Good Man Operation Guide

Chapter 117.2: The Research Fanatic Who Lost His Child (3)

A kind smile, an equitable attitude, and a hand that reached out to shake hands with him...

Wang Xuan had never experienced a hand shake with anyone before. The people he came into contact with were those who didn’t require manners, and those who did, had never made contact with him. Therefore, when he saw the palm of that white, clean hand, which was even wearing an expensive watch, stretched out in front of him, he was stunned for a few seconds. Then, he hastily took his hand out of his thick glove and shook it.

His hands were clean. Wang Xuan washed his hands before he wore his gloves. Therefore, although he was hurrying, his expression didn’t show any inferiority.

There was nothing to be ashamed of. He treated others as they treated him.

After the friendly handshake between the two, Wang Xuan subconsciously made some gestures. Then, he remembered that this intellectual in front of him might not know sign language. So, he took out a pen and paper, and simply stated that he was mute from the beginning and briefly wrote down his selfintroduction on it.

As he wrote, the man who had been standing quietly didn’t look curious or inquisitive, which made Wang Xuan’s heart relax a little. His writing speed became a bit less hurried.

He could write. A man in the organization, who allowed him to use his last name liked the children. Even if they were disabled, he would teach them to read and write when they came back from begging. Some children were tired and didn’t want to waste time studying, but Wang Xuan was very obedient. He learned whatever the man taught them.

It wasn’t that he knew how to read and write from a very young age, he just wanted to be complimented for studying.

When the organization broke up and Wang Xuan started to interact with the outside world, he realized how important it was to know how to read and write. Therefore, when he found a place to live and made money, the first thing he did was to buy himself a dictionary. Every day before going to bed, he had to hold the dictionary and read it for a while before falling asleep.

Of course, his handwriting was somewhat ugly, but the characters were recognizable. When he had finished and laid it out in front of Lin Shiheng, he smiled and nodded quite naturally.

“I heard the landlord call you Ah Xuan, then I’ll call you Ah Xuan too.”

He didn’t ask questions about why he was living here by himself at such a young age. His attitude was natural, as if Wang Xuan wasn’t mute and talking to him with his mouth.

Wang Xuan inevitably took a liking to this man and thought, ‘this is a nice neighbor’. No matter the situation, a respectful person was always likeable.

He wanted to ask why a man like Mr. Lin, who clearly wasn’t short of money, wanted to move here, but it was a bit rude to ask this sort of questions on their first meeting. He should respect the other person because he respected him.

So after a short introduction, he excused himself and turned to push his cart through the gate.

Little did he know that, just as he skillfully pushed the cart into the gate, there were a pair of tearful eyes watching his every move with longing and love.

Lin Shiheng watched as Wang Xuan entered his door and nodded politely to himself as he closed it. He smiled and nodded in return and watched the door slowly close before turning around and heading back to the next room he had just rented.

It was a room as shabby as Wang Xuan’s. Because the previous owner, Chao Hong, wasn’t only a guitarist but also an alcoholic, the room reeked of booze and the floor was covered with rubbish. He failed to clean up in time because he moved out in a hurry.

Zhou Chuchu, the lady of the house, was cleaning. When she heard the landlord call out that name, her tears fell. If Lin Shiheng hadn’t stopped her, the mother, who had been looking for her child for 10 years, would have rushed out.

Because Mr. Lin’s morning run was on the exact same route he took to town, the two would chat on the way. Mr. Lin would tell him little interesting stories about working in the laboratory, such as a student’s dare, where a bottle of chemicals was placed with a small note on it, saying that it was poisonous, so people had to be careful with it.

Then, a student opened the bottle and drank it.

Wang Xuan, in a rare moment of surprise, stared in disbelief, gesturing and asking if this student was trying to commit suicide.

This image of him made Mr. Lin laugh, “Of course not, silly child.”

Mr. Lin reached out and rubbed his head, moving very naturally. He smiled and said, “That student tricked everyone. He wouldn’t dare use the real thing. Otherwise, if he was unlucky, there would be a fatal accident.”

His natural movement caused Wang Xuan to fall into a daze. No one had ever rubbed his head before. Even the man from the organization, surnamed Wang. He didn’t really want to touch the heads of the little kids who basically never washed their hair.

Mr. Lin was unfazed and had an easygoing elder’s appearance. Mr. Lin was gentle, and would always smile at him every day. It gave Wang Xuan, who had never felt much warmth, a different feeling.

He got his first home cooked meal when Mrs. Lin cooked porridge for two in the morning. Mr. Lin had no appetite and went out for an early morning run, so she knocked on the neighbor’s door and invited him to help finish the meal.

Not much food was cooked, but it was delicious. Even the bowl of porridge tasted just right. Mrs. Lin sat across from him, smiling and stretching out her chopsticks to give him some food, telling him repeatedly to eat more, as children need to eat well in order to grow.

Wang Xuan also had the opportunity to visit the Lin’s place. He had been to Chao Hong’s place before, when there were beer bottles all over the floor. The bed was unkempt and the air was filled with a foul stench of various odors mixed together.

He only came once and never visited again. At that time, he wondered how on earth did Chao Hong endure such conditions in the past.

Instead, when the same house was in Mr. and Mrs. Lin’s hands, it looked completely different. The uneven floor was cleaned up, and the bed was neatly made and clean. Perhaps because the wardrobe was too worn out, they kept their folded clothes in a box, and there were some paintings on the wall, all of which were of this little rundown building.

After receiving Mrs. Lin’s permission, Wang Xuan went closer to view the paintings. Perhaps in the eyes of an artist, all kinds of things were beautiful, at least in these paintings, the ugly and worn-out building, which many people disliked, carried a sense of beauty. It was as if it didn’t become like this because of the various vandalisms, but made to look like this on purpose.

The figure pushing a cart in front of the building also caught Wang Xuan’s eye. He was surprised and turned back to look at Mrs. Lin, pointing to the painting and then to himself, meaning: ‘Is this me?’

Mrs. Lin smiled at him as he looked at the painting. When she saw him ask, she nodded, “Every time I paint, you just happen to be going out, so I included you in the painting. If Ah Xuan minds, I won’t paint you in it in the future.”

Wang Xuan quickly shook his head to indicate that he didn’t mind. He turned his head and continued to look at himself in the painting on the wall with a feeling of novelty.

As far as he could remember, he only had his picture taken once, and that was for his ID card. It was well known that such pictures could be ugly to the point of no return, and a proper photo shoot was something Wang Xuan had never experienced before.

Now, in such a painting, his appearance, his movements, and his clothes were preserved in that form. Wang Xuan didn’t know how to paint, but he could see that Mrs. Lin painted him in great detail.