Chapter 44 p2
After dinner, they sat in the living room, the TV playing in the background.
Shen Shu, holding a bowl of grapes, asked if Xu Jinnan wanted her to cut some mangoes.
Xu Jinnan, busy with work on her phone, said she wasn’t hungry.
Just then, Chen Yue called.
He had found the place.
The Yuhua Orphanage was located seventy kilometers from North City, in a small town called Rongxiao, a two-hour drive.
Xu Jinnan looked at the photos he had sent; they matched her memories.
Shen Shu sat down beside her, holding the bowl of grapes. “Are you going?”
“Yes,” Xu Jinnan replied, nodding.
She couldn’t explain it, but she felt compelled to visit, as if something was drawing her there.
And there was also the little girl.
“I don’t think anyone besides Yin Xue and I knows about her. With Yin Xue in the Special Ward, that child…” Xu Jinnan frowned, not wanting to take responsibility, but the child was innocent.
“When are you going?” Shen Shu asked.
“In the next couple of days.”
“Alone?”
“Yes,” Xu Jinnan replied without thinking.
With Lu Yun’s involvement, it was best to keep Zhou Pei out of this. If Lu Yun interfered, it would only complicate matters.
Then, realizing how that sounded, she glanced at Shen Shu, who said, “I’m free these next few days. I’ll go with you.”
Xu Jinnan looked at her, shifting closer and leaning towards her. “You’ve been… unusually kind to me lately,” she commented.
Shen Shu: “?”
“Was I that terrible to you before?” she asked, meeting Xu Jinnan’s gaze.
Xu Jinnan blinked slowly, moving even closer and taking a grape from the bowl. “No, you’ve always been… fine,” she said with a smile, then straightened up.
Shen Shu: “…”
Xu Jinnan, her mood lifting, turned off her phone and switched the TV channel from commercials to a movie.
It was the ABO movie channel, also known as the late-night channel.
Censorship wasn’t as strict in this world, although particularly explicit scenes were still edited, but there were no restrictions on genres. Same-sex relationships, whether AA or OO, were common, as long as the movies were well-made and well-received.
The movie playing was a historical drama about an Alpha and an Omega. Shen Shu watched for a while, then went to the bedroom to read her script. Xu Jinnan continued working on her phone until the movie ended.
She liked having some background noise.
She contacted the Yuhua Orphanage, and the woman who answered the phone, clearly familiar with her, greeted her warmly as “Miss Xu” before she could even speak.
Two days later, Xu Jinnan decided to visit.
Before leaving, Shen Shu said she needed to go to the supermarket, and Xu Jinnan went with her, realizing, as Shen Shu filled the cart with candy and snacks, that they were for the child.
“Gifts for the little girl?” Xu Jinnan, having no experience with children, hadn’t thought of that.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s get more,” Xu Jinnan said.
They filled the car with several bags of snacks.
Her scent gland had been relatively calm these past few days, so Shen Shu offered to drive, but Xu Jinnan declined, telling her to focus on her script.
As they drove towards the small town, the scenery changed from the bustling cityscape to quiet countryside.
Xu Jinnan found the tranquility soothing. The sun was shining, and fields of bright yellow canola flowers lined the road, but the road itself was occasionally bumpy.
Shen Shu felt the same way, and they stopped for a break, Xu Jinnan taking pictures of the scenery.
Shen Shu opened a bottle of water. “You look like you’re on vacation,” she commented.
“What kind of vacation?” Xu Jinnan asked with a smile. “A honeymoon?”
They both paused.
Xu Jinnan looked at her, then quickly put away her phone, changing the subject. “Let’s go. We’ll be there in half an hour. Take a nap if you’re tired.”
“Should I drive for a while?”
“No, it’s fine.”
–
They arrived at the orphanage around 2 p.m. The security guard at the entrance, despite recognizing Xu Jinnan, still asked her to register. The orphanage director, hearing of her arrival, came out to greet them.
She was a plump, middle-aged woman with kind eyes and a warm smile, wearing dark-rimmed glasses.
Seeing Shen Shu, her expression flickered slightly. Xu Jinnan usually came with Miss Yin. She hid her surprise, smiling. “It’s been a while. You shouldn’t have brought so many things. It must have been heavy.”
“It’s nothing,” Xu Jinnan replied, gently placing a hand on Shen Shu’s back, drawing her closer. “This is my wife, Shen Shu.”
The director’s eyes narrowed slightly, understanding dawning. “Oh, Miss Shen, you’re so beautiful! Such a lovely name. You two are a perfect match.”
Without further ado, they followed the director inside.
Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu exchanged a look. This director was perceptive.
As they walked through the orphanage grounds, they saw a few children playing marbles in the shade, supervised by a caregiver in a green uniform. Laughter echoed through the air.
It was better than Xu Jinnan had imagined.
“It’s quite nice here,” she murmured to Shen Shu.
Receiving no response, she glanced over to see Shen Shu staring at a swing set in the distance.
After a moment, Shen Shu simply said, “Mm.”
Just as Xu Jinnan was about to speak, someone called out excitedly, “Miss Xu!”
It was the caregiver.
A young woman with delicate features and a rather impressive figure, her uniform straining slightly.
“Hello,” Xu Jinnan replied.
The caregiver hurried over, her smile faltering slightly as she noticed Shen Shu. “Miss Xu, Little Crescent Moon has been asking about you. You’re finally here!”
Shen Shu glanced at the caregiver, then looked away.
With the original Xu Jinnan’s attitude, would Little Crescent Moon actually miss her? Xu Jinnan wondered.
“Really? I missed her too,” she said with a smile.
Someone called the director, and she turned to them. “Lin Wei, take Miss Xu inside. I’ll go check the water pipes in the back,” she said. “They seem to be leaking again.”
“Certainly, Director,” Lin Wei replied.
–
The orphanage building was painted white, decorated with large cartoon characters – Tom and Jerry, SpongeBob SquarePants – and colorful, childish drawings.
Inside, two hallways, one pink and one blue, branched off from the entrance.
They walked down the pink hallway, and Xu Jinnan recognized the surroundings from her memory.
Lin Wei opened the door to a pink room, about twenty square meters. “Little Crescent Moon, look who’s here!”
The little girl turned around, her eyes lighting up. “Auntie Nannan!”
Xu Jinnan placed the bag of candy she had set aside on the table and bent down to pat Little Crescent Moon’s head, sensing the child instinctively flinch. Assuming she was scared, she withdrew her hand, then noticed the little girl’s eyes held only a hint of unfamiliarity, not fear.
“You can go now. We’ll chat for a bit,” she said to Lin Wei.
After Lin Wei left, Xu Jinnan crouched down in front of Little Crescent Moon, observing her closely.
She had two pigtails, her soft bangs framing her bright, dark eyes. She was adorable.
Her eyes and brows resembled Yin Xue’s slightly.
“It’s been a while,” Xu Jinnan said gently. “I’ve been busy lately.”
Little Crescent Moon nodded. “I know. The director told me you have a lot of work. Mama is busy too, that’s why she doesn’t visit me, right?”
Xu Jinnan’s heart ached, looking at the little girl’s innocent eyes.
Just then, she smelled a sweet fragrance, and Shen Shu approached, holding out her hand. “Strawberry-flavored. Want one? They’re delicious.”
Shen Shu’s face was close, so close that Xu Jinnan could feel her breath on her skin.
Little Crescent Moon looked at the candy in Shen Shu’s hand, then at Xu Jinnan.
“This is Auntie Shen Shu,” Xu Jinnan said with a smile. “Go ahead and take one. She bought them especially for you.”
Little Crescent Moon reached for the candy, forgetting her earlier question.
The candy seemed to break the ice, and she became more talkative. “Auntie Shen Shu, can you draw a bird?” she asked, as she liked drawing.
Shen Shu bent down, taking a colored pencil, her voice gentle. “Of course.”
Xu Jinnan raised an eyebrow, listening to her gentle tone. She seems to like children.
Compared to Shen Shu, Xu Jinnan wasn’t as comfortable with children, simply making small talk while observing the room.
It felt familiar, just like in her memory.
Suddenly, Little Crescent Moon said, “Auntie Nannan loves birds. Can I give this one to her?”
Xu Jinnan looked down, meeting the little girl’s bright eyes.
“Of course,” she replied.
“She said she likes birds?” Shen Shu asked, picking up on Little Crescent Moon’s words.
“She drew it herself! Her sketchbook is full of birds… Didn’t Auntie Nannan tell you? She always draws birds. Auntie Nannan, can I show Auntie Shen Shu your drawings?”
Xu Jinnan froze.
So, the original Xu Jinnan’s visits weren’t limited to that one memory fragment.
That fragment was from before the wedding. She had visited Little Crescent Moon after that, and more than once.
And judging by Little Crescent Moon’s attitude, she had treated her well.
Perhaps that was why Xu Jinnan felt a sense of familiarity with this place, not discomfort.
“Of course, go ahead,” she said.
Little Crescent Moon jumped off her chair and retrieved a sketchbook from a drawer.
“Look!” she exclaimed, opening the sketchbook. “I want to be as good as Auntie Nannan!”
Xu Jinnan walked over, and she and Shen Shu flipped through the pages together.
Each page was dated. The original Xu Jinnan had drawn with Little Crescent Moon during each visit, mostly birds and butterflies, occasionally a small human figure, all in black.
The dates started two months before her wedding to Shen Shu.
“We both want to be birds, so we can fly away!” the little girl’s cheerful voice echoed through the room. “Right, Auntie Nannan?”
Xu Jinnan’s heart ached.
“Yes,” she said softly. “One day, you’ll become a bird.”
“Birds have lots of friends! And they can fly far away to meet more friends, and then I can play with them! Auntie Shen Shu, do you want to be a bird? You can be a butterfly too! Butterflies are pretty, and you’re pretty too!”
Shen Shu remembered Xu Jinnan’s words, “Want to play with me?”
Perhaps Xu Jinnan had driven two hours, eighty kilometers, alone,
to visit this orphanage, to talk to Little Crescent Moon, seeing her as a younger version of herself.
Even though she knew this wasn’t the same Xu Jinnan, the image, superimposed on Xu Jinnan’s face, tugged at her heart.
–
After spending over an hour with Little Crescent Moon, who was fighting sleep despite her yawns, Shen Shu and Xu Jinnan exchanged a look.
Xu Jinnan patted the little girl’s head. “The director needs to talk to Auntie Nannan. Be a good girl and take a nap. I’ll come back and play with you later, okay?”
Little Crescent Moon grabbed her hand. “But I’m not sleepy! Not at all! Let’s draw some more! I learned how to draw sunflowers! I’ll show you…”
“She really does have something to do. If she’s late, she’ll be too embarrassed to come back next time,” Shen Shu said, picking her up and patting her back. “Go to sleep. I promise she’ll be here when you wake up.”
They didn’t have to coax her much. Little Crescent Moon, surprisingly understanding, nodded and climbed into bed. “I’ll be a good girl and take a nap. We can play when I wake up.”
Xu Jinnan smiled and agreed. Shen Shu told her to wait outside while she stayed with Little Crescent Moon for a few more minutes.
After Xu Jinnan left, Little Crescent Moon opened one eye, then quickly closed it again, seeing Shen Shu watching her.
Shen Shu stroked her hair. “I see you. Go to sleep.”
Little Crescent Moon opened both eyes. “Auntie Shen Shu, are you and Auntie Nannan together?”
Shen Shu was taken aback.
Little Crescent Moon blinked, her small hand reaching out from under the covers to pat Shen Shu’s hand. “It’s okay. You don’t have to comfort me. The director said even if two mommies have a baby, they don’t always stay together. Grown-ups have lots of problems… So, I’m not sad.”
Shen Shu, unsure what to say, gently squeezed her hand. “But they both love you very much.”
“Really?” Little Crescent Moon asked. “As long as I’m a good girl, they won’t leave me, right?”
Shen Shu’s eyes welled up. “No one will ever leave you, Little Crescent Moon,” she said firmly.
–
Xu Jinnan stepped out of the room.
The original Xu Jinnan’s world, despite its outward glamour and excitement, had been incredibly lonely, and she had found solace in her interactions with Little Crescent Moon.
But she seemed to have forgotten something.
If the original Xu Jinnan had left her sketchbook here, could there be other things, like the locked box?
As she was thinking, a voice called out, “Miss Xu.”
Lin Wei, Little Crescent Moon’s caregiver, approached her with a smile. The original Xu Jinnan had visited over a dozen times; perhaps Lin Wei knew something.
Shen Shu emerged from Little Crescent Moon’s room after putting her to sleep. As she stepped into the hallway, she saw Xu Jinnan talking to Lin Wei, her head bowed slightly.
Xu Jinnan was tall, and to accommodate Lin Wei’s height, she had bent down slightly, a smile playing on her lips.
Lin Wei was rather curvy, and from Shen Shu’s perspective, as they stood side by side, their bodies almost touching, they looked quite intimate.
Lin Wei laughed at something Xu Jinnan said.
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