CHAPTER 534: CHAPTER 534: ADOPTION

The car pulled up on the roadside opposite the Ardendale Welfare Home. The crude parking spot and the asphalt road exuded a sense of indifference and desolation in the autumn. Evelyn Clayton gazed out the car window towards the opposite side of the road, her eyes fixed in a contemplative stare, for a moment, she didn’t respond to James Grant’s words.

After a while, she slowly said, "This place is a national public welfare organization. If it’s relocated in the future, shouldn’t they find a new site for them as well?"

James Grant also looked at the old, peeling outer fence of the Ardendale Welfare Home across the street, feeling a moment of sigh.

"It’s hard to say," James Grant’s voice was slightly heavy, "these non-profit organizations suffer vitality losses when they relocate, and the funds allocated from above will only decrease rather than increase. Most of the time, they rely on donations from charitable organizations."

Evelyn suddenly understood something.

Could Julia Lawrence have suddenly come to the Ardendale Welfare Home that day to do charity work and donate money to the place that raised her since childhood?

To confirm this guess, they still needed to go and see.

Evelyn got out of the car without saying a word.

Seeing that she wasn’t in a good mood, James Grant said nothing and followed Evelyn out of the car, walking towards the opposite side of the road.

They arrived at the main entrance of the welfare home, where the gate was tightly closed. However, the window of the small security room was open, and inside, an elderly man, looking to be in his fifties or sixties, was resting with his eyes closed.

Slowly, Evelyn stepped forward and softly called out, "Sir—"

The elderly man was startled awake and looked over in confusion.

"Who are you?" The old man saw the man and woman before him, showing genuine puzzlement on his face.

After a moment, the old man seemed to realize something and hurriedly stood up and came out.

"Oh, you’re here to, here to adopt children?"

The old man appeared benevolent and kindly, and when he asked this, his eyes were full of hopeful delight, constantly rubbing his hands.

Upon hearing this, James Grant felt a slight movement in his heart and instinctively glanced at Evelyn.

Evelyn’s brow moved imperceptibly as she decided to go along with it and nodded in response, "We would like to have a look first. It’s our first time here today. Is that convenient?"

"Convenient, of course convenient!" The old man was filled with joy, hurriedly leading the two of them inside, endlessly chattering, "Ah, now there are fewer couples adopting children. These kids are living frugally at the welfare home. If one can be adopted out, it’s a blessing!"

It seemed to be naptime at the welfare home, as no children were in sight in the yard. The autumn wind swept away fallen leaves, which fell on the swing set, giving a sense of bleakness.

The elderly man led them through the large door of the bungalow, diligently introducing the welfare home’s situation to them.

"Our director should have just woken up from a nap, and the kids are about to get up too. If you wait for a short while, you’ll be able to see the children soon."

Evelyn responded to the old man’s words, her gaze sweeping across the welfare home.

This large bungalow looked like a small school built in some villages. Upon entering, there was a large open hall, with two display boards on each side, filled with many photos of children of various sizes.

The right side had more than ten small facing doors that appeared to be where the children slept. At the end was a corridor turning somewhere out of sight.

The elderly man led them to the left, stopping in front of a wooden door with a sign that read "Director’s Office," and raised his hand to knock.

"Director, are you there?"

Someone quickly responded from inside, and then the wooden door was opened by a middle-aged woman with fair skin and a round face.

"Hello, are you here for adoption?"