Chapter 4

On the day they were sent to the orphanage, several police officers still refused to give up and tried to talk things over with Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan. "...Do you really not remember how to contact your family? If you do, tell us now. We can help you contact your parents. Otherwise, you'll have to go to the orphanage. Then the two of you will become orphans."

Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan shook their heads in perfect unison, stubbornly insisting that they did not remember who their parents were or how to contact their family.

Left with no choice, the police could only send them to the orphanage and watch as Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan were registered there.

"Name?"

"Tao Yan."

"Huo Baichuan."

"Age?"

"Eighteen—"

"How could you possibly be eighteen!" The female officer handling their registration glared at Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan as though they were disappointing children. "I'd say you two are sixteen at most!"

The orphanage director was a kindly-looking old grandmother. Hearing that, she said with a smile, "Then register them as sixteen."

Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan exchanged helpless looks. Under the registration officer's gaze, which was full of exasperation at these unruly kids, they could only accept the setting of pretending to be sixteen.

Still, no matter what, the two time-traveling undocumented residents from 2021 had finally resolved their 1990 household registration problem.

Author's note:

My upcoming novel, Building a Career in an Old-School Novel, is now available for preorder. If you're interested, feel free to save it—

After dying from overwork, Huo Jiu transmigrated into a vicious cannon fodder character in an old-school Mary Sue all-the-guys-love-me novel.

According to the original plot, after his alcoholic father died, Huo Jiu would be taken to his new home by his biological mother, who had married into a wealthy family. He would become the male lead's older stepbrother.

Then, out of jealousy for everything the male lead had, he would scheme to harm him. He would even dream of stealing the male lead's fated lover. Eventually, his schemes would be exposed. His stepfather would throw him out of the house in fury, the male lead's admirers would take mad revenge on him, and he would die a miserable death in the end.

The newly transmigrated Huo Jiu: Thanks, but no thanks. I have no interest in cooperating with the plot.

As a workaholic who believed in "if it won't kill me, work me to death,"

Huo Jiu upheld the spirit of a model worker and diligently built his own business empire.

When he finally came back to his senses, Huo Jiu was astonished to discover that he had beaten the original plot into utter disarray as well.

Chapter 4

Red Heart Orphanage was located in Lotus District, Jiangzhou. It covered roughly half the area of a football field. The site had originally been a private hospital run by foreigners. It had been abandoned for many years after the founding of the nation, then later approved for conversion into a welfare home. Excluding staff and volunteers, Red Heart Orphanage housed sixteen children in total—this was after it had taken in Tao Yan and the other six children.

Because the building had stood for so long, the orphanage's facilities had begun to deteriorate. The relief-covered exterior walls were chipped and peeling, exposing the gray texture of the brick beneath. The flowers and grass in the front courtyard's flowerbeds had all been pulled up and replaced with vegetables. Numerous clotheslines had been strung across the back courtyard, where brightly colored sheets and quilts fluttered in the summer breeze, making the place look sunny and festive.

"...You two will stay in this room." The kind-faced old director spoke with a smile.

Though the orphanage was large, it did not take in many children. The old director had simply arranged all the children's rooms along the sunny side of the third floor. Unlike the aged, mottled exterior walls, the dormitory walls where the children lived had been painted with colorful murals: blue skies, white clouds, seven-colored rainbows, and little animals whose artwork was not particularly skillful but looked endearingly simple overall. Depending on their size, each dorm contained either four or six beds, with a row of wardrobes of various sizes lined against the wall. Perhaps because they had been used for so long, the beds and cabinets all looked worn, with peeling paint in places. Still, the rooms were kept clean and tidy.

"The orphanage conditions are rather modest. Many of the beds and furnishings were donated by kind people. They certainly can't compare to what you had at home."

As she spoke, the old director carefully examined Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan. Then she suddenly asked, "What were your living conditions like at home before?"

"This place is very nice," Tao Yan said gently. "Thank you, Director."

Seeing that Tao Yan had avoided answering, the old director did not press him further. She merely smiled.

By the orphanage's usual practice, children were always housed together. That both fostered their sense of teamwork and made management easier. However, Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan were a little too old. The old director felt it would not be appropriate to house them with younger children. After all, Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan would be starting high school when the new term began, and their schoolwork would be heavier than the other children's. Living amid constant noise and commotion would not create a good atmosphere for studying. So she had prepared a separate dormitory for the two of them.

Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan noticed that the orphanage had thoughtfully installed guardrails on both sides of every bed, probably to prevent younger children from rolling off while sleeping. The beds were fitted with mattresses that were neither too thin nor too thick, but there were no quilts—they had all been taken out to air in the sun. The old director said with a smile, "The weather has been nice these past few days. Airing the bedding in the sun kills germs, and it makes them smell more like sunshine too."

Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan nodded together.

The old director added with a smile, "The washroom is at the end of the hall, then turn right. Every morning, you'll need to fetch water there and wash up, then go to the cafeteria on the first floor for breakfast. After breakfast, you can go study in the classrooms on the second floor."

"...One of our orphanage volunteers is a teacher at Jiangzhou No. 1 High School. Since there are still a few months before school starts, she can help you catch up on your lessons. That way, you won't fall behind after the term begins." The old director smiled warmly.

Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan nodded out of habit, only realizing what she had said a moment later. They repeated hesitantly, "...Catch up on lessons?"

"That's right!" The old director still wore the same kind and benevolent smile. "You're only sixteen, just the right age for high school. How can you not go to school?"

"That won't be necessary!" Huo Baichuan's brow twitched, and he blurted out his refusal. Being inexplicably sent from 2021 back to 1990 was miserable enough; he had no desire to relive high school, getting up early and staying up late.