Published at 10th of January 2021 03:25:03 AM
“Are you the head warden?”
Shen Manting was taken aback when she realized the man standing before her was about the same age as Shen Luo’an .
The man stared at her for a while and said, “The head warden is resting at the moment . Is there anything?”
Shen Manting let out a sigh of relief and explained, “I used to live here . I’m back to see him . ”
“I see…” The man glanced at Shen Manting curiously and asked, “Who are you? You look familiar . ”
He thought that she appeared too thin .
She was so skinny that she no longer resembled the person he had in mind .
He couldn’t recognize her at all .
Shen Manting grinned . “Do you know me? I’m He Yuncun . ”
The man stared at her, astonished . “Yuncun? Is that really you? Why did you…”
Why had she become so thin?
“I’m really Yuncun,” Shen Manting replied calmly . Then, she glanced at Shen Luo’an and slipped her arm through the crook of his elbow . “This is my husband, Shen Luo’an . He’s a scientist . ”
The man was even more shocked . “A scientist?”
“No, I’m not . ” Shen Luo’an patted Shen Manting’s hand and insisted, “My job is only to conduct research on drugs . Is the head warden around?”
“Oh, he’s taking a nap right now . He’s not feeling very well lately . ”
He glanced at Shen Manting as he spoke . “Our little Yuncun is now all grown up! How time flies . Do you remember me?”
“Who are you?”
Shen Manting stared intently at him, furrowing her brow .
She thought that he looked familiar, but so many years had passed that Shen Manting couldn’t recognize who he was at all .
The man laughed and said, “Don’t you remember me? I’m He Junsheng . ”
“He Junsheng?” Shen Manting clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp . “No way! How could you be him?”
He Junsheng felt embarrassed and rubbed his head timidly . “I have to admit that I’ve indeed changed a lot . Come on in and have a seat . ”
He led them inside . Shen Manting’s face still bore an expression of utter disbelief .
“Didn’t you used to be the naïve, simple-minded boy back then? You look much wiser now!”
Shen Manting was left with the mental capacity of a 12-year-old, so her vocabulary was understandably limited .
Yet, her seemingly simple statement was an apt observation .
He Junsheng felt even more embarrassed and muttered, “Well, I guess so…”
Shen Luo’an pursed his lips and nudged Shen Manting . He explained, “She was hit by a car two years ago and landed in a coma for two years . She lost her memory and only remembers events in her life before the age of 12 . ”
He Junsheng was taken aback and turned to glance at Shen Manting . He finally understood the situation .
He stared at her with a sympathetic gaze and said, “Yuncun is a smart girl . The head warden favored her . I’ll go and see if he’s awake yet . ”
“Hold on,” Shen Luo’an blurted . “Since you grew up together with her, you should know a lot about her . Let’s have a chat first . ”
He Junsheng glanced at Shen Manting and nodded . “Excuse me for a moment . I’ll make some tea for you . ”
Shen Luo’an didn’t refuse his hospitality as he was getting thirsty by now . Meanwhile, Shen Manting made herself at home and settled herself on the nearest stool within reach, dragging Shen Luo’an along with her .
The aging state of the interior furnishings that seemed to date back more than a decade ago suggested that the building had a fairly long history .
Shen Manting glanced around the room . She suddenly stood up and said, “Honey, come and take a look at the butterflies Meifang and I drew back then . ”
Shen Luo’an rose to his feet and walked over to her .
He saw faint traces of the drawings .
Of the two butterflies, one appeared distorted, while the other seemed to be taking flight gracefully .
The girls inscribed their names below the drawings . Zhang Meifang signed off beneath the crooked butterfly .
He Yuncun’s name appeared beneath the nicer-looking butterfly .
A smiley face was scribbled next to the final character of her name .
The lines of the drawings seemed to have faded with the passage of time .
The orphanage was not very spacious and the decorations looked rather ancient .
Just as Shen Luo’an finished surveying the room, He Junsheng served them tea .
Shen Luo’an led Shen Manting back to their seats . He Junsheng grinned . “We haven’t had any guests in a while . The tea set has been neglected for quite some time, but I’ve cleaned it . ”
As He Junsheng was bringing the water to a boil, he examined Shen Manting’s appearance and remarked, “I believe she has only recently recovered, hasn’t she? She looks frail . ”
“She woke up from her coma a few days ago . ” Shen Luo’an looked at him . “But are you sure she is indeed He Yuncun?”
“Yes, I’m sure . ” He Junsheng stared at her . “I could tell she’s clever and quick-witted like the Yuncun I know . Who else could she be but Yuncun?”
“Then… how about Zhang Meifang?” asked Shen Luo’an .
He Junsheng became solemn at the mention of her name . “Meifang was quieter and more reserved . She wasn’t very bright either . She’s not nearly as smart as Yuncun . ”
“Where is she?”
“She disappeared when she was still a teenager . No one knew where she went . We called the police and checked the surveillance camera footage, but we couldn’t find her anywhere . ”
The water came to a boil . He Junsheng disinfected the tea set carefully . “Such a pity . Meifang was kind-hearted and lovely . ”
“My grandmother adopted her back then,” Shen Luo’an said, looking at him . “At the time, she was looking for someone whose astrological sign was compatible with hers . The person she wanted to adopt was Zhang Meifang . ”
He Junsheng’s hands trembled . He lost his grip on a teacup .
The boiling water from the teacup spilled onto Shen Manting’s hand .
Shen Manting grimaced in pain and instinctively retreated, grasping her scalded hand with her other hand .
Shen Luo’an was startled . He grabbed her hand to check for injuries . “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine . ” Shen Manting felt a little embarrassed . She pushed his hand away and looked at He Junsheng . “Is there no way that Meifang could have been found?”
He Junsheng suddenly looked flustered . “I…”
“Who’s here?” The voice of an old man traveled across the room . The elderly man walking into the room seemed to be in his fifties or sixties .
Shen Manting recognized him at first glance . “Uncle Warden . ”
She walked up to him and supported him by the arm .
The head warden was surprised to see Shen Manting . “I suppose you’re…”
“I’m Yuncun!”
Shen Manting blurted out her name without hesitation . However, the head warden’s expression changed once he heard her name .
He glanced at Shen Luo’an and asked, “Who is this?”
“He’s my husband!” Shen Manting grinned as she helped the old man to his seat . “It’s been a while . ”
“Yes, indeed . ” The head warden laughed uneasily . “You haven’t visited in a long time . Now you’re back here…”
“Warden, I want to know where Zhang Meifang had gone . ”
The head warden could no longer keep his composure . “Zhang Meifang…” he began hesitatingly .
He Junsheng glanced at him, frowning . “Go on, Warden . ”
“Meifang… Meifang had been adopted,” the head warden muttered sheepishly . “She hadn’t returned in years . ”
“Didn’t she go missing?” Shen Luo’an asked, “Just now, Mr . He mentioned that Zhang Meifang went missing when she was a teenager, but now you claimed that she had been adopted . She was also adopted by our family when she came of age . What’s this all about?”
The family had intended to adopt Zhang Meifang .
However, they ended up adopting He Yuncun instead .
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc . . ), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible .
Tip: You can use left, right, A and D keyboard keys to browse between chapters .