Super Rich by Doing as You Please

Chapter 349 - 175: Please, Am I Really Touching My Conscience Here?

When Xu Yun heard Xino mention "a group of little elves," he had a pretty good idea of where they were going.

And when they arrived at their destination, it was just as he had guessed.

It was an orphanage in the suburbs—or rather, a social welfare and relief center.

It wasn’t state-run, but a privately operated children’s shelter registered with the Bureau of Civil Affairs.

No wonder she’d bought so much chocolate. She had it all planned out.

The director was a woman in her forties. She used to be a teacher, but she lost both her husband and child in a car accident.

After recovering from a serious illness that followed, she suddenly took early retirement from her school, sold her house in the city, and came out here to open this children’s shelter.

Most of the children were brought here by various police stations—little kids whose parents couldn’t be found for the time being.

She paid for the children’s care and upbringing out of her own pocket, only occasionally applying for state subsidies when government policies made it possible.

Charitable individuals would also come to donate from time to time.

There were even some influencers who came to put on a show, donating a small amount, taking a few photos and videos, and then leaving.

But even so, the director was willing to accept it.

Whether their charitable intentions were genuine or not, at least they gave some money and left some supplies.

It was better than the ones who showed up just for show, recorded their videos, and then tried to hand her a few hundred yuan before taking their donated items back with them.

She had sent a few people like that packing with a sharp scolding.

Currently, there were a total of eighteen children at the center, ranging from three to seven years old.

Besides the director, the only other staff member was a woman she hired to help with the cooking for a monthly salary of 2,500 yuan.

The director was clearly very happy to see Xino. She stepped forward and said warmly, "Miss Xi, you’ve come to visit the children again?"

"Yes, I happened to have some free time today, so I came over."

Xino smiled and asked, "Where are the children?"

"They’re in the classroom for a lesson right now."

The director glanced at her watch and smiled. "But the lesson should be over any minute now."

Hearing this, Xino asked in surprise, "You have a teacher now?"

"A leader from one of the government departments put me in touch with a local teachers’ college. They reached out and offered to cooperate, saying they’re willing to send two of their university students here each month for an internship.

That way, their students get to practice their teaching skills, and our children get an education.

Plus, the college even gives us a small stipend. It’s not much, just a few hundred yuan, but it’s better than nothing."

"That’s great. I brought them some gifts today."

Xino then pointed to Xu Yun, who was standing beside her holding the bag of chocolates, and introduced him. "Director, this is my boyfriend, Xu Yun."

"Hello, Mr. Xu."

The director greeted him with a smile, then turned to Xino. "Your boyfriend is very handsome. You have good taste."

"He’s not just handsome—he’s also very kind-hearted."

Xino looked at Xu Yun and asked, "Isn’t that right?"

Xu Yun: "..."

’Well now, she’s roped me into doing charity work.’

Seeing the director’s expectant gaze, Xu Yun neither refused nor agreed. Instead, he said, "Let’s see the children first."

He wasn’t opposed to doing charity; in fact, he was more than willing.

When he didn’t have money, he wanted to help but lacked the means. Now that he had money, he certainly wouldn’t be stingy.

But that was on the condition that the other party was genuinely doing good, and his money wouldn’t be used to line their own pockets.

’Xino was a naive woman; she tended to believe whatever anyone told her.’

"Of course, of course." The director understood Xu Yun’s hesitation. Many people who came to donate felt the same way.

It wasn’t that people weren’t kind, but that their kindness was so often exploited by those with ulterior motives. Being taken advantage of time and again had left many feeling jaded and distrustful.

A certain society, named after a color, and a number of other large charities were all the same, with plenty of their scandals exposed in the news.

Xino asked, puzzled, "You don’t trust the director?"

"I’m a ’seeing is believing’ kind of person. I don’t put much faith in what other people say. The only thing you can truly trust is your own gut feeling."

Xu Yun said, "You can only find out what kind of person the director is and how she treats the children by looking at the children themselves."

"You’re so guarded."

"Because growing up, aside from my parents, I was surrounded by bad people. I’ve seen a lot of hypocrites."

"Fine. But I’m sure you’ll love them once you meet them."

Xino and Xu Yun followed the director through the main gate.

The shelter wasn’t large, but it had a classroom, a playground, and some rather basic children’s toys.

Judging by the surroundings, it looked like it had been converted from an abandoned village elementary school.

To be honest, the conditions were a bit rough.

Xu Yun asked, puzzled, "If you like this place so much, why don’t you just donate a million or two to properly improve the facilities? It seems like something you’d do."

"I wanted to, but my dad wouldn’t let me."

Xino explained in a low voice, "My dad said a sudden influx of wealth would make everything here go sour.

So he suggested that I just help out occasionally. I don’t really know why."

"Hahaha..."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yun laughed. "That’s because your dad knows that the human heart can’t withstand being tested.

If you donate a million, maybe she’ll stay true to her original purpose. But what if you suddenly donated two million, three million, or five million?

So your dad is right. The best way is to keep this place at a subsistence level, and to keep the director in a constant state of ’work.’ Only then can she stay true to her mission.

After all, every charity starts with good intentions. But as time goes on and the money in the bank account grows, people’s hearts change."