Chapter 42: Application Report

“Mama Mo, that bastard. How dare he flirt with me.” Once Mo Ya realized what had happened, she was so furious with the landlord that she ground her teeth. Her delicate, snow-white hands clenched into tight fists, and her upper and lower teeth pressed together so hard that one could faintly hear the sound of grinding.

“Xiao Ya, don’t be impulsive.” Upon hearing this, Director Mo immediately spoke up. She had no wish to stir up unnecessary trouble at such a crucial time.

“Mama Mo, he… he went too far.” At these words, Mo Ya could only suppress the anger in her heart. She plopped herself down on the chair opposite Director Mo, pouting in complaint.

“Oh, you. You’ve really been led astray by Mo Ran—how did your temper get so fiery?” Director Mo said helplessly. Mo Ran was the first child she had adopted, and Mo Ya the second; she regarded them both as her own. Now that they were both adults, they deserved a brighter future. She did not want either of them dragged into this mess.

“Mama Mo, what about the rent? Are you really going to give them what they want?” Mo Ya took a deep breath and spoke.

“What else can we do? This place belongs to someone else. Besides, there are so many children in the orphanage. If we don’t rent here, where else can we go? This is already the cheapest place in all of Shanghai.” At this, Director Mo let out a sigh and sagged weakly into her chair, defeat written all over her.

The chair behind her had been used for so many years that time had stripped it of all comfort; it was as hard as stone—much like the situation the orphanage now faced.

“Mama Mo, I’ll call Brother Ran and see if he has any ideas.” Mo Ya, understanding the situation, wanted to call Mo Ran for help.

“No.” Unexpectedly, the next second, Mama Mo waved her hand to stop her.

“Why?” Mo Ya couldn’t understand. Something this serious had happened to the orphanage—surely Mo Ran should know.

“For the sake of the orphanage, Xiao Ran has already sacrificed so much, given so much. We shouldn’t trouble him any further. He’s already done enough.” Though burdened by countless worries, Director Mo remained clear-headed and resolute. Yet in her heart, she regretted telling Mo Ran about this yesterday.

“You’re right.” Hearing Director Mo’s words, Mo Ya finally understood. She remembered that Mo Ran was already divorced—the family of the “sister-in-law” she’d never met had looked down on him, which led to the divorce. Now he was still selling barbecue on the street; she couldn’t trouble him again. Silently, she stifled her own thoughts.

Elsewhere, Mo Ran, determined to set aside his worries for a while, was busy with his own affairs.

He’d made another trip to the electronics market, hoping to find a meat slicer larger than his own. But to his disappointment, meat slicers weren’t like clothes, which came in small, medium, and large. There were only two kinds: domestic and commercial. The domestic ones were small and portable, but the commercial ones were massive—two meters long, easily able to handle a hundred or even two hundred pounds of meat in just an hour. After some thought, Mo Ran shook his head and gave up. He decided he’d go to bed earlier and get up an hour sooner to buy meat at the market. The question of machinery could wait until sales improved.

He returned to his rented room in the afternoon, still without having eaten. Just then, Xiao Xiao messaged him, telling him that the Civil Affairs Bureau of Shanghai had received a funding application from Director Mo of the orphanage.

The news left Mo Ran baffled—wasn’t there still some time before that was necessary? He messaged Xiao Xiao for details. When he learned Director Mo had applied for a full three hundred thousand in assistance, a sense of foreboding filled his heart.

He forced down a few mouthfuls of plain steamed bun and headed out again. Taking the subway and then a shared bicycle, he made his way to the orphanage in half an hour. Unexpectedly, he ran into Mo Ya, who was just heading out on her electric scooter.

“Brother Ran, what brings you here?” Mo Ya greeted him with delight.

“There’s such a big problem at the orphanage—why didn’t you tell me?” Mo Ran’s face was cold, his tone agitated. All these years, he’d known Director Mo well; with her proud character, she would never have filed an application unless she was truly desperate.

“Brother Ran, don’t worry. Mama Mo can handle it.” Mo Ya instantly caught the meaning behind his words but could only feign ignorance, her answers evasive.

“Oh, she can handle it? You know this as well, don’t you? Mama Mo isn’t young anymore—how do you expect her to handle it?” But Mo Ran immediately fixed her with a glare, his voice raised in anger.

“I…” Mo Ya hadn’t expected Mo Ran to trap her like that. Startled, she was left speechless, her rosy lips parted but unable to utter a word.

“Xiao Ran, I told Xiao Ya not to say anything. Don’t take it out on her.” At this moment, Director Mo’s voice broke the tense atmosphere like a timely rain.

“Mama Mo, what happened this morning? Why did you suddenly file the application?” Seeing her approaching from the direction of the subway, Mo Ran understood she’d just returned from the Civil Affairs Bureau and asked, needing an explanation.

“Xiao Ran, how did you know I went to the Civil Affairs Bureau?” Director Mo was taken aback, clearly surprised.

“I… I have a friend who works there. He knows my situation—today he saw the orphanage’s application and told me about it.” Mo Ran’s eyes flickered as he explained, keeping Xiao Xiao’s involvement to himself.

“Well, isn’t that great?” Mo Ya chimed in with a grin, not thinking much of it. “Let your friend pull some strings and get it approved quickly.”

“Xiao Ya, don’t talk nonsense,” Director Mo scolded sharply. That wasn’t something to joke about.

“Alright, alright.” Mo Ya pouted.

“That’s enough, don’t just stand around outside. Xiao Ya, you should head to work. Xiao Ran, come in and sit for a while,” Director Mo said.

“It’s fine, it’s still early. I’ll keep Brother Ran company for a bit—otherwise, once I go back, there’s no one to talk to anyway.” Mo Ya stuck out her tongue, laughing playfully.

“Fine, do as you like.” Director Mo shook her head helplessly, and the three of them went into the orphanage.

In the office, Mo Ran learned the details of the morning’s events. Though worried and anxious, he felt powerless—all of it seemed so reasonable. The house belonged to someone else; if they wanted to raise the rent, it was perfectly legal and justified.

But that was the crux of the problem. Because of Shanghai’s development plans, the surrounding area—though now connected by subway—was still the cheapest part of the city for rent. Unlike other places, it was already good if these houses could be rented out at all. There was no reason for the landlord to stir up trouble as soon as he took over. Everyone was just trying to earn a living; there was no point in making enemies.

Director Mo herself couldn’t understand it either. She’d rented this place for years, and the rents in the surrounding apartments hadn’t soared.

At that moment, Mo Ya remembered her dissatisfaction from earlier and grumbled, “All he wants is money. That Ke Sheng, or whatever his name is, is clearly a lecher—he tried to flirt with me on his way out.”

At her words, Mo Ran shot to his feet, seething with rage. He had always treated Mo Ya as his own sister—this was intolerable.

But the next moment, a single sentence from Director Mo forced his anger back down…