✓𝐀𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐄𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 『𝑀𝑜𝑛𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑔』

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 51: Orphanage

I can't remember if I already said Xiu's age🥲 I'll just go along with 26 years old.

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An old orphanage resting in a desolate area away from the main road greeted them with its crumbling walls and barely hanging roofs. The cobblestones seemed to have been split in two, first half covered in moss while the rest leading to the small courtyard looked untouched by the natural disasters. Tang felt it odd for the place to be divided, but as Xiu explained her origins which started off in this place, the group weren't so uneasy about it.

"Dai Lu will be thrilled to see you. She wouldn't stop making you the lead example for the others, even though they probably couldn't remember you anymore," says Xiaobo, walking beside the woman with his arms behind his head.

"How many new ones are there in the flock?"

"Five. One set of twins and three girls."

"Guess it doesn't change that much..." she eyed the young ones playing around, and they stared just as much with curiosity and hope in their eyes.

"Xiaobo!!!" a booming shout echoed in the courtyard. An old lady came running out the hall with a huff in her steps, a cane in hand, ready to swing at the boy for whatever he had done this time, "You caused trouble with the travelers again, didn't you?! I oughta cut off your limbs for real if you keep this up!"

"I didn't do it this time!" he hid behind Xiu to avoid getting hit as soon as she's on range.

"Oh really?" Pigsy raises a brow at him. MK nudges his side, a frown directed at him while he adjusts Monkey King on his back.

The old woman stops in front of them, her glassy eyes locking onto Xiu. "Good heavens... Is that you cookie?"

Xiu giggled at the familiar nickname and comes to hug the orphanage caretaker, "It's good to see you, ayi Dai Lu."

Dai Lu poured tea on their glasses, and serves one in front of the meditating simian on the lobby. The old woman bowed to him as respect to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and returns to the kitchen to tend to the guests. Then she serves each of them sandwiches before sitting down. "Goodness, it's been ten years. How's your life? Your parents doesn't mistreat you, do they?"

"Oh they're really nice. I've been the only child in the family right now, so there's some spoiling going on sometimes."

"You were an orphan?" MK asks in interest as he was in a similar position if not for Pigsy taking him in.

"Yeah. I grew up here 'till I was 16, actually."

"Wow, Xiu, you must've really lucked out!" says Mei.

While they're having snacks and talking amongst themselves, Monkey King opens his eyes and sees he's surrounded by children. Some of them had snots on their faces and missing some teeth, two poking at his sides and one grabbing onto his tail. "Uh..."

"Are you friendly?" asks one little girl in pigtails.

Back inside the kitchen, a few minutes into discussion of Xiu's childhood, Xiaobo joins them and snatches a sandwich from the second batch that Dai Lu just made.