You Can Call Me A-Feng

During a summer vacation when cicadas chirped incessantly and a breeze carried faint traces of coolness, dispelling the summer heat, the courtyard of Caixin County Orphanage rustled with the sound of leaves swaying in the wind.

A boy, noticeably taller than his peers, stood proudly in the center of the courtyard, serving his punishment.

Gu Guodong, slightly hunched, looked at him with exasperation and scolded,

"Ah Feng, you’re causing trouble again!"

"Hold out your hand."

Obediently, Gu Feng stretched out his small hand, grinning cheekily as he said,

"Grandpa Director, go easy on me, okay?"

"Go easy? You still have the nerve to ask for that?" Gu Guodong smacked Gu Feng’s palm twice, barely containing his anger as he demanded,

"How many times is this now? A kind-hearted couple wanted to adopt you, and instead of being grateful, you poured water on their heads?!"

Glancing around to ensure no one was nearby, he lowered his voice and said with frustration,

"Among all the healthy kids your age, you’re the only one still stuck in this orphanage. Are you stupid?"

"That couple was well-off—why couldn’t you just behave?"

"Do you really plan to stay here until you grow up?"

"Tch... I could tell they weren’t good people," Gu Feng muttered under his breath, showing no sign of remorse.

"You—! Ah, forget it..." Gu Guodong heaved a heavy sigh and shook his head helplessly.

"Fine, that’s enough for now. Some corporate donors are coming today to make a contribution—don’t go running off."

"Stay right here and serve your punishment. Two hours."

"Got it."

Gu Feng nodded half-heartedly, putting on an obedient front. But the moment Gu Guodong turned and walked away, he bolted like a bird freed from its cage.

Only an idiot would actually stand there for two hours.

If he got caught, he’d just get his hands smacked again—no big deal, it didn’t even hurt.

With that thought, Gu Feng sneaked off to the nursery, wanting to check on the younger kids.

However, as soon as he reached the nursery, he spotted a little girl in a white dress, as delicate as a doll, speaking to a young staff member:

"Big sister, there’s a baby crying inside. Why aren’t you comforting them?"

The staff member barely glanced at the girl before returning to her phone, indifferent.

The girl, distressed, looked back at the wailing baby and pressed again, her voice tinged with urgency:

"Big sister, this isn’t right. There’s a baby crying—how can you just play on your phone?"

The staff member merely sighed, as if long accustomed to such remarks, and walked away without another word.

Just as the little girl was about to chase after her and argue, Gu Feng quickly stepped in, stopping her before whispering,

"Come with me for a sec."

He led her down the hallway. After a brief hesitation, she followed.

Once they were alone, Gu Feng stopped and turned to her, explaining patiently:

"Kids in our orphanage usually learn not to cry or fuss within three months... And the staff aren’t allowed to hold them—it makes them too dependent, and that causes bigger problems later."

"So... if you’re even a little nice to them, they’ll start following you around calling you ‘Mom.’"

"At least, that’s how it was for me."

The girl froze, absorbing his words before falling into deep thought.

Gu Feng continued,

"There are way more kids here than staff. If they comforted every cry, the babies would just cry nonstop from morning till night. Even if the staff could hold them all the time, they’d burn out, and then no one would want to work here..."

"And the volunteers? They only come for a few hours—they can’t dedicate their whole lives to this."

"I see..." The girl nodded solemnly after processing his explanation. "I was wrong. I’ll go apologize to that sister later."

"Don’t bother."

Gu Feng waved it off, not wanting to dwell on the heavy topic, and instead asked with a smile, "Are you here with the corporate group?"

"I came with my mom," the girl answered.

"Then your family must be really rich."

"Yeah, we are..." she admitted frankly.

Gu Feng couldn’t help but sigh. "Being rich must be nice. When I grow up, I wanna be rich too."

"It’s not that great..." The girl tilted her head, thinking it over before offering, "You could just pick rich parents."

"Nah, I’ll pass."

"Why?" she asked, puzzled.

Why...? Gu Feng scratched his head, images of life in the orphanage flashing through his mind before he answered offhandedly, "Because this is my home."

"Oh..."

"Anyway, forget that." Gu Feng changed the subject cheerfully and introduced himself:

"Hi, I’m Gu Feng. You can call me Ah Feng."

The girl smiled brightly in return.

"I’m Luo Ya."

"So you can call me Ah Ya."

End of Volume Two.

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