Chapter 3: Uncle Li Comes to Visit

Now that the person has been found, seeing the middle-aged man looking utterly heartbroken, I truly felt embarrassed to approach him for a reward, so I quietly turned around and left

So this is the main purpose of this old fellow coming to see me today! I glanced at that brown paper bag out of the corner of my eye. Yesterday, I only showed a little bit of my skills, and he already had such a "thick" little token of appreciation. If he specially invited me to help, wouldn't that mean he intends to give an even "thicker" little token?

The man glared, "Don't waste my time. I don't have any money to give you right now. Quickly leave your phone number and name. Once my boss is done with his work, I will definitely have something good for you!"

I shook my head and said, "There is no dog of yours inside; I suspect it has been picked up by someone. If you really want to find it, you might as well offer a reward and post a lost dog notice."

I looked around and found that no one was looking my way, so I hurriedly opened the paper bag and took a peek inside. To my surprise, there were 5 bundles of red bills! This was the first time in my life that I had ever touched so much cash! My excitement was beyond words

The child's father walked over to his son, unable to utter a single word of sorrow. They had originally come out to have fun, but no one expected such an accident to occur

However, I did not expect to be awakened by the ringtone of my phone early the next morning. When I picked it up, I saw it was an unfamiliar number. "Hello, who are you looking for?"

Uncle Li smiled slightly and then warmly said to me: "Zhang Jinbao! Come, come, come, quickly sit down. It's not that you are late, it's that I arrived early." After saying this, he took out a large kraft paper bag from a bag behind him and slowly placed it on the table, saying: "This is what General Manager Kuang asked me to give you. He said that thanks to your appearance yesterday, he was able to find his son. You can take this money as a small token of his gratitude."

Mr. Li seemed to perceive my intention, yet he did not follow my lead. Instead, he took a business card from his pocket and placed it on the table, saying, "You do not need to rush to respond to me; I am well aware of your capabilities. Take your time to consider this thoroughly. Here is my contact information; call me once you have made up your mind." After he finished speaking, he stood up and left.

As soon as I heard him mention yesterday's incident, I realized that the Mr. Kuang he referred to was the father of the child from the reservoir. In fact, I regretted it last night while lying in bed; I didn't even ask for his surname or given name, yet I was expecting him to come to my door with money. In this day and age, how could such a good thing happen? But to my surprise, this Mr. Kuang actually sent someone over!

I understood what he meant in my heart, so I smiled foolishly and scratched my head, then politely stated my name and phone number

I arranged to meet Uncle Li at a teahouse called "Chunlai Teahouse" near my home. When I arrived, I saw a man in his forties, slightly plump, sitting inside with a smile on his face as he looked at me

After sending the little girl home, I touched my pocket and found that I had less than 50 yuan left. It was all due to my foolish kindness, and now I had no choice but to go hungry! Due to my financial constraints, I could only buy two packs of instant noodles at the supermarket to take home, prioritizing filling my stomach first.

The girl who had been waiting outside for me came out with an excited expression and asked, "How is it? Do you have my dog?"

After confirming the time and place, I quickly freshened up and then happily set off ... ...

Upon seeing the thickness of this kraft paper bag, I couldn't help but feel delighted, it must be worth at least several tens of thousands, right? However, I maintained a calm demeanor on the surface and said, "This is too kind, I merely happened to pass by yesterday and it was just a small effort."

The girl was very disappointed after hearing my words. When I saw her expression that was on the verge of tears, my heart softened, and I returned the 500 yuan she had just given me. After all, I really hadn't found anything, and it felt somewhat unfair to keep this young girl's money.

On the phone, the man chuckled and said, "My surname is Li, and my name is Li Zhenhai. You can just call me Uncle Li. I would like to invite you to meet in person, firstly to express Mr. Kuang's gratitude for your help yesterday, and secondly... I have some matters to discuss with you."

Uncle Li shook his head and said, "Ah! One cannot say that. Yesterday, I saw your abilities on the shore. Let us speak frankly; I have come to seek your assistance today. I wonder if you would be willing to help me"

Upon returning home, the first thing I did was to purchase several new outfits online. As the saying goes, "A person relies on their attire, just as a Buddha relies on gold adornments!" The moment I put on the new clothes, I immediately felt like an elite individual

Perhaps feeling it was inauspicious, the man quickly climbed back into the lifeboat after hearing my words, then gave me a thumbs up, saying, "Little brother, I didn't expect you to be quite capable! We have been searching here for three days without finding anything!"

After this incident, I did not pay much attention to it, as I still did not know what this person with the surname Li was really about. Unexpectedly, a few days later, I received a call from a stranger who claimed to be referred by Master Li. He wanted me to help him find his sister, who had been missing for almost a month. Naturally, I would not refuse a business opportunity, so I arranged to meet him at the Chunlai Teahouse, where I had previously met Uncle Li, to discuss the matter in detail.

Of course, those who arrived later were not idle. As soon as I landed, they had already retrieved the boy's body from the water and quickly brought it to shore. The child had been in the water for three days, and the body was somewhat swollen, but it was not too horrifying.

I didn't expect him to leave just like that, leaving me sitting there in a daze for a long time. It took me quite a while to react, and I thought to myself, "So... he just left like this?! Hmph!" In fact, if he had said a couple more words, I would have agreed right away...! I felt a bit disappointed as I picked up the kraft paper bag and weighed it in my hand. Wow! It's not light!

Is this Zhang Jinbao? A deep voice came through the phone

As soon as I stepped out of the reservoir, the young man who had just taken me in chased after me. He caught up to me while jogging and said, "Hey! Don't leave just yet, my boss wants me to ask for your phone number and name!"

However, I know that there are some things that cannot be said too openly, otherwise it would truly be overreaching and I would not be able to accomplish anything in the future. So I smiled slightly and said: "Uncle Li, you really think highly of me. I am just a recent graduate, and my meeting with Mr. Kuang's son yesterday was purely a matter of chance. The matters you handle must be of great importance, and I... I certainly wouldn't be able to manage them, would I?"

Upon hearing this, it seems there is a way forward, and I should be grateful! However, I immediately recalled that I had initially stated I would not accept any payment. If I were to accept money now, it would seem somewhat ungracious. Therefore, I declined by saying, "I said I do not want any money!"

I smiled at him lightly and said, "Let's go, we can talk about it on the shore..."

Hello, you must be Uncle Li, right? Am I late? I said with a face full of embarrassment

"Who are you..." I asked with a puzzled expression