothe the children so how can I provide protection for them?"
"Don't you have any help around here?"
"My daughter helps me out but she has a job in the city now. We coud use all the money we can get our hands now. She earns around four thousand yuan a month which mostly goes towards feeding the children."
Chi Lian had seen the situation with her own eyes. The children were malnourished, The clothes on their bodies torn and worn. The buildings were about to collapse.
"Doesn't the government help you?"
"It used to. But ever since the new mayor took office four years ago, we have not received any help. All of my efforts have been met with silence. And when I tried to go to the news stations with the story I was threatened."
Principal Wang looked defeated.
Chi Lian was the kind of person who could not stand injustice. Those monsters were letting children starve while they hogged their money. They slept in warms beds while the children shivered in the cold at night. She would not let them get away with this.
'I will find a way to help you." She vowed.
"You will get in trouble." Principal Wang discouraged her. "Those people are powerful."
"A pen is mightier than the sword."
The woman pondered on Chi Lian's words. The young lady was speaking with determination and authority. Perhaps the heaven had finally felt pity on them and sent a savior.
"Thank you for returning Mei-Mei back to us."
"I couldn't just leave her there." Chi Lian caressed the little girls face and pinched her baby cheeks." What happened to her family?"
"They all died in an accident when she was six months old and nobody came forward to claim her. She has been with us ever since then."
Chi Lian looked into Mei-Mei's eyes. They were big and bright but weary. This child had the same unlucky fate as she did in her last life. This place would not provide the right resources to nurture her growth. Especially because T4 had said she had S class mental strength. She had the potential to do great things but only if someone took a chance on her.
"I want to adopt her." Chi Lian said.
The principal was excited. No child had been adopted from here in three years.
"Are you sure? You don't look so old yourself."
"I will make her my daughter. My age should not matter."
"What about your family?"
"They will accept her." Chi Lian assured the worried woman.
With determination, she completed the adoption procedures immediately. T4 even registered the child as hers officially legally.
When they were finished, she asked for the account number of the orphanage and donated one hundred thousand Yuan.
The principal cried when she received the money alert on her phone.
"I promise you that I am going to revitalize this place. It will become a true sunshine for children." She promised as she held the principal's hands.
"Buy the children some good food tonight. Tomorrow I will send some more supplies over."
Chi Lian bid the excited children goodbye. The principal had already told them that she was now the sponsor of their orphanage. Some of them hugged her and cried.
When she was leaving, she cried for a minute as she thought about their plight.
"We will make it better. Let's make enough money and support them." T4 tried to comfort her.
"I have ordered for children's clothing and other supplies. They are on their way to your home right now."
"Oh-oh." Chi Lian's eyes widened.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation! Thank you Ramenx for the power stones. This author is grateful
As the evening sun was setting, the streets were filled with laughter of children returning home happily from school, workers leaving the office and couples going on dates. Chi Lian was not among this group of people. She watched them as the car rushed past them. Her phone was ringing non-stop, and Chi Lian was rushing home to explain to her family the reason as to why dozens of baby supplies had been delivered to their door.
There was no doubt that they would be worried and angry with her for taking such a momentous decision without consulting any member of her family first. Perhaps the old Chi Lian would not have been capable of making such a decision but she was the new Chi Lian. Her life was in her hands. Every decision she made was only done after considering the repercussions of her decision. She just had to make them see her point of view.
She found them gathered outside the house as if they were waiting on an important guest.
"Chi-Chi-"her mother started and paused because the sight before her eyes was absolutely shocking. She pointed at the child Chi Lian was carrying out of the car, "Who-Whose baby is that? "
"Let's have this conversation inside the house."
This was a public estate and other residents were taking walks or jogging. Some were walking their pets. There was no need to have a private family conversation in public.
"Go and help your sister with the groceries." Papa Chi instructed the boys.
Her brothers walked by her with questioning gazes. Their eyes moved to the baby and then to her face.
"Sister did you have a secret child outside?" Chi Zimo asked.
"Will your mouth itch if you wait for a few minutes?" Chi Wei asked.
"Idiot," Chi Rui said.
Chi Zimo looked so aggrieved. He was just so curious that he could not help himself.
Inside the house, mama Chi held out her hands to take the baby from Chi Lian. The stubborn Mei-Mei however was already clingy to her new mother and refused to let go.
"I can still carry her." Chi Lian said. She took a sit and patted Mei-Mei on the back.
When all the family members gathered, Chi Lian took a deep breath and opened up about how she met Mei-Mei and the situation of the orphanage. Mama Chi cried when she heard about the starving children who were dressed in torn and patched up clothing.
"So," Chi Lian concluded, "I adopted her."
"What?" Chi Zimo shouted.
"I could not just leave her there. She has nobody let in the world. And moreover, I had a dream last night, a Buddhist monk told me that if helped a poor child our family would be blessed because the child is blessed."
"Huh." Her father looked suspicious. Superstitions were outdated in this modern society.
"Really!" her mother quizzed. "Chi-Chi, the empire has a strict policy of three children per family. If you adopt that child, you can only have two biological children of your own. And moreover, you are an unmarried young woman. Having a child will hinder your prospects on the marriage market."
Chi Lian considered the precious words of her mother. She was cautioning her the same way principal Wang had done. But her mind was already made up. Every time Mei-Mei stared at her with those big beautiful eyes, she fell deeper in love with her.
"I know all that, but I have made up my mind. Look at her." Chi Lian turned Mei-Mei around so that the whole family could get a good look at the beautiful child.
Mei-Mei's eyes were big and clear. She pouted her small lips and smiled like an angel.
"So cute," Chi Rui gasped.
"I still don't think this is a good idea. The baby is cute but what will happen when sis gets married in future. What if her husband rejects the child?"
"Then such a man is not worthy of your sister." Papa Chi said.
"Yes. We will not accept such a man." Mama Chi added.
"Our sister is a capable woman. Men will be the ones pleading to marry her. You just wait and see." Chi Wei spoke as if he had travelled into the future and had this information first hand.
"I am going to tell people that she is my biological daughter. I don't want her to grow up feeling like she lacks something because I am not her biological mother."
"Are you sure sis?" Chi Zimo asked.
"Yes. Two years ago I lived abroad for a few months. If anybody asks then we tell them that I had Mei-Mei during that time. "
The house was encompassed by the sound of silence. Chi Lian had made her choice and there was no talking her out of it.
"Look, this is not going to be easy. Some people will gossip about Chi-Chi but we are her family and the Chi's stick together no matter what. We will support her decision and defend it to the public if someone ridicules her. Is that clear?"
"Yes, sir," The boys said.
"I guess this means I am now a grandmother." Mama Chi smiled and clapped. It had been a long time since she had held a child. She had always been looking forward to having grandchildren but none of her sons were married. She looked at Mei-Mei lovingly. Her eyes portrayed a dotting intention. "Let me help you prepare Mei-Mei's room."
"Me too," Papa Chi followed them to prepare the room where his new granddaughter would be sleeping.
The three brothers were left behind to carry the baby supplies into the room.
Unknown to the family, an eavesdropping Jun Muyang had managed to listen to the entire conversation from beneath the window outside the living room.
He did not mean to eavesdrop on his new neighbors. His foolish dog a golden retriever named Cooper had dragged one of his important papers to the yard. From there, the wind blew it into the neighbors' compound. When he went to retrieve it, the family had moved outside and stayed there until the woman showed up with a baby.
He tried to leave after they entered the house but his legs were aching and needed to be stretched first. During those few minutes of stretching, he managed to overhear what they were discussing.
It was simply perplexing to him that a single unmarried woman of her age was choosing to adopt a child and planning to pass it off as her own biological child. It was a certainty that in some circles she would be shunned.
Why would she make a decision? Undeniably, the infant did have a pitiful background but that was not reason enough to take such a life altering drastic decision.
Was it love, pity or foolishness?
Muyang looked at his secretary Wenzhe.
"What do you think about her?"
Wenzhe pushed his glasses back up for what could be perceived as the hundredth time that day.
"Who?" He was confused.
"That woman who moved in with her family next door?"
"I have not taken a good look at her as of yet sir. What do you think about her?"
Wenzhe silently waited for a response. His ears were itching for gossip. In all the years he had worked for Muyang, this is the first time that he was asking about a woman. Perhaps the iron tree was finally blooming.
"I think she is foolish." He smiled with a smirk on his face.
"Huh." Wenzhe was confused. This was not the response he was expecting. "Yes sir, you are right. She is foolish indeed." It was his job to agree with the gold master at all times.
"Haven't you just said you have not seen her, how would you know if she is foolish or not?"
"Ermm-"Wenzhe scratched his head. 'He is definitely defending that woman.' he thought.
Secretly, he took out his phone and sent a message.
[Young master asked about a woman today.]
[What's her name and family background?]
[I will check and tell you when I know more.]
In the Chi household, Chi Lian was telling her family about her plans to sponsor the orphanage and get the authorities to investigate the theft of the funds meant for the welfare of the children.
"We should make it a family activity. We can go every weekend and spend some time with the children."
"I agree." Mama Chi volunteered. When they were wealthy, she used to do such activities with her friends but now they did not extend an invite to her because her family had fallen from grace. It felt exhilarating to know that she could be useful again.
"Excellent, I knew you would not let me down sweet mother. You will also be in charge of the budget and expenses."
"Your mother is a very capable woman." Papa Chi said. He always took every chance he got to boast about his wife.
"Thank you my dear." Mama Chi blushed.
"Old people please stop showing off your affection." Chi Zimo pretended to be disgusted.
The harmonious family environment continued until they went to bed that night.
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