Chapter 82: To the Last Cent, 4,521 Yuan
Qiqi’s dad said awkwardly, “Well, you don’t let me smoke, do you? I can’t smoke at home, and I can’t smoke at work either. Usually, my life is just a straight line between home and the office… It’s just that I took some time off today to pick Qiqi up.”
As a result, he spotted a small convenience store near the compound entrance not far away. Fearing that Qiqi would tell on him, he told her to wait by the school for a bit while he went to buy a pack of cigarettes.
Originally, it really would have taken only two or three minutes.
But once the cigarettes were in hand, Qiqi’s dad couldn’t hold back anymore. He found a corner to light one up first. The moment he started smoking, he forgot everything else. It just so happened that someone else was smoking nearby, so they slowly struck up a conversation. By the time the other person was about to head home, Qiqi’s dad finally remembered—the child was still at the kindergarten entrance!
By the time he frantically rushed back, the kindergarten gate was already deserted. The child was gone!
Qiqi’s mom’s eyes were filled with absolute disappointment. Holding the child, she turned around to leave. Qiqi’s dad tried to chase after her, but Qiqi’s mom suddenly whirled around and slapped him across the face.
“Hand over your phone!”
“Huh?”
“Hand it over!”
Terrified, dazed, and feeling thoroughly humiliated and awkward, Qiqi’s dad handed the phone over. Qiqi’s mom opened WeChat, took a deep breath, forced a smile, and spoke to Jian Xingxia.
“Miss Jian, thank you for saving our Qiqi. If anything had happened to her, I wouldn’t want to live anymore.”
Jian Xingxia said hurriedly, “Don’t think like that, the child is back now.”
“Yes, thank goodness she’s back,” Qiqi’s mom said as she added Jian Xingxia on WeChat. “But this matter isn’t over. I must thank you, and I will absolutely make sure he is punished.”
What kind of punishment?
Just as Jian Xingxia was dazed, the next second—
WeChat payment received: 4,521 yuan.
Huh?
Jian Xingxia’s first impression: Why is it such a specific number down to the last cent?
The next second, she remembered! Isn’t this exactly the 24-hour revenue calculated by the system?
Qiqi’s mom didn’t give Jian Xingxia a chance to refuse, transferring the money directly via phone number, so Jian Xingxia didn’t even need to click to accept.
Jian Xingxia instinctively tried to decline.
But Qiqi’s mom was unyielding: “Miss Jian, please make sure to accept it. Qiqi’s dad was diagnosed with pulmonary nodules last year, and the doctor strictly ordered him repeatedly not to smoke, not to smoke.”
“I can’t control him, and today, because of smoking, he almost lost the child. He doesn’t deserve to be a father!”
“I transferred every single cent out of his WeChat as a token of gratitude for you. Please absolutely accept it!”
When Qiqi’s mom said these words, she didn’t spare Qiqi’s dad a single glance. Standing to the side, Qiqi’s dad’s face turned completely red.
The surrounding property management staff, compound homeowners, and passersby all heard it too, and they chimed in one after another.
“He definitely should be penalized!”
“Can’t he distinguish what’s important from what’s minor?”
“It’s about time these smelly smokers were taught a lesson!”
Everyone urged Jian Xingxia to accept it.
“We all have children. We don’t look for anything else except that if our kids encounter a difficult situation outside, some kind-hearted soul will lend a hand.”
“Exactly. Some time ago, my kid went to play soccer after school and lost his wallet. He had no money or card to take the bus, and he was thirsty and tired, crying by the road. It was a kind passerby who sent him back.”
Jian Xingxia’s action was just a minor effort to her. But when parents with children witnessed this, a wave of empathy naturally welled up in their hearts. Qiqi’s mom and the parents present all insisted that Jian Xingxia accept it.
Qiqi’s dad also said with a flushed face, “My apologies, today’s matter was my fault. Miss Jian, please just accept it.”
In fact, the moment she heard the amount Qiqi’s mom transferred, Jian Xingxia knew she couldn’t refuse it, nor did she want to anymore.
Jian Xingxia thought it over. “Then I shall accept it. I live in Lu’an Village, and my family owns a small mountain peak. I plan to build a homestay, a fruit-picking orchard, and a campsite. Once it opens, bring Qiqi over to play; I won’t charge you a single cent.”
Only then did Qiqi’s mom break into a smile. “Alright! Once you open, I’ll definitely come!”
Qiqi’s dad also mumbled, “I’ll go too, and I’ll even get my friends and colleagues to go!”
Qiqi’s mom ignored him completely, turning instead to the property manager and the security guard to add them on WeChat.
The property manager quickly declined. The young guard looked on longingly, but since the property manager had declined, he could only follow suit.
“Ah, we didn’t really do anything. It was mainly Sister Xia.”
Qiqi’s mom insisted, “Thank you all, just let me express my gratitude.”
The property manager thought about it. “We cannot accept money since we really didn’t do much. Tell you what, if it’s convenient for you, could you write a thank-you letter and deliver it to the property office?”
The property manager also said with a blush, “We can’t accept money, but we can accept thank-you letters.”
The young guard’s eyes lit up too. Right! A thank-you letter was great! With a thank-you letter, he could be evaluated for outstanding employee status. Not only within their own compound’s property management evaluation, but there was also the head office’s evaluation at the end of the year!
Furthermore, the company had a policy where acts of bravery and helping others were rewarded with assistance bonuses! If a thank-you letter was submitted and verified, for this kind of action helping a lost child find their parents, there could be a five-hundred-yuan bonus!
The young guard instantly cheered up. The property manager was also very pleased. This matter hadn’t taken much effort, but the facts were crystal clear and everything had been recorded by the gate post’s surveillance camera. Bonuses and commendations would definitely follow.
Seeing the property manager and the young guard harmoniously agree that a thank-you letter was best, Qiqi’s mom didn’t insist further. She stated she would write the thank-you letter tomorrow and deliver it to the property management office along with a silk banner. She would buy some fruits and fresh flowers then too as an expression of her gratitude.
Over on this side, Jian Xingxia said goodbye to Qiqi and rode her tricycle home.
Behind her, she could still hear Qiqi’s dad trying to strike up a conversation with Qiqi: “Qiqi, if you ever get separated from Mommy and Daddy in the future, just wait exactly where you are. Mommy and Daddy will come back to look for you… Don’t run off with strangers you don’t know!”
Qiqi spoke in a sweet, baby voice but was highly independent: “Chestnut Sister isn’t a stranger. I’ve seen her twice now, and Grandma bought me chestnuts from her before.”
Then came the sound of Qiqi’s mom slamming the car door, but she didn’t forget to roll down the window to scold Qiqi’s dad furiously.
“What right do you have to speak! A stranger is more reliable than you! Even she knows to look after Qiqi!”
“Get lost! Don’t come home today! I don’t want to see you!”
Qiqi’s dad was dumbfounded. “Huh? Then where do I go? I don’t have a single cent on me right now!”
Qiqi’s mom rolled up the window, her voice muffled halfway through: “I don’t care where you stay! Don’t you love smoking? Go live with your cigarettes then!” With that, she drove off without looking back.
Leaving Qiqi’s dad standing right there, thoroughly humiliated and regretful.
Only then did Jian Xingxia feel a bit better in her heart—in the time it took you to smoke a single cigarette, you could chat with a stranger for ages until you forgot your own child. What right do you have to tell the child not to talk to strangers? Besides, it was one thing to say those words normally, but she hadn’t even walked far yet!
Jian Xingxia snorted twice and rode her little tricycle, heading straight for the village.
