Lu Jiajie went on a long trip in the morning. He was in such a hurry that he forgot to wear his watch. When he came back a week later, he found that his watch was missing.

When Ma Lili heard that his watch was missing, she helped look for it, but she couldn't find it after searching through the drawers and wardrobe.

After not finding it in the house, they went to the child's room to look for it, but still found nothing. Ma Lili asked, "Did you lose it outside? If it was at home, how could it be missing?"

Lu Jiajie said, "I got on the bus and wanted to check the time and found that I didn't have my watch on. How could I have left it outside? Qiangqiang, Xiaofeng, have you seen Dad's watch?"

Qiangqiang and Xiaofeng both said that they did not see the watch.

Lu Jiajie remembered very clearly that if he went out without wearing a watch, he would have to stay at home. This is a watch, not a person, and it cannot grow legs and fly.

It was already past six o'clock, and Aunt Song had gone home. When he came back the next morning, Lu Jiajie asked her, "Auntie, did you see my watch when you were cleaning my room?"

Aunt Song nodded and said, "I saw it. It fell on the floor. I picked it up and put it on the bedside table when I was cleaning. I couldn't find it when I cleaned up again the next day. How come it wasn't Lili who helped to pick it up?"

Ma Lili said she didn't see the watch.

Aunt Song's face changed, and her voice became anxious: "It's impossible. I put the watch on the bedside table. How could it be gone?"

Seeing her expression, Lu Jiajie hurriedly said, "Aunt Song, you have worked in my house for so long, we all know what kind of person you are. Aunt Song, think about it again, should you put it somewhere else?"

Aunt Song shook her head, her voice becoming hurried: "I remember it very clearly. I picked up the watch and put it on the bedside table that day. I couldn't have remembered it wrong."

Things are at home, it is impossible for them to disappear. Lu Jiajie suddenly asked: "Auntie Song, did you have guests at home that day?"

Aunt Song was about to say no, but suddenly her expression paused and she looked a little hesitant.

Lu Jiajie said: "Auntie, my watch is a famous brand and cost more than 6,000 yuan."

When Aunt Song heard this, she no longer hesitated and said, "When I left, your father-in-law and mother-in-law came over with their grandson."

Ma Lili's face suddenly turned ugly: "Auntie Song, what do you mean? You lost your watch and you slandered my parents."

Aunt Song was so angry that her face turned blue. She would not stand for this injustice, and said, "I only said that your parents brought their grandson here, and I didn't say anything else. Maybe the child saw the watch and thought it was strange, so he picked it up to play with it and put it somewhere else. How can that be considered slandering your parents?"

Ma Lili said, "What you just said was a reference to my parents, wasn't it?"

Lu Jiajie believed in Aunt Song, otherwise he would not have hired her in the first place. Moreover, Aunt Song had worked at home for more than a year without any problems, but it was Ma Jixiang who stole money from home to buy snacks.

Aunt Song immediately swore a poisonous oath, saying, "If I take Jiajie's watch, I will have my hands and feet cut off and my intestines pierced through..."

Lu Jiajie interrupted her and said, "Auntie, don't be like this. I believe that the missing watch has nothing to do with you."

Aunt Song's eyes were red as she said, "Jiajie, this matter must be investigated thoroughly. I cannot bear this injustice."

"Don't worry, I will find out."

Aunt Song took off her apron and said, "Ajie, I don't dare to stay at your house anymore, lest you blame me if something is lost in the future. Don't worry, I won't go anywhere until the matter is investigated clearly. I will wait at Ale's house."

After what Ma Lili said today, she was unwilling to continue working. Although Lu Jiajie paid a good salary, it was not difficult to find a job now, so she didn't want to be humiliated.

Lu Jiajie personally sent her back to A Le's home and apologized to A Le's mother.

A-Le's mother knew that she couldn't blame him, but she said angrily, "A-Jie, my elder sister never took a needle from anyone else, so you can't suffer this injustice for nothing."

Aunt Song waved her hands and said, "I dare not ask her to come and apologize to me, lest she go around saying that I am a thief."

It took Lu Jiajie a lot of nice things to make Aunt Song's expression soften.

Just as he was about to leave, Aunt Song stopped him again: "Jiajie, I think some things are between your family and I can't say much. Today I will say something, your wife often takes the things you bought for the children back to her parents' home."

When Lu Jiajie came back from a business trip, he would buy food, clothes, snacks, and nourishing things for the child. The child was fair and tender, and all the clothes were bought by him, so he didn't ask.

After leaving Ale's house, Lu Jiajie thought about going directly to the school to find Ma Jixiang. Now the management was not as strict as in later times, and knowing that he was Ma Jixiang's uncle, the teacher agreed to let him take the person out.

After taking the man outside, Lu Jiajie looked at Ma Jixiang and asked, "Where is my watch?"

Ma Jixiang's eyes were a little timid, but he said that he didn't know what he was talking about.

Lu Jiajie was sure that he had taken the watch when he saw his expression. He slapped him and asked fiercely, "Tell me, where is my watch?"

Ma Jixiang covered his face and cried loudly.

A passerby saw him being so ruthless and stepped forward and said, "Comrade, if a child is disobedient, he needs to be disciplined, but you can't beat him like this, it will hurt the child."

Lu Jiajie said with a dark face: "He stole my watch, which was worth more than 6,000 yuan. Now he hasn't told me where the watch went. Do you think he should be beaten?"

After hearing this, passers-by dared not to persuade him anymore. He deserved to be beaten to death for stealing a watch worth more than 6,000 yuan and not telling the truth.

Lu Jiajie slapped him again, and the other side of Ma Jixiang's face was also swollen: "Tell me, where is the watch? If you don't tell me, I will beat you to death."

Seeing that he was really going to beat him to death, Ma Jixiang didn't even dare to cry. He sobbed and said, "I, I sold it."

"Where did you sell it?"

"Sell, sell the store."

"How much did it sell for?"

"I sold it for fifty dollars."

Lu Jiajie dragged Ma Jixiang to the store and asked the owner for the watch. Unexpectedly, the owner denied it and said that he had never taken Ma Jixiang's watch.

Ma Jixiang never thought that the boss would not admit it. He shouted anxiously: "It was obviously you who took the watch. I asked for 100 yuan at that time, but you said the watch was only worth 50 yuan. I bought popsicles and soda, so you only gave me 49.5 yuan."

The boss denied it and said that it never happened and that it was all made up by Ma Jixiang.

Lu Jiajie said with a gloomy face: "I bought this watch last year, and I spent 6,800 yuan. I still have the invoice and receipt. If you return the watch to me, I will give you 100 yuan and this matter will be over. When I call the police and they find the watch, I will make sure that your store can't continue to operate."

The boss also became frightened when he saw that he looked like he was about to kill someone. He said, "Oh, look at my memory. I did receive a watch last Tuesday. Wait, I'll find it for you."

After Lu Jiajie got the watch, he didn't argue with the boss. After giving the boss a hundred yuan, he threw Ma Jixiang back to school.

(End of this chapter)