Chapter 1209 Orphanage

Location: Russia.

On the frozen soil of Siberia, a gray-blue three-story building stands alone in the snow. The icicles hanging on the iron fence are like rows of sharp fangs, and the copper doorplate at the main entrance is half covered by snow, with a few mottled words "Orphanage" faintly visible.

In the warm yellow light coming through the second-floor window, a silver-grey head was pressing against the glass, exhaling white mist. Slender fingers were drawing crooked patterns on the frost, and the big grey eyes reflected the raging snowstorm outside the window.

"You're lying on the windowsill again, be careful not to catch a cold." A gentle voice came from behind, accompanied by the touch of a blanket draped over her shoulders. The little girl with silver-gray hair turned around and saw a pair of gray eyes that looked exactly like hers—but there were fine lines at the corners of these eyes. She was using her bony fingers to help the girl tie the blanket tightly.

There was a sudden commotion downstairs, and the sound of metal boots hitting the floor came closer and closer. A blond woman flashed at the stairs, and a woman in military uniform shook off the snow on her shoulders and smiled at the two people inside.

"Mom Cocolia." The little girl immediately jumped down from the windowsill, but because she moved too quickly, she tripped over the blanket.

The blonde woman stepped forward and held the little girl firmly with her big leather-gloved hands. "Bronya Zajicek," she said in a gentle but helpless voice, "I've told you many times not to run in the corridor. Also, don't call me mom, your mom is the one behind you."

Bronya glanced at her mother behind her, but her little hands tightly grasped the corner of the blonde woman's clothes: "But you are just like your mother..."

"You should call her Teacher Kokolia." The gray-haired woman, Alexandra, gently corrected her daughter, her fingers gently combing her daughter's hair that was blown up by static electricity. Then she turned to the blonde woman with an apologetic smile on her lips: "I'm sorry, this child can never change."

Cocolia took off her snow-covered military cap, revealing a mature and intellectual face. She squatted down and looked at Bronya: "I promised to teach you martial arts, remember?" She took out an exquisite mechanical pocket watch from her military uniform pocket, "If you perform well today, this will be given to you."

Alexandra coughed twice. "Cocolia, she's still a child. Isn't it too early...?"

"It won't hurt to learn more in this era." Cocolia said, her eyes sweeping across the increasingly fierce snow outside the window, "Besides, Bronya has a good talent."

There was a sudden commotion at the end of the corridor. A pink-haired girl stumbled over with a panicked look on her face: "Mom Cocolia! The door of the storage room was blown open by the wind, and the food is buried in the snow!"

"Blown away by the wind?"

Cocolia was slightly stunned. She put her military cap back on and nodded to Alexandra: "I'll go check the situation."

Bronya tugged at Cocolia's clothes and said, "I want to go too."

"It's very cold outside..." Alexandra was about to dissuade her daughter, but she saw that her daughter had already put on her thick cotton jacket.

At the door of the storage room, three children in thin clothes were standing helplessly in the snow. The oldest girl was about ten years old, holding two younger children tightly in her arms. There were still traces of tears on their faces, and a few bags of flour soaked by snow were scattered at their feet.

"S-Sorry..." The leading girl's voice trembled, "We are just too hungry..."

Cocolia paused for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and squatted down. She took off her scarf and gently wrapped it around the neck of the youngest child: "I was inconsiderate. I should have taken you to the restaurant first."

Bronya poked her head out from behind Cocolia and looked at the new kids curiously. The pink-haired girl pouted: "That's our last flour!"

"Rosalia," Cocolia stopped him softly, then turned to the new girls, "When you're hungry next time, just come to me or Mama Alexandra, okay?"

The oldest girl's eyes were wet: "You...you won't punish us?"

Cocolia touched her head gently: "This is your home." She stood up and took the youngest girl's cold hand. "Now, let's go to the kitchen to boil some hot milk. Bronya, can you help me get some honey?"

Bronya nodded, and suddenly seemed to remember something and took out a small cloth bag from her pocket. Inside was a few fruit candies that she treasured. She distributed the candies to the new girls: "This is very sweet. You won't feel cold after eating it."

The youngest girl smiled and carefully peeled off the candy wrapper. Cocolia watched this scene, and her eyes met Alexandra standing in the shadow of the corridor. The two mothers exchanged a tacit smile.

In the warm dining room, the crackling of the firewood in the fireplace dispelled the coldness from the children. On the long wooden table were several bowls of steaming milk, and the sweet aroma of honey mixed with the scent of cinnamon filled the air. Bronya carefully handed the honey jar to Cocolia and watched the blonde woman slowly pour the amber liquid into each child's bowl.

The three new girls sat stiffly at a corner of the dining table. The youngest one was sipping hot milk, and her cheeks finally turned red. Although Rosalia complained, she still shared half of the milk in her bowl with the oldest new girl.

"Drink slowly, be careful of the heat." Alexandra gently reminded, her finger gently brushing the corner of a girl's mouth that was stained with milk. She watched Cocolia skillfully distribute bread slices to each child, and a trace of worry flashed in her gray eyes.

When the last child was full, the restaurant gradually quieted down. The children gathered in a corner to play. Bronya was happily chatting with her friends. A girl with short black and blue hair beside her was listening to her quietly with an attentive smile on her face. Rosalia and another blue-haired girl who looked very similar to her were explaining the various "rules" of the orphanage to the three new friends.

Alexandra took the opportunity to clear the dishes and whispered to Cocolia, "Are there too many children being brought back recently?" She glanced at the crowded restaurant, "Last week it was the two sisters from the south, and today it's these three..."

"Yes," Cocolia gently stirred the hot tea in the cup, with a gentle smile on her lips. She looked at the children playing in the corner with a gentle look, "The orphanage is getting more and more lively."

"It's a bit strange... The surrounding area is relatively peaceful now, so where do all these homeless children come from?"