Chapter 36: A Glimmer of Hope and Lingering Questions

Even though Teacher Xiao Lu was prepared, her expression still shifted the moment she pulled the thick envelope from the mailbox. She only glanced inside for a second before quickly closing it, letting out a small surprised gasp.

Then she turned, her gaze sharp and questioning as she looked at Lu Xin warily.

Her voice tightened slightly as she asked in a hushed tone, “You really didn’t do anything bad?”

Lu Xin could only explain helplessly, “It’s all legal income… and the taxes have already been paid…”

“Even so… this is way too much!”

Teacher Xiao Lu clutched the envelope, her voice sounding a bit flustered, “Really… things are already quite good here…”

“These… these little monsters get enough to eat every day and have warm clothes. Some kind people helped us find school textbooks and… and I’ve been going back and forth with the Administration Hall trying to get official qualifications so they can all get IDs and go to middle school in the future… Everything’s going smoothly. We really don’t need this much money…”

Hearing Teacher Xiao Lu ramble on eased Lu Xin’s mood. Seeing her nervousness almost felt like a small victory for him. He smiled and explained, “It’s always good to have extra. You can buy them more meat or think about getting new clothes when winter comes. Maybe we can even move to a bigger place later on. And also, your leg…”

He trailed off, his gaze shifting to Teacher Xiao Lu’s leg.

She was actually quite tall, it was just a shame she was always confined to a wheelchair.

Just then, little faces popped up by the window, eyes wide as they watched Lu Xin and Teacher Xiao Lu. Some covered their mouths to stifle giggles, others whispered amongst themselves. One particularly mischievous kid even put their hands together, mimicking a kiss.

Being watched by all the little ones made Lu Xin blush slightly.

Teacher Xiao Lu, however, shot them a sharp glare.

*Whoosh!* All the little faces vanished as the children obediently returned to their seats to practice writing.

Still in her wheelchair, Teacher Xiao Lu looked restless. She glanced around furtively, then like a thief, quickly pulled a roll of money from the paper bag and stuffed it under her clothes. She shoved the rest of the bag back into Lu Xin’s hands. “Don’t leave it all here. It’s too much for me, my little cabinet’s almost full anyway. Besides, what if it attracts bad people?”

“But…”

Lu Xin wanted to push it back, but hearing her reasoning, he ended up holding onto the bag.

Teacher Xiao Lu looked at him earnestly. “You keep it for now. I’ll definitely ask you if I need anything!”

Lu Xin paused for a moment before giving a slight nod.

“Also…”

Teacher Xiao Lu looked seriously at Lu Xin, advising, “I don’t know exactly what kind of work you’re doing, but for someone to pay this much money, it must be either very tiring or very dangerous. You should at least eat a bit more each day, don’t just stick to vegetables and tofu…”

“I do…”

Lu Xin accepted the money with a smile. “I eat chicken legs every day!”

“Someone who could actually afford chicken legs every day wouldn’t *only* eat chicken legs every day…”

Teacher Xiao Lu mercilessly exposed his lie, then let out a soft sigh.

Lu Xin didn’t know how to respond. The two of them fell silent, one standing and one sitting by the window next to the bare flower bed.

Only the pale sunlight cast a dim glow over the world.

After a long moment, Lu Xin spoke hesitantly, “Sister Xiao Lu, about what happened back then…”

“What do you want to ask?”

Teacher Xiao Lu turned her head and saw Lu Xin’s confused, hesitant expression.

She studied him seriously for a moment before smiling. In a low voice, she said, “Little Lu Xin, don’t always dwell on the past. ‘Ask not how much sorrow one can bear…’ Sometimes, not remembering is a blessing…”

“…”

Lu Xin fell silent for a moment, then said, “Can you please stop quoting old movie lines all the time? I saw that one too, you know…”

“Hmph, you’re no fun!”

Teacher Xiao Lu changed the subject. “Why don’t you come over for dumplings in a few days? We can even put eggs in them now!”

Lu Xin’s mood lifted. He nodded, “Okay!”

…

…

*What exactly happened back then at the Red Moon Orphanage?*

As Lu Xin walked away from Red Moon Elementary School, the question echoed in his mind.

He clearly remembered many details from his time at the orphanage, and he recalled events that happened *after* the incident at Red Moon Orphanage, but the memories in between were always a blur. He desperately wanted to know what had occurred back then, so he sometimes asked Teacher Xiao Lu. However, she always deflected the question with awkward jokes, refusing to tell him.

He had even asked his family, but they wouldn’t talk about it either.

So much time had passed that sometimes, he himself didn’t even want to dwell on it anymore.

Mostly, he just focused on helping Teacher Xiao Lu whenever he could, feeling that rebuilding the Red Moon Orphanage was something they should do together.

Since he had his family with him and couldn’t be there physically to help, the only thing he could do was earn more money.

He used to feel that this kind of life was oppressive, with no end in sight, but now, finally, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope.

Could there be anything better than being able to work and earn money on his own?

With that thought, his mood gradually improved.

After walking past several bus stops, he boarded a bus and dropped a coin into the fare box.

Nearing home, he got off one stop early and headed towards a street market bustling in the alleys.

Every night, people gathered here selling all sorts of vegetables and even wild game. Many residents of the Satellite City found ways to grow produce—some cleared out gardens between abandoned buildings, others hauled soil onto rooftops. There were even those who snuck out of the city to cultivate wasteland near Qinggang City’s farms or hunted beasts to bring back and sell.

The Satellite City Administration Hall generally turned a blind eye to this, sometimes even offering a degree of protection.

Lu Xin bought a few things at the market, then headed back to his apartment building, his hands full of bags.

By now, night had completely fallen. The streetlights were sparse, casting long shadows and leaving the surroundings dark and desolate. Inside the old building, the stairwell was utterly silent and pitch-black. This part of the Second Satellite City still had more buildings than people, so no new residents had moved in, and the few who used to live here had gradually moved away.

The elevator had never been repaired, so Lu Xin took the stairs up to the fourth floor.

Just as he rounded the corner, Lu Xin saw the warm light spilling from Apartment 401 and heard his father’s furious yelling.

“You rotten girl! Get back here right now! See if I don’t skin you alive!”

Father stood in the doorway, his face livid and distorted with rage, his eyes bloodshot as he cursed.

Meanwhile, his sister was crawling back and forth on the corridor ceiling, talking back, “I won’t! Come out and get me if you dare…”

“You get back here! See if I don’t chop you into pieces…”

“Hehehehehehe, come on out and hit me if you’ve got the guts…”

Father roared furiously, “Roar—!”

Not to be outdone, Sister hissed back, “Hiss—!”

…

…

Lu Xin sighed. Taking in the warm, familiar atmosphere of home, he slowly walked over.