Chapter 240: Night Talk

Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Night Talk

He had promised Yin Ruxue he’d go see Mengmeng today, and it was just about time for her to get out of school.

When he reached the school gate, he saw Mengmeng walking out in a line with a group of other children.

The moment she saw Jiang Fan, the little girl froze for a second before her face lit up with surprise and joy.

"Daddy!!"

She broke into a run and threw herself into Jiang Fan’s arms, cupping his face and planting several kisses on his cheeks.

"Daddy, what are you doing picking me up? Are you done with your work?"

Hearing Mengmeng’s innocent, childish voice, Jiang Fan felt his heart melt.

"All done, all done. Have you missed me while I was away? And have you been a good girl at home?"

Jiang Fan reached out and gently tapped her little nose as he asked.

"Mengmeng has been very good, Daddy. Mumu has already learned to wash her own clothes."

"I can also get dressed by myself and pack my own schoolbag."

Mengmeng counted on her fingers, listing off all the things she could do now one by one.

"That’s amazing, much better than Daddy was! Let me tell you, when I was your age, the director of the orphanage still had to do a lot of things for me."

"Come on, let’s say goodbye to your teacher, and then we’ll go."

"Goodbye, Teacher!"

Mengmeng waved at her teacher.

Instead of taking her straight home, Jiang Fan brought her to a play area in the mall, where they played for nearly two hours before heading back.

He also bought her some tasty snacks and fun toys.

Although it cost a fair bit of money, seeing Mengmeng’s innocent and happy smile made him feel much more relaxed.

"Alright, sweetie, let’s go home."

He wiped the sweat from Mengmeng’s forehead and had her say goodbye to her new friends. Then, the two of them leisurely headed home.

"You two really went wild, huh? Just getting back now."

"Mommy, I missed you so much."

Don’t be fooled by how young Mengmeng was; she was quite perceptive. She had clearly noticed that Yin Ruxue was a little unhappy.

This was where she put her special talent to good use.

She snuggled into Yin Ruxue’s arms and showered her with affection, chasing away all her unhappiness and making her giggle.

"Alright, alright, you clever little girl. You’re covered in sweat. Don’t catch a cold. Go take a bath now."

Yin Ruxue patted her little head.

"Let me. I’ll give her a bath."

Jiang Fan said, rubbing his nose.

"Daddy, let me tell you, I know how to take a bath by myself now. You don’t need to wash me. I’m a good girl. I can even wash my own hair."

"Huh? How did you suddenly become so mature and obedient in just the few days I was gone?"

Jiang Fan couldn’t help but look toward Yin Ruxue.

"What are you looking at me for? It’s not like I mistreated her."

Yin Ruxue was so exasperated by Jiang Fan’s look that she had to laugh. ’Anyone who didn’t know better would think I was some wicked stepmother.’

"She’s been like this ever since she came back from the orphanage. She insists on doing everything herself, asking me or Nanny Chen to teach her."

"I figured it was a good thing, so I didn’t try too hard to stop her."

The two exchanged a look, both seeing the surprise in the other’s eyes.

"It’s always a good thing when a child becomes more mature."

After playing all day, Mengmeng was exhausted. She finished her homework and fell asleep as soon as she lay down in bed. This time, she didn’t even ask Jiang Fan or Yin Ruxue to hold her as she slept.

"Are you sleepy? If not, how about we have some tea and chat for a bit?"

Yin Ruxue invited Jiang Fan.

Jiang Fan glanced out the window. "Sure."

No sooner said than done. Jiang Fan moved the table, went out to get the tea set, and prepared everything. He didn’t know how to brew tea, but Yin Ruxue did, and her skills were quite impressive.

Watching her fluid, graceful movements was a feast for the eyes.

"Don’t look at me like that. It took me a long time to learn. Back then, my grandfather loved tea, so I would brew it for him."

"Here, have some tea. See how it tastes."

Yin Ruxue placed a cup of tea in front of Jiang Fan.

"By the way, how are things going with the teachers for your school?"

Yin Ruxue asked curiously.

"Not bad. I’ve already contacted six teachers. The principal of the original school put me in touch with them."

"I’m planning to do some more recruiting in a couple of days."

"The main thing is, our vision is to make the school a three-in-one institution, combining elementary, middle, and high school."

"After all, there are several kids from the orphanage in high school, over ten in middle school, and another ten-plus in elementary school."

"It can’t be helped; they’re too spread out."

After taking a sip of tea, Jiang Fan sounded a little resigned.

"That... does make sense."

"Right, what about your kindergarten? I remember the orphanage used to have a lot of kindergarten-aged children."

"The director insisted on teaching them herself, so that’s how it is for now."

"I see. But even a small school can’t be filled just by the children from one orphanage."

"Don’t you have any other plans? Even if it’s not for profit."

Yin Ruxue said, hinting at something.

"I’m not the only one who’s considered it. Jun Yue has as well."

"We want to bring in the children from several other nearby orphanages."

"Tuition, room and board, everything will be free anyway. They won’t have to pay a single cent, which would greatly relieve the pressure on those orphanages."

Jiang Fan downed his tea in one gulp and casually placed the cup on the table.

"That’s a good idea. A very good one."

"But there are two things you need to ensure. First, you have to persuade the directors of those other orphanages. Second, you have to make sure your teaching staff can handle it."

"As long as you solve those two issues, everything else should be fine."

"After all, if there are only one or two students in a class, it’s no fun for the teacher or the students."

"Tell me about it."

"Otherwise, we wouldn’t have thought about bringing in the kids from other orphanages."

Jiang Fan sighed.