Currently, there are over 120 people living in the nursing home. A unified canteen, bathhouse, activity center, and dormitory have been established, and courses for the elderly are also offered.
Because Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu were more interested in the Angel Orphanage, and Gu Zhaoyuan wanted them to know more about the establishment of the orphanage, he talked at length about many interesting things that happened in the orphanage before.
A group of children abandoned by their parents formed new families. They treated each other as brothers and sisters, living together every day. Occasionally, they envied the children who were adopted, but many children who were adopted ran back to the orphanage because they missed it.
Gu Zhaoyuan has always felt that this matter is meaningful and worth doing.
When he expressed this view, Liang Shi suddenly asked, "Then why did your father suddenly stop doing it?"
Gu Zhaoyuan's smile suddenly froze on his face, then turned into a bitter smile. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Can I say that I don't know either?"
Liang Shi asked in confusion, "When your father wanted to renovate the nursing home, you should have already been helping him with that. How could this be..."
“My father did some things behind our backs,” Gu Zhaoyuan explained earnestly. “Many children who left the Angel Orphanage, especially those adopted by wealthy families, had their records removed from the orphanage. My father never let us get involved in this process because we couldn’t help. Besides…”
He paused, then said, "My father suddenly became seriously ill after suffering a shock."
"May I ask politely what year your father fell ill?" Liang Shi asked.
Gu Zhaoyuan suddenly became alert. "Why are you asking these questions?"
Liang Shi had never intended to hide anything, but vaguely revealed the purpose of his visit: "We have a friend who came from the Angel Orphanage, and we want to investigate his past."
"Who?" Gu Zhaoyuan asked.
Liang Shi shook his head: "I'm sorry, I can't say, but we suspect that your father's illness may be related to her."
Xu Qingzhu had asked Lin Luoxi, so she knew that Angel Orphanage had been converted into Compassionate Nursing Home ten years ago.
That is, the third year after Qi Jiao's suicide.
Liang Shi was only guessing; he was just saying this to Gu Zhaoyuan to find a more reasonable excuse.
Sure enough, as soon as she said that, Gu Zhaoyuan immediately said, "My father's illness? I don't know what kind of shock he suffered to become like this, how do you know?"
"It's just speculation," Liang Shi said. "A lot has happened to our friend, and it's very close to the time when your father fell ill."
Her words, though seemingly plausible, plunged Gu Zhaoyuan into deep thought.
Liang Shi sighed softly, "Could you please introduce us to your father?"
Gu Zhaoyuan slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, my father isn't quite lucid right now and often talks nonsense. It's better if we don't meet him."
"Do you still have the group photo from the orphanage?" Liang Shi said, "I heard from a friend that you take a group photo every year, and all the children are in it."
“Yes,” Gu Zhaoyuan replied.
This wasn't a difficult request to fulfill, so Gu Zhaoyuan took them to his office.
His office was very simple, with just a desk, two chairs, and a bookshelf filled with books of various kinds.
When they went in, there was a little boy wiping the windows.
The boy had a slight limp, but he worked very diligently.
Gu Zhaoyuan told him to go back to his dormitory to rest, and the boy limped out the door.
Liang Shi kept staring at his feet, a hint of sympathy rising in his heart. At the same time, he gained a deeper understanding of what Dean Gu was doing. Dean Gu, who had been able to persist in doing charity work, was truly admirable.
She suddenly wanted to do something about these things.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear Gu Zhaoyuan calling her. It wasn't until Xu Qingzhu nudged her arm that she snapped out of her reverie and whispered, "Sorry."
"It's alright." Gu Zhaoyuan handed her the photo album.
This photo album is not like an ordinary photo album. Although each photo has a year and date on it and the background is Angel Orphanage, there are traces of cropping on each photo.
Some places lay off more people, some lay off fewer; it all depends on luck.
Liang Shi asked, "Were all those who were laid off adopted by wealthy families?"
"Not necessarily," Gu Zhaoyuan said. "Sometimes the adoptive families have specific requirements, and we will meet those requirements."
Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu flipped through the photo album together, looking at each picture very carefully, but they couldn't find anyone who resembled Qi Jiao.
If so, they've probably already been laid off.
Gu Zhaoyuan said that his father fell seriously ill the year before the Angel Orphanage was replaced by the Compassionate Nursing Home.
After recovering from his illness and regaining some consciousness, he founded the Compassionate Nursing Home.
Not long after that, he began to lose his mind.
Liang Shi frowned, as if he hadn't found many clues here either.
The former dean had handled everything flawlessly, unless they went to ask him directly, but now Gu Zhaoyuan was not giving them the opportunity to meet with the former dean.
They found no clues, but Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu did not suggest going back. Instead, they strolled around the nursing home.
The activity center behind was very lively, with a group of elderly people gathered together. Some were playing cards, some were playing badminton, and some were sitting together chatting and knitting.
There are all sorts of people here, and the staff responsible for looking after this place are all former children from the Angel Orphanage.
They didn't find the job of interacting with the elderly annoying; instead, they all had genuinely satisfied smiles on their faces. Some of the elderly would pull them over and chat with them for a long time.
The missing family affection seemed to be made up for in an instant.
It was as if they were the family.
Even Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu ate dinner at the nursing home cafeteria. They followed behind Gu Zhaoyuan, and many people greeted Gu Zhaoyuan along the way.
It's clear that Guzhaoyuan is very popular here.
The food in the cafeteria is similar to that in the school, but a little tastier. It consists of three dishes and a soup, and you can choose between rice, noodles, steamed buns, or dumplings.
Liang Shi ate quickly. After she finished eating, she would observe everyone sitting there. Those children who looked very young were actually very steady in their actions. They had done each procedure many times, and their faces showed a maturity beyond their years.
Liang Shi glanced down at his account balance again; he still had over 200,000 yuan, nearly 300,000 yuan.
After the meal, Liang Shi and Xu Qingzhu prepared to leave, and Gu Zhaoyuan saw them to the door.
Gu Zhaoyuan said apologetically, "I'm sorry I couldn't offer you any help."
“It’s alright,” Liang Shi said. “I’ve seen more, and I’m very interested in your future projects. If you’re going to start a new orphanage, I’d be happy to help.”
Gu Zhaoyuan was taken aback. "Huh?"
Actually, he had given up hope on these two women the moment they said they wanted to consult him about something.
Every year, many people come here to investigate matters, usually under the guise of donating money or goods. But after a few glances, they leave without finding the results they want and never mention wanting to help.
But Liang Shi said very sincerely, "Dean Gu, please give me your account number. I don't have much money on hand right now, but I can buy some clothes and things for the children here."
Gu Zhaoyuan was truly dumbfounded. "For the children?"
“Yes,” Liang Shi said. “Aren’t there still many school-age students here? Buy them some clothes and such. Also, if any child is short of tuition fees and you are short of money, you can call me and I will help them with their tuition fees. Make sure they can study hard.”
After she finished speaking, she smiled gently and said, "I won't take up any more of your time. Please give me your account information."
Gu Zhaoyuan took out his phone and entered a number. "This is our dedicated donation account. When you donate, please enter your name, email address, and the purpose of the donation. After we confirm the details, we will send you photos and a list of expenditures to ensure that your money is used for the people you want it to be used for."
This is to tell Liang Shi that his money will not be swallowed up by others, but will be used for charity.
Liang Shi promptly transferred 100,000 yuan to him, saying, "Winter is coming soon, buy new cotton-padded clothes for the children."
After the transfer, Liang Shi said, "I noticed that this library is only for the elderly, and there aren't many books. There are also many children who don't have books to read. If I have time this week, I'll send over a batch of books. Do you have time?"
“Yes.” Gu Zhaoyuan, still in a daze, immediately replied, “I’m here every day.”
“Okay,” Liang Shi said. “I hope you can rebuild the orphanage.”
Gu Zhaoyuan, as if injected with adrenaline, laughed and said, "Definitely!"
After they finished speaking, they said goodbye to Gu Zhaoyuan, but Gu Zhaoyuan suddenly called out to them, "Whose information are you looking for? Perhaps I can help you."
Liang Shi paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "This is a friend's privacy, so I can't say. We're just here to try our luck."
“Then when you come next time, I’ll take you to see my father,” Gu Zhaoyuan said. “He might know something.”
Liang Shi nodded and smiled, "Okay."
Standing to the side, Xu Qingzhu looked at Liang Shi and thought to herself that Liang Shi had so many ways to win people's hearts; he was quite remarkable.
Gu Zhaoyuan was clearly just giving them the runaround from the start, and he kept speaking in a bureaucratic tone.
As a result, Liang Shi's actions impressed Gu Zhaoyuan, who even offered to help her meet the former dean.
Xu Qingzhu felt that she had gotten to know Liang Shi all over again.
Liang Shi didn't think too much about it. When they were about to leave, Liang Shi left her phone number with Gu Zhaoyuan.
She handed over a note instead of exchanging numbers with Gu Zhaoyuan.
He also wrote his name on the sticky note.
After handing it over, Gu Zhaoyuan paused for a moment, then said, "Your wife has my contact information. If you want to come over, you can contact her in advance."
Liang Shi nodded: "Okay."
At the same time, Gu Zhaoyuan put the note into his wallet.
His wallet was made of leather, and the edges were worn, making it look quite old. Liang Shi glanced at it casually, but after looking away, he was suddenly startled and immediately asked, "Dean Gu, is that photo of you and your father in your wallet?"
Gu Zhaoyuan nodded: "Yes, and my sister too."
"Your sister?" Liang Shi frowned. "May I take a look?"
Gu Zhaoyuan hesitated for a moment, but Liang Shi said, "I don't mean any harm. It's just that your sister looks familiar, like I've seen her somewhere before."
“She has passed away.” Gu Zhaoyuan smiled bitterly, but still carefully took out the photo from the pocket of his wallet, and said with a hint of nostalgia, “You may have met someone who looks a bit like her.”
Liang Shi took the photo, and Xu Qingzhu also leaned over to look at it. She was indeed startled when she saw it for the first time.
The girl in this photo bears a striking resemblance to Qi Jiao from her middle school days, whom they had previously met through Zhao Xuning.
All you need to do is lift her face up a little.
These facial features are easy to adjust.
Xu Qingzhu and Liang Shi exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
Liang Shi asked, "What's your sister's name?"
“Gu Xingyue,” Gu Zhaoyuan said, “She was very quiet and didn’t speak until she was seven years old. We all thought she was mute.”
"May I ask politely when she passed away?" Liang Shi asked.
Gu Zhaoyuan smiled bitterly, "She passed away not long after this photo was taken. Her father took her on a trip and then they got into a car accident."