Hearts of Gold: 1-4 Place to Call Home

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Wenrou stops Jiaojiao from handing out clothes and food, and her plans to help the orphans encounter obstacles at every turn. Wenrou suggests a radical plan in depression. Will Jiaojiao still stand by her?

Info

Style: No dress-up component Required: Shen Jiaojiao Goodwill Lv. 4 Rewards: 3,000 , 600 , 1 , 1 , 1 , Blueprint: Breakthrough Desire

Breakthrough Desire

Dialogue Choices

Yuan Yu: It's almost noon, Miss. Would you like to have lunch?

• Yes
  • No change
• No
  • No change

Transcript

Expand for script.

• I want to provide food and winter clothes for those children, but unexpectedly, Wen Rou stops me.
• I know she must have a reason for stopping me. She's not heartless.
• I arrange for someone to lead the flower seller to the Shen residence, and I return to the courtyard with Wen Rou.

• Shen Jiaojiao: Wen Rou, why can't we give out food and winter clothes?

• Sitting together at the stone table in the courtyard, I notice her furrow her brows.
• Wen Rou: Jiaojiao, I know you care about those children, but do you realize how many others are in similar situations in this city?

• In my eagerness to help, I failed to consider the larger picture.
• Her reminder makes me reflect.
• Shen Jiaojiao: So you mean it's impossible for us to ensure every child is fed and clothed?

• Shen Jiaojiao: While a bundle of firewood can only offer so much in winter, it can still warm some people.

• Shen Jiaojiao: I understand I can't save everyone, but I still want to do what I can.

• My explanation is clear, but her expression remains unchanged.
• Wen Rou: If it were that simple, I wouldn't have stopped you.

• Wen Rou: Helping them isn't the issue, what matters is the aftermath!

• Shen Jiaojiao: The aftermath?

• Wen Rou: Anyone who receives winter clothes and food from you will be immensely grateful.

• Wen Rou: News will spread rapidly in the city.

• Wen Rou: And those enduring the cold and poverty will know you're the one who helped them.

• Wen Rou: What do you think would happen next?

• Shen Jiaojiao: (What would happen next...?)

• I ponder those words carefully and calm down from my earlier impulsiveness.
• Shen Jiaojiao: If news were to spread...

• Shen Jiaojiao: ...it could lead to crowds of people gathering outside the Shen residence, seeking alms.

• Wen Rou: Exactly.

• Shen Jiaojiao: It would be terrible to turn away someone who came to our residence seeking help.

• Shen Jiaojiao: But helping those people might just lead to larger crowds gathering.

• Wen Rou: And if the house of a government official were to be inexplicably surrounded by crowds of people...

• Wen Rou: Rumors would spread throughout Beidu within half a day.

• Wen Rou: So as much as you want to help...

• Shen Jiaojiao: ...I have to consider how my actions could affect my family.

• With this in mind, we both sigh.
• Shen Jiaojiao: All the scenarios we're discussing revolve around what might happen once they know who I am.

• Shen Jiaojiao: But what if I didn't reveal my identity? Then they wouldn't be able to find me.

• Wen Rou gently taps my sleeve.
• Wen Rou: Do you truly believe that people who live on the streets all day long know nothing?

• Wen Rou: The design of your carriage, the residence plaque hanging on the eaves, and even Yuan Yu trailing behind you...

• Wen Rou: All of this reveals who you are.

• Wen Rou: People will find ways to gather the information they need.

• Wen Rou: You can't hide anything from them.

• I let out a sigh, and she remains silent for a moment. We sit together in the sheltered pavilion for a long time.
• The tea I'm holding has gotten cold. I take a sip and feel the icy chill travel down my throat and into my stomach.
• Finally, I taste a hint of bitterness.
• On a winter day, it doesn't take long for a cup of tea to become this cold. As I savor the sip I took, a sense of dissatisfaction lingers in my heart.
• Shen Jiaojiao: So, we're not going to do anything about it...?

• Shen Jiaojiao: (If something as light as duckweed can float against the current, a single act of kindness can perhaps save someone.)

• As the wind picks up in the courtyard, Wen Rou and I go inside the house. Yuan Yu has also returned.

• Yuan Yu: Miss, the arrangements for the burial have all been taken care of, and we can proceed with the burial in a couple of days.

• Shen Jiaojiao: Thank you, Yuan Yu. May he find peace.

• Yuan Yu: It's almost noon, Miss. Would you like to have lunch?

Yes

• She's right. After everything that's happened today, it's almost noon.
• With so much on our mind, I only realized how hungry I am after Yuan Yu's reminder.
• Shen Jiaojiao: Yes. Wen Rou will be joining me for lunch in my room.

No

• Shen Jiaojiao: It's already time for a meal, but I don't feel hungry.

• Shen Jiaojiao: Would you like some lunch, Wen Rou?

• She shakes her head.
• Wen Rou: I'm not really hungry.

• Shen Jiaojiao: It's important to eat regular meals. Yuan Yu, bring us some plain congee and side dishes.

• Suddenly, inspiration strikes. I grab Wen Rou's hand and speak up.
• Shen Jiaojiao: Wen Rou, why don't we distribute porridge?

• Shen Jiaojiao: Distributing porridge in winter is something that many wealthy families would do.

• Shen Jiaojiao: We can keep more rice on hand so that more people can have a hot meal.

• Shen Jiaojiao: What do you think?

• I know that distributing porridge can only be a temporary measure.
• But it's better to do something than nothing, no matter how insignificant it may be.
• I look at Wen Rou, but she doesn't seem to agree.
• Shen Jiaojiao: What's wrong with distributing porridge?

• Wen Rou: There's nothing wrong with it, it's just that it would be treating the symptoms and not the root cause.

• Her words became softer and softer.
• Shen Jiaojiao: To address the root cause... Ultimately, what these orphaned children lack the most...

• My throat tightens as I picture the flower seller bowing her head and kneeling beside her father.
• Shen Jiaojiao: ...is a home.

• Wen Rou: Yes, exactly!

• Wen Rou: Jiaojiao, I want to give these children a home, a shelter from the wind and rain, a home where they'll have a family!

• Wen Rou looks excited, and her eyes light up.
• Shen Jiaojiao: Although Beidu is wealthier than other areas in Yuanning, I don't think many families would be willing to adopt these children.

• Wen Rou: No, I'm not talking about adoption. I mean that I want to give these children a home that belongs to them collectively!

• Wen Rou: An orphanage.

• Shen Jiaojiao: An orphanage?!

• Her words stir up a momentary storm in my heart.
• Wen Rou: Yes, an orphanage.

• Wen Rou: Not somewhere that begrudgingly takes them in out of pity, but a true home.

• From the first time I saw Wen Rou, I knew she was brave, confident, and daring.
• Her eyes always sparkle, and now as she looks at me, I see the brightness in her eyes intensify, illuminating me as well, making me feel like taking action.
• Shen Jiaojiao: Setting up an orphanage won't be an easy task. Think of how many such children there are in the city.

• Shen Jiaojiao: You'd have to buy a house, hire someone to take care of it all year round, and make sure the children are safe and well-provided for.

• Shen Jiaojiao: It's not something you and I can accomplish. Besides, Beidu has a large population, and the mansions of high-ranking families are all located here.

• Shen Jiaojiao: So buying and selling land is not only complicated, but there are also many additional regulations involved. Therefore, we can't even proceed with the first step.

• Wen Rou: I haven't been in Beidu for long, so I don't know much about such things...

• Wen Rou: But if you can't buy a house directly, there are always other ways.

• Shen Jiaojiao: Wen Rou, what about maintaining the house, and hiring people to...

• She interrupts me.
• Wen Rou: Jiaojiao, I know this could be difficult, even a bit crazy.

• Wen Rou: But I think those children are worth it. Every child in the world should have a home.

• She looks at me intently.
• Words rise in my throat, but in the end, I can't speak them.
• Wen Rou: If we succeed, more kind-hearted people will join us in the future.

• Wen Rou: Then more and more children are able to be taken in, and our actions will be multiplied many times over.

• Wen Rou: That's what we want.

• I gaze at her.
• Shen Jiaojiao: You're right. Yes, that's what we want.

• In the afternoon, after Wen Rou leaves, I begin carefully reviewing all the necessary procedures.
• I ask Yuan Yu to inquire about the regulations for purchasing houses in Beidu.
• In one afternoon, the table in my bedroom is piled with papers covered in calculations.
• Yuan Yu: Miss, vacant houses in Beidu are rare, and most of them are owned by wealthy families.

• Yuan Yu: If you want to buy a house, you might have to go around and visit a few places...

• Shen Jiaojiao: It's not appropriate for me to be seen going around publicly engaging in business dealings. It would also arouse suspicion if I rashly received visitors.

• Shen Jiaojiao: (Is there really no solution to the problem?)

• I put down the brush in my hand and look at the messy papers on the table, furrowing my brows and pondering.
• Yuan Yu: Miss, do you really want to open an orphanage?

• Yuan Yu: Forgive me if it's not my place to say this, but I've never heard of anyone doing such a thing in Beidu.

• Yuan Yu: You are the eldest daughter of the Shen family, why do you have to associate with beggars? This will only give people something to ridicule and criticize, won't it?

• Shen Jiaojiao: Yuan Yu, I study and practice decorum not just to uphold the Shen family's reputation and values, but also to stay true to myself.

• Shen Jiaojiao: Decorum is not a means to compare yourself with others, show off, or criticize others.

• Shen Jiaojiao: Rather, it's to help people understand the importance of mutual respect and harmonious relationships.

• Shen Jiaojiao: That's what decorum's truly about.

• Although my intentions are good and I sincerely want to help others, looking at the pages covering the table, I can't help but sigh.
• Shen Jiaojiao: No matter how I try to work it out, if we buy a house, we won't be able to hire someone to take care of it too.

• Shen Jiaojiao: If we want to keep these children in our care all year round, what Wen Rou and I are able to contribute financially won't be enough...

• Shen Jiaojiao: (I wonder if Wen Rou has thought of any good ideas.)

• After saving the flower seller that day, I don't see Wen Rou again for several days.

• Yuan Yu: Miss, the servant who was sent to the Wen residence has returned with a letter saying that Miss Wen isn't home today.

• Yuan Yu: This is already the third day, and it's the same sentence every time. I think she regrets the idea she proposed to you, and now she's trying to avoid you.

• Shen Jiaojiao: She wouldn't do that.

• Yuan Yu: Are you sure?

• Shen Jiaojiao: Yes, she's not that kind of person.

• Shen Jiaojiao: If she's changed her mind, she'd come tell me honestly. She wouldn't just avoid me.

• Yuan Yu: Do you think you could be thinking too highly of Miss Wen?

• Shen Jiaojiao: Not at all.

• Shen Jiaojiao: Someone who declared that every child in the world should have a home won't give up so easily.

• Shen Jiaojiao: I've known her long enough to be sure of that.

• Shen Jiaojiao: I'll just wait a little longer, she will definitely come to find me.

• After a few more days, I no longer send word to the Wen residence. I just stay at home, continuing with my financial calculations.
• Finally, a visitor is announced.

• A familiar figure walks quickly towards me.
• Wen Rou: Jiaojiao! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long!