Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

Chen Ye handed a few bags of small beans to Da Ming, hoisted the sack of rice and directed the waiter towards the direction of the orphanage. Da Ming kept his head down, obediently following behind Chen Ye.

The streets were bustling with people, and Chen Ye suddenly noticed several police officers standing by the roadside, questioning a woman. The woman, dressed in a pale yellow dress, had red, swollen eyes and was continuously sobbing and sniffing.

"My poor child..."

“I just turned around for a moment, and he disappeared.”

"Captain Song, I beg of you..."

The woman grew increasingly agitated as she spoke, she couldn't help but kneel down in desperation. Among the officers, a burly man with a tanned face, hurriedly helped the woman to her feet.

Chen Ye glanced over and shook his head slightly.

Even in ancient times, there were human traffickers. Abducted boys were sold as household servants, while girls were sold to brothels. It was a common occurrence, once a child was kidnapped, they were never found again.

Thinking about this, Chen Ye quickly turned and looked at Da Ming.

Da Ming noticed Chen Ye's gaze and grinned foolishly, "Father!"

Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Surely the traffickers wouldn't abduct Da Ming right?

‘Da Ming is so simple-minded, which foolish human trafficker would abduct him? I must be overthinking.’

The waiter, carrying sacks of flour, looked at the weeping woman and sighed, "Just these past few days, we've lost another one."

"Counting this one, nearly twenty children have gone missing in Yuhang County this month."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye was somewhat surprised.

“Is it that serious?”

“Don’t the police have any leads?”

“The police are just here for show,” the waiter scoffed.

“When trouble arises, don’t count on them. Except for catching the folks in the village. They can’t handle anything big.”

The tanned-faced officer comforting the woman suddenly turned his head and looked at Chen Ye and the waiter.

The waiter, carrying the sacks of grain, didn’t notice this exchange.

Chen Ye felt a slight surprise in his heart; the distance between the waiter and the tanned-faced officer was nearly ten meters.

With this distance coupled with the surrounding chatter of pedestrians, could the dark-faced constable hear what the innkeeper was saying?

As he pondered, Chen Ye couldn't help but take another glance at the tanned-faced officer.

The tanned-faced officer seemed to have casually glanced over before quickly turning his head away.

Was it just a coincidence?

Or are there really martial arts masters in this world?

A trace of doubt arose in Chen Ye's mind.

He continued along the stone-paved street, moving forward and soon arrived in front of Yi Hong Brothel.

From upstairs came the coquettish laughter of women, their captivating faces peeking out as they waved handkerchiefs and half-covered their faces with round fans. Their eyes sparkled as they occasionally cast flirtatious glances at the passersby.

The air was filled with a faint scent of perfume.

The waiter paused to watch, his face filled of envy.

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"If only I could go in and experience it just once,it would be worth it."

Hearing the waiter’s words, Chen Ye couldn't help but chuckle, "Why? Brother Zhang, is the cost of Yi Hong Brothel very expensive?"

The waiter, surnamed Zhang, had learned each other's names during their conversation along the way.

"Ten taels of silver for one night."

The waiter looked at the lavishly dressed women upstairs, swallowing hard as he spoke.

10 taels of silver?

Chen Ye's expression changed slightly.

Is that 13 taels inlaid with gold or silver?

That's so expensive!

Chen Ye immediately dismissed the idea he had earlier of going in to take a look around, donate, and show kindness.

Chen Da Ming followed behind Chen Ye. Seeing the two adults stopped to watch, he also looked up at the building.

He was still young and didn’t understand what was so interesting about it.

"When I have money, I definitely have to experience this," the waiter said firmly.

Chen Ye nodded non-stop: "Let's talk about it when we have money."

Da Ming blinked and scratched his head.

He understood this sentence.

Let's talk about it when we have money…

Da Ming looked up at the building and remembered it deeply.

The waiter put down the sack of rice from his shoulder, switched shoulders, and said breathlessly, "Young Master Chen, are we almost there?"

Chen Ye, also covered in sweat, wiped the sweat on his face and said, "It's just ahead."

The location of the orphanage was indeed a bit remote, located on the outskirts of the city. It’s no wonder it was next to a brothel; such places couldn't be in the city center. Chen Ye and the waiter quickened their pace and soon arrived in front of the orphanage.

The waiter put down the sack of rice and looked up at the imposing character "Orphanage" on the sign, falling into deep thought.

He looked at the nearby Yi Hong brothel, and his expression suddenly became very peculiar. The waiter opened his mouth, showing a strange expression, but he said nothing. Chen Ye knew the man had misunderstood, but he didn't explain. He carried the rice into the courtyard.

The waiter hurriedly picked up the sack of grains and followed him in. After storing the rice and grains in the storeroom, Chen Ye gave him a small tip and sent him on his way.

After completing these trivial tasks, Chen Ye sat on a chair, poured two cups of water from the teapot, and handed one to Da Ming.

"Phew..."

Chen Ye drank the water in one gulp, then rested for a moment before taking Da Ming out again to buy groceries.

With all the essentials procured, it was now approaching evening.

The setting sun hung slanting over the wall, casting an orange-red glow on the ground. From each rooftop, wisps of smoke rose, and the faint aroma of cooking wafted and spread throughout Yuhang County.

Standing at the entrance of the orphanage, Chen Ye felt the warmth of the setting sun on his face, tinged with a hint of coolness. From now on, he would truly be living in ancient times.

After two days of hustle and bustle, coming to the orphanage provided them with a place to stay. For Chinese people, having their own house meant having a home. Chen Ye felt a bit sentimental. He looked down and patted the head of Da Ming beside him.

A new life was about to begin. He now had a child under his care. Raising an orphan... was a daunting task.

Da Ming felt the rough warmth of Chen Ye's large hand and looked up, staring blankly, "Dad, I'm hungry."

This sentence instantly shattered the serene atmosphere, and Chen Ye's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot.

"Eat, eat and stuff yourself to death today, should be enough." Chen Ye grumbled, leading Da Ming into the courtyard and closed the gate. Before long, smoke rose from the small courtyard with the word "Yuhang Orphanage" written on it.

…

Time passed, and night fell.

In the dimly lit room, Chen Ye carefully struck a flint to light an oil lamp. The flame flickered twice before casting its light, driving away the surrounding darkness.

The big kid sat at the table, staring wide-eyed at the oil lamp.

"Life without electric lights in ancient times is really inconvenient," Chen Ye remarked.

As the long night stretched on, Chen Ye and the big kid sat in the small room, staring at each other in silence.

There was a curfew in the Great Wu Dynasty at night, and idle people couldn't go out. Those gallant fellows next door could only stay overnight and couldn't go home.

"There's nothing to do."

Suddenly, Chen Ye remembered the System Mall. He had adopted Da Ming and received 100 points as a reward, which he could now spend. Opening the System Mall, there were four sections: Medicine, Books, Daily Necessities, and Lucky Draw.

In the Medicine section, there were not only modern medicine capsules but also various kinds of ancient medicines and powders.

The Books section covered a variety of books, and as Chen Ye glanced over, he noticed a bottle of plum wine and a certain kind of cushion.

The Daily Necessities section contained all sorts of clothing, grains and oils, kitchen condiments, and even toilet paper.

The last section, the Lucky Draw, allowed him to spend points to draw orphan tickets, costing 5000 points each.

After looking around, Chen Ye found that the items for exchange were not expensive. Daily necessities and medicines cost 10 points each, while books were a bit pricier, with a comic book version of "Water Margin" costing 50 points.

"The skills are too expensive..."

Chen Ye couldn't help but complain as he looked at the skills, where one draw cost 5000 points.

It took Chen Ye about an hour to browse through the functions of the System Mall. Da Ming sat across from him, watching the flickering flames of the lamp with wide eyes, obediently.

"Don't stare too much; you'll hurt your eyes."

Chen Ye waved his hand in front of Da Ming's eyes and then smiled, "Let's read something."

Da Ming shifted his gaze from Chen Ye's face to the bookshelf, his expression interested.

With a flick of his left hand, Chen Ye conjured up a book, deducting 50 points from his balance.

He placed the book on the table and opened it.

"Let's read together, and I'll teach you how to recognize characters. You're already ten years old, not knowing how to read is unacceptable. No matter what you do, you can't be illiterate."

Da Ming followed Chen Ye's gaze and saw several colorful characters on the pages, each holding various weapons and engaged in combat.

"Come, these three characters, they read as “Water Margin”, repeat after director."

Seeing Da Ming's apparent interest, Chen Ye couldn't help but smile.

"Dad!" Da Ming innocently called out.

"No, it's Water Margin, not dad."

"Dad!"

"Shǐ wěi shuǐ, hē yā hú, zhī yā ǎn chuán." (Chinese idiom)

"Got it –- Dad!"

"Hey, you little rascal!"