Chapter 124: Tang Baobao’s Blessing
“Oh, you’re here so punctually?” Ye Xuan looked at Ji Yunqi at the old house’s doorstep, still finding it a bit unbelievable.
He had thought she was just saying it back then, but he didn’t expect her to be genuinely willing to accompany him to this charity event.
“Since I promised you, I should naturally keep my word.”
This had been Ji Yunqi’s principle for many years: to act on her words. As long as she promised something to someone, she would do her best to fulfill it.
Of course, if some unexpected event prevented her from going, that would be another matter.
Ye Xuan looked at Ji Yunqi.
The scene at the hospital yesterday was still vivid in his mind.
When he learned that Ji Yunqi was pregnant, he was stunned. It made it difficult for him to see Ji Yunqi with normal logic now.
After all, in Ye Xuan’s conception, pregnant women were fragile and needed protection. Yet, he was about to ask such a delicate pregnant woman to accompany him to some so-called charity event.
Wasn’t that a bit inappropriate?
“Are you… are you really okay with your condition?” Ye Xuan asked again, uncertainly.
Ji Yunqi felt extremely helpless inside. She now thought it would have been better not to let this kid know yesterday.
Look at him, now that this kid knew she was pregnant, he had directly transformed her from a normal person in his eyes to a fragile one.
Before he knew, wasn’t she always fine?
“Don’t overthink it. Wasn’t I always fine when you didn’t know? You don’t need to worry too much. I’m normal. It’s still early in the pregnancy, so it’s fine.”
“This… alright, if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, you must tell me immediately, okay?”
“Got it, got it. You’re so naggy!”
Such a young person, why is he so naggy? He’s like a little adult.
This made Ji Yunqi feel uneasy all over.
…
The so-called charity event was actually just volunteer work.
Originally, given Ye Xuan’s status, using the time for charity to do other things would clearly be more beneficial. However, for Ye Xuan, it was not so.
Ye Xuan had always received the most correct values and education since childhood. He understood the concept of the affluent leading the less affluent and was willing to take action for it.
Unlike others who only talk but don’t act, once they achieve their wealth, they no longer care about those behind them.
Although he himself couldn’t really do much to change the overall situation, he could at least show some care and concern for those who needed help.
The meeting point this time was a venue.
When Ji Yunqi and Ye Xuan arrived, others were also arriving one after another.
Ji Yunqi looked around. There were about ten people there, but she only recognized a woman named… Xiao Yue, whom she and Ye Xuan had met when buying hair accessories at the Treasure Pavilion a couple of days ago.
However, as soon as she looked, she was glared at by the other person.
This left Ji Yunqi quite bewildered, not understanding what this woman wanted.
Out of nowhere, she clearly hadn’t done anything wrong, so why glare at her? It was as if she had offended her.
At this moment, a person dressed in a red volunteer uniform walked out and looked at everyone.
“I’m too lazy to waste words. Everyone pair up into groups of two and draw lots to decide what you’ll be responsible for today.”
Seeing this, everyone exchanged glances, and then a few people stepped forward to draw lots.
“Hey, hey, hey, what do we usually have to do?” Ji Yunqi tugged at Ye Xuan’s sleeve and asked curiously.
She hadn’t really been involved in charity events before.
When she was young, it was already difficult just to survive. After growing up, she was busy with work and never had time to get involved in these things.
Ye Xuan looked at the crowd and then shook his head, “The activities are different each time, so I’m not really sure what we’ll be doing.”
“I’ll know once I draw and look. No matter what, it’s about helping others, nothing else matters.”
“Then hurry up…”
As Ye Xuan walked towards the crowd and rubbed his hands, he drew a slip of paper.
Then, Ye Xuan frowned slightly. This also made Ji Yunqi, who was observing Ye Xuan, confused. What was going on? Why was he frowning?
Could it be something particularly dangerous?
“What is it?” As soon as Ye Xuan returned, Ji Yunqi eagerly asked.
Without further ado, Ye Xuan handed Ji Yunqi the slip of paper in his hand.
“Kyoto West District Special School”
“What kind of place is this? What do you mean by special school?”
Ji Yunqi had rarely heard this term before and didn’t have much impression of it.
Seeing Ji Yunqi so clueless, Ye Xuan patiently explained it to her.
“A special school is a school that accommodates children with special circumstances.”
“Children with special circumstances?”
With Ye Xuan’s explanation, Ji Yunqi probably understood some of it. It was likely inconvenient to say it directly due to the crowd and prying eyes.
“Are we leaving now?”
“Yes, let’s go…”
…
This time, everyone was separated into groups for the activity, so no one else came to cause trouble.
“Speaking of which, aren’t we working separately? Then why did that Xiao Yue from last time have to speak so harshly?”
Ye Xuan sighed softly, “Because we have a dinner gathering tonight, hosted by the person you saw earlier. We don’t have to pay; it’s a free meal. We still have to go then.”
Then, Ye Xuan seemed to think of something else, “You can go home directly. It’s good to go back and rest early, after all, you…”
Ji Yunqi understood this time. This kid was harping on her pregnancy again.
“Let’s go in.”
As Ye Xuan turned, Ji Yunqi followed.
“Hello, we are volunteers here to visit the children.” Ye Xuan briefly exchanged words with the security guard at the entrance and received a friendly response.
The security guard came out of the security room, smiling, looking at Ye Xuan and Ji Yunqi behind him.
“You’re here, come in quickly.”
The security guard here was unlike the guards in other schools; there was no so-called screening.
But this was completely understandable, wasn’t it?
The children here were all children with some kind of deficiencies. How could bad people come to harm them?
Entering the school, Ji Yunqi felt a sense of oppression…
The grounds of this special school were truly pitifully small…
Ji Yunqi didn’t know the exact size, but all she could see was one building, and nothing else.
And the first thing she saw upon entering was a small square of only 40 square meters. It had a flagpole for raising the flag, as well as a ping pong table, basketball hoop, and even a badminton court.
This small area was almost equipped with all the common sports facilities found in schools.
On the other hand, on the first floor of the building on the other side was the cafeteria. The entire cafeteria was only slightly larger than a standard classroom in a university.
“This place… feels very oppressive…”
At this moment, Ye Xuan’s smile was gone.
He had actually been here before, but each time he came, it was difficult for him to maintain a smile. He would only smile when facing the children to show friendliness.
“Let’s go up.”
“Okay.”
As Ji Yunqi followed Ye Xuan’s footsteps upstairs,
Ji Yunqi observed the environment, and her shock deepened. Not only was the activity area downstairs like this, but even the classrooms were just as cramped!
The corridors here were very narrow, and even the railings were almost as tall as Ye Xuan. Even if Ji Yunqi jumped, she couldn’t see what was outside the railings.
These children… were practically imprisoned.
The classrooms were also very quiet. There weren’t many classrooms. Ye Xuan took Ji Yunqi into one of them at random.
And in this classroom, there were only 9 children. It was at this moment that Ji Yunqi understood why this place was called a special school…
Most of these children had flat faces, and their head circumferences were noticeably smaller than that of normal people.
The shape of their mouths was also a bit strange. Overall, it was… obvious at a glance that they were not ordinary.
The first time Ji Yunqi saw these children, she knew what was happening.
This was the so-called Down syndrome…
These children were different from ordinary people in terms of intellect, personality, and physical development.
So, the so-called special referred to this peculiarity…
Ji Yunqi and Ye Xuan walked into the classroom. Most of the “Tang Baobao” (children with Down syndrome) didn’t notice them. Only one or two looked at them.
Ji Yunqi and Ye Xuan exchanged glances, and she understood what she needed to do.
Ji Yunqi had not forgotten why she came here; they were here to care for these children.
Perhaps because she was also carrying a child, Ji Yunqi felt a sense of pity for these children with congenital deformities.
They were clearly treasures of their respective families, but these children were afflicted with these conditions due to bad luck.
Ji Yunqi couldn’t imagine how desperate those families must be!
“Sis… Sister…”
Despite his intellectual impairment, a chubby boy still called her that, pointing to a square block on the table.
Looking at the tangram in the boy’s hand, Ji Yunqi leaned over to him.
“Little brother, do you want your sister to help you piece it together?”
The boy was stunned for a moment, blinked his eyes, and nodded.
Ji Yunqi smiled, took the tangram from his hand, waved it in front of the boy’s eyes, and then placed it in its proper position.
“Thank you… Sis… Sister…”
Looking at the little brother who struggled to speak, Ji Yunqi felt increasingly sad. They were all good children, but why were they like this…
Ji Yunqi wanted to see how Ye Xuan was doing, but saw Ye Xuan pulling up a chair and sitting next to another boy with a look of resignation…
Ji Yunqi listened carefully and realized that the boy next to him was actually an anomaly!
Even without sitting next to him, Ji Yunqi could hear his incessant chatter, ranging from astronomy and geography to celebrity gossip and manned spaceflight…
He talked about everything. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, Ji Yunqi would never have believed it!
So much current affairs news could be heard from a child with Down syndrome!
Although it was all illogical, confusing, and most of the information was inaccurate… it was enough to prove the child’s uniqueness.
The teachers here did not conduct lessons because it was meaningless. Their main role was to take care of these children.
Ji Yunqi and Ye Xuan visited quite a few classrooms. Most of the children were silent and unwilling to talk.
Of course, there were also many anomalies, like the “chatterbox” just now, and a boy Ji Yunqi met on the third floor… who was 1.8 meters tall at the age of 14.
The key thing was that this child would hug anyone he met and call them “Mom”… Ji Yunqi watched helplessly as Ye Xuan was hugged and called “Mom” several times. If a teacher hadn’t come over in time, Ye Xuan would probably have been scared to death…
Under the setting sun…
Ji Yunqi sat on the small square outside the building, watching Ye Xuan play ball with a few “Tang Baobao,” feeling truly disheartened.
These children needed more help and companionship, but why were so few people aware of them?
If it weren’t for these support activities, most of society would hardly find their existence in this city.
As a chattering noise came from outside the wall, Ji Yunqi walked to the gate and saw that the neighbor was actually an elementary school!
Looking at the joyful appearance of these elementary school students, Ji Yunqi turned back to look at these special children…
On one side… was a campus bathed in the sunlight of the setting sun, filled with hope, a group of energetic and vibrant elementary school students.
And on the other side…
Blocked by high walls, with sunlight barely penetrating, it appeared dull and gray…
“It’s truly separated by a wall… two worlds…”
As the bell rang overhead, Ye Xuan also stopped what he was doing. He knew it was time for them to leave…
“Are you leaving?”
A teacher looked at Ji Yunqi and Ye Xuan.
“Yes, teacher. It’s getting late, and we should be going.”
The teacher didn’t say anything else, just walked forward and took out two red strings from her hand, giving one to Ji Yunqi and the other to Ye Xuan.
“These were made by the children. Don’t look at them being slow; they actually know who they like in their hearts.”
As the teacher tied the two red strings on her and Ye Xuan’s wrists, Ji Yunqi looked at the group of “Tang Baobao” beside her, suddenly not knowing what to say.
“Thank you, children~”
…
In the car…
Ji Yunqi looked at the red string in her hand and then touched her stomach.
She no longer felt anxious. Her child would be fine no matter what; the future was bound to be full of hope.
“Where are we going now?”
Ye Xuan looked at the location and then his face fell.
Seeing Ji Yunqi, he finally felt he should ask for her opinion.
“The place for the dinner gathering is a hot pot restaurant. Since you’re pregnant…”
Ye Xuan’s meaning was self-evident. Ji Yunqi was immediately disappointed when she heard it was hot pot. Kyoto’s hot pot was nowhere as authentic or delicious as Rongcheng’s.
“Alright… Kyoto’s hot pot is indeed average.”
“Nobody eats it…”
“Rongcheng hot pot restaurant…”
“Eat! Nobody eats it but me! I’m eating Rongcheng hot pot!”
Looking at Ji Yunqi’s expression, Ye Xuan’s mouth twitched.
“Didn’t you say you don’t eat it?”
“Nobody eats it but me!”
“What about the baby?”
Ye Xuan didn’t think Ji Yunqi could eat this. Hot pot, could pregnant women eat it?
“I love eating hot pot, and my baby must also learn to eat it. He hasn’t been born yet, so let’s take him to eat first~”
“Alright…”
Ye Xuan couldn’t do anything about Ji Yunqi. He knew that pregnant women weren’t that fragile, but just in case, he still had to watch her during the process.
When Ji Yunqi and Ye Xuan arrived, everyone had just entered the restaurant.
After casually finding two seats, Ji Yunqi felt hungry.
It had been a long time since she had eaten such things, and she really missed them.
“Alright, alright, since everyone is here, help yourselves. Don’t be polite~”
Seeing that the leader had said so, Ji Yunqi no longer held back.
She skillfully picked up a lot of her usual favorite items from the selection area.
However, the moment Ji Yunqi finished simmering a piece of spicy beef and put it in her mouth, she felt something was wrong…
“Ugh….”
This made Ji Yunqi and everyone else stunned for a moment.
Ji Yunqi didn’t understand. She had smelled it earlier, and it was acceptable, so why was it not okay when she tasted it?
“Cough, cough…”
Seeing this, Ye Xuan brought over a glass of water, “Here…”
After taking a sip of water, Ji Yunqi felt better…
However, she also realized that she probably wouldn’t be able to eat such greasy and meaty things for a while…
Looking at Ji Yunqi’s dejected look, Ye Xuan couldn’t help but want to mock her.
“Didn’t you say you love what you eat, and your baby must also love what you eat? It looks like the little one isn’t agreeable.”
“Tsk, what do you know? That spicy beef is what the baby’s father likes, not what I like!”
Ji Yunqi and Ye Xuan’s conversation was not kept from others, and their words were heard by everyone.
The leader’s hand trembled on the spot, and his chopsticks fell to the ground.
He looked at Ji Yunqi with disbelief.
He had originally… planned to ask for her contact information later…
How could she… have a baby in her belly?
What’s more, this young lady is pregnant, so he… this…
If he made a pregnant woman work, wouldn’t he be complained about and have his leader qualification revoked?
“Let’s go home, otherwise you’ll have to starve.”
Looking at the delicious food on the table, even though Ji Yunqi felt reluctant, she couldn’t eat it now and had to give up.
“Alright then…”
“Leader, we’re going home first.” Ye Xuan gave a brief greeting and then left with Ji Yunqi.
After all, they had heard their previous conversation, and who would doubt a pregnant woman?
…
“You didn’t have these reactions for a while before; why do you suddenly have them today?”
Ye Xuan didn’t understand. Last time he took Ji Yunqi to the Zijinquewei, didn’t those foods also contain meat and fish? Why did she eat so deliciously then?
“This is hot pot, isn’t hot pot supposed to be oily and meaty?” Ji Yunqi looked at Ye Xuan with a “you’re an idiot” expression.
Could this hot pot be compared to the food from Zijinquewei last time?
Admittedly, the young masters of Kyoto were indeed different. If she hadn’t been elsewhere, she probably wouldn’t know what “heavy oil and grease” meant.
If she didn’t have some experience, Ji Yunqi would have thought that Zijinquewei’s food didn’t have any oil.
It was too dry…
“You’ve probably never experienced what ‘heavy oil and grease’ means. I’ll take you to experience it next time!”
“Heh, alright, I’m quite curious, what exactly is ‘heavy oil and grease’.”
…
At the old house…
“Hey, old man, I’m back~”
Since Ji Yunqi’s inner knot had been untangled, she had no more reservations. In an environment with only family, she dared to call Ye Lingyu “old man” directly.
After all, this old man couldn’t do anything to her, so why should she be afraid?
“You impudent girl! Be careful, or I’ll spank you!” Ye Lingyu’s voice came from upstairs.
Ji Yunqi leaned on the sofa arrogantly and looked at Ye Lingyu, “Oh, then you have to try your best~”
“Hmph, you cheeky thing!”
Ye Lingyu was extremely angry. This unlucky girl, relying on the baby in her belly, had started to ignore him.
But he remembered all of this.
When she gives birth and recovers, it won’t be too late to deal with her.
“Come to our room for a moment.”
“Huh?”
“I said, come to our room for a moment. Your mom has something to tell you.”
Ji Yunqi also shut her mouth. Jiang Hua taking the initiative to find her probably meant she had something important to discuss with her.
At such a time, she should put away her flippant attitude and the playful teasing with the old man.
Ji Yunqi immediately got up and followed Ye Lingyu to their room.
Jiang Hua was sitting by the bed, with a… bright red… wedding dress in front of her!
Ji Yunqi’s heart tightened, and she roughly knew what was about to happen.
“Mom, this is…”
“Haha, come here, come here~” Jiang Hua waved at Ji Yunqi, signaling her to come over.
Ye Lingyu sat on the side, quietly watching the two of them.
Jiang Hua picked up the wedding dress and measured Ji Yunqi from behind. Seeing that the size was suitable, she showed a satisfied expression.
“Mom, this is…”
Ji Yunqi’s eyes were filled with deep confusion. Was this wedding dress really prepared for her?
“This wedding dress…”
“I wore it when I married your dad decades ago. I’ve made some slight alterations during this time. Fortunately, this old lady still has a good memory and didn’t misremember your measurements. It seems like the size should be fitting.”
Ji Yunqi was a bit stunned at this moment. Mom… was this preparing a wedding dress for her?
Wedding dresses… aren’t they usually prepared by the bride’s family for their daughter? If they prepared it for her, what about Ye Mingkong’s side?
And… why was she so popular?
Jiang Hua was making a wedding dress for her, Xia Zijie was making a fan for her, and she didn’t know if other family members from Rongcheng were also preparing something for her.
If nothing else, Jiang You would definitely prepare something for her; that was beyond doubt. If he didn’t… she would beat him to death!
“Mom… Thank you.”
“Good, good, good.”
Jiang Hua patted Ji Yunqi’s head. They didn’t plan to wait too long.
Jiang Hua and Ye Lingyu had already planned that after Ji Yunqi had a good time in Kyoto for a while, they could start preparing the wedding for them.
Ji Yunqi might not have imagined at this moment that within a year, she would first be a bridesmaid and then directly the bride.
…
