Light Fortress-Chapter 30 - 28 Sponsorship and Inspection
30: Chapter 28: Sponsorship and Inspection
30 -28: Sponsorship and Inspection
After a three-and-a-half-hour drive, crossing Da Teng City, they finally arrived beneath the meandering mountain shadows.
Wulaoshan was a mountain area heavily protected by Da Teng.
There was no tight cluster of steel plantations enveloping the area, and the mountain roads were not rugged.
On the contrary, they were quite spacious and echoed the soft chirping of birds.
However, the sky was dotted with fine, drizzling rain, as if veiling the view with an oily cloth.
No matter how hard one tried to look into the distance, they could only see the vague silhouettes of a few mountain peaks.
“These days, the business of scenic spots is really tough,” Gu Shen said, “The signal here is weak and the internet is slow, most people would despise it, thinking it’s an uncivilized wilderness, but it’s just a mountain area… We always have to leave something behind.”
“An uncivilized wilderness…”
“I don’t think so.”
Nan Jin turned off the music, opened the car window, and took a deep breath of fresh air: “This is how nature should be.
Living here, one can breathe the freshest, most natural air.
Although Dadu District is prosperous, and there are high-powered air purifiers everywhere, the air there… it always seems different from here.”
“What you can’t have is always the best.”
Gu Shen shrugged his shoulders, “The occasional visitors to this place are also those from upper echelons who feel the air in Dadu District isn’t good enough.
Actually, if you really want to say there’s a difference, the air filtered by purifiers is only cleaner.
After ‘Deep Sea’ connected with the whole world, man-made landscapes became more beautiful and smarter than natural landscapes.
If it weren’t for the poor terrain here, this place would probably have been abolished long ago.”
Approaching the massive mountain shadow at the end of their view, the speed of the car increased, and the wide mountain road was not climbing up but sliding down… At the foot of the mountain was a basin, low in the middle and high around the edges, forming a ring.
No wonder it accumulated so much water when it rained.
“Alright, alright, we’re almost there.”
Gu Shen took a deep breath, straightened his shirt collar, and after checking the balance in his card, he had been contemplating the idea of a “wealthy homecoming” and had painfully bought a new outfit for the occasion.
It was just a plain white shirt, paired with a work jacket, and he hadn’t even changed his pants or shoes.
The car pulled up in front of the orphanage, the iron fence creaked in the wind, and raindrops splashed on it creating a spray of water.
Inside were several freshly painted white red-brick mansions, compared to the large flats in the city center… Indeed, this style of decoration had a very nostalgic feel.
The sign at the entrance read “Chenguang,” surrounded by crooked crayon graffiti depicting balloons, white clouds, the sun, and children running.
Nan Jin looked thoughtfully at another black sedan parked not far from the orphanage.
“You don’t have to get out of the car later, senior sister.”
Gu Shen inexplicably started to feel nervous, he took several deep breaths to calm himself down.
He got out of the car, opened the trunk, his left hand carrying two large boxes of milk and a big basket of eggs, his right hand holding various large and small, heavy gift boxes, ready to run through the rain when an umbrella opened above his head.
“I’ll walk you there, and take a look around,”
Softly spoke Nan Jin, carrying a large bag of vegetables, cradling an orange cat in her arm, and holding the umbrella for Gu Shen with her other hand.
Perhaps because she replaced her sunglasses with black frame glasses, her fierce face didn’t look as intimidating.
“Oh, oh, oh…”
Gu Shen was pleasantly surprised, squeezed under one umbrella with Nan Jin, their heads bowed as they hurried forward.
As he pushed open the iron gate, there was a loud bang, startling him.
Hands twisting the ribbons of the firecrackers erupted, scattering over the umbrella.
Hidden on either side of the courtyard wall, children who had been waiting for who knows how long suddenly burst out, circling around the umbrella.
“Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome—”
“Welcome, welcome, a warm welcome—”
Gu Shen, surrounded by children in the rain, was caught off guard as he gazed at these familiar yet unfamiliar faces, a bitter-sweet feeling of emotion welling up in his heart.
When he had left, they weren’t this tall, those Little Buds who used to cling to his legs had now grown to the height of his chest.
In two years, they had changed a lot.
What hadn’t changed were the innocence in their eyes and the childlike quality on their faces.
No matter how much they had grown, they were still children.
“Welcome home, Brother Shen!”
The children made a ruckus, one by one taking the things from Gu Shen’s hands.
Under the eaves, an old woman knitting a sweater waved at Gu Shen, her hair completely white, her face full of gentleness, “I heard you were coming back, and they were thrilled.
These are leftover fireworks from a wedding they attended; San Pao and the others have been saving them for a long time, not willing to use them up, but today they brought them all out.”
With fireworks ribbons hanging from his hair like a chicken’s nest, Gu Shen shook his head and laughed, “So the treasures have been brought out?
Guess these kids do have some conscience after all.”
San Pao was the smallest of the children, but he was the first to twist open the fireworks and the first to grab something from Gu Shen’s hands.
At this moment, he excitedly opened the “gift box” and let out a wail, “Brother Shen!
Why is it all meat?”
The gift box was packed full, filled with plain meat, eggs, and milk.
In his rush, Gu Shen had forgotten to buy toys.
He coughed and said, “Next time, definitely next time.”
“Having meat is great!
It shows that Brother Shen cares about your growth!” another kid laughed, “In two years, your height hasn’t changed.”
San Pao spat disdainfully and raised a chicken leg as if to strike.
The children were gleefully unpacking the gift boxes.
“Who is this…?”
The old woman looked at the girl holding an umbrella, surprise evident in her eyes.
Such a gentle and graceful beauty was something one only saw on television.
Gu Shen wanted to introduce Nan Jin, but for a moment, he didn’t know how to approach it…
Should he tell the old woman that this was the great benefactor who had saved his life, now considered almost a sworn elder brother to him?
He scratched his head but hadn’t begun to speak.
“Hello, grandma.
I’m Gu Shen’s senior, and we’re working together at the research institute in Da Teng City,” Nan Jin smiled gently, handing out a business card, “Gu Shen is doing very well, excelling impressively.
He was noticed by my advisor, so you might consider it like…
a direct recommendation.”
“A direct recommendation?” the old woman took the card, stunned, and looked at Gu Shen unbelievingly.
“Yes, yes, a direct recommendation,” Gu Shen hastily added, “I accidentally got accepted into a research institute…”
The orange cat in Nan Jin’s arms watched the scene lazily, snorting with laughter at this moment.
Gu Shen, who always showed great acting skills, almost messed up on this matter.
“I can’t understand what’s written on this business card…”
The grandmother squinted, cautiously inspecting the card.
She couldn’t understand the complex job titles but remembered the name “Nan Jin.”
“Thank you, girl.
Gu Shen must have caused you trouble, right?” the grandmother said, handing back the business card and then added with deep meaning, “Xiao Gu, I know you’ve left this place and must be doing well outside, but it’s not easy to meet people who are kind to you… You must cherish it.”
“Grandma, what are you talking about…”
Gu Shen sighed deeply, powerless to explain.
He completely understood what his grandmother was thinking.
Who wouldn’t like such a gentle, understanding, and beautiful elder sister?
And who would imagine that this beautiful sister usually portrays an image of a fierce fighter who doesn’t hesitate to draw swords?
“I came back this time to fix the house,” he said.
Gu Shen took out the card and said earnestly, “The teacher at the institute is very kind to me and awarded me a generous scholarship.
Grandma, you mentioned the house often leaks, and San Pao and his friends need money for school.
There are all sorts of miscellaneous expenses besides the government subsidies.
In short… I’ll take care of it all!”
His statement was truly assertive.
The feeling of being wealthy back in one’s hometown…
was fantastic.
However, Gu Shen did not receive the expected feedback; the grandmother just smiled warmly at him without much action.
“Oh my…”
Gu Shen raised the card, looking surprised and a bit disappointed, “Grandma, why such a reaction?”
The grandmother apologizing to Nan Jin, said, “Girl, I am having a chat with Xiao Gu…
There are some fruits and brewed tea in the hall, would you mind waiting there for a while?”
“You’re too polite,” Nan Jin said with a smile.
“Perfect, I was thinking of taking a walk.”
The moment she turned to leave, the orange cat in her arms meowed and darted out, surprising Nan Jin, but the cat moved too quickly to track.
…
The grandmother pulled Gu Shen upstairs.
“Grandma, why all the secrecy…” Gu Shen was a bit puzzled.
“Xiao Gu, it has been a long time since I have seen such a beautiful girl.
Your senior is as pretty as a movie star.” Reaching the second floor, the grandmother’s eyes twinkled with laughter, “You must treat her well, don’t bully her for being a delicate and powerless girl.”
Gu Shen: “???”
Delicate and powerless?
That delicate and powerless girl beats him up a hundred times every day!
A hundred times, indeed.
“She is really just my senior,” Gu Shen tried to clarify seriously, but he knew the laughter in his grandmother’s eyes clearly meant, keep making excuses.
Which senior would drive a long distance just to drop you?
“I already have a girlfriend!”
Struck by an idea, Gu Shen spoke earnestly, boasting, “She’s even prettier than the stars on TV.
I’ll bring her over to meet you next time.”
“Oh ho ho ho… It seems I misunderstood,” the grandmother suddenly understood, surprised and delighted, her face aglow with a smile, “Xiao Gu, you really have surprised me.
Now I’m at ease.”
Finally, he had clarified things.
Gu Shen breathed a sigh of relief, a bitter smile in his heart.
He had thought the money in his account would make his grandmother happier, but she was more concerned about his “lifetime affair.”
The matter of fixing the house… wasn’t necessary for him to participate, she could handle it alone.
A proud smile flashed in the grandmother’s eyes, “A few days ago, a gentleman contacted us, wanting to sponsor a renovation for the welfare home.
He’s here today to inspect it.
Nowadays, it’s rare to see someone conduct such detailed on-site inspections, he must be a doer.
If we can secure this, funding for the welfare home won’t be a concern anymore.”
“Additionally…”
Lowering her voice, she continued, “Just by looking at him, you can tell he’s wealthy.
You’ll see in a bit.”
“Sponsorship… inspection…”
Gu Shen was suddenly taken aback, now remembering there indeed had been a second car parked at the entrance of the welfare home, which he had overlooked due to his nervousness about the upcoming meeting.
“This gentleman is on the rooftop, let me take you to see him,” the grandmother said cheerfully, picking up a garment and leading Gu Shen upstairs.
The four-story red brick house had a rooftop where flowers and plants were usually grown.
The rain was falling densely and heavily.
A man in a suit was standing at the entrance of the rooftop, holding an umbrella, alone in the middle of the rooftop, gazing at the distant continuous mountains and mist.
The grandmother’s laughter came from behind.
“Mr.
Xiao Han, sorry to keep you waiting,” she called out.
The man in the suit slowly turned around, the light reflecting off his wire-rimmed glasses casting the figures of the old and the young behind him.
He smiled, “It wasn’t that long.”
