Chapter 449: 445. Elder Sister (Please subscribe, monthly tickets!)

Zhang Ran had He Yong stop the car as soon as they entered Xi City, and he began to wander around; he used to be very familiar with Xi City, but now he found it somewhat unrecognizable.

Where there were once vast stretches of farmland, tall buildings now stood one after another.

Xi City is not large, at least it is much smaller compared to other cities of the same rank.

After wandering for about half an hour, Zhang Ran got back into the car and arrived at the address of the former orphanage.

He had originally not intended to come over again; after all, it had moved away thirty years ago, leaving behind only old, dilapidated houses.

That was why he hadn't come to take a look during his previous few trips through Xi City.

However, after meeting Gong Nan, Zhang Ran's heart couldn't help but stir as he passed through Xi City again, thinking it might be nice to just reminisce about the old days.

The old orphanage was in the suburbs of Xi City, and while there were some residential areas around it, they were few; in the past, those residential areas weren't called "residential areas," but were more appropriately referred to as "staff quarters."

But when Zhang Ran arrived here again, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and he had He Yong drive a circle around the area; it had now become the office location for the district government.

Office buildings constructed by the district government stood tall here one after another, and as for the surrounding environment, it went without saying; the once narrow and crowded lanes were now much wider, and the flowers, plants, and trees were all in good order.

It could be said that it was completely different from what Zhang Ran had imagined.

After circling around once, Zhang Ran had He Yong find a place to park the car, and then he walked toward the former orphanage on foot.

However, very quickly, Zhang Ran stood blankly in front of an old courtyard, looking at the doorplate, which, although still dilapidated, clearly showed signs of being taken care of.

The key was not this, but the sounds of children coming from inside, which made Zhang Ran feel a momentary trance.

This is........?

"What are you doing? Why are you standing here?" Just as Zhang Ran was in a trance, a somewhat gruff but vigilant voice rang out.

Zhang Ran came back to his senses and saw an old man in his sixties, but he was sturdy and had a booming voice, not looking like an old man at all.

Zhang Ran felt his pockets and found he had no cigarettes on him, so he had to ask He Yong for a pack, then walked over with a smile.

"I'm just here to take a look. I remember this place closed down a long time ago, didn't it? How is it open again now?" Zhang Ran asked with a chuckle as he handed over a cigarette.

Hearing him say this, the vigilance in the old man's eyes vanished quite a bit, but he didn't take the cigarette offered, only saying: "It has been reopened for seven years now, but it had been closed for over thirty years, right? How did you know about it?"

Zhang Ran put the cigarette away nonchalantly and said with a smile: "If I said I grew up in this orphanage, would you believe me?"

"Nonsense, how old are you?" The old man clearly didn't believe him.

Zhang Ran sighed and said: "I knew you would say that, but I really did grow up here."

Seeing that Zhang Ran didn't look like he was lying, the old man became a bit suspicious. "You really grew up here?"

Zhang Ran laughed: "Why would I lie to you? Is there any benefit to it?"

"Then what was the name of the director of the orphanage here before?" the old man asked.

"Chen Guifang," Zhang Ran replied directly.

"You really are? What is your name?" the old man said.

Zhang Ran laughed: "Does it matter what my name is? Things have changed and people are no longer the same here."

"I'll find someone to ask if anyone knows you; what if you're lying?" the old man pressed.

Zhang Ran had just smiled and shook his head when he suddenly realized something. "You said someone knows me? Could it be........."

"Just tell me your name, don't ask so many questions." The old man was a bit dissatisfied.

Zhang Ran took a deep breath and said: "My name is Zhang Ran. People at the orphanage used to either call me Xiao Ran or Brother Ran."

Upon hearing this, the old man didn't waste any more words; he picked up the phone in the guard room and made a call, talking for quite a while before hanging up.

He then looked at Zhang Ran with some surprise. "You really are from the old orphanage? How old are you this year?"

"Over fifty, just a little younger than you, brother." Zhang Ran didn't know what was happening, but he felt a bit agitated in his heart.

He wasn't agitated about being able to see old friends from the orphanage, because in the entire orphanage, there were only three people he truly acknowledged.

One was Gong Nan, who counted as his younger brother, and the others were the director and an elder sister.

Gong Nan didn't need to be mentioned, as Zhang Ran only acknowledged him because of certain events, but he acknowledged and respected the director and the elder sister from the bottom of his heart.

Zhang Ran had heard many debates about whether human nature is inherently good or evil, and it seemed no one could convince the other.

Zhang Ran didn't understand such philosophical principles, nor did he know who was right or wrong.

But when he saw the elder sister and the director, the thought that human nature is inherently good naturally arose in Zhang Ran's heart, because these two were truly born kind.

The director might have been old, and Zhang Ran didn't know her past, so he didn't make too many judgments, but as for the elder sister, ever since Zhang Ran entered the orphanage—everyone was only five or six years old at the time—although Zhang Ran was very, very small, he had been conscious since birth, so he saw everything very clearly.

At that time, he had never thought that there would actually be someone born so kind.

This was also the first person who made a reborn person like Zhang Ran willingly call someone who was just a child at the time "elder sister."

Compared to the other children, Zhang Ran respected her the most; it was precisely because he understood so much and knew so much that he was even clearer about how rare such a person was.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Zhang Ran saw an old woman with a steady gait walking over quickly, followed by a young girl who looked to be in her twenties.

"Xiao Ran, Xiao Ran." From far away, he heard the old woman calling.

Zhang Ran looked at this old woman and was in a trance for a moment, but he quickly recognized her; this really was his elder sister.

In fact, when he learned that someone had reopened this place, he had guessed it would be the elder sister; only a person like her would do such a thankless job in this day and age.

"Elder sister." Zhang Ran's voice had a faint, imperceptible tremor.

As he spoke, Zhang Ran also walked quickly from the guard room, and this time the old guard didn't stop him.

Fei Lan looked at the still-young Zhang Ran and could see the shadow of the old Zhang Ran on his face.

"Xiao Ran, is it really you?" Fei Lan looked at the Zhang Ran in front of her, somewhat unable to believe it.

Zhang Ran laughed: "Of course it's me. I just look a bit younger. Elder sister, you look much older after all these years."

As soon as these words were out, the old man was displeased. "What do you mean 'much older'? Xiao Lan looks very young, doesn't she?"