Yun Chu Ling

Chapter 234: Winter Will Pass

The dawn of early winter arrived increasingly later.

Yun Chu also found it harder to crawl out from under the covers.

Nevertheless, she maintained her personal discipline. After briefly closing her eyes, she rose and dressed in casual attire, following Qiutong to the courtyard for martial arts practice.

Half a year had passed since she began training. She noticed her strength growing steadily, her reactions becoming sharper. Though not yet capable of facing ten opponents alone, she could now protect herself without any difficulty.

The maids Ting Xue and Ting Feng, who practiced alongside her, had also significantly improved their physical endurance.

"Next, this servant will begin teaching the young mistress how to wield a short sword," Qiutong announced, holding her own short sword. She demonstrated a complete sword routine before Yun Chu, then meticulously taught each movement and posture.

With her foundation already established, Yun Chu learned with increasing speed.

"Mother, what are you doing?"

A child's voice rang through the morning light.

Yun Chu turned to see the little fellow leaning against the doorway, his small head peeking out as he watched them curiously.

Ting Xue hurried over to drape a thick outer garment over the young master.

"So Mother practices martial arts every morning. I've lived with you this long and only just found out," the child pouted. "I want to learn too."

Yun Chu sheathed her short sword and went to lift him up. "Of course you can learn, but first you need to build up your health."

"My health is already excellent," the child nestled in Yun Chu's arms. "Martial arts is men's business. Mother, you shouldn't learn - it's too hard. Father can protect you now, and when he grows old, I'll be grown up and can protect you instead."

Yun Chu felt sweeter than if she'd eaten honey.

Carrying the child inside, she dressed him. "Focus on your studies first. When it's time to learn martial arts, you'll naturally begin."

Having trained for half a year, she knew how arduous martial practice could be, and couldn't bear to subject her child to such hardship.

After dressing and finishing breakfast, Yun Chu saw Yu Ge'er off to the other side of the gate passage. Cheng Zongguan took the child's hand and led him to the front courtyard, then onward to the Imperial College.

The sky had fully brightened by now.

Yun Chu woke the little girl from bed. "Changsheng, time to get up. After breakfast, Mother will take you somewhere fun."

The girl blinked her innocent large eyes, taking a while to fully awaken.

She sat obediently on the bed, not relying entirely on Yun Chu to dress her - doing what she could herself, utterly well-behaved.

Yun Chu planned to take the children to the orphanage.

Today marked the first day the orphanage would officially accept orphaned children.

With many children there, being among peers would benefit Changsheng both physically and mentally.

Bringing her personal attendants Ting Xue and Qiutong, along with four guards, they boarded a carriage heading toward the suburban orphanage.

After roughly an hour's journey, they saw rows of buildings already constructed within the orphanage grounds. Walls enclosed the compound, which included a low hill and a lake - creating a refreshing landscape with both mountains and water.

"Chu'er, you've arrived."

Yun Qin came forward to greet Yun Chu's arrival.

Though several years older than Yun Chu and technically her cousin, their family branches were too distant. She wouldn't dare assume any elder-cousin authority before Yun Chu.

"Cousin Qin is too courteous," Yun Chu said, alighting from the carriage with the child. "Is everything prepared in all aspects?"After Yun Qin took charge of the orphanage, she moved out from her maternal home and began living and eating at the facility, managing all affairs there personally.

"Everything is ready," Yun Qin said with a smile. "We're just waiting for you to unveil the plaque."

As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the child in Yun Chu's arms, wondering whose child this was and why they were so intimate with Chu'er. There was a young girl of similar age in the Xie family—could this be their child? But regardless of whose child it was, it wasn't something her distant cousin should concern herself with.

Yun Qin led Yun Chu and the others to the main entrance. Looking up, they saw a plaque hanging above the doorway, covered with a red cloth. Many children in tattered clothes stood at the entrance—the oldest around ten years old, the youngest still an infant being held by an orphanage worker.

Some of these children had been heartlessly sent here by their families, while most were wandering orphans who had heard about the orphanage's existence and came together to see what it was about.

Yun Chu handed Changsheng to Ting Xue to hold. The little girl had grown familiar with Ting Xue and the others by now, so being passed between them wasn't an issue.

Yun Chu ascended the steps and stood beneath the plaque, looking out at the large group of homeless orphans gathered at the entrance. "I am Yun Chu. Some of you may know me, but you might not know what I've been through," her gentle voice flowed like a babbling stream in everyone's ears. "There was a time when I fell into endless darkness. It was children's laughter that pulled me out of that darkness. To me, children are the purest beings in this world... Perhaps it was from that moment that a seed was planted in my heart—I wanted to save homeless children and create a warm home for them."

She reached out and pulled away the red silk cloth, revealing three characters: Orphanage.

"From now on, this orphanage will be your home," she said with a smile. "You may have resented life, you may have thought about giving up on living, but I want to ask you to keep believing that each one of you is the most unique existence in this world. Before, you were alone. From today onward, you are family... No matter how cold the winter may be, we will eventually welcome the blossoming spring."

As her words concluded, the children who had been wearing cautious expressions gradually let down their guard, looking curiously inside the gates.

Yun Chu smiled: "Children who decide to stay here, please come in to register your names, then follow me to receive blankets and clothes. Let's not miss meal time."

While the infants abandoned by their parents couldn't make choices, the older children looked at each other, somewhat hesitant.

"What are you afraid of..." an older child whispered. "It's only the first day. Even if they're bad people, they won't reveal their true colors so quickly. At the very least we can get a meal, and maybe even take away some blankets and clothes. However you look at it, we're the ones benefiting. Come on, let's go in!"

With the oldest child taking the lead, the other children immediately followed.

Yun Qin sat at the entrance, registering them: "What's your name? Where are you from? Why have you come to the orphanage alone... It's alright if you don't remember. We're registering this information to help you obtain new household registrations..."

The children who had completed their registration followed Yun Chu inside.Upon entering, the children immediately sensed that this place was completely different from the broken temple. The houses were newly built, with brand-new tables and chairs inside, and they could vaguely see neatly arranged beds in the wing rooms.

"Boys and girls, line up separately," Yun Chu said, standing at the front. "Form a queue one by one."

Just then, Chen Defu had people push in the newly purchased quilts and clothes on flatbed carts. Over a dozen carts were piled high with the items.

The scent of sun-dried cotton filled the children's nostrils, and one by one, their faces showed disbelief.

Were these brand-new quilts really for them?

It seemed they could even catch a whiff of fragrance in the air—the aroma of meat!

The children's mouths instantly began to water.