Chapter 142 - One-Hundred and Forty-Two: Perspective
Everyone was surprised. “I can’t believe something like that actually happened, and we didn’t know about it. Why didn’t you say anything, Shi Xiu?” Si Kun chided.
Shi Xiu shook her head as she munched some pork ribs and replied, “What’s there to say? Oh, you want to know what happened to that child, right? I asked the driver; he said the child got to the hospital in time and was now out of danger. Oh, right, the director and the others even donated some money through the driver. They told the child’s parents to contact them if they didn’t have enough to pay the post-surgery fees, and we could all donate some money. A life is on the line, after all.”
“Then, why didn’t you donate some money to the little girl?” Yun Liu asked softly. The expression on her face clearly implied, ‘It’s not like you don’t have the money. Why didn’t you pay for everything?
Everyone felt what Yun Liu said made sense and stared at Shi Xiu. Shi Xiu looked at Yun Liu seriously and stated, “We can’t just hastily donate without knowing the whole story. We don’t know the child’s family situation—we don’t know if they need a donation or how much they would need. Giving them a sum of money willy-nilly isn’t helping them, but giving them charity.”
“Moreover, this money might cause them unnecessary trouble. No matter what, we shouldn’t test human nature when it comes to money. Our focus isn’t to blindly give away some money but to let that child recover.” The others nodded and stated that she had a point.
Yun Liu was at a loss for words; she seemed to have humiliated herself again.
She somewhat embarrassedly remarked, “That’s very thoughtful of you, Shi Xiu. If I were in your shoes, I definitely wouldn’t have thought of this and would’ve given them the money directly. My parents have always taught my brother and me to be kind to others and do our best to help where we can. After all, some things aren’t a problem for us at all. Our family donates to the orphanage every year. The children there are so pitiful.”
The others looked at her in approval. Then, they called out to the production team and asked them to follow up on the child’s care. If the child needed anything, they would definitely help out.
Yan Tang commented curiously, “Shi Xiu, why are you so sensitive at such a young age? I wouldn’t have taken so much into consideration if something like that happened to me.”
Yan Tang’s words may sound slightly harsh, but Shi Xiu was already quite familiar with her. She knew Yan Tang didn’t have any bad intentions; it was just her nature, so Shi Xiu smiled sweetly and teased, “That just goes to show that you don’t have enough life experience!”
Yan Tang raised her chopsticks and pretended she was going to hit her with them. “Don’t let it get to your head!”
Shi Xiu grinned. Seeing that everyone was also anticipatedly waiting for an answer, she uttered, “I learned it from listening to my parents, brothers, and sisters-in-law chatting. My brother’s company has a special donation fund to help those in need.”
“He would also ask his assistant to check on the fund’s implementation regularly. He said you shouldn’t just donate money and leave it at that. Certain measures have to be put in place because monetary donations might breed corruption over time. It’s better to use that money to buy the resources needed and donate those instead. Furthermore, in some special circumstances—such as disasters—money isn’t as useful as resources and supplies.”
Everyone nodded. “Fair enough.”
Shi Xiu surreptitiously glanced at Yun Liu, thinking, ‘We both know you and your family donated to the orphanage just for show.’ Yun Liu noticed her provocative gaze, but she was facing the cameras and couldn’t even make a face.
“I remember hearing a piece of news before; a child had been sick for many years, and his parents were physically and mentally exhausted. One day, that family won the lottery, and the father left with the large prize money because he couldn’t stand living such a miserable life anymore,” Shi Xiu softly uttered.
Some had heard of this news before, while others raised their eyebrows in surprise.
“I remember hearing a piece of news before; a child had been sick for many years, and his parents were physically and mentally exhausted. One day, that family won the lottery, and the father left with the large prize money because he couldn’t stand living such a miserable life anymore,” Shi Xiu softly uttered.
Some had heard of this news before, while others raised their eyebrows in surprise.
“Oh?” Yun Liu exclaimed. “Shi Xiu, are you worried the child’s parents will take the donation money and abandon her? But how can you know that? Won’t you be framing good people if they aren’t that kind of folks?”
Shi Xiu frowned. “I never said such a thing. How can you say that, Yun Liu? Are you trying to get the netizens to attack me?”
Ji Fei and Hai Hua looked at Yun Liu reproachfully, and Yun Liu was embarrassed.
Shi Xiu remarked, “There’s something my sister-in-law said that I completely agree with; she said that human nature is at its best when it’s not needed. So, don’t do things that will test human nature. If we think through our actions more, we can avoid a lot of unpleasant things happening, so why challenge human nature? Those who dig into other people’s private lives and backgrounds are even more outrageous. They’re all thoughtlessly testing the limits of human nature.’
Yan Tang applauded Shi Xiu’s speech, and Xiao Zhao also placed his chopsticks down to clap and say, “Well said! I really want to get to know your sister-in-law!”