Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 250 Tang Xiaokui

"Dongyang County Children's Welfare Institute".

Unless it happens to be relevant, few people know where the local welfare home is, but in fact, such places exist all over the country, even in county-level areas.

Relatively speaking, this small place is not so formal. It is just an old courtyard with a two-story building inside. The total area is even smaller than the former site of Utopia at No. 99 Luochuan Road.

The van stopped at the door, and several people got out, one of whom was wearing a uniform with a small badge pinned to his chest.

Executive Officer: Wang Guofeng.

After getting out of the car, Wang Guofeng saw the secluded courtyard and sighed subconsciously. He looked behind him and said, "Child, get out."

A little girl of seven or eight years old awkwardly and with difficulty got off the bus. She was wearing a thick, cherry-red wool skirt and a bright yellow crossbody bag, which showed that she had been carefully and meticulously cared for.

However, her bangs were tangled and messy, and her white pantyhose were folded and stained, suggesting that she might have recently encountered some difficult circumstances.

Her delicate face was expressionless, but her hands gripped the strap of her small bag tightly.

The 20 or 30 centimeters off the ground seemed too high for her. Wang Guofeng wanted to help her up, but he didn't move.

This girl has a very stubborn personality and has caused trouble several times on the street.

Such a personality is not ideal for an orphanage.

Wang Guofeng pondered for a moment and said, "I told you on the way here that you might need to stay here for a while."

The little girl looked up, smiled, and said, "I understand, I know the rules. I'll wait until someone adopts me, or if I'm unlucky, I'll stay here until I'm an adult, right?"

Wang Guofeng instinctively wanted to light a cigarette, but then felt it was inappropriate in front of the children and suppressed the urge.

Although the girl was smiling, she was also nervously observing Wang Guofeng's expression. She didn't actually know much; she just wanted to pretend that she knew everything.

So he continued, "I don't think those distant relatives would be willing to adopt me, after all, my father left with debts."

Wang Guofeng squatted down to face the child, which is a little trick when communicating with children.

"Little adult, let me give you a lesson in the law. You are a minor and have no legal capacity. You have not inherited your father's estate, so any debts have nothing to do with you or the people who adopted you. Don't imagine the adult world to be so dark. Orphanages are not such terrible places."

The girl paused for a moment: "So, no relatives want to adopt me just because I'm a jinx?"

Wang Guofeng wanted to say a few words of comfort, but then felt powerless to say anything: "This is just a temporary stay. Your rescue process has been initiated. You have to believe that I will come to see you and will try my best to find a better solution for you outside."

The girl smiled again: "You're wrong about one thing. I inherited my father's estate, and I also have this!"

As she spoke, the girl took out a cartoon-themed Polaroid camera from a small yellow bag on the side: "Thank you for bringing me here, let me take a picture of you!"

Before Wang Guofeng could refuse, the little girl had already pressed the photo button, since the characteristic of an instant camera is speed.

After making only a slight noise, this cartoon-colored instant camera, which seemed to be designed specifically for children, did not eject anything.

"Huh? It seems we're out of film."

Just then, a very eye-catching car drove by behind us, standing out conspicuously on this remote suburban road.

This is the scene that Zhai Da saw.

That zigzag line extends from the little girl's Polaroid camera.

Zhai Da was somewhat surprised to see Wang Guofeng, so he simply stopped the car.

He had dealt with this enforcement officer several times, including when Lu Wei's home was raided, when she returned to retrieve her belongings, and when she was informed of the auction date.
Well...none of these are good things.

He had a decent impression of Wang Guofeng; he was a responsible person, but it was hard for him to have any good feelings towards him. After all, whenever the other party appeared, nothing pleasant ever happened.

After stopping the car, Zhai Da walked over and said, "Executive Wang, what a coincidence?"

Wang Guofeng turned his gaze away from the flashy car: "Student Zhai? What brings you here?"

Zhai Da looked at the sign for "Dongyang County Social Welfare Institute" and had already prepared his answer: "I heard there is a welfare institute here, and I plan to come and take a look. If needed, I'm prepared to donate some money."

Wang Guofeng checked his watch; it was 8 p.m.

"This time?"

"I just got back to Dongyang this afternoon, had a meal, and came here."

As he spoke, Zhai Da bent down and said to the pretty little girl with an oval face, "Little sister~ you can take pictures? That's amazing! This camera is so cute."

He thought he would win the little girl's favor, but she frowned and said, "Could you please stop drawing out those words? I can understand normal speech; I'm not that little."

Zhai Da:
Just then, a plump, unkempt middle-aged woman finally emerged from the old courtyard: "Leader Wang, the children were asleep, which caused a slight delay. Is this the new child? What's his name?"

The little girl took a step back, seemingly a little scared, but still gave her name: "My name is Tang Xiao Kui."

The middle-aged woman chuckled and said, "Oh my, this child is so beautiful! She'll definitely be gorgeous when she grows up! She could be a big star!"

Tang Xiaokui didn't speak, but her little fists were clenched tightly, betraying her nervousness. Her eyes were secretly observing Wang Guofeng, who was the only person she trusted at the moment.

Although not many people trust them.

Wang Guofeng's attention shifted to Zhai Da, and he said to the middle-aged woman, "This is Zhai Da, the top scorer in the college entrance examination in our county and a well-known writer. He plans to come and visit, wanting to do his part for the welfare home."

Having caught the key words, the middle-aged woman immediately beamed: "Boss, you're here to donate? Oh my, please come in!"

She had never actually heard of "writer Zhai Da," or even "top scholar Zhai Da"—those were all too distant.

This is a courtyard forgotten by the information age, both for her and for the children inside.

Once the location and [equipment] were confirmed, Zhai Da could have left. Having too many people around would only cause trouble. So Zhai Da said, "It seems I've come at the wrong time. The children are probably asleep. I'll come back tomorrow."

"It's alright, it's alright! I'll wake them up!"

Zhai Da:
He sighed, shook his head, and said, "Don't wake me up. I just want to take a look around."

The middle-aged woman's attention was no longer on Tang Xiao Kui. She casually took the girl's hand, even though she wasn't very willing, and said, "Come on, come on, let me show you around."

A few minutes later, Zhai Da walked into the two-story building.

There was nothing interesting to see in the dark courtyard outside; apart from some miscellaneous items, there was nothing else.

The middle-aged woman, named Li Huifen, was also the director of the school. She appeared clumsy and unkempt, but she introduced the school fluently, as if it wasn't her first time. "We currently have a total of nine children here: four preschoolers aged 4-6, three primary school students aged 6-12, and two in junior high school."

Zhai Da: "Do all the children in the welfare home have access to education?"

"Of course, this is compulsory education."

Wang Guofeng added: "According to national regulations, it is both a right and an obligation for all school-age children with nationality to receive nine years of education, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or family status. In addition, orphans are exempt from tuition, textbooks, and workbook fees."

Li Huifen laughed and said, "It still costs money. Going to school doesn't cost money, but living costs money too. Clothes, stationery, daily necessities, and most importantly, food. Everything costs money."

Wang Guofeng frowned and said, "Orphans receive a monthly living allowance of 800."

“Boss Wang, 800 is enough to live a good life, but when will that be enough? You need nutritious food, right? You need clothes to change into, right? That’s where we need kind-hearted people like Boss Zhai!”

This is actually a very complex system, with national support at the top and individuals like Li Huifen as the organizers at the bottom.

It's obvious even to a fool that Li Huifen makes a living this way. She's not the kind of benevolent philanthropist you see in movies; she just looks like an ordinary person, and a very down-to-earth one at that.

While taking care of orphans, I also earned my own food rations, and there might even be some left over.

But the world is not black and white. Without such a margin to benefit these individuals, the system would become more complex and more fragile.

As Li Huifen walked and introduced things, she gradually forgot to hold Tang Xiaokui's hand. The latter was nervous and forced to stay upright the whole time, so much so that she realized she had held the wrong person's hand as they walked.

The big hands were no longer so rough or sticky, and the little hands felt dry and warm.

Tang Xiaokui looked up and saw that she was holding Zhai Da's hand.

It instinctively wanted to break free, but in the end it didn't move.

What's the difference? For her?
Here, who isn't a stranger?

Finally, Li Huifen led Zhai Da to the dormitory, where the nine children were divided into three rooms according to their gender and age.

There was a glass window on the door. Li Huifen said, "This is the dormitory. Our conditions are a bit basic. Please take a look."

Zhai Da subconsciously pressed his face against the glass and glanced inside. It wasn't until his brain processed that he realized he was in a girls' dormitory.

Although I didn't see anything bad, there were two iron-framed bunk beds and a figure wrapped in a blanket.

But he quickly looked away, awkwardly touching his nose, somewhat speechless.

I was thinking, "You didn't even say you were a girl..."
Li Huifen may not have meant any harm, but for children in orphanages, "privacy" is not something many people care about.

Continuing on, we quickly finished touring the small welfare home. The dining hall was just a room with a long table, the kitchen was a traditional rural stove, and the toilets were two small cubicles, one for a man and one for a woman.

Everything can only be described as "okay"; it's not exactly "bad," but it's certainly not "good" either.

Ultimately, Zhai Da reaffirmed the intention to donate, but the specific amount still needed to be discussed.

Even without the issue of equipment, after seeing it in person, Zhai Da felt it was worthwhile to contribute, though he needed to think about the specifics of how.

Throwing money directly in Li Huifen's face is the stupidest way, as there's no way to monitor how it's used. He vaguely remembered watching TV in his previous life, where the way to provide financial assistance was to "designate a few orphans and cover part of their expenses, such as tuition and living costs." This was also a way to get closer to "Tang Xiao Kui."

Zhai Da didn't know what the Polaroid camera meant to the little girl, but it seemed to be her only personal possession, apart from her clothes.

Tang Xiao Kui was eventually taken away by Li Huifen to stay. Her nervous and frightened little face kept looking back at Wang Guofeng and Zhai Da outside the gate.

Two tall figures were silhouetted against the car headlights.

But they didn't know what to say or do.
In the end, she was led into the unlit courtyard, completely merging into the darkness.

------

After Tang Xiaokui completely disappeared into the darkness, Wang Guofeng took out a pack of cigarettes and waved it at Zhai Dayang.

Zhai Da waved his hand: "I don't smoke."

"I remember the first time I saw you, weren't you smoking and pretending to be a gangster with the moving company guys?"

"That's a disguise."

Wang Guofeng lit his own food and suddenly changed the subject: "This welfare home has been running for over twenty years. Li Huifen is the third-generation director, and she's quite responsible. If you'd like to help her out, that would be great."

"Are you familiar with this place?"

"It's hard not to be familiar with it."

It's probably because they frequently bring people here.

Zhai Da asked, "What happened to that little girl just now?"

Wang Guofeng exhaled a puff of smoke, which mingled with the winter breath, creating an exceptionally strong aroma: "His father failed in his business and jumped into the river with a mountain of debt. He has no close relatives left, and some distant relatives, but they are unwilling to adopt him. We are working on it."

"What about mom?"

"Postpartum depression, and some people even die young."

Then came a long silence.

After a long pause, Zhai Da said, "Shouldn't this kind of information be kept confidential? Is it appropriate for you to tell me?"

Wang Guofeng smiled and said, "I'm not a 'legalist.' Compared to this, if you know some information and it arouses your compassion, that's far more important than so-called secrecy. It's not a state secret. Ultimately, the law serves people."

Zhai Da chuckled: "How come you weren't so worldly-wise when it came to Lu Wei's case?"

Zhai Da still vividly remembers the pitiful sight of Xiao Mutou being kicked out that day.

Wang Guofeng stubbed out his cigarette butt: "Look at that matter from a different perspective. The one who was owed money is the victim. Of course, that girl was indeed innocent. Even without you, we would have legal and living assistance, just not as comprehensive as for minors."

"Looking back, it's fortunate that you were there at the time; everything was the best arrangement, far more effective than our meager aid."

Then he waved and left.

Zhai Da returned to his car and, before getting in, suddenly asked curiously, "By the way, I roughly understand what you mean by 'legalism.' If you're not a legalist, what is your 'ism'?"

Wang Guofeng's voice faded into the distance:
"Is there even a question? It's socialism."

(End of this chapter)