Children of this age are actually not often adopted, because many of them are on the cusp of puberty, and some have already entered it.

Adjusting to a new environment might not be easy. Besides, they tend to become sensitive during puberty, and mishandling the situation could be uncomfortable for both sides.

When Wen Yan arrived, he saw Seventh Great-Uncle Master assessing the children's bone structures and eventually choosing two well-behaved little girls.

The head of this orphanage was someone who spoke very gently but was also very stern, a figure akin to a family patriarch.

Wen Yan didn't disturb Seventh Great-Uncle Master; instead, he joined the volunteers who came to help on the weekends and assisted with various tasks.

He went to the kitchen to cook a meal, seeing it as a way to improve the food on the weekends.

As Wen Yan was chopping meat, a young man who was peeling potatoes muttered quietly next to him.

"Don't be fooled by how strict Auntie Zou is with the kids, she's actually very kind.

There are too many temptations nowadays, and it's too easy to access all sorts of information.

A fourteen-year-old child was once lured away and stopped attending school. Someone took them away.

To this day, there has been no news, and Auntie Zou has felt guilty for a long time.

She's stricter with the children now because she's afraid they will set foot on the wrong path."

Wen Yan was taken aback for a moment and looked at the young man with curly hair and big glasses that gave him an artistic air.

The young man had a rather feeble presence but still defended Auntie Zou.

Wen Yan smiled and shook his head.

"I think it's good, especially at this age when their characters are not yet formed, and they might be quite sensitive inside. They need proper guidance.

Even if some children don't understand now, they will in a few more years.

It's unrealistic to expect every child to be particularly sensible from a young age.

Being sensible too early isn't always a good thing.

As long as they don't do anything outrageous, just knowing the boundaries in their heart is enough."

Hearing Wen Yan's words, the young man breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought you guys might think Auntie Zou is too harsh..."

"Believe me, I think Auntie Zou is very gentle, not at all too strict."

Compared to the guidance from the likes of Qin Kun in Fuyu Mountain, Auntie Zou is indeed very gentle.

The truly tough times are still to come; this is just the beginning.

"Are there many volunteers here?"

"On weekends, we have help every week, but not much during weekdays. Auntie Zou doesn't really like having too many people around, but there are some who are truly dedicated, bringing lots of things each time they visit."

Wen Yan listened to the underlying messages in the conversation.

"Do you come every week?"

"Pretty much. I graduated from a major in social welfare management. Auntie Zou helped me secure my internship a while back. When I have free time, I come here to lend a hand."

"Are you working nearby now?"

"No, I didn't pass the civil service exam this year, so I'm just hanging around at my family's company."

Wen Yan chuckled.

"I was just about to ask, are you interested in going to Binhai County? My family elder just adopted some children, and we indeed need to hire some help. Having someone who speaks the local dialect would be even better, to help the children adapt. But I didn't realize you were a Brother Fu; I guess you probably wouldn't want to go then."

"I'm already married; my son is going to be one year old soon."

"Oh, I thought you just graduated."

"It's been three or four years since I graduated. After failing in my startup and the civil service exam, I ended up with a child, so I can only bide my time at my family's company."

The young man smiled somewhat awkwardly.

Wen Yan smiled along with him.

"To be honest, I also wanted to just settle like you, so in the end, I took a job at the funeral home. After I secured a position, I could afford to slack off. Fortunately, our funeral director is very understanding, so I can get by without doing much. Just don't mention it outside; otherwise, if they know I cooked for them, they may feel weird about it."

"No, of course not..."

After finishing with the ingredients, Wen Yan started marinating the meat. Then, wielding a pot spatula over a meter long, his arm muscles began to bulge. Preparing a full meal this way was as intense as an hour of weight-lifting.

No wonder the kitchen's uncle was so stout and fierce-looking. Without considerable strength, it would probably be impossible to complete the cooking.

And when he had offered to take over, that uncle cheerfully agreed, not minding at all that his spatula was being commandeered.

Wen Yan also joined a group of children for the meal, genuinely enjoying the hustle.

If he had been able to eat a meal with meat and shrimp and drink orange juice at the age of ten, he would have been as happy as these children—simply thrilled by the good food.

He recalled when he was a teenager in Guanzhong County, after he helped with night work for the first time, the host had prepared a feast at a restaurant. Wen Yan had had fresh shrimp for the first time then, and embarrassingly, he'd gobbled several without even peeling them.

Back then, he had an inexplicable love for shrimp, especially shrimp dumplings sold by one vendor—they were unbelievably expensive and only average in taste, but he found them delicious, through a heavy filter of subjectivity.

Only after moving to Nanwu County did he realize that fresh river shrimp were actually quite affordable.

"Is that enough? If it's not, come back for more after you finish."

Wen Yan cheerfully dished out food for the children, and after serving them, he sneakily tasted a piece. Somehow, food cooked in a large pot really did taste better and brought a greater sense of fulfillment.

He served himself a plate and sat down with a group of kids, eating with more gusto than they did, as if he had never tasted anything good before.

A little girl sitting next to him hesitated before she transferred the large shrimp from her plate to Wen Yan's.

Upon noticing Wen Yan's attention, the little girl immediately said in a timid, low voice,

"I can't finish it, and Mama Zou says we can't waste food."

"Alright, then I'll eat it."

Wen Yan smiled, picked up the shrimp, and ate it whole without peeling it. This was it, that familiar taste, enhanced by a nostalgic blessing—simply wonderful.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.