27: Love is a chain of transmission

Lin Fei and Lin Mengzi walked back to Zhou Shan Orphanage, chatting and laughing while leading the undead squad.

After Aunt Chen finished cooking for the children, she remained sitting at the doorway, anxiously awaiting the return of her two big kids.

She wore an old-fashioned yet spotlessly clean dress, her jet-black, beautiful long hair woven into a side ponytail.

Like the beautiful mothers in anime, the ponytail rested against her snow-white neck.

In truth, given Aunt Chen's beauty and education, if she had wanted to, she could have lived the most comfortable, upper-class life in the big city of New Jeju.

However, after experiencing the ravages of war, she resolutely chose to stay in the slums, using her petite yet stalwart body to support the sky for over a hundred helpless orphans.

"Lin Fei, Meng Zi, you two kids, why are you back so late!"

Seeing the two return, the heavy stone in Aunt Chen's heart finally dropped. She hurriedly stood up and walked over.

"Who are these people?"

Aunt Chen looked at the five special operations elites behind them, each carrying large bags.

Lin Mengzi explained, "Aunt Chen, these are friends we met at the Node Tower. We bought some things, and they happened to help us carry them back."

"I see. Have you eaten? I'll go make a few more dishes right now."

"No need for the trouble, Aunt Chen, they shouldn't be hungry."

Lin Mengzi waved her hand quickly; her undead didn't need to eat.

Aunt Chen smiled, "Your friends must be foreigners. Coming from so far away, we can't neglect them. I'll go cook a few dishes; it's no trouble at all."

Lin Fei spoke up, "Aunt Chen, really, no need to cook. These are actually Sister Mengzi's summons."

"Summons?" Aunt Chen was surprised. "So Meng Zi, are you an Awakened one now?"

During the many days at the Node Tower, Aunt Chen had been following the news and knew that many people who came out of the Node Tower had acquired strange abilities.

Some had even Awakened classes, just like in games.

There was a news report from Lighthouse Country about an old man who came out of a trial world and changed his class to a Priest.

With a sweep of Holy Light, many wounds and illnesses could be cured; it was truly miraculous!

"Yes, Aunt Chen." Lin Mengzi had originally been afraid that saying they were undead would scare Aunt Chen. However, Lin Fei's use of the word "summons" worked well.

"Come inside quickly, you two have worked hard."

"Why did you buy so many things again!"

Seeing the bags full of food and daily necessities, Aunt Chen's eyes became a little moist.

She had truly watched these two children grow up bit by bit. Now, they were already able to shoulder responsibilities and take care of this home.

She remembered once, when Lin Fei had a high fever, she went door-to-door begging for a little alcohol to bring his temperature down.

Then she borrowed a tricycle from the scrap yard. She and Lin Fei's eldest sister, Su Mi, took turns riding the bike to take Lin Fei to the hospital, and they waited in the hospital corridor for a long time.

At that time, Lin Fei was already burning up and talking nonsense. She and Su Mi wiped their tears, unable to stop crying.

Back then, she thought the little guy might not make it.

But heaven opened its eyes and let him overcome the illness. And now, he was already so reliable.

"Let's go, let's move everything inside first!" Aunt Chen wiped the corners of her eyes and beckoned everyone to come inside.

In the courtyard, the children heard the commotion and ran out cheering.

Seeing the gifts Lin Fei and Lin Mengzi brought back, they jumped with excitement.

"Brother, Sister, you're finally back!"

"Wow! So many delicious things!"

"It's the third volume of Dragon Clan! Awesome!"

Lin Fei patted a little boy's head and smiled, saying, "They are all for you. Alright, help move the things inside!"

"Okay."

The little ones were very well-behaved, and before Lin Fei let them eat, no one would sneak a bite.

Lin Fei didn't go inside. Instead, he stood in the courtyard and looked around.

He walked over to Aunt Chen and said seriously, "Aunt Chen, I want to discuss something with you."

"What is it, Xiao Fei?"

"Meng Zi and I earned quite a bit of money this time, and I want to make some improvements to the orphanage." Lin Fei looked around.

"Our orphanage is too cold in the winter, and the power often goes out. It's inconvenient for the children to study and live."

"I'm planning to install some solar panels, and also replace the heating and wall-mounted boiler with a new set."

"That must cost a lot of money, right?" Aunt Chen felt a bit distressed.

"It's fine, Aunt Chen, it's just a small amount of money." Lin Fei smiled.

As he spoke, he took out his phone and dialed a number.

In just ten minutes, Lin Fei had negotiated the installation of solar panels on the orphanage roof with the other party.

The other side guaranteed that they would send people over to start construction by the afternoon at the latest, ensuring the orphanage would have an adequate power supply.

Immediately after, Lin Fei spent over ten thousand killing coins to order a high-power wall-mounted boiler and heating System.

This would ensure the orphanage would no longer freeze in the cold winter, and the children could take hot showers at any time.

The installation company was exceptionally efficient. Perhaps it was because Lin Fei was paying with the current hardest currency — killing coins!

And the price offered was generous.

That same night, the orphanage's heating System had been initially installed.

Standing in the brand-new bathroom, watching the hot water pouring from the showerhead, Aunt Chen couldn't hold back her tears anymore.

Over the years, she and the children had been through so many hardships together.

In winter, there was no heating, so they could only burn coal and then seal the windows one by one with plastic sheets to reduce the heat loss from the room.

But it still wasn't enough.

And the chimney was always blocked by coal ash. Every time Lin Fei climbed the ladder to clear the ash, he ended up covered in black, like a little coal ball.

It was also thanks to New Jeju not being too far north; otherwise, they would have had a hard time surviving the winter when the heavy snow fell.

But life was truly hard.

The children could only bathe in large basins using boiled water, but the water would get cold very quickly.

That's why the children always bathed very quickly.

Also, the orphanage often had power outages, which Lin Fei had also thought of.

"Xiao Fei, Meng Zi." Aunt Chen's voice choked up. "You two have really grown up."

Lin Mengzi gently hugged Aunt Chen and said softly, "Aunt Chen, we have always remembered your kindness in raising us. Now that we have the ability, of course we want you and the younger brothers and sisters to live a better life."

Lin Fei stood to the side, watching this warm scene, a wave of warmth surging in his heart.

Entering the trial world, there was only bloody killing and violence. But in reality, he could feel the warmth of humanity.

Some things were worth his best efforts to protect.

His sisters, Aunt Chen, and these children were his most important bonds.

Because he had walked through the rain and been shielded by Aunt Chen and his sisters, Lin Fei also wanted to hold an umbrella for the children.

Love is a chain of transmission; those who have felt love will also strive to love others.

At night, the children finished bathing one after another comfortably and returned to the dorms to rest.

Lin Fei noticed that despite the installation of the solar System, the children still habitually turned off the lights and used small fluorescent lights plugged into power banks to read.

"Why aren't you turning on the lights?" Lin Fei walked into the boys' dorm and asked with a smile.

"Brother Fei, we're just reading for a little while before bed, turning on the big light is too wasteful!" The four children huddled on a small bed reading said.

One of the boys named Xiao Jie raised his head and answered in a milky voice.

Of course, everyone in the dorm had a bed, they just huddled together while reading.

This was a very common behavior in the dormitory.

"A bunch of silly boys. Xiao Jie, Fatty Tiger, from today on, you don't need to worry about this." Lin Fei patted their heads.

Then he walked over and turned on the dormitory's LED overhead light.

The warm light immediately filled the entire room.

"Brother has already installed solar panels for you. The electricity absorbed during the day is enough for the night. Besides, reading without lights is bad for your eyes. If I have to get you glasses later, wouldn't that cost me even more money?" Lin Fei joked.