Chapter 3: Chu Zifeng's Background

Z City is a small city in southern China, where the monthly salary of the residents is at most 2,000 yuan, and that is only for the best units, indicating the city's economic backwardness.

The orphanage is located in the riverside area of Z City. When Chu Zifeng returned to the orphanage at 3 PM, there was not a single person in sight, as everyone was believed to be at school.

"Zifeng? Are you Zifeng?"

As soon as Chu Zifeng entered the orphanage, he heard a man's voice behind him.

Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man in a white shirt, carrying a large basket of vegetables, who had just entered the orphanage gate.

"Director Li, it's you! You scared me!"

Director Li is the deputy director of the orphanage, named Li Shuang, who is 45 years old and has been working at the orphanage for ten years. Apart from being responsible for the orphanage's meals, he also arranges the life and education of each orphan. The orphanage's funds are provided by the government, so there is no need to worry about the orphans' living and educational issues.

"Zifeng, where have you been for the past three months? Why did you only come back now? ... You, how did you grow so tall!"

Director Li walked up to Chu Zifeng, put down the large basket of vegetables, and with a serious and surprised expression, he had been very worried about Chu Zifeng's disappearance for three months, but now that he was back, he was also quite displeased.

"Director Li, I am at the age of growing, so it's not strange to be taller!" Chu Zifeng knew he was now 1.8 meters tall, which must be due to his cultivation. If he didn't find a reason, he wouldn't know how to explain his height, as he was only 1.75 meters tall before.

"Wait a moment... Director Li, what did you say, three months? You mean it has been three months?"

Chu Zifeng was even more surprised. He didn't think he had stayed in the Xuantian Cave for so long. Could it really be that a day in the mountains is a thousand years in the world?

"You, knowing your poor health, still run around all day, causing us to worry about you."

"Actually, I went to Wanlong Mountain with my classmates. On the way, I sprained my ankle, so I stayed at a family's house at the foot of the mountain, helping them with farming and other chores. I didn't realize it had been three months!"

Chu Zifeng couldn't tell Director Li the truth. Even if he did, he wouldn't believe it.

Director Li's serious expression gradually relaxed, and he asked, "Is your ankle okay? You didn't bring any medicine with you for three months, so is your health okay?"

Chu Zifeng is the pride of the orphanage, with excellent academic performance and a very outgoing personality, unlike other orphans who are more introverted. Therefore, the staff of the orphanage all like him.

"Director Li, don't worry, I'm fine. Look, after this period of labor, my health seems to be even better than before."

Chu Zifeng knew clearly that his health wasn't just better; it was because of his cultivation, which had strengthened his body, driving away all the big and small illnesses, and they would never come back to him again.

"It's good that you're fine, and I'm relieved!"

A tear flashed in Director Li's eyes, but this scene did not escape Chu Zifeng's notice.

"Director Li, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly so sad? I'm back now! Don't worry, I promise this won't happen again."

Director Li said bitterly, "Zifeng, follow me, I have something to tell you."

Chu Zifeng followed Director Li without understanding, but they arrived at the office of the principal, the room where the principal who had adopted Chu Zifeng 18 years ago lived.

Chu Zifeng couldn't understand why Director Li had brought him to the principal's room. The principal didn't like others entering his room casually!

But just as Chu Zifeng was about to ask, his eyes turned and he suddenly saw a white porcelain jar and a black-and-white photo on a table against the wall in the principal's room. The photo was...

At this moment, Chu Zifeng seemed to have a sudden realization, but he couldn't believe his thoughts. He asked, "Director Li, where is the principal? Where did he go?"

Director Li turned to look at Chu Zifeng and said, "Zifeng, you just got back, and I didn't want to tell you this right away, but you will find out sooner or later, so..."

"No, no, when I left, the principal was fine, how could he..."

"On the second day of your disappearance, your teacher came to the orphanage to look for us, saying you were missing. We mobilized everyone to search for you and reported it to the police, but we couldn't find even a trace of you. At that time, the principal had some heart problems. Last month, the principal... passed away!"

Chu Zifeng was raised by the principal. Without the principal, he would have died 18 years ago and would not have had the opportunity to go to university.

Like a bolt from the blue, Chu Zifeng's heart was very painful, and tears could not be held back.

"Zifeng, the dead cannot come back to life. We are all very strong. I will spend my whole life managing the orphanage left by the principal. Although we don't want more children to come to us in the future, the children who come to us will not suffer. This is the promise I made to the principal on his deathbed."

Everyone in the orphanage knew what kind of person Li Shuang was. Like the principal, he could stay away from his own home for months to take care of the orphanage. This passion, others could not match.

"Why, why didn't the principal wait for me to come back? He did so much for me, why didn't he let me see him one last time!"

Director Li said, "The principal's family originally wanted to take the principal's ashes and photo back, but this is the principal's life's work, so I begged the principal's family to leave the ashes and photo here, because I want the principal to see clearly from heaven that his efforts were not in vain."

Pausing, Director Li gently patted Chu Zifeng's shoulder and said, "Zifeng, before the principal passed away, he entrusted me with a task, to find you and tell you this in person."

"What is it?" Chu Zifeng wiped away his tears and asked.

"It's about your background."

"Background? I'm an orphan, what background could I have!"

"That's right, you are indeed an orphan, but you are different from other children. You were not abandoned at the orphanage gate by your parents, nor were you sent here by someone else. The principal picked you up from the street."

"Picked up? That's not what the principal told me. He said I was abandoned at the orphanage gate."

"That was because the principal didn't want you to think too much after you grew up. After all, a child abandoned on the street is too pitiful, and his parents never cared about his life or death. However, the principal felt that your background might be different, so he asked me to tell you this on his deathbed."

"What's different? Being abandoned at the orphanage gate or on the street makes no difference to me. Since the day I understood, I have considered the principal as my parents and you as my family. Others have nothing to do with me."

What Chu Zifeng hated most was mentioning his parents. In his view, no matter who they were, they had no right to be his parents. Otherwise, they wouldn't have abandoned him 18 years ago.

Director Li saw that Chu Zifeng was upset, which was the principal's greatest concern on his deathbed. However, this matter could not be kept from Chu Zifeng, as he had the right to know.

Director Li took out a small purple box from his pocket, opened it, and inside was a silver ring. He said, "Zifeng, this ring was with you when the principal found you. The principal believed that this ring might contain the secret of your background. In addition, there were 100,000 yuan with you, which made the principal believe that your background was different, as 100,000 yuan was a huge amount 18 years ago!"

China's economy was just starting to take off 18 years ago, and having so much money and placing it with an abandoned infant was enough to prove something.

But Chu Zifeng said indifferently, "They probably wanted to use the 100,000 yuan as my upbringing fee. But that's fine, at least the money was used for the right purpose. As for this ring..."

Chu Zifeng took the ring. The ring was quite beautiful, with a round shape on it, and the character "Chu" was carved inside the circle, surrounded by a coiled dragon.

"The principal saw the 'Chu' character on the ring and thought your father might be surnamed Chu, so he named you Chu Zifeng. Before the principal passed away, he instructed me that, regardless of whether you can find your parents in the future, you must always wear this ring, never lose it, and never give it to anyone else."

"Since the principal instructed me to do so, I will wear this ring. But even if I meet them in the future, I won't recognize them. I doubt they would want me as a son, ha ha."

Director Li shook his head. He had long known that Chu Zifeng would think this way, but since the principal had instructed him to tell Chu Zifeng this, he had completed his task. As for the future, it was up to Chu Zifeng to decide.

"Zifeng, you should focus on your studies now. Let other things happen naturally, and don't think too much about them! The university semester is about to start, so pack your luggage and report to Yanjing University in the next two days."

Chu Zifeng walked to the principal's photo and said softly and confidently, "Principal, rest assured, I will not let you down. When I achieve success in the future, I will definitely come back, because this is my hometown."

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