With thousand thanks and gratitude from the staff of the orphanage, Lawrence kept his fear deeply hidden in his heart, smiling politely and walked out of the orphanage door.
What will the young master say when he knows about it?
Gazing at the world dyed into ink by the heavy rain, Lawrence worriedly pondered, Would he withdraw all his donations? If he truly detests his father greatly.
But the money is not squeezed out of the limited property of the Bryan family, but his personal donation, and there is nothing to do with the Bryan family. If the young master really comes knocking on his door and demands to get his money back, he can explain it this way.
"Mr. Lawrence, please get on the car—"
The driver following him struggled to hold up a black umbrella against the howling wind, but the water splashes thrown up by the ground still soaked his trouser legs. The cold rainwater seeping through his wet trousers made his socks damp, causing him discomfort.
The driver opened the door of a deep blue Rolls-Royce parked by the side of the road for Mr. Lawrence, slightly bowed his body to invite him to get on, but to the driver's surprise, Mr. Lawrence did not step into the carriage, but turned around and stared quietly at the orphanage they just left in the rain for a long time.
"I want to walk alone, sank—"
With Sank's surprised gaze, Mr. Lawrence took away his umbrella and without explanation, turned and walked away with the umbrella, following the original path.
"Mr. Lawrence?" The driver, Sank, asked in disarray.
"You go back first, Sank—"
Mr. Lawrence's hoarse and low voice could be heard through the rain curtain.
"I want to be alone for a while, do you think you are worried that I can't find my way back?"
Sank's explanation was overwhelmed by the sound of rain, and Mr. Lawrence didn't hear it.
Perhaps the heavy rain has pressed down on the wide umbrella, Lawrence tightly gripped the cold umbrella rod with his hands that already had spots, his back was no longer as straight as when he was in the orphanage just now.
He walked slowly, and after a few steps, he stood still, gazing idly at the shops on both sides of this dim street that seemed to have been there for ages. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice Sank's car starting up and driving away with an anxious look from the driver's seat.
In a daze, he seemed to see the young Lord Bryan, dressed in ragged clothes, going in and out of these shops. Then, his eyes became sore.
A bicycle appeared at the corner of the road, with a heavy package loaded on the specially designed backseat. Judging from the rain cape worn by the person riding this cumbersome bicycle, this is probably the postman from the post office.
The heavy package, the slippery ground, and the fierce wind and rain made it difficult to ride the bicycle. Even from a distance, Lawrence could hear the postman's cursing as he struggled with the bicycle.
Lawrence took another step forward.
He had little time to meet with the young master, only two hours, but from the fact that the young master firmly refused to accept the property of the Bryan family, it could be seen that the young master and his father were almost identical in character—proud and stubborn.
Coming from an orphanage and being so young, the young master's financial situation could not be very good, as he still needed to support the orphanage. But even so, he refused a substantial inheritance, and although his father clearly loved the mother of the young master, he could not accept deception.
Lawrence sighed heavily, his cloudy eyes revealing confusion.
He had spent his life working for the Bryan family, taking care of the father of the young master, taking care of his grandfather witnessing the prosperity of this family and then, like a fleeting moment, it decayed quickly. No, it's not decay. Since his father fell ill, the Bryan family has collapsed.
At the age of over ninety, the Bryan family vanished, as if to say that his life of wholehearted dedication had no meaning.
Perhaps Lord Bryan had already come to terms with his impending death, but Mr. Lawrence must admit that he was not contented, he couldn't bear to see the Bryan family disappear.
The only way to prevent the Bryan family from disappearing completely is to have the young master return to the family.
This is not to say that the young master possesses exceptional business or political acumen. In his investigation, he could only find out that the young master came from this orphanage, and after leaving, where the young master went and what he did—there were no relevant pieces of information. But as long as the young master is willing to return home, the Bryan family exists.
Hula la la!
A gust of wind swept from behind, and the glass windows on both sides of the shops on the street rang like an earthquake, hula-la-la.
"Ow!"
Lawrence exclaimed softly in surprise, losing his grip on the umbrella in his distraction under the strong wind. His hat rolled around in the air and flew to the other side of the street, conveniently landing in a narrow gap between two buildings!
The large umbrella rolled across the ground, rolling and flinging itself several feet before colliding with the postman who was struggling to maintain his balance on the bicycle.
Clanging clanging--
Unlucky postman's eyes went black, and he fell heavily to the ground at once. And the heavy packages on the bicycle backseat also burst their ropes and rolled everywhere. One of them hit the low fence separating the sidewalk from the car lane, and one corner of the cardboard box burst out immediately.
The umbrella was swept up into the sky by the strong wind, and it was impossible to get it back. As for his hat, there might still be a chance to save it—it was a gift from Lord Bryan.
But after hesitating for a moment, Lawrence still stepped forward to run towards the postman. After all, it was his umbrella that caused him to stumble and fall.
"Oh, thank you, sir--"
The postman, whose foot was caught in the bicycle frame, was cursing as he struggled to free himself. Then, a gentlemanly old man dressed and mannered suddenly appeared beside him, struggling to pull his trapped ankle out.
"There's no need to thank you, sir--" Lawrence smiled apologetically. "The umbrella that hit you was mine--"
The postman's lips tightened, looking unhappy, but he couldn't say anything. After all, the old man did not look young at all, and controlling such a large umbrella in the just passed gust of wind was not an easy task.
Muttering to himself softly, the postman focused on dealing with the bicycle frame that was trapping his foot.
Fortunately, this wasn't a complicated situation. Lawrence tried to lift the frame that was pressing down on his ankle, and the postman pedaled hard a couple of times before successfully freeing himself.
After helping the postman to his feet, Lawrence quickly walked to the side of the street and picked up the box that had a corner crushed.
Thump, thump, thump—
The sudden impact of the stumble seemed to have startled what was inside the box. As Lawrence picked it up, the little things inside suddenly came alive, banging against the sides of the box.
"Oh, what could this be?"
Glancing quickly, Lawrence saw that the address on the box was for Has Orphanage, and he asked curiously.
"Who knows——"
The postman had already known where the box should be sent. All the packages on his bicycle were to be delivered to Has Orphanage. He noticed that the old man was struggling with the box, so he quickly took it over, and
"Maybe it's some pet donations from kind-hearted people for the children at the orphanage to keep them from getting bored. In my opinion, it's just adding to Mrs. Riggen's trouble. Well, sir—"
The postman firmly secured the slightly damaged box to the back of the bicycle before addressing Mr. Lawrence, who was thoroughly soaked, "Mr. Lawrence, your umbrella has been recovered. Please take this box to Has Orphanage."
"It was just an accident, and you don't need to worry about it. I'll take care of the rest of the packages myself. Maybe you should go check if your hat can still be retrieved. If it hasn't fallen too deep, perhaps you can get it back--"
The postman shrugged and said that he had also seen the scene just then.
"Hopefully so--"
Lawrence smiled bitterly, but he didn't insist on helping the postman clean up, as it was not comfortable for an elderly man of his age to be in the rain. If he could recover his hat, at least it would protect him from the rain and wind, allowing him to find a shop that sells umbrellas.
Fortunately...
Only after Lawrence crossed the low fence and stepped outside the narrow gap between the building where his hat was trapped did he take a deep breath.
His hat had not fallen too deep, and it was just a matter of squeezing in and walking two steps to pick it up. Moreover, because of the protection from the buildings on both sides, his hat was not soaked by the rain.
It took some effort, but Lawrence squeezed into the alleyway. However, he was pinned between the walls on both sides and couldn't bend down. He had to laboriously use his feet to pick up his hat. This was like acrobatics for an elderly person like him, which was very difficult and tiring. His hands were finally able to grab the hat.
Thump, thump——
Lawrence exhaled and panted for two breaths. Just as he was about to squeeze out of the alley, from across the street, suddenly came two sharp beeps.
(Chapter ends)
