On the morning of the following day, Rosey Chambers was ready to head out.
“Where are you going?” asked Robin, who had spent the previous night in a spare room at Rosey’s place and noticed her preparations.
“I’m heading to the orphanage over there. I’ve made them some clothes,” Rosey pointed in the direction of an orphanage. She held several beautiful outfits in her hands, which she had sewn herself.
“I’ll accompany you,” Robin decided, choosing not to dissuade Rosey from her journey. The outside world was in chaos, a fact that Rosey seemed oblivious to as she innocently prepared to deliver clothes. Most people would have stopped her, but Robin’s presence made the situation different.
“Well… alright,” Rosey didn’t refuse. Whether one or two people went, the trip was going to be made. Jeff Reczek, who considered himself more of Robin’s bodyguard than an officer, decided to follow Robin as well.
Soon, they arrived at the orphanage, named ‘123 Orphanage.’
“Why is this place called 123 Orphanage?” Robin asked.
“Um… I won’t tell you,” Rosey considered for a moment before shaking her head. But when she met Robin’s fierce gaze, she laughed instead of being intimidated, her laughter ringing like silver bells.
Over time, she had come to realize that Robin was a good person. Hence, no matter how fierce he acted, she was not afraid. “The orphanage was funded by three people. ‘123’ represents those three people, so the children in the orphanage can remember them,” she explained.
“Are you one of them?” Robin asked.
“Wow, you guessed it?” Rosey was slightly surprised.
Robin looked at Rosey as if she was an idiot. She had been evasive about this before, which suggested her involvement. She wasn’t the type to boast, but she had always seen her care for the children as a personal calling, not something she did for gratitude or repayment.
Despite her dislike for the orphanage’s name, she admitted, “I am ‘three’.”
“And the first and second?” Robin continued his inquiry.
“The second is a beautiful older sister, and the first is an uncle. We’re here,” she finally said, leading them inside the orphanage where children were playing.
“Rosey is here,” the children cried out, running over to Rosey and hugging her. There were about a dozen lively children, but Robin noticed they all seemed a bit malnourished.
“Is this like the orphanage in Stillwater?” Robin furrowed his brow, recalling another orphanage that had been skimping on meals and overworking the children. However, when the person in charge appeared, Robin dismissed his suspicion. This woman, in her forties, was even more malnourished than the children.
“Elane, what happened?” Rosey asked urgently. Elane and the children had been healthy on her last visit six months ago, but now they were skin and bones.
“I… it’s nothing. The children are the main concern,” Elane’s voice was hoarse.
“We’re okay, sister. We’re not hungry,” the children tried to reassure Rosey with weak smiles, but Robin could see that they were so hungry they could barely stand.
“What exactly is going on?” Rosey pressed.
A sigh came from behind them. “This is our responsibility.” Rosey turned to see Kim, a man in simple clothing holding a pole, his face downcast. “We’ve only earned this much recently,” he said, holding up a small bag of flour.
“It’s okay. We can make steamed buns, and it will last us for several meals,” Elane took the flour from him, trying to smile.
“Elane, what happened?” Rosey asked the head of the orphanage.
“The Hall Group went bankrupt, and Miss Hall disappeared,” Elane replied with a bitter smile. She explained that Evelyn Hall of the Hall family had sponsored the orphanage. She was the ‘one’ in ‘123’. The second was Kim, a Dandan, who was also helping the orphanage. Dandans helped carry things for people at the railway station and charged them based on the distance.
But recently, the Hall Group had gone bankrupt, and Evelyn Hall had disappeared, cutting off the orphanage’s financial support. Kim’s Dandan work had also suffered due to the absence of Evelyn Hall’s guidance. With the recent chaos in St. Sunday, few dared to venture out, and their business had dried up. The prices of everything in the city, especially food, had skyrocketed, leaving them hungry.
“I have some money here, Elane. You can use it to buy some things,” Rosey immediately offered a bag of money.
“Rosey, it’s just a drop in the ocean,” Elane didn’t accept the money but gave a bitter smile. The cost of food in the city had soared, and the little money Rosey offered would only last for a short while. After that, they would be helpless again. Hence, her aid was akin to a drop of water in a parched desert.
However, Robin, who had been quiet until now, raised an eyebrow and interjected, “So, all we need to do is rescue Evelyn Hall?”