A well-behaved girl was deceived while searching for her husband; she married a childless military o

Qiao Lanshu's decision to donate to the orphanage was not a spur-of-the-moment thing.

However, at this time, the orphanage was officially called a children's home, which gathered together children who had no relatives to take them in and raised them.

In her previous life, when Qiao Lanshu was with Qin Yuanzheng, both of them were in poor health and had no children, so they sponsored many children.

Qin Yuanzheng also funded and established many Hope Primary Schools in mountain villages in Qiao Lanshu's name.

However, that's all a few years from now. Right now, there's no reform and opening up, and many things are difficult to handle.

This time, when they wanted to sponsor the reformatory, they had to go through an application and approval process before they could buy these things and send them over.

With limited food ration coupons and a shortage of food, they couldn't buy much.

However, the director of the reformatory still warmly received them, saying, "Thank you for your sponsorship. It's been quite a while since anyone has come here."

The director was a thin, middle-aged woman. There were more than thirty children in the entire reformatory, but only three female workers.

There aren't enough people, but there's no other way. Hiring another worker means more expenses. There are many children in the reformatory, and in this planned economy era, we can only ask the older children to help with the work.

The reformatory was located in a large courtyard with single-story buildings. A tall persimmon tree stood in the courtyard, and the ground was covered with cultivated vegetable plots. Now that it was winter, there were no vegetables left in the plots, as they usually grew their own vegetables for food.

The children here all sleep on earthen kang beds, with seven or eight children sleeping on one kang. Although the conditions are somewhat simple, Qiao Lanshu noticed that it is very clean, and the children are all wearing cotton-padded jackets.

Qiao Lanshu came out of the house and asked, "Dean Shen, are all the children here?"

The children range in age from thirteen or fourteen to just a few months old.

When the children get a little older, they'll have to go out and find work to support themselves.

Dean Shen said, "There are still a few children in that little house."

As she spoke, she added, "They are all special needs children..."

Qiao Lanshu nodded. She understood that not all the children in the reformatory were normal.

She took out two packets of maltose and said to the children who were standing in the yard, looking a little timid, "Children, come here quickly, I'll give you some candy."

Qiao Lanshu originally wanted to buy animal-shaped cookies produced by their food factory, but since she had just started working there, she would have to wait until next month to receive the internal subsidy vouchers, so she didn't buy them.

She plans to buy some more for the children when she comes back next month.

Because of the shortage of supplies, each person had very few sugar coupons, only a few ounces a month. Qiao Lanshu couldn't buy anything else, so she could only buy the cheapest maltose, which didn't require sugar coupons.

I bought the maltose at a department store, which was a bit more expensive than at the supply and marketing cooperative. I didn't use any coupons, and it cost me one yuan per jin (1 grams).

Qiao Lanshu bought two jin (1 kg), which cost about one hundred and several dozen yuan.

She took the soup and went around to each of the children hiding in the house, behind the trees, and in the corner of the yard, giving each of them two pieces.

Dean Shen and several female workers stood there watching. Dean Shen sighed and said, "The children haven't had candy for half a year. Comrade Qiao, Commander Qin, I thank you on behalf of the children."

Qin Yuanzheng watched Qiao Lanshu handing out candy to the children and thought that Qiao Lanshu should also get two pieces, since she seemed to really love candy.

With a slight smile, Qin Yuanzheng said to Dean Shen, "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you can write to me, and I will do my best to help."

Upon hearing Qin Yuanzheng's words, Dean Shen became excited: "Commander Qin, it's wonderful to hear you say that."

As she spoke, something suddenly occurred to her, and she tentatively asked, "Commander Qin, you brought Comrade Qiao here this time, is it... to see the child?"

She phrased it tactfully, but Qin Yuanzheng understood: she was asking him if he had come to choose a child, and if he had any intention of adopting one.

Qin Yuanzheng immediately shook his head and said, "This time, it was Comrade Xiao Qiao who wanted to come. She heard that there is a children's home here and was worried that the children wouldn't have enough to eat."

Dean Shen looked somewhat disappointed.

She was also thinking that perhaps one or two of the children would be lucky enough to be adopted by Commander Qin.

That's a military officer's family; if they can be adopted, they won't have to worry about the future.

Pity.

Dean Shen nodded with a smile: "I see. Comrade Xiao Qiao is truly kind-hearted."

Qin Yuanzheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do all the children here go to school?"

Dean Shen nodded: "Of course, the children in our reformatory used to be educated by our own caregivers using the same textbooks as schools. However, in the past two years, several new primary schools have been built in our city, and the children are now being sent there to study."

If these children can successfully complete junior high school, the government will arrange jobs for them, whether it's on a farm, in a forest, or in a factory, to help them become independent.

However, this is in their city. Some orphans in the villages are raised and provided with food by the production brigade, which is different from the situation in the city.

Upon hearing this, Qin Yuanzheng nodded without saying anything more.

After distributing candy to the children, Qiao Lanshu asked an older girl, "Where are the rest of the children? Can you take me there?"

The girl, holding candy, smiled and nodded, "Okay, sister, come with me."

Qiao Lanshu followed the girl to a small house. Inside, on the kang (a heated brick bed), there were five children, some sitting and some lying down. The oldest was seven or eight years old, and the youngest was two or three years old.

The room was dimly lit, with only a small window letting in some natural light.

When Qiao Lanshu walked in, she saw that several children were also turning to look at her.

Of these five children, two were born mentally challenged, and others had leg problems or were frail and sickly, so they could only lie down and dared not be exposed to the wind.

These children rely entirely on the older children for care and rarely get to go out and run around.

They estimated they would be staying here for a long time.

Qiao Lanshu felt a little soft-hearted. She went over and gave each of the children two pieces of candy. She reached out and patted a little girl who looked about three years old, and whispered, "Have some candy, it's very sweet."

This little girl has a problem with her legs; she lacks strength and can't stand up easily.

She timidly backed away, looking at Qiao Lanshu with her big eyes.

Qiao Lanshu stuffed the candy into her hand and came out of the house.

She felt a pang of sadness, thinking that perhaps in ten years, medical technology would be able to cure the girl's leg.

But right now, it doesn't seem to be working yet.

Qiao Lanshu came out of the house with a heavy heart, and then she heard a commotion coming from the courtyard.

Wearing sunglasses and a black overcoat, Guan Wenjun, like a peacock, led his entourage, carrying several boxes, and entered with a beaming smile: "Oh, Commander Qin, what a coincidence! What brings you to the orphanage?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the cabbages and potatoes piled up in the yard, and said with a look of disgust, "Commander Qin, is this all you brought?"