Since Liu Dinglan had gone this far, Xia Qingqing had no choice but to accept the money.
Liu Dinglan smiled happily when she saw Xia Qingqing accept the money; anyone who didn't know better would have thought the money was for her.
Liu's mother took out another 50 yuan: "Qingqing, I'll have to trouble you to give this 50 yuan to Shuangshuang along with those gifts. We won't go to the educated youth compound; it's too crowded there."
The distribution of gifts and money was agreed upon by the Liu family last night. Although both men were their daughter's saviors, the debt of gratitude varied in degree, and Xia Qingqing's side should definitely receive more.
Xia Qingqing originally thought that the 200 yuan was for her and Liang Shuang together, and planned to give Liang Shuang a share of the money later. She didn't expect that Liu's mother would prepare a separate share for Liang Shuang.
But since it was said to be for Liang Shuang, she had even less reason to refuse: "Okay, I'll send it to Shuangshuang in a bit."
Liu Dinglan reluctantly held Xia Qingqing's hand and said goodbye: "Qingqing, remember to come visit me when you come to the county town in the future. My home is in the textile factory's residential compound."
"I remember, you've said it several times already. I'll definitely come to visit you when I have time," Xia Qingqing thought to herself with amusement. Anyone who didn't know better would think that Liu Dinglan's reaction was like a farewell between the two of them.
——
After Liu Dinglan and her family of three left, Xia Qingqing returned to the house and saw Zhang Hongyan and Xia Heping sitting on a stool waiting for her.
Seeing Zhang Hongyan's stern face, she couldn't help but groan inwardly, "I'm doomed, my parents are coming to settle scores with me."
A wise person knows when to yield. Before her parents could speak, Xia Qingqing obediently lowered her head and admitted her mistake: "Mom and Dad, I know I was wrong this time, and I will never dare to do it again."
Her initiative to admit her mistake surprised Zhang Hongyan for a moment, but she quickly put on a stern face again.
She gave her a cold look and said, "What are you afraid of? You're a great hero who saved people, Xia Qingqing. You've really gotten too bold. If I don't take care of you, you'll probably fly to the sky."
Xia Heping also strongly disapproved of his daughter's actions. How could a young girl dare to confront human traffickers directly? It was far too dangerous.
"Qingqing, I have to say something to you this time. It's good that you want to help others, but if something happens to you, your mother and I will have to bury our child."
Zhang Hongyan found her husband's words extremely offensive: "Xia Heping, what are you saying? Spit it out right now!"
Xia Heping realized that what he said was unlucky, and quickly slapped his mouth: "Pah, pah, pah, look at my broken mouth, I really can't speak properly."
"If you can't speak properly, then say less. It's really annoying."
Xia Qingqing couldn't help but chuckle as she watched the two interact. Wasn't this supposed to be a critique session for her? Why were the two of them fighting amongst themselves first?
"Xia Qingqing, how dare you laugh? We're talking about your problem!" Zhang Hongyan slammed her hand on the table angrily, causing the cup on the table to vibrate.
Xia Qingqing felt a pang of heartache just hearing that sound, and quickly grabbed her hand and blew on it: "Mom, please pat it gently, if you hurt me anywhere, I'll be heartbroken."
Xia Heping watched his daughter's sycophantic behavior silently from the side, finding it hard to bear.
As a result, Xia Heping found that his wife's expression had indeed softened. This made Xia Heping feel like he had discovered a new world. He realized that he could coax his wife when she was angry in this way.
Zhang Hongyan felt comforted by her daughter's coaxing, and her anger subsided considerably: "If you really care about me, then don't scare me next time. Your mother's little heart can't take a fright."
Xia Qingqing immediately raised her hand and swore, "Mom, I promise that next time I encounter something like this, I will walk away immediately and never meddle in other people's business."
Before Zhang Hongyan could continue her nagging, Xia Qingqing quickly changed the subject, took out the money from her pocket and handed it to Zhang Hongyan: "Oh, I almost forgot that Aunt Liu just gave me 200 yuan. Mom, you can keep it."
This one really worked! When Zhang Hongyan saw the 200 yuan, she was so shocked that her mouth dropped open.
"Why are they giving you so much money? The Liu family is too generous."
She thought the gift boxes on the table were thank-you gifts, and even those were too expensive. She didn't expect there was another 200 yuan in them.
"Keep the money yourself," Zhang Hongyan said. She had thought it through clearly. Yesterday's situation was so dangerous that her daughter might have lost her life if something had happened. It was only right that she accepted the money.
Seeing that her mother wouldn't accept the money, Xia Qingqing forcefully stuffed it into her hand: "Mom, you're still the one in charge of our family. Aren't you afraid I'll spend it all if you leave the money with me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hongyan immediately stuffed the money into her pocket with lightning speed.
That's right, this money must be kept with her. With Qingqing's current spending habits, she can squander any amount of money.
She wanted to save this money carefully and use it as a dowry for her daughter when she got married. This would give her confidence in her husband's family in the future. Just thinking about it made Zhang Hongyan's heart burn with excitement.
During her lunch break, Xia Qingqing carried her things to the educated youth settlement and happened to run into Song Ze as soon as she entered the courtyard.
When Song Ze saw Xia Qingqing, his first thought was that she had come to see him, and he secretly smiled to himself.
"Song Ze, I'm looking for Shuangshuang, is she there?"
Looking at Xia Qingqing's sweet smile, Song Ze felt heartbroken.
Ever since Qingqing started hanging out with Liang Shuang, Liang Shuang has been taking up most of his time. He can't find a chance to be alone with Qingqing anymore. It's so frustrating!
Liang Shuang was cooking in the kitchen when she heard the noise and immediately ran out: "Qingqing, I'm here. What do you need me for?"
"Well, I have something to tell you. Come out first."
There were other people in the courtyard. Xia Qingqing didn't want too many people to know what happened yesterday, so she called Liang Shuang out, leaving Song Ze standing there alone, sulking.
After hearing Xia Qingqing's explanation, and seeing the gift in her hand with 50 yuan, Liang Shuang was stunned: "Why did they give so much money? Is this family so rich?"
She was just helping to call the police; it was nothing more than a small favor. She felt unworthy to accept the money.
"If they give it to us, we should just take it. Anyway, I've already received my share. If you don't want it, you can return it yourself," Xia Qingqing said, stuffing the item directly into Liang Shuang's hands.
"Actually, problems that can be solved with money aren't really problems. We readily accepted their thank-you fee, which put their minds at ease, didn't we?"
Regardless of what the Liu family was thinking, they had at least shown enough sincerity, giving the couple gifts and money totaling at least three hundred yuan, which is no small sum these days.
This is also why all four members of the Liu family are permanent employees. Liu Dinglan also has an older brother who works in a transportation team. For them, this amount of money is really not much.
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