Chapter 90
Chapter 90
Black Kid’s face was pale as he stared fixedly at Jiang Li.
Jiang Li gave a gentle nod.
Outside, the rain fell heavily; it was impossible to tell if the moisture on Black Kid’s face was tears or raindrops.
He stood there in a daze for a long time before finally walking toward the cemetery.
Black Kid was a strange person. When he’d had his attack, Jiang Li had only lent him a hand out of convenience, yet from then on, he had looked out for her with special care.
Black Kid’s cause of death was asthma, and his obsession was the same.
He had been abandoned by his family because of congenital asthma. He had died tragically because no one was there to help him when his asthma flared up.
From the very beginning, this dilapidated Orphanage had been unable to provide the substantial funds needed for his treatment.
After Black Kid passed away, he had hallucinated that the Orphanage had prepared enough specialized medicine for him. He had been waiting for someone to appear-someone who would find the asthma medicine and give him a hand when he had an attack.
That way, he wouldn’t have died in vain.
Eventually, he found that person. Jiang Li had helped him, and in his heart, he was finally satisfied.
“Goodbye, Lili. You’re the only friend I like. Thank you for helping me that night when my asthma flared up.”
Black Kid pulled back the hood of his raincoat and stood in the rain, waving at Jiang Li.
Jiang Li waved back.
Black Kid’s body gradually became transparent, vanishing into the continuous, gloomy rain.
In the small cemetery in the backyard, another tiny tombstone appeared.
It read: Zhuangzhuang, age 6.
The Vice Dean lowered her head in a moment of silence, and the others followed suit.
After a long while, the Vice Dean lifted her face, her eyes already brimming with moisture.
She murmured, “Zhuangzhuang was a stubborn child from the start. He was the one who insisted on changing his name to that.
“He used to tell me that if he could be a bit healthier, a bit stronger-Zhuangzhuang-maybe he could have a happy home.”
The burial ceremony continued.
Once the procedures were finished, a new row of tombstones had been added to the cemetery.
The rain was heavy, and everyone’s hearts felt burdened.
Uncle Zhao said his goodbyes to the Vice Dean and left the scene early.
The ceremony ended.
Jiang Li walked back with the other children. As they passed the small fork in the road, Jiang Li instinctively glanced toward it.
In the past, a strange man who didn’t use an umbrella or wear a raincoat would always be there. But this time, the man was gone.
Jiang Li stared in that direction for a moment.
Through the gloomy curtain of rain, a dark shadow approached from that side. The shadow gradually overlapped with the strange man in her memory, finally resolving into the distinct face of the Caregiver Uncle.
The Caregiver Uncle’s burly frame looked slightly clumsy in the rain. He hurried over and stopped in front of Jiang Li.
“Don’t look, Xiao Li. Whatever you do, don’t go over there. It’s dangerous!”
The Caregiver Uncle raised his hand and pointed toward the fork in the road behind him.
At that moment, the Vice Dean passed by them. When she saw the Caregiver Uncle pointing at the fork, her gaze instantly became sharp and severe. However, after hearing what he said, her expression gradually softened.
Jiang Li took in the actions of both the Vice Dean and the Caregiver Uncle. She deliberately bent over to tie her shoelaces, letting the others go ahead.
Only after everyone had left did Jiang Li stand up and look toward the fork in the road.
A moment later, she started walking toward it.
In the Live Streaming Room, the bullet chats were scrolling frantically.
The experts had also fallen into a heated argument.
-“What on earth is Jiang Li doing?!”
-“Could it be that she noticed something…”
-“But that fork in the road is clearly dangerous! The Caregiver takes the children’s safety very seriously, so there’s no way he’d lie!”
-“What is wrong with Jiang Li today? What should we do? Should we use a Communication Opportunity?!”
-“Don’t panic yet. Let’s keep watching. Jiang Li isn’t the type to be muddle-headed.”
“…”
Everyone continued to watch the live stream.
On the screen, Jiang Li followed the muddy path deep into the woods.
At the end of the path, a colorful little cottage appeared before her eyes.
A sign hanging by the door read: “Candy House.”
The entire building, from the inside out, exuded a thick, dense black mist.
Jiang Li’s lips curled slightly.
She had guessed correctly!
Some words… definitely shouldn’t be taken at face value.
On the surface, the Caregiver Uncle hadn’t lied; going toward that fork in the road was indeed dangerous.
Openly, he was warning Jiang Li never to go there.
But one mustn’t forget his identity: he was a “Caregiver.”
The rules for a Caregiver dictated that the children’s safety must be the top priority.
Jiang Li had asked the Caregiver Uncle about the Candy House earlier.
And the Candy House itself was a Pollution Source.
Bound by the Caregiver’s rules, the uncle could never directly tell Jiang Li the location of a Pollution Source.
If he did, he would violate the rules of his role!
Especially in that earlier scene where the Vice Dean was present!
Therefore, it was even more impossible for the Caregiver Uncle to speak plainly.
In short, the Caregiver Uncle’s hint had been delivered. Whether Jiang Li could grasp it or not depended on her own ability.
Jiang Li reached the end of the path and crouched outside the Candy House, using some rocks to conceal her figure.
She saw a group of people unloading cargo at the entrance of the Candy House.
They were all wearing the uniform of the “Little Yellow Bee Foundation.”
The large characters printed on the outside of the cardboard boxes read: “Honey Soft Candy.”
Previously, Jiang Li hadn’t understood why the pollution on the arm of the Little Fatty Girl-who had visited the Candy House and been contaminated-had miraculously disappeared.
Now, the truth was surfacing.
It was the people from the Little Yellow Bee Foundation who had sponsored a batch of “Honey Soft Candy.”
Anyone who entered the Candy House would definitely be polluted.
However, if they ate the Honey Soft Candy, the pollution could be cleared in time.
Jiang Li speculated that the Honey Soft Candy and the hot Honey Water likely served a similar purpose.
Jiang Li remained crouched outside, keeping watch.
She only showed herself after all the personnel had left.
She walked to the entrance of the Candy House.
The door was wide open, and a red awning was pitched in front of the house.
Under the awning stood a rocking chair. No one was pushing it, yet it rocked back and forth steadily.
On the chair, a small Calico Cat had its eyes tightly shut, its body curled up as it hugged its tail, sleeping through the rain.
Jiang Li stepped under the awning and glanced at the Calico Cat.
Pressed beneath the cat’s body was a slip of paper.
Jiang Li carefully pinched the edge of the paper and gave it a tug, pulling it out.
It was a new set of rules.
[Sunshine Orphanage – Candy House Rules]
[1. The cat does not like eating candy. If you find the cat starting to eat candy, please leave this place as quickly as possible.]
[2. The Old Dean is a poor sleeper. If you find him taking a nap here, remember, you must not disturb his rest.]
[3. You may choose any candy you like inside the Candy House. However, before leaving, you must take at least one Honey Soft Candy with you.]