pjbooks Chapter 172 No, I'm going to be a dad?
Chapter 172 No, I'm going to be a dad?
Chapter 172 No, I'm going to be a dad?
"Okay, baby, but how do you know so much about this?" Ma Jie asked with interest.
Before Sandy could even speak, Fiona interrupted wildly, "Because her father, her brother, and all her random cousins are regulars in prison. If you were born into a criminal family, your knowledge of prison would far surpass that of an old professor who teaches law at Oxford University."
"Fuck you Fiona!" Sandy said, pointing her middle finger at her as she stated the facts. "My family isn't that great, but it's still much better than the Gallaghers. Your dad is a drunkard who just wants to die, your mom is a hopeless drug addict, and your three brothers are a severe alcoholic, a bipolar disorder patient, and a gangster. Oh, and there's your sister Debbie, who had her first child at 14. Congratulations on becoming an aunt so young. I don't have that kind of luck."
"What did you say? Say it again!"
The two girls squeezed together across Ma Jieke; this had become their daily routine since they moved here.
Just as things were getting chaotic, there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Stop, stop hitting them." Ma Jie quickly stopped the two men's physical attack and told Jimmy to get up and open the door.
The visitors were a couple who looked to be in their forties. There was also a police car parked outside the courtyard.
Before they could even introduce themselves, the boy with vitiligo rushed over eagerly.
"Mommy, Daddy, I miss you so much."
The child immediately threw himself into his parents' arms and cried uncontrollably.
That's how people are; no matter how strong they are on the outside, they automatically shed their facade of strength once they see their loved ones.
Seeing this, everyone stood up again to say goodbye. Including him, this was the ninth child.
Anyway, those who come to our door are either our parents or grandparents, or at the very least, our uncles and aunts.
The accompanying police officers simply asked a few questions to confirm their relationship before having the other party and Max sign a document.
The main purpose is to confirm whether these children have suffered abuse or violence during their temporary care.
"Evans, are you going home?" Ellie got up and walked over when she saw her friend's family coming to pick him up. Her eyes looked like she had been crying.
"Ellie, I'll miss you." The two hugged each other tightly. The past two weeks of wandering had made the two naive children understand what true friendship is.
"Oh, by the way, this is for you." As they parted, the boy with vitiligo took out a ballpoint pen from his schoolbag. Although it was nothing special, it contained a lot of affection.
Watching the police car drive away into the distance, Ellie sat on the steps under the eaves of the porch outside the door, her emotions unable to calm down for a long time.
Staying with her was the blonde little girl from before. The little girl was very sensible and didn't cry. She sat on the living room floor playing with building blocks, or perhaps she didn't understand what this meant at all.
"Hi." Seeing this, Max sat down next to her.
"Hi," Ellie said with a forced smile.
"Let's wait a little longer, maybe tomorrow, or the day after..."
"I know what you're trying to say." Before Max could finish, the girl rudely interrupted her: "Even if I wait here for another year, no one will come to pick me up, so I've already decided that I'll pack my things and leave first thing tomorrow morning, and I won't cause you any more trouble."
"Where do you want to go?" Ma Jie suddenly appeared behind the two of them, carrying a case of beer.
"Jack, you've come at just the right time." Max took the beer, looked at Ellie, and asked, "Want a drink?"
'
"Stop kidding, Max, she's only 15."
"So what if you're 15?" Max opened a can and shoved it into her hand. "I was already hanging out in bars and picking up rich guys when I was 13."
Although the law clearly stipulates that those under the age of 21 are prohibited from drinking alcohol, such a law is still a pain for American teenagers to deal with.
Forget about drinking alcohol, American high school students don't even smoke cigarettes; they just get high, especially in schools in underprivileged communities. Gangs directly recruit their members and even turn teachers and principals into clients, providing a complete one-stop service.
"Thank you, Max." Ellie took the drink and drank a couple of sips, then looked at Jack beside her. "And your brother Jack, without you, those scum would never be punished. You saved so many people, you could even say many lives, but I don't have the ability to repay you all right now..."
"What are you saying, kid?" Max put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's not talk about unhappy things anymore. Let's talk about something practical. You said you were planning to leave. Where are you going?"
"Just wander around." Ellie raised the corners of her mouth slightly. "As long as I have a tent, I can live wherever I want. Anyway, I don't want to go back to school, and my mother doesn't want me anymore. I can live freely every day."
"But I still suggest you read more books," Ma Jie said, sipping his beer with a fatherly air. "Otherwise, you'll regret it later."
"Hmph, people who say things like that probably never read a book themselves."
"Haha, got your gut feeling hit?" Max glanced at someone mockingly. "Don't listen to him. My uncle's kid spent a lot of money on his education, owing more than 20 yuan in student loans alone. After graduation, he only earns a little over three thousand dollars a month. After using part of his salary to pay off the loans, his income is less than those Hispanics who work illegally in restaurants."
"Fine, you have big breasts, so you get to decide." Ma Jie was too lazy to argue with her. After thinking for a moment, he suggested, "How about this, if you really want to live on the streets, you can move to the Blue Hair Squad's camp first. If you live there, no one will dare to mess with you. Otherwise, in less than three days, you'll be eaten alive, leaving not even bones."
In Ma Bangzhu's view, this girl was not entirely useless. The fact that she could survive on the streets with a bunch of children in tow showed that she had certain leadership skills and could win people's hearts.
If this kind of talent is cultivated well, it will be a solid reserve force when the business grows bigger and stronger, so it's good to let her go out and gain some experience first.
"Really?" Ellie looked delighted that Ma Jack had extended the invitation. "So, am I now officially a member of the Blue Hair Squad?"
"Of course," Max said with a smile. "Since you're not planning to go to school, then come hang out with us. I don't know about others, but Jimmy was only eleven or twelve when he was homeless on the streets, so you already have a big advantage compared to him."
"
"Great! I've finally found my people, Wuhu!"
Seeing her cheering and jumping for joy, Ma Jieke knew perfectly well that these children, due to the lack of a proper family of origin and the lack of love from their parents, would seek alternative forms of compensation, such as joining an organization or gang and treating the people in that group as their own family, thereby completing their emotional compensation.
However, even after solving the problem of Ellie's whereabouts, the two were still worried because there was another person left in the house besides her.
Hearing the noise, the blonde little girl ran over in a flash and playfully climbed onto Ma Jieke's back.
After just a few days of contact, perhaps because he fed her too frequently, the little girl has become quite attached to him.
"Her name is Heidi," Ellie introduced. "She's five and a half years old. She was sent to Angel City by her family last year, but it seems she's in the same situation as me—she was probably abandoned."
"Little one, do you remember where you live?" Max asked with concern.
Heidi shook her head timidly, burying her head low, seemingly uninterested in the topic.
"And what about your parents? Do you remember what they look like?"
The little girl puffed out her cheeks and thought for a long time before pointing to the back of someone's head: "Daddy."
Huh? Jack was dumbfounded. No, I'm going to be a father?
"Don't shout like that, little girl. I have nothing to do with you, okay?"
"Waaah, Daddy doesn't want me anymore." These words immediately brought Heidi to tears, and she wiped her big, watery eyes with the back of her hand.
"Haha, Jack, I think this kid really likes you." Just then, Jimmy walked out of the living room, looking smug. "Why don't you consider adopting a little daughter?"
"Get lost, what a terrible idea." But seeing her crying and wailing, he couldn't bear it anymore and patted her little head: "Alright, alright, stop crying."
Heidi, comforted, immediately stopped crying, looking at Ma Jieke with teary eyes, her little nose still twitching, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Jack pulled out a tissue to wipe her nose, and Max chimed in, "Jack, I think you should really consider what Jimmy just said. This child likes you so much, how can you bear to ignore her?"
"What?" Faced with the moral blackmail from his two teammates, Ma Jieke was speechless: "Whoever likes me, I have to adopt them? What kind of logic is that? I don't have a hobby of being someone's father."
But Jimmy ignored his protests: "If you don't care, let me tell you what will happen to this child. She will first be taken away by the ACF (Children and Families Authority) and sent to a nearby emergency shelter. After the social workers fail to find her parents, they will try to contact her other relatives. If they can't contact anyone, she will enter the foster care matching process. Please note that this is mandatory. No one will ask Heidi if she is willing, because those sons of bitches care more about whether the adoptive parents are rich and whether the house is big enough. As for other conditions, they are as lenient as a prostitute's asshole."
"Jimmy, don't say such filthy things in front of minors!" Before he could finish speaking, Max quickly covered Heidi's ears.
"Sorry, I got a little emotional just now." Jimmy looked helpless. "Because I am a victim of foster care, as you all know, so what I'm trying to say is that if Heidi is unlucky, what happened to me will happen to her as well."
"That makes sense." Ma Jie clapped his hands twice. "Then why don't you step forward and be the great philanthropist?"
"Me?" Jimmy pointed to his nose: "I'm not old enough. The law stipulates that you must be at least 21 years old to be eligible to adopt."
"21 years old?" Ma Jie was a little stunned when he heard this number.
No, this age isn't even the legal marriage age in China, yet they can adopt children?
"Did that scare you?" Jimmy continued, explaining, "According to US law, 21 is an adult. As long as you can pass a background check by the government or a private agency, you can become a foster family. The agency will also pay you a fee to take care of the child until the child is officially adopted."
"This is also the biggest difference between foster care and adoption. Foster care is only a temporary arrangement, while adoption is a permanent arrangement."
"What about the age gap?" Ma Jieke couldn't help but ask. "If I remember correctly, the age gap between the adoptive parents and the adoptee can't be too small."
"Pshaw, that's just the organization's rule, it's not subject to legal regulation. Theoretically, anyone under 18 is a candidate for adoption. If you adopt a pair of brothers or sisters at the same time, you can extend the age limit to 18."
"You mean I can adopt a pair of beautiful 18-year-old twin girls right now?"
"That's right." Jimmy nodded. "Theoretically, that's true, but the conditions are very strict. You'll need to go through multiple home visits, a detailed financial audit, proof of physical and mental health, and letters of recommendation from friends, neighbors, your boss, and colleagues to prove that you're a genuinely good person."
Holy crap, this is nothing to rich people?
Ma Jieke felt increasingly uneasy. This system was designed to be ridiculously absurd. In terms of its high degree of freedom, no other planetary friend could even come close.
It's worth mentioning that this kind of gameplay exists because the so-called "orphanage" no longer exists in the prison area.
This matter can be traced back to the 50s.
At the time, numerous studies and opinions argued that large-scale institutional care could not meet children's emotional, psychological, and developmental needs, and could easily lead to a lack of individual attention and stable emotional attachment.
Against this backdrop, the "deinstitutionalization" movement emerged, fundamentally abolishing orphanages and replacing them with single foster families.
"Alright, enough with the nonsense." After Jimmy finished explaining, Max looked at the pitiful little Heidi and said, "How about this, at least until the ACF (Children and Families Administration) gets involved, let this child stay here and be raised by everyone. When the time is right, if any of you are willing to adopt her, that would be best. If none of you are willing, I don't mind giving Pudding a little sister."
"I agree." Upon hearing her suggestion, Ma Jie quickly raised both hands in agreement, at least it was much better than the moral blackmail from before.
"I have no objection either," Jimmy said indifferently. "However, I have no experience taking care of children, and neither do Sandy and Jack. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you and Fiona."
"I knew it!" Max rolled his eyes helplessly. Although they said they would raise the child together, the only ones who could really help were himself and his older sister, who had taken care of the whole family since childhood.