Another alert sounded. She quickly opened WeChat and began reading the new message:
"Did you receive the amount?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Good. So now, can we meet and discuss the details about my superhero costume?" Chaithanya sent.
"Sure, but we can only meet in crowded places," she replied.
"Okay, sure. I'll treat you. I'll send you the address in a minute," Chaithanya responded.
He typed the address of Dragon Broth Sis Xia's restaurant and sent it, including the date and time.
She was a clever little devil. Immediately, she searched the address online and nodded in satisfaction after confirming it was genuine.
She was truly happy. She hadn't even graduated yet and had already earned 50,000 RMB, with another 50,000 soon to come. Overjoyed, she thought about going home and giving her family 45,000 RMB so they could pay off their debts.
She called her mother, and as the line connected, before her mother's voice came through, she overheard harsh, venom-filled words: "He Liang, I lent you 40,000 RMB because you begged me for your daughter's tuition fees…"
Before he finished, her mother's anxious voice broke through: "He Mei, there's a quarrel going on at the neighbor's house. It's very noisy right now. I'll call you later once everything settles down."
She was lying to her daughter, hiding the family's troubles. The parents had enough burdens already—there was no need to let their daughter shoulder them too.
He Mei stared blankly at her smartphone, tears welling in her eyes. She was the only one in the family with a smartphone; her parents still used keypads. If they had smartphones too, she could have sent money instantly through online transfer.
It seemed the issue was serious. Sending cash wasn't a good idea, as it would take several days to reach them. After a moment's thought, she decided to return to the village immediately. Without hesitation, she freshened up, got dressed, and stepped out of her small apartment. She went on a shopping spree—buying clothes for her parents, daily necessities, a handbag her mother had long wanted, and the expensive cigarettes her father had always dreamed of but could never afford.
She booked a cab to the bus station. Almost instantly, a nearby driver accepted the ride and stopped in front of her.
He Mei got into the cab, gave the confirmation code, and once the driver confirmed the ride, he drove her to the station where buses to her village stopped.
Ten minutes later, the cab reached the station just as her village bus was about to depart. She hurriedly paid, ran, and boarded the bus. It wasn't crowded, and after glancing around, she quickly found an empty seat.
Half an hour later, the bus stopped at the village entrance. She got off with her luggage, paid the ox-cart driver, and rode to her home.
Within minutes, the cart reached her house. She stepped down as the driver helped unload her bags.
Her home was packed with villagers. She could clearly hear a man's scolding and her mother's sobs through the noise. Pushing through the crowd, she saw a man pointing fingers at her parents, cursing harshly. Her father's face was flushed with anger, while her mother's eyes were swollen from crying.
"You bastard, shut the hell up already!" He Mei snapped, stepping in front of her parents like a hen shielding its chicks.
The thug frowned at being interrupted by a teenage girl. He turned, scanned her from head to toe, and sneered with lust-filled eyes.
"So, you're that useless bastard's daughter? You're beautiful… looks like you got more of your mother's genes than your bastard father's."
"If you insult my father again, I'll gouge out your filthy eyes!" the girl roared, fists clenched tight.
Seeing their daughter shield them moved her parents to tears. They nodded repeatedly—it was worth everything to raise her.
"Heh. Say what you like, I don't care. But your bastard father owes me 40,000 RMB. It's been over a year—he's only paid interest, not the debt. I'll erase it if you marry me and become my third wife," the thug leered.
"Hmph. Forty thousand RMB, you say? Here—take this and get the hell out of my house!" He Mei slammed a bundle of cash onto the table, her eyes blazing.
Everyone, including the thug, was stunned into silence as she pulled the money from her handbag.
Her mother panicked, rushing forward and gripping her daughter's hand with trembling fingers. "Mei-Mei, where did you get so much money?" she asked anxiously.
Her father stayed quiet, but his piercing gaze demanded answers.
"Mother, don't worry. I'm a daughter of the He family—I'd never do shameful work to earn money. You know I have talent for designing costumes? A rich client hired me to make a superhero costume and is paying me 100,000 RMB. He already gave me 50,000 in advance—the money I just put on the table is from that," He Mei explained, showing the chat and proof of transfer on her phone.
"Mm…" Her mother covered her mouth, tears streaming down as a smile broke through.
Her father didn't hold back his joy. He laughed loudly, eyes reddened, pride swelling in his words: "My daughter is earning thousands even before she graduates from university!"
The thug's face turned pale. "100,000 RMB… for just a costume?" His thoughts were chaotic. After struggling inwardly for a moment, he forced a fawning smile. "My earlier words were just a misunderstanding. Don't take them to heart. If you ever need money in the future, you can come to me—I'll lend it without interest."
"Fuck off, bastard!" He Mei's father roared, grabbing a digging bar and slamming it down angrily in front of the thug.
The thug staggered back in fear. This farmer's family wasn't one he could bully so easily. He couldn't afford to offend them, nor could he resort to violence in front of so many villagers. Left with no choice, he reached out, snatched the money, and glared at the He family before walking out without looking back.
"Mother…" He Mei immediately wrapped her arms around her mother's trembling body as soon as the thug left their house.