In a corner under the bed lay a woman's panty hose, which looked wrinkled and dirty. Ning Tao didn't know if it was carried off by a rat and dumped there in disgust. If Su Ya threw it there, she didn't seem hygienic.

Ning Tao took his eyes off the panty hose, getting ready to climb to his feet. It never occurred to him to crawl under the bed and pull out the panty hose that Su Ya had worn, in which case he was too unhygienic. But as his attention wandered away from the panty hose, the mysterious odor crept back into his nose, drawing his attention back to it.

"Is there anything hidden in it?" Ning Tao's curiosity was piqued. After some hesitation he crawled under the bed and took out the panty hose.

He opened it, which was crumpled into a ball, and found that there was indeed something hidden inside.

It was a ma.s.s of bluish clay, looking like plasticine but obviously not plasticine, and it was not colored clay. It was the source of the mysterious odor, which itself had a very strange sense of mystery.

"What is this? Why did Su Ya put this clay-like stuff in her panty hose and hide it under the bed?" Ning Tao's curiosity grew stronger and stronger, but he didn't touch the clay-like stuff directly. Instead, he put the panty hose on the table and carefully cut the "clay" with Su Ya's toothbrush.

The egg-sized bluish "clay" was cut open and a circuit board, the size of a fingernail, was revealed, which filled with circuits and tiny electronic components.

"Why does she have something so strange?" wondered Ning Tao. Then a guess suddenly occurred to him. "Did she... steal it from others?" he murmured.

Only Su Ya could tell him whether or not this strange "clay" and the circuit board hidden in the "clay" were stolen, but she was not here at the moment.

If the object hidden in the "clay" was a thumb drive, Ning Tao could check its contents in computer. Unfortunately it didn't look like a thumb drive. In the end, he found a plastic bag, packed the "clay" and circuit board in it and put the bag into his medicine chest. He didn't know where they came from or what they were for, but he believed that if he saw Su Ya he could get answers from her.

It wasn't long before Ge Ming arrived in his Wuling Suns.h.i.+ne with a lot of cooking equipment, such as several kitchen knives for different uses, a large and heavy cutting board, and pots and pans. To top it all off, he brought quilts and toiletries.

"You're moving," Ning Tao said as he helped Ge Ming move things out of the car. "Why don't you bring your bed, too?"

Ge Ming's chubby face broke into a smile. "I'd love to take my bed here, but my car won't fit it. Anyway, you must find me a well-lighted room, and you can't deduct my rent."

Ning Tao was a little speechless, but he understood why Ge Ming wanted to move into the orphanage.

Ge Ming lived far away from the Suns.h.i.+ne Orphanage, which took at least half an hour to drive here. A round trip would cost him 20 yuan for gas. Besides, the cook had to get up early. If he didn't live in the orphanage, he would have to get up about an hour earlier, which was a big deal for him, a greedy sleeper.

Li Xiaoyu and the children in the orphanage came to help with the moving. It took them about an hour to get Ge Ming settled. During the process, Li Xiaoyu got familiar with Ge Ming, and even gave Ge Ming a lollipop she had licked. Surprisingly, Ge Ming put it in his mouth without any hesitation or a look of disgust.

The sun went down, and soon it was evening.

Ge Ming was busy making the first meal for the children, and the kitchen was full of the sounds of chopping and cooking. The children crowded at the door and window to watch him. They seemed endlessly curious about the fat uncle.

Su Ya and Zhou Yufeng were still not back, and their phone were still dead.

Ning Tao went to the single tile-roofed house where Zhou Yufeng lived. As he opened the door, the smell of medicine and mildew filled his nostrils. The floor of the room was covered with rubbish, old clothes, paper sc.r.a.ps, plastic bags and the like.

Ning Tao started to clean up the room. Soon he found a note from Zhou Yufeng on the table.

It read, "The world is so beautiful. I want to go out to see it and live for myself."

After reading the note left by Zhou Yufeng, Ning Tao had mixed feelings in his heart. He brought Zhou Yufeng back from the dead, and gave her a second life at the cost of all her merits of good intention and related memories. Now she was no longer the director of the orphanage; The Suns.h.i.+ne Orphanage was a strange place to her, and she no longer felt at home in this place. No one was born with an obligation to live for others, and it was understandable that she wanted to live for herself this time. No one had the right to force her to do more for these orphans. It was harder to be a good person forever than to be a good person.

Zhou Yufeng left by herself. What about Su Ya?

Then the cell phone rang.

Ning Tao pulled out his phone and took a glance at the caller id. As he saw that it was Lin Qingyu, he remembered his appointment with her.

Sure enough, when the phone was connected, Lin Qingyu bluntly asked, "Doctor Ning, where are you? I'll pick you up right away."

"I'm in Suns.h.i.+ne Orphanage, come then," Ning Tao replied.

"Okay, I'll navigate," Lin Qingyu said and hung up the phone.

Ning Tao came into the kitchen where the kids were having dinner at the big round table. Ge Ming made a big dinner, including the twice-cooked pork with garlic shoots, scrambled eggs with tomato and vegetable soup. These children seemed not to have eaten meat for a long time that they all scrambled for the twice-cooked pork, and competed two plates of it quickly.

"Tao, do you want some?" Ge Ming asked.

"I'm not hungry," Ning Tao said. "Someone will pick me up later to see her family. Please take care of these children."

"No problem, leave them with me." Ge Ming took out a pack of cigarettes, held it out to Ning Tao and asked, "Do you want a cigarette?"

Ning Tao shook his head, and refused, "No, you smoke less."

Ge Ming lit a cigarette himself, and suddenly he remembered something, asking, "I heard from the children that the director is missing. Who will pay for my work?"

"I'll pay you. Here is half a month's salary. Take it first." Ning Tao took out more than two thousand yuan he made today, counted out 2,000, and handed it to Ge Ming.

"No... I can't take your money. You are poorer than I am." Ge Ming wanted to give the money back to Ning Tao.

"Put it away," Ning Tao said. "It's easy for me to make money. I will ask director Zhou to give the money to me when she comes back."

No one knew if Zhou Yufeng would come back or not. In fact, even if she did come back, Ning Tao wouldn't ask for the money. He said it so Ge Ming would not feel embarra.s.sed to accept his money.

"Well, I'll take it for the time being. If you can't get the money or you run out of money, you can take it back." Ge Ming put the money in his pants pocket and added, "By the way, how's your relations.h.i.+p with the policewoman?"

Ning Tao paused for a moment, before asking, "What do you mean?"

"She didn't ask you out to a movie or a candlelit dinner or something?"

Ning Tao rolled his eyes at him and said, "She's not my girlfriend. Why would she invite me to a movie and a candlelight meal?"

A disappointed look spread across Ge Ming's face. "You're not going to tell me she didn't see you or call you?"

"She has a special status. I suppose she was given a mission out of the blue. Why do you care? Mind your own business," Ning Tao said.

Ge Ming pursed his lips. "That's inadequate for her to do this. You saved her father's life. She should marry you?"

Ning Tao raised a hand and tried to slap Ge Ming, but Ge Ming nimbly avoided.

The children had just finished their dinner when the honk of a car came from outside the iron gate.

"I'll answer the door!" Li Xiaoyu, who liked to answer the door, ran to the iron gate.

Ning Tao followed her carrying his small medicine chest and called, "Xiaoyu, slow down and be careful not to fall down!"

Ge Ming caught up with Li Xiaoyu and helped her open the big iron gate.

Outside was a Maserati MC, a multi-million yuan luxury car. But the most striking was the woman who was standing beside it. She looked gorgeous, n.o.ble and elegant.

At the sight of the car and the woman, Ge Ming could not get his eyes off them.

"Doctor Ning, get in the car," Lin Qingyu said with a smile.

Ning Tao tapped Ge Ming on the shoulder and said, "Take care of the kids, I'm going out on a home visit. Call me if there's something wrong."

Just then Ge Ming came to his senses, but his eyes were still on Lin Qingyu. "Okay, don't worry. Leave it to me."

Li Xiaoyu suddenly ran to Lin Qingyu, her little face full of ingratiating smile. "Big sister, you're so beautiful, more beautiful than the fairy," she flattered.

Lin Qingyu was amused by her. "You're honeymouthed. What's your name?"

Li Xiaoyu replied sweetly, "My name is Li Xiaoyu. What about you, big sister?"

Lin Qingyu reached over, touched Li Xiaoyu's little head and answered, "I'm Lin Qingyu. Well, Xiaoyu, I have to go now."

Unexpectedly, Li Xiaoyu held out her hands to Lin Qingyu and miserably begged, "Big sister, please donate some money to us. We're all orphans. We're so poor that we haven't eaten meat for more than a month."

Ge Ming looked at Li Xiaoyu with strange eyes. He had just made the children twice-cooked pork.

Ning Tao, who had already opened the car door and was ready to get in, was speechless. He pretended to be serious and said, "Xiaoyu, this is wrong. Don't do that."

Li Xiaoyu pressed her lips tightly and winked, and then two tears came out of her eyes.

Lin Qingyu immediately took out a bag from the car, then took out a pile of money from the bag and put it in Li Xiaoyu's hand, saying, "I only have so much cash with me. Here, I'll take more next time."

Li Xiaoyu's face lit up and she said, "Thank you, big sister! You are the most beautiful princess in the world!"

Ning Tao shook his head with a wry smile and got in the car.

Lin Qingyu also got in the car, and turned the Maserati MC around to head downtown.

On the hillside behind the Suns.h.i.+ne Orphanage, a tall, thin man stared at the Maserati MC as it sped away. He didn't move until the car was out of sight. He wore a big bamboo hat, hidden in the dark, and even if someone standing in front of him could not see his face...