The Whole Family Are Villains, I’m the Group Pet 208

Chapter 208:

If – Child-Rearing Arc: Previous Life’s Zaizai 1

When Xing Nuo was a little over two years old, he understood what an orphanage was.

It was a place where children like him, without mommies or daddies, lived together, and kind volunteers and teachers would visit them.

Xing Nuo, his chubby cheeks resting on his hands, sat on the steps of the orphanage, gazing at the golden sun, lost in thought.

He was a beautiful child, his skin fair and delicate, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks, his small body frail, his lips pale.

He was pondering a very important question:

Why doesn’t Zaizai have a mommy or daddy?

But it was a question he couldn’t answer.

He was too young, his mind still developing, most of his days spent sleeping, leaving little time for contemplation.

His body, weaker than the other children’s, his hands and feet already cold despite the approaching summer, he stood up slowly.

He saw the orphanage director calling him and waddled towards her.

The director’s face was beaming.

Seeing Xing Nuo, she ruffled his curly hair, crouched down, and straightened his clothes.

“A couple is coming to adopt today. Xing Nuo, be a good boy, and maybe they’ll choose you.”

Xing Nuo didn’t quite understand what “adopt” meant. His little mind slowly processing the information, he asked in his sweet, slightly raspy voice:

“Zaizai…have mommy and daddy now?”

His voice was soft and childish, a hint of weakness in it, unlike the other, healthier children.

But his beauty was captivating, compensating for his frailty.

The director, fond of Xing Nuo, the quiet, well-behaved child, smiled.

“Yes. Then Xing Nuo will have a family.”

Xing Nuo gasped softly, his eyes wide and sparkling, tilting his head.

He couldn’t imagine what his mommy and daddy would look like.

Would they have curly hair like Zaizai?

He was the only child in the orphanage with curly hair.

Filled with hopeful anticipation, his clothes neatly straightened by the director, he went to the activity room.

Inside the activity room.

A middle-aged couple waited anxiously.

The woman fidgeted, adjusting her clothes, checking the parenting guide she had brought, the small toys and snacks in her bag, making sure she was prepared.

Seeing the director enter with a small boy with curly, golden hair, their eyes lit up.

The child was beautiful, even more adorable than in the pictures they had seen.

But he was small and thin, his movements slow and hesitant, his demeanor listless.

The man frowned slightly, glancing at his wife, her face beaming with excitement, then back at the frail child, but he remained silent.

His wife, clearly smitten with the beautiful child, her voice filled with nervous anticipation, asked:

“Xing Nuo, will you play with us today?”

The director had instructed them not to reveal their names or their intentions, to avoid any unnecessary complications if the adoption didn’t go through.

Xing Nuo was used to volunteers visiting the orphanage. They would bring him candy, sweet bread, and new clothes.

He looked at the couple, noticing their straight, black hair, and felt a pang of disappointment.

Why don’t they have curly hair like Zaizai?

He looked at the director, wanting to ask if they were the wrong mommy and daddy.

But the couple was looking at him expectantly, so he just nodded obediently.

“Okay.”

Can play.

He often played with the other children and the volunteers.

The director, after giving the couple some instructions, left them alone with Xing Nuo.

The woman took out a small toy and dangled it in front of Xing Nuo, trying to engage him.

Xing Nuo’s eyes widened, fixated on the colorful, bouncing ball, and he smiled, his small body perched on the edge of the chair.

“Pwetty ball.”

The woman, relieved that he liked it, gave him the ball and a cute little backpack.

“A small gift for Xing Nuo. Some toys. You can share with the other children.”

Xing Nuo, who had several friends at the orphanage, nodded seriously.

“Thank you, Auntie.”

The woman’s heart melted, seeing him sitting there quietly, playing with the toys.

If I could have a child, he would be this cute and adorable.

She touched her belly, then glanced at her husband.

Her husband quickly looked away, his hands clenching into fists.

He had hidden his infertility from her, ashamed of his inability to give her a child,

and had felt guilty for years.

So, when she had suggested adoption, he had been relieved.

Adopting a child was a good solution.

And this child, although frail, would surely thrive with their care.

Thinking this, his expression towards Xing Nuo softened slightly.

Xing Nuo was a perceptive child.

He sensed the man’s initial dislike, although he didn’t understand why, and instinctively kept his distance.

After playing with them for a while, the director came back and took Xing Nuo to lunch.

The woman, her gaze lingering on Xing Nuo, sighed softly as he left.

Seeing the director, her husband asked:

“He’s so adorable. Has no one tried to adopt him before?”

The director, not hiding anything, said slowly:

“Xing Nuo’s health wasn’t good. He needed a lot of medical care. His parents left him some money, which we used for his treatments.”

She added, wary of their intentions:

“The money is gone now, but his health has improved significantly. Several couples have been interested in adopting him, but he was too young, always hoping his parents would come back.”

The couple nodded, understanding.

“It’s alright. My husband is a teacher, with a stable income. I also work, although my salary isn’t high, but we can definitely provide for a child.”

The wife, afraid of losing such a beautiful child, was eager to adopt him.

The director, her views traditional, thought a teacher, with his stable job and education, would be a suitable parent.

She nodded, satisfied, and after the couple left, went to find Xing Nuo in the dining hall.

Xing Nuo, holding his small bowl, his long eyelashes almost touching the rim, was quietly eating his soup, his head down.

A chubby little girl, swinging her legs, patted Xing Nuo’s soft curls and asked:

“Xing Nuo, did you meet your new mommy and daddy?”

Xing Nuo looked up, nodded, wiped his mouth with a tissue, and said slowly:

“Yes. But…they not my mommy and daddy.”

His parents should have curly hair, like him.

The little girl, older, five or six years old, understanding what adoption meant, her face serious, said:

“You can’t say that. If you’re adopted, they are your mommy and daddy.”

Her eyes were filled with longing.

“Don’t you want a mommy and daddy?”

Xing Nuo, his lips pursed, was silent for a moment, staring at his egg drop soup, which had no egg.

The little girl, afraid he was being stubborn, like a wise older sister, said earnestly:

“Xing Nuo, you have to be nice to them, so they’ll adopt you! Zihao was adopted by his new mommy and daddy! He even has his own bedroom now!”

Xing Nuo was about to say something when the director asked:

“Xing Nuo, how was it? Did you get along with them?”

Xing Nuo, only two years old, unable to express complex emotions, thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay.”

The director, pleased, ruffled his hair and went to talk to the couple.

That afternoon, another group of volunteers came to visit.

Xing Nuo and the other children lined up to receive new picture books.

Xing Nuo received a book about a little knight, its cover adorned with bright, cheerful sunflowers, and he clutched it tightly, thanking the volunteer politely.

The volunteer, a young woman, her first time at the orphanage, seeing such a beautiful child, gasped.

“You’re so adorable! Such a cutie!”

She crouched down and, seeing Xing Nuo admiring the picture book, couldn’t resist pinching his cheek.

Xing Nuo, startled, looked up at her, puzzled.

“What?”

The volunteer just giggled and slipped two pieces of chocolate into his pocket.

Xing Nuo, not noticing the extra candy, hugged his picture book and returned to the activity room, where the other children were playing with the volunteers, and sat down quietly in a corner, engrossed in his book.

The picture book wasn’t very long, and he couldn’t read yet, but he looked at the pictures carefully, his eyes shining with delight.

In the evening, the director and another caregiver came to help the children get ready for bed.

Xing Nuo, lying in his small bed, listened to the director’s words:

“That couple seemed nice. If you get along with them in the next few days, and if you’re willing, they can be your new mommy and daddy.”

Xing Nuo, his head on his hard pillow, his eyes wide open, thought, They not my mommy and daddy.