Chapter 89: The Burned Archives

Director Wang’s words landed like a thunderclap in everyone’s hearts.

Zi Xiaoyin felt half her heart go cold.

A flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes, and she said anxiously, “Then what should I do? I was so little when I was separated from my brother that I don’t even remember what he looks like. I really want to know whether he has been doing well.”

Director Wang comforted her. “Xiaoyin, don’t be too anxious. Some of the records were burned, but not all of them. Let’s look again.”

He led the group down a long corridor.

They stopped before a somewhat aged door.

A sign on it read: Archive Room.

Director Wang opened the door, and a wave of mildew and stale air rushed out.

The others waited outside for a moment before going in.

The room was dimly lit, lined with row after row of wooden shelves.

“This is where the orphanage keeps all its records and photographs. We can try looking for it here,” Director Wang said as he rolled up his sleeves and began searching.

Zi Xiaoyin stood behind him, her gaze drifting over the yellowed photographs and damaged file envelopes.

Many of the photos were scorched and incomplete.

Suddenly, her eyes fixed on a file envelope that had been burned halfway through.

She picked it up carefully, brushed away the dust, and examined it closely.

The date on the envelope matched the one Director Wang had mentioned.

What excited Zi Xiaoyin even more was the three words written on it: siblings.

“I think I found it!” she cried in excitement.

Everyone crowded around.

“Open it quickly,” Director Wang urged.

Zi Xiaoyin carefully opened the envelope. Inside were several photographs and a few scattered sheets of paper.

On the top lay a photograph of two children clinging tightly to each other.

The small girl was exactly how Zi Xiaoyin had looked as a child.

But the boy beside her had had the top of his head burned away, so his face could not be seen.

“That’s my brother!” Zi Xiaoyin said, handing the photo to Director Wang. “Director, where did my brother go after that? Did he grow up in the orphanage too?”

Director Wang searched through the contents of the file envelope and found the answer among the papers.

“Your brother was adopted half a year after you.”

“Do you know who adopted him?”

Director Wang rummaged through the papers for a while longer, then helplessly spread his hands. “I couldn’t find it. It must have been burned.”

Unable to find the answer, Zi Xiaoyin was disappointed.

She picked up the photo beneath it.

It showed a snuff bottle.

Gu Xiangnan’s heart gave a sudden jolt. Wasn’t that his snuff bottle?

He looked at Tao Yao, and Tao Yao was looking at him in confusion as well.

The two of them tacitly said nothing.

Wang Ke also stared at Gu Xiangnan in shock.

He knew Gu Xiangnan had that snuff bottle.

But since his brother had not spoken, he kept his mouth shut too.

Huang Ying was studying everyone’s expressions closely, and seeing that their faces had changed, she could not help feeling a hint of suspicion.

At that moment Zi Xiaoyin asked Director Wang, “Director, what is this?”

“When you and your brother arrived, you were already carrying this snuff bottle. It may have belonged to your parents.”

Zi Xiaoyin hurriedly pressed on. “Then what happened to this snuff bottle?”

“To be honest, it’s been missing for many years,” Director Wang said, somewhat ashamed.

“The orphanage had limited conditions, and security was always rather neglected. One year, someone climbed over the wall and stole quite a few things, including this snuff bottle.”

Seeing how anxious Zi Xiaoyin was, Gu Xiangnan could not bear it.

He took the snuff bottle from his pocket and held it out before her. “See if this is the one.”

Director Wang took it and compared it carefully.

Then he looked up in surprise and asked, “Young man, how did you come to have this snuff bottle?”

“I bought it at an auction.”

Zi Xiaoyin took it and examined it closely as well. “Yes, yes! It’s exactly the same! This is from my family.”

This snuff bottle held Tao Yao inside. If it was returned to Zi Xiaoyin, Tao Yao would leave with it.

Though he felt every kind of reluctance in his heart, reason told him this was Zi Xiaoyin’s only clue to finding her family. He truly had no excuse to keep it for himself.

Without further hesitation, Gu Xiangnan handed the snuff bottle to Zi Xiaoyin.

Tao Yao shot him an accusing look.

Gu Xiangnan pulled her aside and whispered, “Go back with her for now. Once she finds her brother, I’ll get you back.”

Tao Yao nodded, though not at all willingly.

Zi Xiaoyin thanked Director Wang. “Director, once I start working in the future, I’ll definitely come back to donate money and help more children.”

A thought struck Gu Xiangnan.

He noticed that although the orphanage was simply furnished and the buildings were old, everything had been kept very clean, and even the children were dressed neatly.

They had come unannounced. The staff could not possibly have prepared specially for them.

This showed that the people working here truly cared about the children.

“There’s no need to wait until then. Director Wang, I want to donate now.”

The director froze.

This young man had not mentioned making a donation when he first arrived.

Otherwise, he would have been a little more attentive.

“Director, I’ll donate five million,” Gu Xiangnan said, taking out a black card.

“Five million?”

Director Wang’s eyes widened.

That was no small sum. Whose young master was this, exactly?

“And how should I address you?” he asked.

“My surname is Gu.”

“Mr. Gu, hello! On behalf of all the children in the orphanage, I offer you our most sincere thanks!”

After the procedures were completed, the group left the orphanage.

Huang Ying sent a message to the Fusang Kampo Association:

Huang Ying reports: today Gu Xiangnan went to the orphanage and produced a snuff bottle.

A photo was attached below.

She was carrying a miniature video recorder, and this was a frame she had extracted from the footage.

After a long while, the other side finally replied:

This snuff bottle is of vital importance. Inside it is sealed the shikigami lost by the Hatoyama family.

Suzuki Genkuro went to great lengths to find it, only for Gu Xiangnan to snatch it away.

Every clash between the Fusang Kampo Association and Gu Xiangnan had ended in failure.

If the snuff bottle was in Gu Xiangnan’s hands, there was no way to take it back.

Huang Ying quickly replied:

It is no longer in Gu Xiangnan’s hands. It is now with a girl named Zi Xiaoyin.

A new order came almost immediately from the other side:

Design a plan at once. You must recover the snuff bottle.

Yes!

Huang Ying immediately took out her phone and dialed a number.

“Xiaoyin, are you going to the hospital to keep Auntie company tonight? I’ll pick you up, and we can go together!”

“Senior Huang, you really don’t need to come today.”

“It’s all right. I’ve already prepared Auntie’s favorite porridge. I’ve been simmering it for hours.”

Hearing her say that, Zi Xiaoyin found it hard to refuse and had no choice but to agree.

Following the address Zi Xiaoyin had given her, Huang Ying found Rose Garden Villa District.

She rang the doorbell.

Soon, the door slowly opened, and a tall woman with a cold expression appeared before her.

It was Wang Mei.

Wang Mei was clearly trained. Though she was no match for Gu Xiangnan, she was formidable in the eyes of ordinary people.

Her steps struck the ground with a sharp sound. Huang Ying immediately judged that this was a martial artist, someone not to be underestimated.