New Hope Orphanage [2]

The room had barely enough space for a dresser and a bed. As they entered, they could see an old lady seemingly in her 60s lying upon the bed in the room. Upon seeing her wrinkled and tired face, Ling Hong's eyes started tearing. The lady was Ma Fengyi who was called as 'Mother Ma', the director of the orphanage and the one who had raised him. At a glance, he could see that her body was extremely tired and that she had thinned down a lot than the one from his memory. He slowly walked towards the bed.

Yan Fei and Li Xin just stayed by the door after exiting the room and closing the door. They both knew how much grief she went through when Ling Hong went missing, hence decided not to disturb their reunion. Ling Hong slowly sat on the edge of the bed as he silently glanced at the old lady on the bed.

As if she felt his gaze, Ma Fengyi slowly opened her eyes and saw Ling Hong sitting on the bed. In a raspy voice, she murmured "Is that you, my little Ling? No...I must be dreaming again since I'm so tired. But it would be nice to see him again before old me passes on..."

Hearing her words, Ling Hong could not take it anymore as his tears burst out uncontrollably. He grabbed her sickly looking hand and said "Mother Ma, it's really me. I have come back to see you. I'm sorry for everything, I shouldn't have left back then."

Ma Fengyi was surprised at first, but it soon turned into excitement as she tried to get up and say "Are you really him? Are you really my little Ling?"

"Mmm...it's really me." Ling Hong replied as he hugged her. While hugging her, he also spread out his qi through her body to check her condition. He relaxed a bit after sensing that there were only minor internal injuries that could be healed. He send out a wisp of qi into her to heal her injuries.

Ma Fengyi was felling really glad that she had seen Ling Hong once again as she hugged him. All of a sudden, she felt a warm wave passing through her and to her surprise, she could feel as if all her pain from the past few weeks were suddenly gone. She did not pay it any attention and gently cupped Ling Hong's face and spoke "Look at you, my boy. You have turned into a handsome young man. Come, tell me everything that happened."

Ling Hong the narrated everything in detail of what he had gone through till now. After he finished speaking, Ma Fengyi smiled and said "Looks like the heavens are looking out for you, little Ling."

Ling Hong felt silent at her words as he remembered the other reason for his visit. His face turned serious as he said "Mother Ma, I came here with something to ask of you."

Seeing his expression, she could more or less deduce what he wanted to ask. She turned her gaze away and spoke softly "Is this about your origin?"

Ling Hong silently nodded. Ma Fengyi knew that this question would come one day. She sighed softly and said "Even I don't know much. When the orphanage had just started up, I was coming back one night when I heard a baby's cries near the intersection two blocks away. When I searched for the source, I found a baby boy bundled in a basket behind a dumpster. It pained my heart to see the child abandoned in such a manner, so I brought him to the orphanage. You know the rest."

Ling Hong already knew this much, so he moved forward to the question he wanted and asked "Then how did you name me? Was there any clues to my parents from the basket?"

"Your name was already embroidered into the towel that wrapped you. So I named you as the same so that someone from your family could find you in the future. The only other thing was the ring that you have." Ma Fengyi said.

Ling Hong paused a bit before asking "Mother Ma, do you know any families with the Ling surname in the city?"

Ma Fengyi shook her head and said "There's no noticeable families with the Ling surname. And Ling is quite a common surname to begin with. Don't lose hope, the future is long and you may find some clues. And don't forget that everyone in the orphanage is one big family."

"You're right." Ling Hong sighed and said. Just as they finished their conversation, a knock could be heard. The next moment, Yan Fei and Li Xin entered inside. Ma Fengyi was delighted to see Li Xin and said "Come little Xinxin, I haven't seen you for so long."

The four of them engaged in some idle talk till lunch time. When it was time for lunch, Yan Fei quickly darted away to prepare the kids for the meal. Ling Hong and Li Xin helped up Ma Fengyi and the trio walked to the lunch area. When they reached, they saw the sight of the kids finishing up their meal and chatting.

From what Ling Hong could see, there were around 50 kids less than 12 years old and a dozen teenagers. There were a few familiar faces among them who ran up to him when he came into view. They were kids who had known him while he was still in the orphanage.

He then spent the rest of the day talking with them and playing with the little kids. He also brought out the gifts he and Li Xin had bought and gave them out, making the little ones happy. By evening, he was ready to head back. He then pulled Yan Fei away to talk about improving the orphanage.

He asked her to contact the painters and furniture shop to draw up a plan for renovating the place. But before he could explain his plans, he saw a look of panic on her face. He stopped taking and asked "There's some problem, isn't there? Tell me."

Yan Fei quietly said "The Azure Dragon gang wanted us to move out of the place within a week or else they would come to smash up the place."

"Is that so? But they should be acting on someone's orders. Have you been asked by any real estate companies about selling the land?" he questioned.

Yan Fei shook her head and replied "No one came. It was just out of the blue that those gangsters came in and smashed up the entrance."

He thought for a moment and asked "Then what about the buildings around the area? Do you know who or which company owns them?"

Yan Fei pondered for a moment and answered "I think that it was Xiachu Developers.....now that I think of it, there had been some rumors that they were close with the Azure Dragon gang. Could it be that they are trying to take over our land by driving us out?"

"Probably. No need to think about it anymore. I'll deal with it and you just have to do what I had talked about earlier." he said and turned around to leave.

"But.. brother Ling, it's dangerous to involve with Azure Dragon gang!" Yan Fei anxiously said as she grabbed him.

He smiled and said "How can I not do this when our home is in danger? Don't worry, I wouldn't do it if I wasn't so confident."

In the end, Yan Fei could only accept his words and hope for his safety. She just stood and watched him leave as she whispered to herself "Brother Ling, you have to be safe. Sister Xinxin was in so much pain when you went missing. Now that she has found you again, you have to make sure that she is happy. So please don't get hurt."

However, Ling Hong with his heightened senses could hear what she said. He understood that now he had accepted Li Xin, he could not act recklessly and put her in danger. Well, if it was someone else then they would be troubled. But he had long thought of a solution to the problem. He got into the car with Li Xin and they returned to the Lakeside Villa No. 3. It was already night by the time they reached, so after a quick dinner, they both went to sleep.

Late into the night, Ling Hong who was supposedly sleeping, opened his eyes and got out of bed. Wearing a hooded T-shirt, he quietly exited the villa and stepped outside. Gazing at the moon, he murmured "Azure Dagon gang, it's a good night for them to disappear."

His body turned into a blur as it shot into the darkness.