Chapter 2: A home where you can feel safe

"Flour, milk... potatoes and carrots. Yes, plus some fresh vegetables and fruits. That should be enough."

　　The middle-aged man with slightly graying hair was checking the list in his hand while muttering to himself.

　　"Guests are coming tomorrow, so we need to make sure the little ones have enough to eat... Oh, and we also need to prepare some snacks as rewards for them... Hmm?"

It seemed that he had been well prepared in recent days. His brows gradually relaxed and a smile appeared on his face. His gentle temperament made him look particularly amiable.

　　However, at this moment, he stopped on his way home and looked at the young figure standing at the intersection, looking very confused, with some doubt.

　　The slightly long dark hair looked a bit strange for a boy, and it was messy, obviously not taken care of for a long time. His face was haggard, as if he had not had a full meal for a long time. His body was also dirty. Apart from the coat he wore outside, he only had a very thin inner shirt, and it didn't fit him well. He would definitely catch a cold if he wore it like this. Even if he had a coat, that coat was already tattered and could not keep out the cold wind at all.

　　However, his eyes were very clear, although filled with confusion about his surroundings, but... very beautiful.

"Orphan? Or... something else?"

　　He frowned again, thinking of some bad things, but then relaxed again, with a amiable smile on his face, and an inexplicable gentle aura all over him. Just like that, he walked up to the bewildered child who needed help as usual.

　　"You seem to need help, kid."

　　He spoke as usual.

　　"…"

　　The boy seemed a little timid. He shrank slightly and looked at him warily.

　　"Don't be afraid, child. I'm the priest of the church around here, and it's my duty to help those in need, let alone a child like you."

　　As he spoke, he stepped back a little at the right time and raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, to show that he was not a threat... This would quickly make those vigilant children let down their guard and at least not resist him too much.

"Father?"

　　The boy chewed on the term, as if pondering its meaning, and then looked at the black robe he was wearing, as well as his exposed cross pendant. Coupled with his timely actions and gentle temperament, all these made the boy's body slowly relax, as if he believed what he said.

　　"Yes, you may call me that, like the other children."

　　The priest laughed. His nearly half white hair and gentle smile made him look very kind. Then he showed a puzzled expression and asked.

　　"Kid, how did you get here? Are you lost? Your parents are really irresponsible. They let you come out dressed like this... You will get sick if you do this."

　　As he spoke, he walked forward slowly and took off his black robe slowly, while paying attention to the boy's expression.

　　"parents?"

　　There was a hint of confusion in the boy's dark pupils, and his attention was diverted to his [parents]. He did not pay too much attention to the priest who was gradually approaching.

　　"Mom and Dad...seem to be gone..."

　　As if he remembered something, the boy's tone and expression became a little depressed as he spoke.

As if he remembered something, the boy's tone and expression became a little depressed as he spoke.

　　"Oh... sorry kid, for bringing up your sad story."

　　The priest's expression became compassionate, and his words were full of apology, but from the look in his eyes, he didn't seem surprised by this answer.

　　At this time, he had already arrived in front of the boy.

　　"Then how did you get here? This area is not a place you should go near as a kid. There are a lot of bad people here. You should go to the police station or an orphanage. At worst, you should go to the church... Yes, the church where there are people like me."

　　As the priest spoke gently, he squatted down and personally put his clothes on the poor child. The boy did not resist too much, perhaps because the priest's words and concern made him let down his guard.

　　"I... I don't know..."

　　The boy responded in confusion, as if the question troubled him so much that even when the priest held him in his arms, he did not resist. He even reached out and gently grasped the priest's shoulders, using both hands to slightly support his body so that the priest could save some energy.

"What a well-behaved and pitiful child..."

　　The priest naturally noticed the boy's behavior and laughed happily.

　　A wandering orphan?

　　The priest thought so, and seemed very happy with the answer. The corners of his mouth and his tone rose slightly, but they were all covered up. It seemed that he was just happy because the child was well-behaved and sensible.

　　After making a conclusion about the boy's origins in his mind, he took a step and continued to walk towards home - or the direction of the church.

　　"you don't have to worry, kid. It's my duty to help people in need, especially children like you. My church is also a kind of welfare home, and there are many children like you there. You can rest there for the time being. This area is not peaceful. Wait for two days... No, tomorrow, tomorrow I will take you to the police station to see if I can help you find your relatives. If not... you can stay in the church as well. You can have a home after that."

　　"...really? Thank you, Father!"

It seemed that because of the priest's promise, the boy's expression recovered a little, and his tone became lighter, with the vitality unique to children.

　　"You're welcome. This is my duty... By the way, kid, I don't think I've asked your name yet? Can you tell me?"

　　"Of course! Father, my name is Xiwang!"

　　"[Hope]…?"

　　The priest took a quick look at the child in his arms. Because of his words, the poor boy had regained some vitality and a smile appeared on his face. The bright smile flowed from his clear pupils, and seemed to infect others inadvertently.

　　"What a nice name."

　　The priest sighed with a smile, perhaps he was infected by Xi Wang's emotions, the smile in his pupils became even brighter, and he seemed to like this child very much.

——————————

　　[You met a kind priest who seemed to care about you, a poor child, and treated you as gently as possible]

　　[You soon let down your guard, perhaps because of his concern, or because he promised to take you to the police station tomorrow... In short, you let him take you back to the church.]

　　[As the priest said, there are many children with similar conditions as you here. They are all taken care of by the priest and several nuns.]

　　[The children welcome you very much and are very enthusiastic about you as their new companion... except for a few children who seem a little shy and dare not come forward. They just sit in their seats obediently and glance at you from time to time.]

　　[Here, you enjoy a warm dinner with the children, play with them, are driven by the priest to take a bath amid laughter, and then lie together on a slightly hard bed, covered with warm blankets]

　　[The children in the same room with you seem very excited. Even after the nuns turned off the lights, they did not fall asleep obediently, but kept asking you all kinds of questions.]

[You answered them briefly, and when they mentioned their encounter with the priest, they seemed to become a little excited. You could sense their gratitude to the priest from their words.]

　　[Everything is good here, which makes you think that the priest is indeed a good person - even if you don't know his name yet]

　　[On the second day, several people came to the church to discuss something with the priest. Judging from their gaze and actions, the main target of the discussion was the children, and of course, you.]

　　[Other children said that he was a teacher from a school. Every once in a while, the school would send a few people to take some suitable children to school. They would live better there than here. I heard that they would have the opportunity to go to college and they could even help find jobs.]

　　[It sounds like a welfare school specially prepared for children like you]

　　Although the children do not know what "college" and "work" are, they know that as long as they are taken to school by teachers, their lives will be better.

　　["Is it really such a good thing?" You subconsciously questioned it, but soon, the priest and the teachers came over and discussed something with you.]

　　[Their words reveal their concern for you, the poor child]

　　["Maybe there really is such a place." With their kindness, you put aside your doubts for the time being.]

[In the afternoon, the teachers left. They seemed to have finished their inspection and needed to go back to school to submit a report. The priest also took you to the police station as promised.]

　　[The police officer who received you seems to be an acquaintance of the priest. He seems to know that the priest always finds some orphans from time to time, and they will come to him to find their relatives and register them.]

　　[Soon, the police officer gave a message - they didn't seem to find your information. You seemed to have been trafficked from abroad. In addition, you said that your parents are no longer around. Finding other relatives... To be honest, it's a bit troublesome.]

　　[To put it simply, it takes time, and during this period of waiting, it seems that you can only temporarily live in the priest's church]

　　[The priest comforts you skillfully, and your depressed mood improves]

　　[In the next few days, you became close friends with the children in the church, and you suddenly felt that there was nothing wrong with living here.]

　　[About a week later, the priest received a call. You saw that he looked a little confused at first, and he seemed to subconsciously ask the other party a few more questions. After getting the other party's answer, he smiled brightly again.]

[That night, the priest told you with a hint of sadness that the police had not found your relatives, and it seemed that you had no choice but to stay here.]

　　[Although you feel a little lost, you are not too sad because you have found a "home"]

　　[After a few days, the teacher from that school came again, driving a strange school bus, ready to pick up a few children]

　　[The church also appropriately held a farewell party, which was also a welcome party for you.]

　　[After the happiness, it was time to say goodbye, but everyone was not sad, they were just happy and expectant. The children saw them off, wished them well, and looked forward to the day in the future when they could go to that school where they could "live a better life"]

　　[You mingled among the children, bidding farewell to those lucky companions, but you also noticed that those shy children were still standing at the farthest place, not laughing or cheering, just watching quietly]

[You feel a little strange and ask other people, but you only get the response of "Those guys are bad kids, don't talk to them", whether you ask other children or nuns, the same is true]

　　[You feel confused and want to approach those "bad kids", but before you open your mouth, they will sneer and leave, or hide in fear, or just run away]

　　[You asked the priest, and he seemed very happy with your behavior and did not object to your contact with those "bad kids"]

　　["You just want to be friends with them. That's a good intention. Don't worry about anything. Just do it, child." - This is what the priest said]

　　[With the encouragement from the priest, you believe that what you are doing is right and start to interact with those "bad kids" more actively]

　　[Perhaps because of your enthusiasm, those "bad kids" began to accept you slowly, and a few with better personalities even became friends with you... Although you feel that there is still some inexplicable gap between you and them, all this is enough to make you feel excited, especially when you find out that these so-called "bad kids" are not actually bad.]

　　[However, when you want to introduce your "bad boy" friend to other children, you find that you have already been classified as a "bad boy" by others, whether it is your former good friends, those nuns, or even... the priest]

　　[Although the priest's attitude has not changed much, and he has even become much more enthusiastic, the nuns and other children have begun to refuse to talk to you intentionally or unintentionally.]

[In addition, you found that the food in the church had also decreased a lot. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that after the teacher of that school took the child away, the food in the church began to slowly decrease, but the reduction was only small each time. In addition, the reasons given by the nuns and priests were very sufficient, so you didn't care.]

　　[Of course, what puzzles you is the other children's attitude towards the "deterioration of food". They seem to be used to it and even take it for granted that "daily food is very poor".]

　　[You suddenly understand why the children hope so much to be picked up by the school teachers, and why the children are so happy and cheering during that period, because only during that short period of time can they eat well and have enough food]

　　[You realize that this place is not as beautiful as you see or imagine]

　　[Perhaps, you have fallen into that person's trap]