For the next week, Shen Lang accompanied Yu Xiao to set up a stall and sell pancakes. Life was peaceful, but both Yu Xiao and Shen Lang wore happy smiles.
Yu Xiao told Shen Lang that this past week was the most beautiful memory of her life, one she would always remember and never forget.
After a week, Yu Xiao returned to school for classes, and Shen Lang's life returned to its usual calm.
Shen Lang had already gained so much. He didn't know what else he could possibly obtain, so when he was alone, he felt his life was utterly still, devoid of any ripples.
However, Shen Lang's troubles ended with a phone call, not from anyone else, but from Chu Ling'er.
Shen Lang had only met Chu Ling'er once. She was a delicate and charming Jiangnan girl of eighteen or nineteen, dressed in purple, as beautiful as a painting.
However, Chu Ling'er also had another identity: she was Chu Ge's sister.
Therefore, upon seeing that the call was from Chu Ling'er, Shen Lang chose to answer.
The call connected, and soon a young girl's light laughter came through, "Brother Shen, I thought you wouldn't answer my call. I didn't expect you to actually pick up."
"How could I not? Although we aren't exactly friends, we can be considered acquaintances."
Shen Lang said to Chu Ling'er, "Why are you calling me so suddenly? Is there something wrong with your sister, Chu Ge?"
"Brother Shen, have you really fallen for my sister?"
Hearing Shen Lang's words, Chu Ling'er's voice was surprised, "Firstly, you are a married man. Secondly, don't even think about my sister; she won't like you."
"Don't talk nonsense. I just thought she looked very much like a friend I used to know, so I asked casually."
When Chu Ling'er said Chu Ge would definitely not like him, Shen Lang remembered the scene when he saw Chu Ge again.
Over the years, Chu Ge had changed so much that she was no longer the Chu Ge he remembered.
However, Shen Lang would never forget that when he was starving to death, a girl had fed him the milk she had painstakingly begged for, saving his life. For Chu Ge, perhaps it was a period she would rather forget, but for Shen Lang, it was the most beautiful and happiest memory of his life.
If life were only like the first meeting, why would autumn winds bring sorrow to painted fans?
In the past, thinking of Chu Ge brought Shen Lang an unprecedented sorrow. Now, the sorrow was gone, replaced by an unparalleled desolation.
"Brother Shen, don't think about my sister; you two are not destined."
Sensing Shen Lang's change in mood, Chu Ling'er smiled and said, "I heard your medical skills are superb. Can you do me a favor?"
"A favor?"
Shen Lang heard this and said, "Although my medical skills are superb, my fees are very high. Can you afford me?"
"Alright, Brother Shen, don't scare me. Although we've only met once, I know you're a kind-hearted person who helps others. You wouldn't charge exorbitant medical fees."
"Of course, whether you charge or not is your business. I wasn't planning on paying you anyway."
As soon as she said this, Shen Lang was speechless. He suddenly thought of a line from a New Year's movie: "I might not charge, but you can't refuse to give!"
"Brother Shen, it's like this: I want to invite you to provide free medical consultation for a day to treat children in a disabled orphanage."
Chu Ling'er said, "Is that possible?"
"To treat children in a disabled orphanage?"
Hearing this, a look of surprise appeared on Shen Lang's face.
Shen Lang thought Chu Ling'er was asking for his help for a friend or a relative. He hadn't expected it to be for the children in a disabled orphanage; this caught him completely off guard.
"I promise you. What time and where?"
Shen Lang had been a beggar and knew the feeling of being helpless and abandoned, so he had a deep compassion for orphans.
"Brother Shen, you agreed?"
Chu Ling'er was incredibly surprised that Shen Lang agreed so readily. "It's this afternoon at two o'clock. We're going to the disabled orphanage in the west of the city. I'll drive to pick you up, and then we'll set off together."
"Okay—"
Shen Lang heard this and said, "Just call me when it's time."
With that, Shen Lang hung up the phone.
"Husband, are you going out this afternoon?"
After Shen Lang hung up, Wang Yuyan walked over with a smile, then quietly sat beside Shen Lang and asked.
"Chu Ge's sister, Chu Ling'er, invited me to provide free medical consultation at a disabled orphanage this afternoon. I agreed. Can we go together this afternoon?"
Shen Lang looked at Wang Yuyan and smiled, "Let's consider it a second honeymoon."
"You! How is this a honeymoon? You're talking nonsense."
Hearing Shen Lang's words, Wang Yuyan playfully chided him, "I don't know anything about medical consultations, but since you want to go, I'll accompany you."
"Thank you, wife."
Hearing Wang Yuyan's words, Shen Lang hugged her and gently kissed her on the cheek.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Chu Ling'er indeed drove to pick up Shen Lang. Afterward, Shen Lang, Wang Yuyan, and Chu Ling'er went to the orphanage in the west of the city together.
The orphanage occupied less than three hundred square meters and was very dilapidated. The iron gate was rusty, and the plaster on the walls of the buildings was peeling off. In the courtyard, more than twenty children were either intellectually disabled, deaf-mute, or physically handicapped. A glance at them evoked a sense of desolation.
"Sister Ling'er, you're here?"
Seeing Chu Ling'er appear, the children who were mentally sound and could speak shouted with excitement. It was clear that Chu Ling'er visited these children often, not just on a whim like some people who came for photo opportunities and fake charity.
"Yes, I'm here. I've brought you all snacks."
Chu Ling'er smiled at the children and handed them a bag of cakes and pastries. Upon receiving the snacks, all the children beamed with genuine joy.
"These are children with congenital disabilities who were abandoned by their parents. They are very pitiful. For years, they have survived thanks to this orphanage. However, the orphanage is now struggling to stay afloat. Besides financial reasons, a group of thugs and bullies has set their sights on this land. They don't want to buy it; they just want to seize it."
Chu Ling'er sighed, "I know that if the director doesn't agree to their terms, they will soon harm these children. Therefore, I hope Brother Shen can cure these troubled children as much as possible, turn them into normal people, and at least give them a chance to survive when this orphanage is taken away or forced to close down."
Chu Ling'er looked at Shen Lang, her eyes filled with earnest hope, and asked, "Brother Shen, can you grant me this request?"