After hearing Qin Fei's explanation, Hoopoe's expression softened again.
"well!"
He sat down heavily, looking very disappointed.
Qin Fan smiled and said: "Old man, I promise you, I will treat Miss Dai like a brother treats his sister."
When Hoopoe heard what Qin Fan said, his spirit suddenly cheered up.
"Mr. Qin, are you telling the truth?"
Qin Fan nodded heavily.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Hoopoe's face, a smile of relief.
Qin Fan looked at Dai Shuli, whose eyes were moist.
He smiled slightly and said, "Miss Dai, are you willing to be my little sister?"
"Well! Brother Qin."
Dai Shuli nodded solemnly.
The loss in her heart was quickly replaced by new joy.
"Okay, okay, I can finally feel relieved."
The hoopoe raised his head and took a sip of wine.
He believed in Qin Fan that if that day really came, he could leave with peace of mind.
"Mr. Qin, thank you!"
Hoopoe said gratefully.
"Haha, you still call me Mr. Qin, isn't that too foreign?"
Qin Fan smiled and said: "Since I am Xiaoli's brother, you can call me Xiaofan."
"Well, you're welcome then, Xiaofan."
"Hahaha, why are you so polite? You and Xiaoli saved my life."
Qin Fan said: "Oh, Grandpa Dai, why did Xiaoli drop out of school and stay at home?"
It's okay not to mention this. When this topic is mentioned, Hoopoe's face is full of regret.
Dai Shuli's expression was also very sad.
The hoopoe glanced at his granddaughter, took a sip of soju, and ate a few peanuts.
"Oh, it's hard to explain in words. Xiaofan, you are not an outsider either. This matter started from three years ago."
The small fishing boats are dimly lit.
An old man and two young men sat across from each other and started chatting.
Hoopoe recalled in a deep voice.
"Actually, we had housing before. Although it wasn't very good, it was OK."
"But fishing is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Xiaoli's parents have long wanted to change their profession."
"Because I was old and sick, I didn't take care of them until one day, Xiaoli's parents came back from outside."
"I was shocked at the time. Both of them were covered in injuries, especially Xiaoli's father, who had a bloody head and a broken leg."
"I inquired carefully and found out the cause of the matter. Alas! It was all caused by the desire for quick success and instant gain."
Although Dai Shuli on the side had known the truth for a long time, she couldn't help but wipe her tears quietly when she listened to Grandpa Hoopoe's narration again.
Qin Fan didn't interrupt, just listened to Hoopoe's memories.
"They often delivered fresh goods to people in the city at that time, and I got to know a lot of people through this exchange."
"One day, a friend introduced them to Jiang Baoguo from Aodu."
"This person claims to be an investor who specializes in building a shopping street in Aodu. With his sharp tongue, he instigates those who are eager for quick success and quick profit to invest."
"He also promised to invest 100 at the beginning of the year and turn it into 300 at the end of the year. This is simply a hugely profitable deal."
"Did they believe it?"
Qin Fan asked.
He felt that this kind of deception was too childish, and there was no such thing as pie in the sky.
The hoopoe looked helpless and sighed.
"They still believed it. Xiaoli's father even went to Australia to conduct on-the-spot investigation."
“At that time, a shopping street was indeed being built, and many shops had already been rented out. The prospects were very promising.
According to the relevant qualification certificates, the legal person undertaking the construction is indeed Jiang Baoguo."
"The couple no longer had any doubts. In excitement, they invested their little savings into it.
The two parties signed an agreement and promised to pay dividends in proportion to the principal every month."
Hoopoe said.
"Really got it?"
Qin Fan asked.
Although he asked this question, he had already guessed in his heart that he would definitely receive dividends.
Because this is a common strategy used by the other party to play the long game and catch big fish.
Sure enough, Hoopoe nodded and said: "I cashed it out at first, and for three months in a row, the dividends I received were more profitable than fishing."
"The couple no longer had any worries, and at Jiang Baoguo's instigation, they used their house as mortgage investment."
"As a result, something went wrong this time. At the end of the month, the dividend money was still unaccounted for, and the bank installments were about to become due again."
"Xiaoli's parents hurried to Aodu. Unexpectedly, they saw a Japanese-style street."
"This is not a tourist shopping street, it is clearly the new concession!"
The elderly Hoopoe was filled with indignation when he mentioned this charming street.
Qin Fan frowned slightly, "Oh, Australia also has a street with this style?"
Aodu is not far from Hong Kong. To be closer, it is separated by a sea.
It only takes about an hour to get there by boat.
Qin Fan is no stranger to the Japanese-style street.
A few years ago, Japanese-style streets like this appeared in several major cities in the mainland.
The entire street imitates Japanese architecture and Japanese customs.
Even many of the waiters are wearing kimonos and geta, making you feel like you are on a street in Japan.
Many young Chinese people are proud of it. They go to check in and take pictures, wear Japanese kimonos, geta, and learn Japanese etiquette.
Later, it was resisted by many patriots and exposed continuously. Finally, the local government was forced to stop operating under pressure.
In fact, to put it bluntly, this is a cultural invasion of China by Japan.
"Yes, the charming streets in Macao are bigger than those in mainland China."
Dai Shuli said.
Qin Fan nodded and continued to listen to Hoopoe's narration.
"Seeing that the dividend was not paid yet, they became a little panicked. They went to Aodu to find Jiang Baoguo. There was such a person, but this Jiang Baoguo was not the Jiang Baoguo they had seen."
"Xiaoli's parents were not convinced and thought that the other party was colluding with each other. This made the other party angry, and they were beaten severely by the other party for causing trouble."
"Because the loan was not repaid, the bank confiscated their house and sold it. After a month of suffering, the couple had no choice but to return to their old business."
"While they were looking for the scammer Jiang Baoguo, they were working hard to make money to support their family."
"That day was not suitable for going to sea at all, but in order to survive, the couple had no choice but to take the risk and go to sea. As a result, the fishing boat crashed in the strong wind, and the couple was buried in the sea with no bones left."
The hoopoe wiped his tears while talking, and Dai Shuli also sobbed softly.
I have to say that this kind of tragedy happens in many ordinary families, but the plot is different.
Qin Fan also sighed secretly in his heart.
As the saying goes, if you are poor, you will want to change. A poor life often forces people to find ways to be rich.
And this mentality of eager for quick success is often exploited by others.
Accidentally, just like Dai Shuli's parents, they were deceived and bankrupted.
Even if Hoopoe didn't mention what happened next, Qin Fan could still think of it.
With a poor family, heavy debts, and her parents' accident, Dai Shuli had no choice but to drop out of school.
"Xiao Li, haven't you ever looked for a job?"
Qin Fan asked.
Dai Shuli lowered her head.
"Brother Qin, I've looked for him. Because I'm uneducated, I can only do odd jobs to support my family."
Qin Fan nodded. This situation is indeed true in modern society.
A diploma is a stepping stone to employment.
No matter how capable and capable you are, if you don't have a diploma, you will be turned away at the first hurdle.
No matter how great your ambition is, no matter how capable you are, there is no platform for you to display it.
The reality is so cruel.
Qin Fan decided to help this newly recognized little girl.
At this time, Dai Shuli's cell phone suddenly rang.
She was slightly startled, why her cell phone suddenly had a signal.
She quickly opened it and found that there was only one signal, and the number dialed was the number Qin Fan told her.
"Brother Qin, we called here!"
She pointed at her phone excitedly.
Qin Fan was overjoyed and motioned for her to answer quickly.
Dai Shuli quickly pressed the answer button, and this time the call was answered.
But the sound is intermittent.
"Hello! Hello, who are you...?"
There was a man's voice on the other side.
"It's Xiaowen. Tell him that I'm still alive."
Qin Fan said.
Dai Shuli quickly shouted into her mobile phone: "Brother Xiaowen, Mr. Qin is still alive."
She didn't hear the other party's reply, so she said it again loudly.
Looking at my phone again, I don’t know when the signal was lost again.
I don’t even know if Xiaowen heard her words.
"It's true, Brother Qin, there's no signal again."
Dai Shuli was so angry that she stamped her feet.
"Hahaha, don't worry, it doesn't matter whether you heard it or not. Xiaowen should have guessed that I asked you to call me."
Qin Fan said.
Not to mention, Xiaowen really only heard half of it.
He looked at the phone in his hand with helplessness and a wry smile on his face.
"Sister Yulan, the signal is cut off again. It's a girl's voice. She may be the owner of the number, Dai Shuli."
"She called me Brother Xiaowen, but I couldn't hear clearly what she was saying."