MWC – Chapter 102 Adoption

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The branch of St. Anthony’s Orphanage in the Xinfa District covers an area of over a hundred acres, complete with its own orchard, vegetable garden, and arable farmland.

Land in Xinfa District is easier to acquire than in the older districts, so the orphanage here is much larger than the main one in the Western District.

They also have businesses like a bakery and a flour mill. The “Love World” bread sells well due to its charitable nature.

Lu Ming visited the St. Anthony’s Orphanage with Bizhu. Bizhu still had her “Ming Lady” look, with tight black leather clothes, an elegant orange-red belted coat, a dark red flower-adorned black gauze hat, and the brim pulled low, almost covering her entire face.

Currently, orphanage oversight isn’t stringent, and official data on the children in these privately funded orphanages is lacking. Reports don’t provide clear information.

Without alerting anyone, Lu Ming investigated through official channels. For example, a prosecutor with connections in the Xinfa District Charity Bureau obtained recent entry and exit statistics for the orphanage under the pretext of a census. However, nothing unusual was found.

Lu Ming decided to visit the St. Anthony’s Orphanage in person, accompanied by Bizhu, under the guise of adopting a child.

Lu Ming did not hide his identity as a lawyer from the Wang-Lu Law Firm in Beiguan Town.

The staff didn’t react significantly to Lu Ming’s presence. His reputation was mostly within legal circles, and the average person might never need a lawyer, so they wouldn’t recognize him.

Additionally, Xinfa District, though a newer urban area with many immigrants, considered Beiguan as somewhat rural. This urban-rural superiority complex was stronger at the lower levels, where people relied on regional pride for confidence and courage.

Nevertheless, a lawyer, even a struggling one, earns more than the average person, so the staff treated Lu Ming courteously.

When the staff saw the 2,000 yuan donation check, their eyes widened, and they quickly stood up, “Mr. Lu, I think our vice principal would like to speak with you. She knows the children well and can help you choose the right one.”

Lu Ming was surprised; he hadn’t planned to meet the orphanage’s higher-ups, just to familiarize himself with the place so Bizhu could search the director’s office or archive room for clues later.

But money had evidently blurred the significance of amounts over time. A 2,000 yuan donation for adoption justified a vice principal’s attention, as a potential major donor.

…

The vice principal was an elderly lady named Wang, possibly the same one Big Species had mentioned for beating a little girl harshly.

She was small and withered, with a sharp-featured face and a large red-lipped, sinister look.

Her office had an inner room filled with file cabinets. Lu Ming glanced at them and then at Bizhu, but her hat was too low for eye contact, though he believed she noted the details.

Bizhu hadn’t summoned herself this time. She appeared in the morning, intending to continue listening to the tape, but Lu Ming brought her here first.

“Mr. Lu, at your age, you want to adopt?” Vice Principal Wang looked skeptically at the application form.

Lu Ming sighed, “I have several concubines, but no children yet. I’m hoping adopting will change my luck. The elders say having a strong child will scare away bad spirits and bring more children.”

“Hehe, yes, yes…” Vice Principal Wang smiled, probably thinking he needed a doctor, idiot!

She noted the reluctant demeanor of Lu’s concubine, who didn’t even show her face, clearly uninterested in adopting.

Thinking it over, Wang smiled, “Mr. Lu, please sit. I’ll bring some children for you to see.”

She soon returned with a few small figures. Lu Ming frowned at the sight of six or seven young girls, aged five to eight, all adorable and beautiful, clearly future beauties.

Most were not native Central Chinese but mixed-race from the West or Southeast Asia, with lighter skin, dressed in their traditional attire. One, in a kimono, had a large red birthmark on her face, which looked scary.

Under Wang’s gesture, the children bowed neatly and sweetly, “Hello, sir. Hello, madam!”

Lu Ming frowned slightly. Wang seemed to have dubious intentions, offering only girls, likely to grow up beautiful. Was this for adoption or selling child brides?

Of course, considering he had mentioned several concubines and brought a hidden beauty, Wang probably assumed he liked clean and obedient girls, possibly without any more sinister motives.

“Alright, you may leave,” Wang waved, and the girls left in a line.

“Affinity matters in father-daughter relationships. Did any child catch your eye, Mr. Lu?” Wang asked.

Lu Ming shook his head, “No.”

Wang smiled, “No problem, I can bring more, but these are our smartest and most beautiful, with strong destinies.”

She picked up some files brought in by a staff member earlier and handed them over, “Take a look. For example, the mixed-race girl was born to a rich man and his black maid, abandoned at birth, found nearly dead.”

Lu Ming flipped through the files, ready to find an excuse to see the director’s office, when Bizhu, wearing black lace gloves, pointed at a file, “Master, I want her.”

Lu Ming saw it was the girl with the birthmark, named Kuroki Saori, age five. Her family had moved to Donghai long ago. Last year, her entire extended family died in a boating accident while she was in kindergarten, the only survivor. She had no relatives left, and her family’s assets were lost in compensations. She ended up in this orphanage.

Surprised, Lu Ming glanced at Bizhu, but since she specifically chose this girl, there must be something special about her.