novelraw Chapter 128: A Rare Scene
Chapter 128: A Rare Scene
The layout of the handicraft room wasn't much different from an ordinary classroom, with each person having their own desk.
At the back of the room stood a row of large cabinets divided into multiple small compartments, their doors tightly closed, making it impossible to tell what was stored inside.
At the end of the cabinets, there was a separate large wooden box with a big red lock that seemed mainly decorative.
Apart from the study courses currently taught by Xiao Gui'an, the remaining subjects focused on cultivating sentiment and developing hands-on skills.
In the handicraft course, the simplest skill was sewing—both boys and girls were taught to develop this technique.
Next came making various handicrafts: scarves, hats, toys woven by themselves, and sometimes painting or paper-cutting.
These items were usually not kept by the orphans themselves but were labeled as charity goods, given value, and sold externally—there were always people willing to buy them.
It was glorified as letting the children be self-reliant, creating wealth through their own hands to subsidize the orphanage's funds.
Teacher Xu stood at the front, her face pale and stern. She took the paper-cutting materials and wool knitting, demonstrating with extremely rapid movements that left people dazzled.
What finally appeared on the table were a series of bloody skull paper-cuts and scarves with every thread wriggling slightly.Xiao Gui'an:...
Everyone has their own unique aesthetic—he respects individuality and uniqueness.
[Writer] stood at the very back, watching as Teacher Xu calmly gave the order for them to each go to the cabinets at the rear to collect the tools and materials needed for today's lesson.
Today's task for the orphans was to complete paper-cutting patterns and weave two scarves.
The minimum requirement was to handle the paper-cutting and weave at least one scarf.
If they could complete everything, they would receive a Red Flower as a reward.
As her words fell, all the orphans stood up noisily, some pushing and shoving each other, swarming toward the cabinets at the back.
Through the experiences of the past two days, the surviving players now knew they had to retrieve their required materials and return to their seats within the allotted time.
Exceeding the time limit would result in punishment.
The names posted outside the cabinets changed every day, meaning each day they had to retrieve materials from cabinets at different positions and heights.
If the cabinet was too high, or if the materials in that cabinet happened to be insufficient, then things would turn bad.
In such situations, to obtain the tools and materials needed for this class, they would have to open that large box.
It was impossible to predict what would greet them—perhaps an arm would be suddenly severed by the biting edge of the falling box,
or a hand reaching in for tools would be pierced full of blood by scissors or silver needles.
Xu Zisheng looked up slightly and saw his game instance name on the highest row of cabinets.
Given their current age and somewhat malnourished bodies, reaching such high cabinets was completely impossible.
However, today's situation was destined to be different.
Many subtle glances were cast toward the dark-haired youth standing beside the cabinets, watching them gently, hoping he would perform some 'small favor'.
Their time with [Writer] might have been brief, but it was enough for them to instinctively want to get close and rely on him.
[Writer]'s attention had always been on the orphans, and being someone with keen perception, he immediately understood what they meant.
He approached and opened the cabinet doors one by one.
He quietly asked the orphans what they needed to retrieve, smiling as he placed tools and materials into the children's hands, speaking to them gently.
Only when he saw the cabinet door labeled 'Xiao Wu' did [Writer]'s fingertips pause almost imperceptibly, a flicker of amusement passing through his deep eyes.
Without letting anyone notice, he naturally opened the cabinet door, took out the required items, and handed them to the thin boy behind him.
Just like with the other children, [Writer] thoughtfully advised the thin boy.
Only his tone lifted slightly, carrying a teasing note that only familiar people could detect, "Have a good class."
Xu Zisheng took the materials, feeling somewhat helpless and embarrassed inside.
Having interacted more with [Writer], he naturally detected the playful tone resembling an elder looking after a younger one.
But for now, he could only nod, showing no flaws, and replied very politely, "Thank you, sir..."
"It's nothing." [Writer]'s eyes smiled as he continued helping the next orphan retrieve materials.
Another name that had changed to a high position today was Yang Qianqian. When [Writer] handed her the items, she still appeared shy and timid, holding her doll just like yesterday.
The girl kept her head down, making it hard to see her expression clearly, only extending her hand and thanking him in a tiny, mosquito-like voice, "Thank you, Teacher Yan..."
"Mm."
[Writer]'s eyes deepened slightly, but his expression remained unchanged as he gently called for the next orphan.
The last one was the girl Xiao Le, who had grown a bit compared to last night, though her eyes were still beautiful.
In the files [Writer] saw last night, he could perfectly match the current girl with the photo from the third year.
"Teacher Yan, you're so kind..." Among all the orphans, Xiao Le always appeared more cheerful and outgoing. She was exquisitely pretty with a cute, well-behaved appearance that made her very likable.
In her eyes, there was unconcealed closeness and admiration for [Writer].
Xiao Le extended both hands, slightly cupped upward, revealing some dark marks on her wrists at the sleeves, her eyes seeming to sparkle with scattered light.
Such sensible children often made people feel more heartache.
[Writer] opened the cabinet, but there were very few items inside—just some paper scraps and a little thread, with no proper handicraft tools at all.
The girl's face immediately changed slightly, her lips pressed tightly together, and her previously slightly smiling eyes quickly dimmed.
The few orphans who had been watching this situation also became worried, looking at their own items as if hesitating whether to help Xiao Le solve her dilemma.
The dark-haired youth keenly noticed several gazes falling on the large box at the end before quickly withdrawing.
It seemed what she needed was probably in there.
"It's alright, teacher will get it for you."
[Writer] reassured her, directly stepping over. Xiao Le followed nervously with small steps.
Faint ghost energy lingered around [Writer]'s fingers. Before his hand even touched the big red lock,
the lock directly fell off, and the box opened with a 'bang', containing all sorts of things, with some dark stains around the box.
This Ghost Tool's punishment and judgment mainly targeted players, wanting to devour and absorb their flesh and blood.
If a ghost teacher NPC like him opened the box, it would usually be to retrieve instruments for punishing orphans and wouldn't encounter any obstacles.
So, [Writer] personally retrieving items from it was like a bug.
Moreover, even as a Ghost Tool, it would feel intimidated by the faint terrifying aura emanating from [Writer].
The tools that had given players so much trouble the past two days now lay quietly in the wooden box, completely inert.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, [Writer] selected the items, gently picked them up, and handed them over.
"Thank you, Teacher Yan..." Xiao Le seemed very surprised by [Writer]'s actions, still somewhat disbelieving even after holding the items in her hands.
The gentle dark-haired youth slightly crouched down, maintaining eye level with Xiao Le so he could meet her eyes equally. [Writer] said lightly, "You're welcome, it's what a teacher should do."
"Everyone, return to your seats quickly after getting your materials, don't waste time—"
Teacher Xu, who had been silently watching everything from above, finally spoke. Xiao Le gave [Writer] a hurried smile before running back to her seat.
The boys who had been watching this situation finally relaxed and began working on their tasks.
The quiet handicraft room started filling with the rustling sounds of paper-cutting.
[Writer] stood up straight again. He still didn't overstep boundaries, just stood at the back watching the children from a distance.
Paper-cutting seemed somewhat easier—by halfway through the time, most orphans had completed it.
Though crooked and even more terrifying due to poor skills, making the skulls appear eerie and sinister under the bloody red color.
After finishing the paper-cutting, next came weaving scarves.
The yarn seemed alive, very unstable—if you didn't grip it firmly, it would squirm everywhere, deviating from its original form.
Unlike the individually completed paper-cutting, the scarf-weaving task was judged as a team collaboration event.
Orphans familiar with each other gathered around their usual partners and quickly immersed themselves in completing the task.
Xiao Gui'an watched as the children—girl Xiao Le, boys Xiao Yong and Xiao Xuan—carried their small stools and gathered around the cold-faced orphan Xiao Fan.
Seeing Xiao Yong, who still limped slightly, moving his chair, Xiao Gui'an went over to help him.
As for the remaining orphans, Xiao Gui'an didn't expect Xu Zisheng to end up grouping with those two official personnel.
He watched as Xu Zisheng, expression calm, seemingly very proficient, pulled out the yarn, wound it around the needles, and neatly made a starting knot.
Somehow, this scene felt both eerie and strange.
Who would have thought you could see Chosen Ones of Fate weaving scarves these days.
This scene completely contrasted with when Xu Zisheng took a rusty axe and fiercely smashed through the wooden door.
As awe-inspiring as that scene had been, the current one conveyed an eerie sense of peaceful tranquility.
To complete the instance's tasks, there was nothing they couldn't do.
Yet, it wasn't just Xu Zisheng who looked proficient—the other two official personnel kept up just as well.
Yang Qianqian often repaired her own dolls and such, and the abilities granted by her Witch Curse Doll included some stitching dismembered corpse skills, so she knitted scarves without any hesitation either.
Another surprising one was Cheng He—his hands seemed extremely dexterous, and while weaving, his aura was very peaceful. His technique clearly showed he had practiced before.
The three of them together worked extremely fast.
Moreover, they were quick, accurate, and firm—the squirming threads were no match for them, being obediently gripped in their hands and woven into the scarves.
These days, do you need to be this multi-talented to become official personnel?
If you don't know some handicrafts, can you even survive in this field?