Tang Tang was on tenterhooks. These kids were not easy to get along with. Having been abandoned since childhood, some of them lacked a sense of security. Their first reaction to a stranger's kindness was to refuse.
Unexpectedly, Huang Xiaoli's bright and pure smile still attracted a few brave kids.
Seeing the reassuring aura around Huang Xiaoli, the kids gradually gathered around.
There were three boys and two girls. They all seemed to be of similar age, around seven or eight years old. Maybe they were still unaware of the evils of society, so they took the candies boldly.
Huang Xiaoli distributed the candies one by one with a beaming smile and asked, "What are your names?"
The tallest little boy looked a bit vigilant when asked his name. He wasn't sure if he should answer.
The other kids also looked at this older child, who seemed to be the leader of the group.
The older boy shook his head at the younger ones and said to Huang Xiaoli, "Sister, my name is Huzi. The others are my younger brothers and sisters. His name is Xiaoqi, his is Mingming, and her name is Xiaoyun. As for this little girl, the youngest one, her name is May."
He spoke in an orderly and calm manner. Huang Xiaoli took a good look at the older boy. He was very energetic. Although his clothes were old, they were neatly tidied.
At this age, especially for boys, which one wasn't out playing all day and looking like they'd just come out of the jungle? But this serious little boy had a straight - faced expression and looked like a little leader.
Huang Xiaoli patted each of the kids on the head.
The kids ate the candies nervously yet happily.
After all, it was already good enough to have enough to eat. Only with occasional donations from kind - hearted people in society could they get snacks. Candy was the most delicious food for them.
"Hello there," Huang Xiaoli greeted these little kids with the kindest smile she could muster.
Except for Huzi, the other kids greeted her hesitantly, "Hello, sister."
"How obedient you are," Huang Xiaoli felt extremely healed by the sweet voices of these little kids, which were as sweet as marshmallows.
Tang Tang saw that the five kids and this older one had gotten along well and couldn't help but move closer.
When she got closer, she heard Huang Xiaoli muttering, "Kids, have you seen another sister? Be careful. Her temper is not as good as mine. Don't provoke her."
"Huang Xiaoli, what are you talking about?"
Caught talking about someone behind their back, Huang Xiaoli almost jumped up in surprise.
"I'm just trying to build a good image for you," Huang Xiaoli explained guiltily.
Huzi spoke up. His voice sounded very mature as he asked, "Sister, is this pretty sister your friend?"
It was hard not to be happy when praised by a kid. Tang Tang broke into a big smile and asked, "Why are you so sweet - tongued? Of course we're friends, just like you kids, having known each other since childhood."
"Wow!!!" The unnoticeable little girl at the back let out an exclamation.
Everyone looked at her, and the kid immediately looked a bit nervous.
Huang Xiaoli took a closer look and recognized her as the little girl named May.
The little girl had big, blinking eyes and a pink little mouth. She looked extremely cute.
Normally, a kid with such good looks would be easily adopted. But she was already six or seven years old and still living in the orphanage.
"Do you have an...," Huang Xiaoli was about to ask, but Tang Tang pinched her in time. She let out a yelp, and seeing Tang Tang shaking her head slightly, Huang Xiaoli didn't dare to say anything more.
"Little May, your name is very nice," Tang Tang squatted down kindly after stopping Huang Xiaoli. She patted the little girl's head and said, "Tell everyone not to be nervous, okay? After all, a whole bunch of big brothers and sisters are here to help this time."
May looked up doubtfully. She thought for a while and was still struggling whether she could trust them or not.
Huang Xiaoli booped May on the nose and said, "It's okay. You must trust the angelic big brothers and sisters from our school."
Tang Tang didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Kids were naturally sensitive and could easily tell if someone was being kind or malicious to them.
The kids pulled May into a circle and whispered to each other for a while. Finally, Huzi stepped forward.
Actually, Huzi was only tall among these little kids. Standing alone, he was still a kid who needed to be taken care of. But now he was taking on the responsibility of an adult for the kids younger than him.
Huzi had a round head and round eyes. He was strong - built and really looked like a little tiger. He stepped forward and said, "But we're already used to it. Every time there are nice big brothers and sisters, they only stay for a day and then leave. It was the same for May. A big brother promised to visit her often, but he never came. I had to coax May to sleep every day during that time."
These few short sentences contained countless hardships.
Tang Tang let out a long sigh in her heart.
There was nothing they could do. That was just how things were. For these kids, living well alone without being bothered was the best thing.
If they had never tasted sweetness, it would have been okay.
But they had tasted the brief sweetness and then these people had left their world without exception.
If they had known this would happen, they wouldn't have felt the pain if they had never tasted the sweetness.
But first they were allowed to taste the brief sweetness, and then it was cruelly taken away from them, and they were told to just live with the bitterness.
After Huang Xiaoli understood this, she chose her words more carefully.
Tang Tang also opened the package and helped distribute the candies.
"What do you usually do?" Huang Xiaoli asked in an unchanged tone. She really looked like a teacher.
May, being small and well - behaved, answered on her own, "We just do the same old things. We play with the teachers and play with each other. Then the day is over."
"Haven't you started going to school yet?"
The five kids were all stunned and stared at her blankly.
Huzi was the first to react and retorted, "Of course we can. It's just that the other younger brothers and sisters are not old enough. I'll be able to go to school after this summer."
"I see," Tang Tang nodded.
Huang Xiaoli asked, "So you're just waiting for school to start?"
"It's already good enough to have a chance to go to school. You don't know that many kids are sent away without the opportunity to study," Huzi said.
"But being adopted is a good thing," Huang Xiaoli said, still dwelling on this matter.
For a moment, Huzi's eyes looked a bit gloomy, but he quickly adjusted himself and said confidently, "We can live well on our own. We don't need to be adopted."
What?
Did all these kids think like this?
Tang Tang's school organized an activity to visit the orphanage. Tang Tang went with them. Then among the kids, one of them was carrying a schoolbag. Inside the kid's schoolbag, they found a note with the number 2 written in marker. The teacher asked what was going on, and the kid said he didn't know. Tang Tang took a few extra glances. When she got home, she told Zuo Mu about this. Tang Tang said it might be a prank. Zuo Mu asked what kind of paper it was. Tang Tang said she wasn't sure. Zuo Mu said he would go and take a look the next day. After they looked, they found that the paper was made of a special material. The next day, the number 2 on it had disappeared. The boy said he was scared. The teacher said it might be a prank, but Zuo Mu said it might not be.