Chapter 258 - Liang Xiulin’s Face Darkened (1/2)

When Mo Jingxi noticed that Police Chief Mo was trying his best, he truly felt that this man was his grandfather. Police Chief Mo may be stern, but he loved his grandson, so it would not be right to be afraid of him.

This was why Mo Jingxi mustered the courage to smile widely at Police Chief Mo. However, all his lips could do was twitch as he was too nervous.

Nevertheless, this was enough for Police Chief Mo. He quietly approved of his grandson, who was acting brave and courageous.

Even adults, including certain young people, did not dare to smile at him.

For Mo Jingxi to be able to speak so assertively and make the effort to try to get closer to him made Police Chief Mo think of Mo Jingxi as a good boy with potential!

Police Chief Mo continued looking stern while stroking Mo Jingxi’s head. He could feel the child go stiff all over, but still, he did not shy away. Police Chief Mo felt proud of him for this.

He turned to see Shi Tou and Tian Tian nearby. Their eyes were red, and he could guess why.

“You can’t bear to say goodbye to each other?” Police Chief Mo asked.

Mo Jingxi nodded heavily. “I want to frequently come back to visit the old principal, my brothers, and sisters.”

Police Chief Mo nodded in agreement. This gave Mo Jingxi confidence and his little face brightened. “That’s right. No matter how old you are or what happens to you in the future, you cannot forget this place. The old principal had brought you up. Without her, you never know what would’ve become of you. You could have been out in the streets and homeless; You could’ve been kidnapped and trafficked or made to beg on the streets to earn a keep for bad organizations; You could have been forced into thievery and eventually been arrested. There would not have been any shelter for you to hide from those dreadful situations. You are too young to defend yourself and could have easily been bullied. Such a thing might have ended up costing you your life.

“If it wasn’t for the old principal, you could have ended up in a whole plethora of terrible situations and we would never have found you. We wouldn’t have been aware of any of your suffering and you would never have been able to find anyone to save you. You wouldn’t have such a big family in the orphanage as you do now, and wouldn’t have the old principal who loves you like a grandmother, or siblings who care for you so much. You also wouldn’t have Lin Chu, who’s always looking out for you. You wouldn’t have had the chance to go to school or enjoy warm meals every day. Besides the fact that you were missing a biological family, you managed to enjoy a life just like any other normal child.”

Images flashed through Mo Jingxi’s head as he listened to Police Chief Mo. He trembled and immediately nodded. “I know. I already have so much to be thankful for. I’ve always known that.”

In reality, Police Chief Mo’s words were meant for Liang Xiulin, not Mo Jingxi.

He glanced at Liang Xiulin after he finished saying this and saw look of discomfort flash across her face. He wondered if she had listened to what he was trying to tell her, or if she would even remember his words in the future.

Liang Xiulin had always immediately expressed remorse whenever she was found to be in the wrong, but not long after, she would forget everything and return to old habits.

Police Chief Mo smiled at Mo Jinxi. “I promise you. If you work hard in your studies and can find the time, your uncle or I will bring you here to visit the old principal and all the children.”

“I promise I will finish all my work on time!” Mo Jinxi said excitedly.

His little face lit up at Police Chief Mo’s promise. Even though his grandfather looked to be a strict man, he was very reasonable. His grandfather looked like the person to go to if he were even looking to have an open discussion, as long as it was within reason.

This was why there was a hint of relief in Mo Jinxi’s smile. He felt closer to Police Chief Mo after this.

The old principal soon made all of Mo Jinxi’s favorite food. He did not get to eat it often, but not because the food unhealthy, but because the old principal was very particular in picking nutritious food for the children.

Not many nutritious foods tasted delicious. As there were many children in the orphanage, it was impossible to make individual meals for the kids. Everyone had different preferences and it would be impossible to please all the children at one go, so there would be food you loved which did not suit other’s taste.

Only during dinner on the eve of Lunar New Year would the old principal make a few more of the children’s favorite dishes for them to enjoy at the huge table. The children mostly loved meat dishes, especially chicken. They loved fried food too, which was not really nutritious. This was why the old principal seldom made them and only reserved these dishes for Lunar New Year. Only then would she indulge the children and let them have fun eating rather than focusing on nutrition.

After dinner, Teacher Wang took out Mo Jinxi’s luggage. Mo Jinxi’s daily necessities had been packed inside, which included his clothes and toys.

However, Liang Xiulin did not take the luggage. Instead, she simply smiled and said, “When Jinxi comes home with us, we’ll just buy whatever he needs. We’ll change everything to symbolize a fresh start for him.”

Mo Jinxi lowered his head slightly in disappointment. “But I… I want to bring them back with him. These are still usable, and I’ve always been using them.”

These items reminded him of the orphanage, so they comforted him in a way.

“Be a good boy. We’ve already had a discussion about this. We’re transferring you to Jixia Academy, so if you wear these old clothes when you start schooling there, your classmates will laugh at you,” Liang Xiulin pulled Mo Jinxi over and explained.

Meanwhile, Teacher Wang was bringing the luggage over to them when she stiffened after hearing these words. It became too awkward for her to even pass them the luggage. Thus, she simply smiled patronizingly and did not say a word.

Mo Jinxi frowned slightly. He was about to say something when Police Chief Mo, who was by the side, spoke up, “What’s there to laugh about? All clothes are made from the same materials. Put on a label and it becomes expensive. Take off the label and it would go back to being an ordinary shirt. Stop instilling these sorts of values in children. If you’re an outstanding person, even if you aren’t wearing anything particularly flashy, others will still respect you. Just look at Ruan Lichuan, Old Master Ruan. He wears a singlet with a polyester coat and goes off to the Chinese Academy of Science to conduct research; don’t forget, he even went University A for his studies. Who dares to look down on him then? No matter how casually he dresses, people are still respectful of him.”

Liang Xiulin’s face darkened. How could Mo Jinxi be compared with Ruan Lichuan?

The thing that made her most unhappy was that Police Chief Mo had embarrassed her in front of outsiders. He did not bother helping her save face and had rebutted everything she had said.

Mo Jinxi thought that Police Chief Mo was being very reasonable and nodded vigorously. Police Chief Mo looked at the serious expression on his face and got the feeling that this was a boy that could be taught well.

No words were exchanged between grandfather and grandson, but they knew that they approved of each other. There was an aura of harmony between the two as the adult and child stood together whilst looking at each other.

Moments later, Mo Jingsheng took the luggage from Teacher Wang’s hands and thanked her.

When Mo Jinxi left with the Mo Family, Lin Chu felt fine. She had Yan Beicheng backing her up, so Liang Xiulin could not do much to stop her from seeing Mo Jinxi.

However, the old principal, Teacher Wang, Teacher Yuan and the rest of the children could not help but cry. The elder ones were much more reserved as all they did was wipe away their tears secretly. They did not want Mo Jinxi to feel sad.

Despite this, Shi Tou and Tian Tian could not help it but sob loudly. They hugged Mo Jinxi and could not bear for him to leave.

In the end, Mo Jinxi had to repeatedly promise them that he would return to visit them. After making the same promise an endless amount of times, Shi Tou and Tian Tian finally let go of him and allowed Mo Jinxi to leave.

Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng did not leave at the same as the Mo Family. Instead, they stayed back to console the old principal and the rest of the children.

The old principal still had some tissues in her hand as she sniffled into them and sighed. “I know Police Chief Mo and Mo Jingsheng are big-hearted people. They will definitely bring up Jinxi well and will be good examples for him. When they get back to the Mo Family, the education, life and the people Jinxi will come into contact with will be much better than if he had stayed in the orphanage. He will have better resources, a broader world-view, and will get to know people that we, at the orphanage, will never get the chance to meet. He will enjoy a brighter future. At the orphanage, the best a child could hope to do is become an ordinary employee. If that child worked hard and has the capabilities, he or she could become a manager, but it still can’t compare to the life or someone in the Mo Family. I’m really happy that Jinxi will be able to enjoy this.

“However, I can tell that Madam Mo does not intend to let Jinxi stay in contact with us. She’s afraid that we will only create trouble for Jinxi and turn him into a rotten apple. I think it will be difficult to see Jinxi again,” the old principal wiped the tears in her eyes and said.

Lin Chu knew that this was the harsh truth. The old principal could discern the situation very clearly, so Lin Chu did not try to lie to console her.

All she said was, “Don’t worry. She may not allow Jinxi to come here, but she can’t stop Jinxi from seeing me. She may look down on the orphanage, but she can’t look down on the Yan family. She can’t stop me Jinxi from seeing me because of the Yan family, and because of Beicheng. I’ll bring Jinxi back here for visits whenever I can. Jinxi is a good boy, and he won’t break contact with the orphanage.”

“As long as Jinxi is doing well, nothing else matters,” the old principal sighed tiredly.

“You’ve had a busy night. Get an early rest. We should also head home soon. The children will need to wake up early tomorrow,” Lin Chu advised.

The old principal nodded. Teacher Wang and Teacher Yuan led the crying children back to their rooms as the old principal stood up as well.

It has been a tiring and sad night. With Mo Jinxi no longer around, the old principal felt that a part of her was missing while walking back to her bedroom.

The orphanage seemed quieter now.

…

The Mo Family had quickly transferred Mo Jinxi out of his school, and Liang Xiulin had personally worked on getting the transfer done. When the headmaster found out that the school had a student from the Mo Family, he was stunned. Police Chief Mo’s grandson had been studying in the school for two years and no one knew about it. It was too much of a low profile!

The headmaster personally brought Liang Xiulin to meet Mo Jinxi’s class teacher at once.