Chapter Eighty-One: Soliciting Donations in Person

Page 1 of 3

Watching Yu Qing struggle to drag her large suitcase away, Liu Yunfei was suddenly reminded of a famous saying: not trusting your own friends is more shameful than being deceived by them. But hadn’t he already given her enough trust? What more could he offer? Park Min-ji had almost paid with her life because of it. Luckily, he hadn’t told her his family lived in Huangjiang that day; with their abilities, they would have quickly found out about his parents, and then things would have turned out far worse.

Since his thoughts had drifted to his parents, Liu Yunfei decided he should return to Huangjiang for a visit. Such an incident could only happen once and must never be repeated. Besides, it had been many days since he’d last gone home.

It was afternoon in Huangjiang, and August was the hottest month in this city. Yet, for the sake of making a living, the streets were still bustling with people and cars. Once inside his own home, Liu Yunfei guessed his father must have gone to work. But why wasn’t his mother home either? She shouldn’t be working anymore. Because the family had never been well-off, his mother, Hu Li, had never purchased a mobile phone. Liu Yunfei had urged her countless times—phones were cheap these days, even elementary school kids had one each—but Hu Li had always refused. In her view, saving even a penny was a virtue, and after all, she had no real need for one.

He dialed Liu Hongbing’s phone first. “Hello, son? You’re back? Is everything settled?” It seemed that having money had made his father’s back straighter and his mood lighter. Usually, Liu Hongbing wore a stern face all day as if everyone owed him money, but lately, he was in the best spirits. Perhaps it was the happiness that made his work go smoothly too—every day, he drove his newly bought Audi to and from the office, where colleagues now greeted him with, “Chief Liu is here!” “Chief Liu, have some water.” “Chief Liu, the director asks you to attend a meeting.” After decades of living, Liu Hongbing finally felt his spine straighten and his chest puff out. Though he didn’t smoke, he always carried a pack of Chunghwa cigarettes, offering them to everyone he met. This virtuous cycle had set him on the right track; even the section chiefs and directors smiled at him more. Rumor had it he was about to be officially promoted.

Hearing his father’s relaxed voice, Liu Yunfei felt a weight lift off his shoulders. When his parents were happy, he also felt content—after all, people don’t live only for themselves. “Oh, not done yet, but soon. I just came back to check on Mom. Everything okay with you two?”

“It’s your mom, not our mom—always trying to get an edge over your old man, aren’t you? We’re fine. Getting used to Italian food? How’s the weather in that F-whatever-ence? Heard your club’s team isn’t doing well—a three-game losing streak.” Liu Hongbing, who had never cared about soccer, now seemed eager to let everyone know his son was in Italy, even keeping up with the latest on Italian clubs.

“Oh, I’m swamped. I don’t have time to care about that. Where’s Mom?” Liu Yunfei was still passionate about soccer, but none of the women around him shared that interest. He really was busy, flitting among several women. He didn’t care how many goals the team scored; he only cared about his own.

“Didn’t I tell you before? We bought a villa in Rhine City—it’s being renovated now, and your mom visits whenever she’s free. You should go have a look too, or you might not recognize our new home later. Her phone number is xxx—write it down.”

Liu Yunfei recalled their conversation a few days earlier: they’d bought a three-story villa in the city’s most expensive neighborhood, Rhine City. He couldn’t understand why luxury communities always bore foreign names—was it a Western complex, or did some German investor back them? Of course, the novel never explained that.

He called Hu Li next. Upon hearing her son’s voice, his mother was overjoyed—especially since her son was so accomplished. Naturally, every mother believes her son is the most capable. “Son, my dear son!”

“Enough, enough, I haven’t even eaten yet. Don’t make me sick to my stomach—or worse, cough up blood.” Liu Yunfei felt all his hair stand on end.

Page 2 of 3

“I’m at our new house—it’s over 400 square meters! I’ve never lived in such a big place before. I come here whenever I’m free, just to look around. It’s so spacious that it makes me feel happy inside—I can eat an extra bowl of rice at every meal. Once the renovations are done, I’ll invite all our relatives over to see it, let’s see if they still act so snobbish.”

Liu Yunfei thought, is that all? If I took you to the Knight’s Castle, you’d probably want to eat out of a washbasin. But then again, that wasn’t really home. That was just a temporary stay—the old king bought it, after all—but living there for so long, Liu Yunfei felt as if he owned it himself.

He chatted with his mother for a while. As always, her greatest concern was her son the “immortal’s” personal affairs—asking about his girlfriends. Liu Yunfei answered casually, reminded them to take care of their health and not to be frugal to a fault, told them to ignore strange people, and inquired about the neighborhood’s security. His mother mentioned that little Fatty Yu had called, urging Liu Yunfei to take the driver’s license test. Liu Yunfei had no time for that, maybe after all his other business was settled. Who knew how long they talked; by the time his phone was nearly dead, his mother finally, reluctantly, said goodbye.

Liu Yunfei began to feel tired again. Park Min-ji was still waiting for him, and in just a few hours, the earth had spun several times, day had turned to night and back again—he’d experienced it all. He figured it was time to switch to a smarter phone that could convert time zones. Ah, such is fate—no point blaming the government; running errands is all for the sake of a meal.

He packed a few cartons of Nanjing cigarettes his mother had prepared from the wardrobe and was about to leave when he heard someone knocking at the door. Who could it be at this hour? Probably someone selling health supplements or massage equipment. He ignored it at first, but the knocking persisted, remarkably determined. When he finally opened the door, he saw two elderly women who looked vaguely familiar from the neighborhood.

“Young man, you—” The two women were momentarily stunned to see a man with a foreign face answer the door. Lately, there had been a rash of petty thefts by children from Xinjiang, but those were usually kids picking pockets on the street. Could this be a home invasion?

“Uh, I’m just staying here temporarily. I’m a good friend of the family’s son,” Liu Yunfei realized he’d forgotten to change back to his Chinese appearance and had to lie.

“Oh.” The two women grew increasingly suspicious. Look at those thick eyebrows—people say men with thick brows have violent tempers. Maybe theft wasn’t all they had to worry about. What if he was a thug? In these times, if you expose a bad guy, aren’t you just asking for trouble?

“We’re here collecting donations. The old man in 3B across the way, Mr. Dong, has fallen seriously ill. He was treated a month ago and spent all his money, but now his illness has returned and he’s out of funds. He’s in the hospital, can’t afford treatment. The neighborhood committee decided to raise some money, so we’re going door to door. One or two yuan is fine, fifty or a hundred is even better.” The woman speaking seemed nervous—she didn’t expect a thief to donate, just wanted to say her piece and leave as quickly as possible. Doing good shouldn’t mean getting stabbed and ending up in the hospital.

“Oh…” Liu Yunfei was struck by a thought. “Is it the third floor across the way? Does he have a very pretty daughter?”

The old woman was shocked—this thief not only had his eye on their money, but also on the girl? How shameless! He must be a habitual offender, casing the place. Maybe the Dong family would be next for robbery or worse. “Young man, you’re still young—why not work an honest job here in Huangjiang? There’s nothing wrong with the Dong girl being attractive, but you should pursue things openly, not like this. The Dong family’s already suffering; don’t add to their troubles.”

Page 3 of 3

Liu Yunfei ignored her. Suddenly, he recalled last night’s revealing video clip and the girl’s desperate message about urgently needing money. Had he really misunderstood a dutiful, filial girl?

The two old women watched Liu Yunfei stand there silent, his expression shifting unpredictably. They exchanged glances—whatever his crime, it was best to get away from him as quickly as possible. Without another word, they turned to leave.

“Wait, don’t go.” Liu Yunfei decided he should donate a larger amount. If such a beautiful girl had to do daily video chats to make ends meet, wouldn’t that be a loss for himself? Not that it really had anything to do with him, of course.

The two old women were so startled by the “Xinjiang thief’s” shout that their knees trembled. Now what? This wasn’t just theft or robbery—they’d seen his face. Would he silence them?

“I don’t have any yuan on me—do you accept euros? Or dollars?” Liu Yunfei’s question caught them completely off guard.

They turned back at once. Now, the more they looked at the young man, the more he seemed like a decent person. Look at those thick eyebrows—what a handsome fellow! How could they have doubted him? Their eyesight must be failing.

“What illness does he have? About how much is needed?” Liu Yunfei checked to see if he had enough euros; if not, he’d write a check.

“Oh, it’s silicosis. He worked in a cement factory for decades, but when the factory closed, it turned out the unscrupulous boss had never bought them medical insurance. It’s tragic. His daily medical expenses run into several hundred, sometimes over a thousand yuan. His wife has chronic health problems and can’t work either. The saddest part is, their daughter’s about to drop out of university because they can’t afford her tuition.”