Qin Cangjing had the driver take Ye Ziling and Wang Yuyan back to the siheyuan he had prepared. He and Shen Lang then hailed a car by the roadside and, after half an hour, arrived at an orphanage in Longdu.
The orphanage was dilapidated. There were only a dozen or so children, running around the courtyard noisily, which was quite unsettling.
Qin Cangjing, with Shen Lang in tow, pushed open the door and walked in. He then led Shen Lang to a worn-out bench and sat down, saying, "Sit for a bit."
"Have you been here before?" Shen Lang asked, somewhat shocked, seeing Qin Cangjing act so casually, as if it were his own home.
"I built this orphanage when I was eighteen. At that time, there were over thirty staff members and more than a hundred children. I never expected it to have declined and fallen into such disrepair." Qin Cangjing looked at Shen Lang and continued, "Over the years, many elites have gone out from this orphanage. Some have become professors, some businessmen, and some teachers and doctors. But not a single one has ever returned to help the orphanage. It's as if they see it as a place that brings them shame, and they are unwilling to ever remember it again."
"But without this place that they feel ashamed of, they wouldn't have what they have now. They might have even starved to death or frozen to death." Hearing Qin Cangjing's words, Shen Lang shook his head helplessly and said, "Human nature is a complex thing. Even sages haven't fully understood it, and we are not sages, so we understand it even less."
"Indeed, human nature is incredibly complex. Some people appear as pure as white paper, yet you can never guess that their pure facade is merely what they want you to see. Conversely, some people are vicious and wicked, but their hearts are kind." Qin Cangjing sighed as he watched the playing children, "Take these children, for instance. They are happy playing here now, but when they grow up, they will feel ashamed of this place, they won't mention it to others, and might even refuse to mention it to themselves."
"Uncle, could you throw the ball to us?" Just as Qin Cangjing finished speaking, several children playing kicked a soccer ball towards him. As Qin Cangjing paused, a small boy, looking at the stranger before him, timidly asked.
"Sure, catch." Shen Lang picked up the soccer ball from the ground and threw it to the children.
"Thank you, Uncle." With the ball, the children happily gathered together again, chasing each other.
"Children, it's time to eat. Wash your hands quickly and come in!" After Shen Lang and Wolong had been sitting at the orphanage for twenty minutes, a simple-looking woman in her thirties emerged from the house and called out to all the children.
Hearing the woman's words, Shen Lang looked at her. Although her clothes were plain, her face was incredibly beautiful, almost as much as Wang Yuyan's. This woman, at thirty-six or thirty-seven, was still so stunning. One could only imagine how captivating she must have been in her youth. Thinking of the legend of the Star Picking Tower that Feng Yijian had mentioned, Shen Lang was certain that the woman before him was the maiden from the Star Picking Tower. No wonder Qin Cangjing had fallen for her back then; she was indeed remarkable. But alas, a beauty could also be a source of disaster.
"You... why are you here?" After all the children had run inside, the woman saw Qin Cangjing. Her face first showed surprise, then joy, which then turned to pain, and finally, pain transformed into disbelief. She never expected this man to appear here. A thousand emotions surged within her, but she didn't know how to speak.
Qin Cangjing heard her and replied, "I've returned. I am now the head of the Qin family." He didn't mention a single word about the past twenty years but concisely answered her question.
"It's good that you've returned. The position of the Qin family head rightfully belongs to you. Your return is a good thing for the Qin family," the woman said, looking at Qin Cangjing. Her face turned pale and flushed, a bitter expression on her features.
"Qin Cangjing might have a disreputable past, but the head of the Qin family cannot. Therefore, I am here today. Do you know why?" Qin Cangjing looked at the woman, his gaze complex.
"I know. I am prepared," the woman replied, sighing deeply. "Actually, you didn't need to come in person. You could have just sent a message."
"No, some things can be delegated, but some things must be handled personally. Only by seeing you die before my eyes can I have closure," Qin Cangjing said. He slowly raised his left hand, preparing to draw the Minghong Saber. At that moment, a child inside the house suddenly burst into tears.
Hearing the child's cry, the woman became anxious and rushed back into the small house. Less than a minute later, she emerged, looking distressed, holding a little girl. She looked at Qin Cangjing and said, "If you want to kill me, you can do it anytime. But right now, I need to take this child to the hospital. Please let me take her first, alright?"
"This child's throat is blocked by a hard object. The fastest way to the hospital from here is at least half an hour. By the time you get her there, she'll likely be dead," Qin Cangjing said calmly, glancing at the child in the woman's arms.
"Then... then what should I do?" Hearing Qin Cangjing's words, the woman's face turned ashen, and she asked.
"It's easy. There's a divine doctor right here who can help." Qin Cangjing said this and looked at Shen Lang, "Do me a favor, it will be a good deed."
"Since you've asked, of course, I have no problem. It's just a small matter," Shen Lang replied. He walked step by step towards the woman and took the girl from her. He held the child and shook her a few times, and to his surprise, a peach pit came out of the girl's mouth. As the peach pit was expelled, the girl began to cry loudly. Seeing this, the woman breathed a sigh of relief and said to Shen Lang, "Young man, thank you."
"You're welcome, it's a minor issue," Shen Lang waved his hand.
At this moment, Qin Cangjing had walked up to the woman. He looked at her and said, "Do you have any last wishes?"
"After I die, please take good care of the children in the orphanage," the woman said, her expression calm as she looked at Qin Cangjing.
"No problem. I guarantee that every one of them will live very well." Qin Cangjing finished speaking, drew his Minghong Saber, and was about to strike the woman. However, at that moment, the little girl suddenly grabbed Qin Cangjing's leg tightly and cried, "Please, can you not hurt Auntie Su?"