Someone in the crowd shouted, “Mr. Qin, why don’t you take this child as your foster son? You saved him before, which shows you two are fated. Take him as your foster son, feed him, and I believe when he grows up, he will repay you.”
Qin Yang looked at the person and spoke indifferently, “Since you pity him so much, it shows that you two are also fated. Why don’t you take him as your foster son?”
Before the man could speak, a woman beside him pinched him hard, “Am I no longer able to bear you a son, or have you eaten too much? Get back home.”
After this incident, Qin Yang still looked at the union staff, waiting for his response.
The union staff member was anxiously scratching his head; he was just following orders to come here, not expecting Mr. Qin’s and their words to differ.
At this point, the kneeling woman spoke again, pushing the child in her arms forward with sincere words.
“I know this matter has caused you great trouble, and I do not ask you to take Genbao as your son, just to feed him. Let him do anything, I really can’t support him anymore. Rest assured, from now on, Genbao will belong to his benefactor, and I won’t contact him anymore.”
She then heavily knocked her head on the ground.
Some tender-hearted women in the crowd had already begun to wipe away tears, wondering how many mothers could bear to be separated from their children unless absolutely necessary.
Finally, the union staff mustered the courage to speak, “Mr. Qin, please consider doing a good deed. As the saying goes, saving a life is worth more than building a seven-tiered pagoda. I think this child is also easy to raise. Just feeding him would be doing a good deed.”
A sneer flashed in Qin Yang’s eyes, “Don’t tell me this is the union’s solution. If that’s the case, I think it’d be better if the union did the good deed.”
If it were before, he might not have cared so much. For him, supporting one more child was not difficult, and he even thought that if capable, he would sponsor children in remote and impoverished areas who can’t afford meals.
But since his wife mentioned his “rotten kindness”, many issues seemed not so straightforward when viewed from another angle.
“A simple issue, and the union has not handled it well after so long. Is the union just for show now, or is this some leader’s idea to kick this issue to me like a ball?”
The staffer’s eyes flashed with guilt, “No… that’s not the case, just…”
“It’s just a small issue, why must Mr. Qin express such harshness, framing the union so severely?”
Before the staffer could finish, a low voice emerged from behind the crowd.
Vice Chairman Sha Jianqi stepped forward.
First, he glanced at the kneeling mother and son and the surrounding crowd, slightly frowning as he rebuked the staffer.
“How are you handling things? Such a small issue, look at the negative impact, why haven’t you dispersed the crowd?”
The staffer hurriedly tried to disperse the crowd, but now, with the excitement, no one wanted to leave.
Sha Jianqi looked at Qin Yang with a chuckling smile, “Mr. Qin, young comrades handle issues clumsily. But speaking of which, this matter really isn’t the union’s fault. The union has also been putting in effort for your affairs recently; there is hard work even if no merits. Ultimately, this isn’t something the union should handle…”
Li Wei couldn’t listen anymore, “How is it not the union’s responsibility? Is Vice Chairman Sha trying to shirk responsibility?”
Sha Jianqi smiled again, still appearing amiable.
“It’s not about the union wanting to shirk responsibility. Mr. Qin did a good deed, but this child’s parents are not employees of the unit. If given to the union, how can we manage? Our union isn’t a charity, is it?”
Li Wei was stunned, this seemed correct too.
According to past experience, if an employee of the unit had an accident, widows and orphans would inevitably receive compensation and resettlement through the union.
This mother and son had no relation to the unit, and indeed the union couldn’t arrange anything on behalf of the unit.
He looked at Qin Yang, who slightly narrowed his eyes.
He had encountered Vice Chairman Sha before; achieving the position of vice chairman of the union at a young age, he indeed had some capabilities.
But to say this matter had nothing to do with the union…
Upon returning to the unit after a holiday, he accidentally heard Zhang Dawei gossiping.
During the Spring Festival, this young vice chairman of the union got married, his wife being the daughter of the Party branch secretary, Xu Sijin.
Sha Jianqi continued lobbying, “Honestly, this isn’t a big issue. The child is pitiful, being chased out by his grandmother, no father, Mr. Qin, why not do a good deed…”
“The child’s parents aren’t employees of the unit, but am I not?”
Qin Yang laughed coldly, “Since Vice Chairman Sha is so compassionate, why not adopt the child instead? I hear you and Comrade Xu just got married. Having a comrade help out would surely be better than a single man like me taking care of a child.”
Sha Jianqi’s smile faltered slightly, Qin Yang continued, “I hear Vice Chairman Sha’s family members are famously warm-hearted. Getting such a big son right after getting married, Comrade Xu would definitely be happy.”
Finally, Sha Jianqi could no longer maintain his smile. Who would want to raise someone else’s son just after getting married?
Qin Yang, stirring trouble, was also too blunt.
What’s more blunt was what followed.
Qin Yang leisurely reminded, “Vice Chairman Sha, your last name is Sha, not Fool.”
After saying this, regardless of the union personnel or the mother and child behind him, he turned and walked away.
Nobody expected Qin Yang to be so irresponsible; he was never like this before.
But really, no one could say what he should be doing.
As Qin Yang truly seemed to ignore them, the woman’s mind flashed with resolution.
“Benefactor, since you choose to ignore us to death, why did you even save us in the first place? It would have been better for our family to die together, at least we’d have company on the road to the underworld. You saved him but won’t care for him, letting him suffer disdain in this world alone. Are you really satisfied with your conscience?”
Hearing the cries behind him, Qin Yang’s steps slightly faltered, but only for a moment, then he continued walking resolutely back.
Qin Yang didn’t pay attention to what happened afterward, diving fully into his work. But at dinner, Zhang Dawei mentioned something.
After Qin Yang left, the union had security maintain the order at the door and also took the mother and son away.
Where exactly, he didn’t know.
Qin Yang cared even less.
If Liu Xiaohua and her daughter’s matter was indeed his misguided kindness, today’s event with this mother and son made him somewhat doubt life.
He still remembered the situation back then, a landslide burying pedestrians passing by.
They were nearby at the time, and without hesitation, began rescue operations.
The woman, embracing her child, was only half-buried. Seeing the rescuers, she grabbed Qin Yang’s clothes, pleading for help.