Atkin

Chapter 463: Kindness as a Pen
After Wen Guan left the Xin Ning Room, he began his work according to Ye Xing's instructions. He first came to the place where the beggars gathered. When those familiar faces saw him coming, they all showed expressions of surprise and confusion.

The morning light shines through the dilapidated eaves and falls on the corner where the beggars live. The mottled light and shadows add a bit of desolation. The ragged beggars are huddled in the corners, some drowsy, some talking in low voices.

"Mr. Wen, why are you here?" An old beggar with wrinkles all over his face and unkempt hair raised his head in surprise, his cloudy eyes full of doubts, his voice hoarse and dry, as if worn out by the wind and sand of the years. Upon hearing this, several younger beggars beside him also cast curious glances at him, their eyes showing a little expectation and a little wariness.

Wen Guan was wearing a moon-white brocade robe with fluttering sleeves, standing there with an upright posture, which was out of tune with the surrounding environment. He had a gentle smile on his face, his eyes were full of sincerity and concern, and he said slowly: "I came to see you all, and I also want to do something for you all." As he spoke, he squatted down and looked at the crowd. Seeing their shabby clothes and dirty faces, he couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness in his heart.

The old beggar was touched when he heard this. His eyes were slightly moist. He said with trembling lips: "Mr. Wen, you are such a good person. We haven't met a noble person like you for a long time. Nowadays, everyone is busy with their own affairs. Who would care about the life and death of beggars like us?" A middle-aged beggar with a broken leg next to him also echoed: "Yes, Mr. Wen, we have to work hard every day to get a bite of food. Those rich people either drive us away or beat and scold us when they see us. No one has ever treated us as kindly as you do."

Wen Guan said quickly: "Don't say that, I just think that we are all citizens of Fenghua City and we should support each other. Now that I have the ability, I want to do my best to help everyone." He stood up, looked around at these sick or disabled people, and promised in a firm tone: "Don't worry, I will do my best to meet everyone's needs. If someone is hungry, I will bring food; if someone is sick, I will ask a doctor to treat them; if someone lacks clothes or quilts, I will also find a way to solve it. If anyone needs help, you can come to me at any time. I live over at the Changsheng Theater. As long as you look for me, you will definitely find me."

A skinny child timidly squeezed out from behind the crowd, tugged at Wen Guan's clothes, and whispered, "Young master, my brother was sick yesterday and has been having a fever. We don't have money to hire a doctor. Can you help us?" Wen Guan looked at the child's dirty face and patched clothes, his heart ached. He gently touched his head and said, "Don't worry, child. I'll go get a doctor to see your brother." After that, he turned around and walked away quickly, his clothes fluttering in the wind, leaving a group of beggars there, their eyes full of gratitude and hope.

Seventeen days later,

The morning light was dim, and the soft light shone through the thin clouds, falling on the place where beggars gathered. Wen Guan was still wearing a plain brocade robe, with an upright posture but gentle and humble. He walked lightly among the ragged crowd, his eyes full of concern and sincerity.

Wen Guan squatted down and carefully placed the pen, ink, paper and inkstone he carried with him on a slightly flat stone beside him, and then began to ask the beggars one by one about their living conditions and needs. His voice was gentle and patient, as if every question carried his deep concern.

"Uncle, please tell me first, what is the most urgent difficulty in your life?" Wen Guan asked softly to an old beggar with gray hair and a vicissitudes of life. The old beggar raised his head slightly, looked at Wen Guan with cloudy eyes, and a trace of surprise and emotion flashed in his eyes. He stammered: "Sir, my old bones are still strong, but my stomach has not had a full meal for several days. I am really hungry." Wen Guan quickly picked up a pen and wrote down in detail on the paper. While writing, he responded sincerely: "Uncle, don't worry, I will find a way to solve the food problem as soon as possible and make sure you have a full meal."

Then, he moved to a middle-aged beggar with a thin body and sallow complexion. The beggar's leg seemed to be injured and he was leaning against the wall weakly. Wen Guan asked with concern: "Brother, what's wrong with your leg? It looks like it's seriously injured." The middle-aged beggar smiled bitterly and replied: "Sir, I was accidentally hit by a carriage a few days ago and my leg was broken. I have no money to treat it, so I can only drag it like this. Now it hurts a lot and I can't work. It's really worrying." Wen Guan frowned slightly, his eyes full of heartache. He carefully recorded the situation and comforted him: "Brother, don't worry, I will ask the doctor to check your leg injury and make sure you get better as soon as possible."

In this way, Wen Guan patiently asked questions one by one, without showing any boredom or impatience. He carefully recorded the specific needs and problems faced by each beggar. Some beggars lost their ability to work due to disability and their lives were in extreme difficulties; some had sudden changes in their families, their relatives passed away, and they had no special skills and could only beg on the streets for a living; others were plagued by various diseases, but because they had no money to buy medicine for treatment, they could only silently endure the pain. Wen Guan's mood became heavier and heavier, and he secretly vowed in his heart that he must do his best to change their difficult situation.

After recording the details of all the beggars, Wen Guan stood up, gently patted the dust on his body, looked around at everyone with a firm look, and said in a firm and sincere tone: "Dear villagers, don't worry, now that I know your difficulties, I will definitely try my best to solve these problems as soon as possible, and will never let you continue to suffer in this hardship for too long." After that, he packed up the paper and pen, walked away from here in a hurry, and walked towards the direction of Qiyouyuan. Not long after, Wen Guan arrived at the gate of Qiyouyuan. Before he stepped into the garden, he could hear the children's clear and pleasant laughter. The sound was like a stream flowing happily in spring, which instantly dispelled the haze in his heart and made the corners of his mouth unconsciously rise, revealing a warm smile.

Wen Guan gently pushed open the slightly old but hopeful door. The steward of the garden heard the sound and came to greet him. The steward was a middle-aged woman with a kind face and loving eyes. She bowed slightly and said to Wen Guan with a smile: "Mr. Wen, how come you have time to come here today? You are such a rare guest." Wen Guan quickly bowed and returned the greeting, saying politely: "Sister steward, I have always been concerned about these children. I came here today to see how they are doing. By the way, I also want to know if there is anything missing in the garden."

So, the steward took Wen Guan to walk slowly in Qiyou Garden, introducing the situation in the garden in detail. They first came to the children's residence, and the steward pointed to the simple but clean beds and said, "Sir, you see, although the children's residence is limited, we try our best to make them live more comfortably, and we arrange for someone to clean and tidy every day." Wen Guan nodded slightly, his eyes full of satisfaction.

Then they came to the classroom, and the manager smiled and said, "We are fortunate to have invited several knowledgeable and caring gentlemen to the classroom. They give lessons to the children every day, teaching them to read, write, do math and paint. We hope that these children will have a skill in the future, be self-reliant, and not be easily defeated by the sufferings of this world." Wen Guan listened carefully, walked into the classroom from time to time, looking at the children's bright eyes full of desire for knowledge, his heart filled with emotion.

Afterwards, they came to the cafeteria. The steward showed a trace of helplessness on his face: "Sir, in the cafeteria, we try our best to prepare relatively balanced meals for the children every day. However, due to limited funds, the variety and quantity of ingredients are not sufficient. Sometimes we can only barely make the children full. I feel really guilty." Wen Guan's eyes flashed with a trace of heartache. He gently patted the steward's shoulder and said, "Sister steward, you have done a good job. Next, let's work together to make the children eat better."

After the visit, Wen Guan turned around and took the supplies that had been prepared long ago from the servants who accompanied him, including bags of fresh food, pieces of thick and warm clothes, new books, and sets of exquisite stationery. He handed these supplies to the steward and said sincerely: "Sister steward, this is a little gift from me. Although it is not much, I hope it can help the children."

The steward looked at these precious supplies with gratitude in her eyes. She said excitedly: "Master Wen, you are so kind. These children are grateful to people like you for your care. With these grains, the children can eat more and better; these clothes can make them feel warm in the cold winter; and these books and stationery can help them learn better and broaden their horizons. Master, you are so kind, we have no way to repay you."

Wen Guan quickly shook his head and said modestly, "Sister Manager, what are you talking about? This is really nothing. I am just doing my little bit. I myself experienced hard times when I was a child, so I know how difficult it is for these children. I sincerely hope that more people will pay attention to the fate of these children and allow them to thrive in a healthy and happy environment. They are the future and hope of our Fenghua City, and we must not let them lose hope and vision for life at such a young age."

The steward was so moved that her eyes were red. She held Wen Guan's hand tightly and said with a trembling voice: "Your kindness and righteousness will surely move the heavens. I believe that with your encouragement, more and more people will care about these children."

Wenguan and the manager discussed some plans and directions for the future development of Qiyou Kindergarten, such as how to raise more funds through various means to further improve the children's living conditions and learning environment; how to recruit more loving and talented volunteers to accompany and educate these children, so that they can feel more love and warmth, etc. Unconsciously, the sky gradually darkened, and Wenguan realized that he had been in Qiyou Kindergarten for a long time. He said goodbye to the manager and the children and set off on the road back to Changsheng Theater.

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

After leaving Qiyouyuan, Wenguan began to visit other places to look for beggars who needed help. He found that in the corners of this city, there were still many people living in poverty and suffering. They needed food, clothing, shelter and medical assistance. Wenguan decided to try his best to help them.