Four rooms and one hall diary

Xiao Xiao was sleeping soundly, the bus slowed down slowly, and announced the name of the station.

He moved, opened his eyes a little, and asked confusedly, "Where are we?"

Ning Jian smoothed his messy hair for him: "There are still three stops, you can sleep for a while."

"No, no, no, no," Xiao Xiao cheered up, his big smart eyes recovered instantly, "It's not okay to go to see your parents as if you haven't woken up."

Ning Jian snickered inwardly: Although she is not very young, she is still able to stand up to the table.

The place where I got off the bus was not prosperous, not to mention that the spacious and clean street was full of old-fashioned apartment buildings everywhere. When Xiao Xiao was looking around to guess where Ning Jian’s parents lived, Ning Jian grabbed him and pointed to a place. Said: "See the fence over there? It's white. My parents live there."

Xiao Xiao has good eyesight. When he looked carefully, he saw a row of large bronze characters hanging directly above the fence - "Bokang Children's Welfare Institute".

My heart shook violently.

The north wind howled, rolled up the withered and yellow leaves on the ground, and blew up his scarf again.

Orphanage.

Everyone knows what these three words represent.

——Abandoned at the age when love is most needed, and forgotten at the moment when family affection is most longed for.

No one came to hold a parent-teacher meeting for me, I didn’t dare to hope that someone would pick me up after school, I couldn’t lie in the arms of my parents and beg for a new toy or a new dress...

——It's not that he didn't guess the other party's life experience, but he didn't expect that he was an orphan.

For a moment, Xiao Xiao's heart seemed to be blocked by something, sore, swollen, unable to breathe out, unable to swallow.

He looked at Ning Jian, his eyes flickered, and he seemed to have pity.

Xiao Xiao knew that he shouldn't show his inner sympathy too clearly, but he couldn't help but clenched Ning Jian's hand tightly, as if nothing in the world could separate them.

"Ning Jian..." He called him softly, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't make a sound.

——Compared with him, I am really much happier.

Although he was abandoned by his biological mother, he still has a kind uncle.The love and affection that his uncle gave him was no less than that of any mother. He grew up accompanied by two parents, and he hardly suffered any pain or tasted any bitterness.

Because of this, his consolation will appear too pale.

"Surprised?" Ning Jian smiled gently, with no resentment or unwillingness in her expression, "I was thrown here after I was born. It is said that when my father saw me, I almost froze..." He looked at the white fence with part of the paint peeling off, and the past slowly replayed in his mind like a movie, "... When I graduated from elementary school, I got good grades in the exam, and I had the opportunity to get funding from the enterprise, so I was able to successfully complete my studies. It is a blessing in misfortune." Ning Jian lowered her head, suddenly saw Xiao Xiao's sad appearance, panicked, and hurriedly said: "Don't think too much, in fact, the orphanage is not as bad as others say, at least we can eat Fully clothed and warm...just..."

He stopped abruptly, shook his head and swallowed back the words that followed.

"...Let's go, Xiao Xiao, let's go see my parents."

Xiao Xiao was pulled by Ning Jian, and walked towards the white fence door step by step - it seemed that since the two were together, this hand-holding action had happened from time to time.Ning Jian's appearance tends to be calm, while Xiao Xiao's looks are agile. They look like a pair of brothers who have a good relationship, and they don't think it's weird.

A few minutes later, they walked into the place where Ning Jian grew up, carrying heavy things—it could also be said that it was a gift from Xiao Xiao to each other's elders.

Two bright-looking people suddenly appeared in the orphanage, and the children playing in the snow suddenly stopped and looked over involuntarily.

When the sharp-eyed people saw Ning Jian, they shouted in surprise and joy: "Brother Ning is back!" and ran towards them while cheering.

Ning Jian put aside the bag containing toys and candies, and stretched out her arms to embrace them, with warm smiles in her eyes.

Hearing the sound, an old man in his sixties came out of a bungalow not far away. He seemed to have some inconvenience in his legs and feet. When Ning Jian saw him, he hurried to meet him and called out, "Dad."

"Hey, hey." The old man happily responded, holding Ning Jian's arm to look back and forth, and said repeatedly: "Yes, this complexion looks much better."

"Thanks to you—where's my mother?"

"She went to the light industry market next door to buy cotton cloth, and she said she was making winter clothes for these children." The old man turned his gaze to Xiao Xiao, "This is..."

Seeing his father-in-law speak, Xiao Xiao stood at attention, bowed a standard bow, and said very solemnly: "Dad, hello, I am Ning Jian's boyfriend!"

Ning Jian: "..."

elder:"……"

The three of them were silent for a while, and Ning Jian coughed: "...Dad, it's cold outside, let's go in and talk."

The old man glanced at Xiao Xiao blankly: "...Oh, okay, let's go in and talk."

Looking at their backs, Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment, and then thought dejectedly: It is said that the more a father looks at his son-in-law, the more unhappy he gets. Why does his father-in-law also look unhappy when he sees his son-in-law?

——Actually, he misunderstood Ning Jian's adoptive father, who was also the dean of the orphanage.

The old man is not ignorant of Ning Jian's mate selection orientation.

It was when Ning Jian was still in her junior year, and the old man inadvertently asked him about his relationship status, wondering if this child would start to fall in love like his peers, or would he already have a lovely girlfriend?

Ning Jian had no intention of hiding anything in his heart, so he hesitated for a while before talking about his relationship with Wei Mingyao.

At first, the two old men were also shocked, puzzled, and even tried their best to persuade him to leave this road as soon as possible, but Ning Jian refused to agree no matter what. Although his expression was disturbed, his attitude was uncharacteristically tough and firm.

Then they gave up—the child has his own choice when he grows up, whether it is a man or a woman, as long as the person treats him sincerely and is willing to live with him peacefully for the rest of his life, it is not completely unacceptable for the two to take care of and support each other.

After the parents acquiesced, Ning Jian would mention that person in front of them from time to time—for example, Wei Mingyao was a cadre in the student union, what activities did they participate in together... until after graduation, both of them had jobs in L City , and soon bought a house.

These are all ordinary but heartwarming things.Sometimes the old people will listen to them and bless them from the bottom of their hearts.

——After all, he is the child he watched and grew up. Even if he did something deviant, he was still working hard for his own happiness, and he didn't hurt the world. What can he blame?

However, gradually, Ning Jian mentioned the other half unconsciously less and less frequently. Occasionally, the old man said a few words after asking a question, but his demeanor was like a pool of stagnant water, even a little confused and perplexed.

And that person has never shown his face in front of the old people.

Although the second elder also wanted to meet the so-called Wei Mingyao, but every time he mentioned it, Ning Jian always showed a trace of embarrassment and guilt on his face.

In fact, the two elders were more or less aware of Ning Jian's unsatisfactory love life, but since he didn't want to mention it, it was naturally inconvenient for them to ask.

They expected that Ning Jian would break up with that young man, but how could they expect that Ning Jian would change someone so quickly, and it was such a young child? !

"He - he is very good, although he is a little younger..." Speaking of Xiao Xiao, Ning Jian's face flashed with embarrassment, feeling like he had kidnapped a minor.

The old man looked out of the window——Xiao Xiao was distributing toys and snacks to the children. His black and white eyes were bright and clear, and his smile was extraordinarily brilliant under the reflection of the snow.

"...Dad has met so many people in his life, and he can see that he is a good boy, but Ning Jian, the problem is not that he is young, but that when he grows up and understands more things in the future, will he... ...do you think you are not suitable?" ——The child is at most sixteen or seventeen years old, it can be said that life has not yet begun, the heart of an adult is always changing, let alone a teenager?I'm afraid that Ning Jian's dedication will be very sincere, but in the end it will end in a split-up. At that time, Xiao Xiao will still be in his prime, so naturally it will have no effect, but Ning Jian has entered middle age, and many things will be difficult to work hard. I'm powerless.

The old man has a traditional way of thinking and thinks that when a man is young, he should still focus on his career, and it is not suitable to put too much energy on his relationship—especially the relationship that seems unreliable.

He shook his head, and when he wanted to persuade him, he saw a woman walking in with a bulging cloth bag.

"Mom," Ning Jian went up to take the bag from the woman's hand, "Why did you go alone and didn't ask Xiao Yang and the others to come with you?"

"Those guys went to help people shovel snow and earn some pocket money. Why, do you think I'm too old to carry?" The woman smiled heartily. Although her appearance was far less bright than when she was young, she also had the power to warm people's hearts.

Ning Jian smiled and said, "Mom, you know I didn't mean that."

The dean's wife took out the thermos from under the table, and turned to scold the old man: "You, your head is not bright when you are old, and Xiao Ning didn't ask him to drink some hot water when he came back. It's not warm in such a cold day." How's your body doing?" He glanced at the window again, "Hey, is that little boy a friend you brought? He looks really good, like a starlet!"

Ning Jian paused for a moment and didn't know how to answer, the old dean took the lead and said, "Where are you friends, you called me 'Dad' just now, and I will definitely call you 'Mom' later!"

The dean's wife asked suspiciously: "New here? But I think he looks like a child from a rich family!"

The room was quiet for a while before she realized it. She suddenly said "ah" and stared at Ning Jian in surprise: "Could it be, it's yours..."

Ning Jian rarely blushed and nodded.

"Oh, but I see that child is only a teenager..."

——Sure enough, the age gap is an argument.

Ning Jian thought helplessly.

At noon, Xiao Xiao was finally able to escape from the clutches of the children. He had never played with so many children. Although he was very tired, he felt quite fresh.As soon as the meal order rang, the children left Xiao Xiao and ran to the cafeteria cheering. Xiao Xiao smiled wryly and patted the snow scum on his body, and followed them.

During the banquet, the dean, his wife, Ning Jian, and Xiao Xiao sat at the same table, and the rest of the children sat quietly in their assigned positions. Some people tapped their chopsticks lightly from time to time, as if they couldn't wait to eat.

However, when the dishes were served, to be honest, Xiao Xiao was not used to it.

——Simple or even rough dishes, not much oil and water, not to mention the meat that children need when they grow up, just boiled vegetables in clear soup, braised potatoes with carrots, sprinkled with few vegetarian balls, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes— — even if the number of eggs is far less than that of tomatoes.But even so, the children still started to move their chopsticks with smiles on their faces, and the cafeteria immediately became lively.

The dean sighed, and said: "It's rare to eat some good food, let's see how happy the little devils are."

Hearing this, Xiao Xiao couldn't help being stunned—is this a good dish?

In fact, I don’t blame his young master’s temperament. Although the Xiao family’s food is not luxurious, it is not bad at all. After arriving at 701, Yitong’s cooking skills even sent the stomachs of several people to heaven. , and much richer than this...

Ning Jian frowned and said, "This year's subsidy hasn't come yet?"

The dean's wife shook her head: "The subsidy has arrived, but how can each child pay dozens of yuan, how can it be enough? We apply for funding every now and then, and the higher up pushes and pushes it again and again. Who knows what's going on! Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming, Recently, we all want to dig money out of our teeth so that they can eat meat dumplings during the Chinese New Year... The prices are rising so fast that I don’t dare to pick expensive ones when I go to buy cotton cloth. If I knew it, I would take advantage of the summer Accumulate some..."

The old man babbled, the words were obviously complaints, but when they came out of her mouth, they seemed to be cheering for herself.Xiao Xiao looked at the food in the bowl, and immediately felt guilty for what he thought just now.

The old dean said: "Okay, old lady, Xiao Ning finally came back, don't keep talking about these frustrating things, talk about something happy!"

"Oh, of course there is, of course there is. Do you remember the girl named Jiang? The one who looks very cute and works hard in her studies."

Ning Jian nodded, and she said: "Last month, she was adopted. The conditions in that family are very rich. The daughter came back a few days ago. She was dressed like a little princess, and she even had a cheerful personality. You haven’t seen these little devils, these days they are studying more vigorously than each other, and they are all looking forward to someone taking them home!”

"It's a good thing." Ning Jian smiled, and became worried about the situation of the orphanage again—study must be done well, but nutrition can't keep up, isn't it a drag? "...Dad, we are all my own family, and I should contribute to some things. I have some money on hand, you can take it first, so as to get through this winter anyway. I just saw a lot of dust on the walls of the house. I’m afraid it’s the same in other rooms, it’s not good to go on like this for a long time.”

"How did this happen?" The old man shook his head resolutely, "It's not easy for you alone..." He glanced at Xiao Xiao and coughed twice, "...I'm afraid there will be more places to spend money in the future. We can live here, don't you worry."

Ning Jian was silent—how could life in the orphanage be easier?Otherwise, when parents scare their children, why do they always like to say "If you are disobedient, I will send you to an orphanage"?He could see the difficulties of the elderly, and he was afraid that they had even invested in their own wage subsidies, but the cafeteria still only provided such meals.

This is not the first time he proposed funding, but the old man always retorted: "It's fine for you to be rich and powerful, we are all in your favor, but you yourself are not very prosperous, so how can you get more money?"

This is true. Part of his previous salary was used to meet daily expenses, and the rest was used to pay off the mortgage. There is really not much that can help the orphanage.But the situation is different now, he doesn't want to watch helplessly anymore.

"Dad..." Ning Jian spoke again, but Xiao Xiao who was beside him suddenly held him down and shook his head slightly.

Ning Jian paused, although she didn't understand his intention, she swallowed her words and started to concentrate on eating.

This meal was very unpleasant. On the one hand, it was really not very tasty, and on the other hand, it was the reason for the bad food.

In the afternoon, it was time for the two of them to leave. The dean patted Ning Jian and Xiao Xiao on the shoulders respectively, and said with a smile, "Come and play again when you have time!"

Ning Jian looked at his gray hair and felt a lot of sighs in her heart.

How time flies, when he was young, his father was still a middle-aged man with a strong body and a smile on his face, but now he has wrinkles like an old tree, his back is bent, and he can't walk easily , how can people not feel emotional?

"Okay, I'll be back when I'm free." Ning Jian solemnly said goodbye, and then bent down to accept the hugs of a group of children.

On the way home, Xiao Xiao's face was always quite solemn, and Ning Jian naturally understood the reason. Although it was impossible to feel nothing when he saw the orphanage, he didn't want it to affect Xiao Xiao's mood—come happily , I have seen the people I should see, and I have done my best, and the parents are quite satisfied with him. Since everything is going well, why do you have to go back with a stinky face?

Ning Jian held Xiao Xiao's hand, looked sideways at him and said, "Don't worry, I'll give them the money to buy the house when I go back, anyway, I'm going to..."

Xiao Xiao shook his head: "Their subsidies must have been withheld."

"...Is there any way to do this? It's not a public welfare institution. The previous director only cared about filling his own pockets. After his reputation was ruined, many companies refused to invest. My parents took over this welfare institution and managed it into what it is today. It looks like I have devoted my whole life, and I have recently adopted a few children, and the expenses are even greater, I am afraid it will not be able to bear it."

Xiao Xiao frowned slightly, rolled his dark eyes, suddenly held Ning Jian's hand, and said like a little adult: "I'm your man, right?"

Ning Jian couldn't help laughing: "Call yourself a man before you're an adult?"

"Tell me, is it right?" Xiao Xiao's eyes seemed to be burning with dark flames, making Ning Jian stunned for a moment.

He propped his forehead and said "yes" three times helplessly, Xiao Xiao then nodded in satisfaction: "I am your man, so your business is my business, since it is my business, it is only natural for me to take care of it." It should, right?"