Chapter 84.1: Love Welfare Institute (1/2)

It was 6:30 the next morning.

Bai Liu didn’t want to sleep on the mushroom straw bed so he used the books as a cushion on the ground and passed the night there. The next day, the pages on the ground were stuck because the humidity in the room was too high. The pages were all soaked and stuck to the ground and there was a lot of dew on the wall. Bai Liu frowned when he saw it. The humidity produced by three humidifiers working ceaselessly was even more ridiculous than the rainy season.

However, the three humidifiers in the ward were placed there by the nurse and absolutely couldn’t be turned off. It was just like how high-intensity lighting couldn’t be used in the ward. It was part of the hospital’s rules and regulations.

He sat quietly on the pages and waited for little Bai Liu (6)’s call. This kid would definitely call him in the morning for money. After all, he was billed by the minute.

It was 6:45 in the morning when Bai Liu’s walkie-talkie rang. This time, Bai Liu (6) wasn’t running. His breathing and footsteps were very light and it felt like he was creeping out.

“Good morning, Mr Investor.” Little Bai Liu (6)’s voice was almost airy. “The child who chased us yesterday is gone. As I came out, I saw the teachers talking in the corridor. They are going to take us to the church today as a witness, symbolizing that the children who have suffered have formally entered the sheltered place and are born again.”

This group of children entered the welfare home yesterday. Today happened to be Monday and Bai Liu (6)’s words made Bai Liu instantly think of the ‘born on a Monday’ part of the nursery rhyme.

According to the nursery rhyme, they were ‘Christened on Tuesday’. Then the children should be baptized tomorrow according to the process.

“Then we are going to be baptized on Tuesday, which is tomorrow. This is to wash away the sufferings we have experienced outside.” Bai Liu (6) spoke softly. “Once the children are baptized, our parents must be present but we have no relatives except for Liu Jiayi. Therefore, our investors will watch the ceremony. Tuesday is an open day for parents and you can come in. I heard from the teachers that those of you who invested in us will receive invitation letters inviting you to come to the welfare home and watch our baptism.”

Bai Liu inquired, “What happened on your side last night?”

“Apart from me, the child who went out to make a call last night was Miao Feichi in the same room as me. We both managed to get back to the room. Miao Feichi cried out all night so he should be fine. He ran pretty fast. He might’ve cried the whole time but he wasn’t caught.” Little Bai Liu (6) answered in a flat tone. “Then in the early morning, something strange happened. I heard the footsteps of children passing through the corridor as well as the sound of the flute.”

“These children hummed the nursery rhymes played by the flute. I got up to take a look. I felt that those children should be awake, not sleepwalking. They were just like the children described in the fairy tale. They jumped around in line and followed the direction of the flute. It is dawn and I haven’t seen them come back.”

This was also consistent with the information that Bai Liu knew in reality. The group of children followed the sound of the flute in the early morning and disappeared from the welfare home, unable to be found.

“Do you think that the flute has a hypnotic or confusing effect?” Bai Liu wondered. “Did you want to follow it when you heard it?”

Little Bai Liu (6) didn’t even think about his answer. “No, it was so bad to listen to. I wanted to go to the toilet.”

“……” Bai Liu considered the fact that he always seemed resistant to hypnotic suggestions. He was rarely guided when seeing a psychologist in the real world. Therefore, he asked more questions. “Were the other children in your room affected by the flute?”

There was silence for a moment as if little Bai Liu (6) was thinking back. “There should be none. Apart from Miao Feichi who cried all night, the other children in the room slept soundly.”

If there wasn’t a hypnotic or confusing effect, why did the children take the initiative to follow the flute sound?

Bai Liu was in deep thought. Was there really a monster set by the ‘piper’ in this instance? However, if it was a monster set by the piper then why were only a few children taken away every time? After all, the piper in the story summoned all the children without differentiating. Meanwhile, the piper in the children’s welfare home only took away a few children every time. The children also went actively. How did this work?

Little Bai Liu (6)’s voice suddenly lowered. “The teacher is coming to check on us. This time, the call time is 12 minutes and 37 seconds, rounded up to 13 minutes. It is a total of 13 minutes. Combined with last night’s 1,700 yuan, it is a total of 3,000 yuan. Thank you for your patronage. See you next time, Mr Investor.”

Then he hung up very coldly. Bai Liu was certain this time. That kid, little Bai Liu (6), must’ve called him while using a stopwatch.

At 9 o’clock, a notice was broadcasted through the wards and corridors.