Chapter 512: Incredible (Part 3)
The couple who owned the car came to the police station again, but this time it wasn’t to demand compensation. They came to state that they didn’t want any.
They had been confused by what happened at first. But with all the commotion in the city now, and having been in and out of the police station, even the slowest person would have figured things out.
The husband and wife had children of their own. Knowing that Little Tang Mo had only smashed their car to save himself, they marveled at his cleverness and immediately decided they didn’t want any compensation.
The broken glass just needed to be replaced and repaired. It wasn’t a big deal.
After taking their car to the repair shop, they came to the police station to say they wanted to let the matter go.
But as soon as they arrived, before they could even explain, an officer told them the police would make sure the couple wouldn’t be at a loss and would definitely compensate them for the repairs. Then, the boy who had smashed the car and his mother arrived.
When Su Li and Little Tang Mo got there, they happened to overhear them saying they didn’t need compensation.
"You don’t need to pay. We’ve already taken the car to be repaired. If it helped that child escape the clutches of human traffickers, if it helped him, then what’s a couple of hits to our car?"
The car owner, a plump man with a shiny face and a large belly, looked a bit like a sleazy businessman, but he was actually a kindhearted person.
He waved his hand. "We demanded compensation at the time because we thought he was just a naughty kid doing it on purpose. Under these circumstances, how could we possibly ask you to pay? We have a conscience too."
Su Li couldn’t help but smile when she heard this. It reminded her of a common saying:
’There really are more good people in the world.’
She patted Little Tang Mo’s head and led him forward.
"Hello, I’m Su Li, Little Mo’s mother." Su Li smiled as she stepped forward to introduce herself, patting Little Tang Mo’s head.
"This is my son, Tang Mo. Smashing your car was one of the methods I taught him in case he was ever kidnapped. In the end, it was your car he smashed."
Su Li explained with a smile, then bowed in gratitude. "Thank you."
The couple quickly stood up. "Don’t mention it, no need for thanks! We even yelled at the kid before, thinking he was just being naughty."
"Yelling at him was the natural thing to do at the time." Su Li thanked them again and then said, "But I must compensate you for the damage to your car. I won’t say I’ll buy you a new one, but I absolutely must pay for the repair costs."
"I can’t let you pay for the repairs yourselves. My conscience wouldn’t be clear otherwise."
The couple was very touched. "No, really, you don’t have to."
"I insist, I insist. Little Mo was able to save himself because of you. I’m so grateful, so I must pay."
A police officer on the side watched them, amused.
Here at the station, they mostly dealt with people refusing to pay compensation or other kinds of disputes. This was the first time they’d ever seen someone so eager to pay, while the recipient was adamantly refusing.
It was quite funny... but beyond the humor, it was also truly heartwarming.
For the past two days, they had been dealing with human traffickers and seeing the rescued victims. They’d seen enough of the dark side of humanity, and their hearts were heavy. This scene, however, was touching and comforting.
"Alright, you two, stop arguing. How about this? They are sincerely grateful and want to compensate you. Just accept it. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just the repair cost."
In the end, it was a police officer who spoke up and persuaded them.
The couple finally stopped protesting and showered Little Tang Mo with praise.
Su Li solemnly handed them an envelope with the compensation money inside. "If you ever need help with anything in the future, you can call me. My number is on here. If I can help, I will do my best."
The car owner took the envelope carefully, glanced at the phone number on it, and nodded. "Okay, okay."
Building such a positive connection was a good thing. A very good thing.
The car owner and his wife said their goodbyes. As they passed a television in the office area, an advertisement for Pinjun Clothing was playing.
The two couldn’t help but stop, a look of regret on their faces.
"Just our luck, we couldn’t get approved..."
The car owner muttered before turning to leave, but Su Li, curious, asked a question.
"What did you apply for from Pinjun?"
Hearing Su Li’s question, the car owner turned back and pointed at the Pinjun Clothing ad. "A franchise for Pinjun. We applied to be franchisees before. We met all the qualifications, but we were disqualified because there are already two franchisees in the city."
The moment Su Li heard this, she understood what had happened.
"So you want to open a franchise store too?"
Although the car owner found Su Li’s question a bit strange, he was happy to answer.
"Yeah. The shop we found is right next to a school. We wanted to franchise with Pinjun because their clothes are good quality and we wanted to sell them, but well..."
He shook his head. "Now we’re looking for other suppliers."
Su Li shook her head. "If you really want to sell Pinjun Clothing, you can contact Pinjun and apply again. The limit on the number of franchise stores in the city will be changing soon."
The car owner’s face lit up with a pleasant surprise. "Really?"
His surprise quickly turned to confusion. "How do you know that?"
Little Tang Mo, standing to the side, giggled. "Mister, it’s because my mom is one of the owners of Pinjun."
When the car owner heard what Little Tang Mo said, his eyes shot wide open. "What... This... This..."
The couple never would have imagined they would meet one of the owners of Pinjun Clothing like this!
Su Li hadn’t changed her clothes in a few days and didn’t look particularly clean. Who would have thought...
No wonder Little Tang Mo hadn’t hesitated to smash their car. No wonder he’d said he would definitely pay and that money wasn’t an issue... Turns out money really wasn’t an issue...
When it dawned on them, the couple was overjoyed. "This is great! This is great..."
The two of them walked away in a daze of pleasant shock. The team leader and the other officers who had overheard their conversation, however, were still reeling.
To think Su Li was an owner of Pinjun. Pinjun... most people knew about it now. So many people loved their clothes, and the officers had even bought some themselves...
The team leader sighed inwardly. She knew Ling Zhen, she was an owner of Pinjun, and the two men who came with her were clearly formidable... Even the person Little Tang Mo grabbed on the street turned out to be a student from Imperial University. Birds of a feather really do flock together!
Setting aside the team leader’s internal drama, the compensation had been paid and all the necessary thanks had been given. Next, Su Li and the others were going to get some proper rest, have a meal, and then spend some time alone to talk.
Wu Sheng and Tang Yuanxiao borrowed the bathroom in the duty office to wash up and get clean. Although their eyes were still red, they were now full of energy.
Su Li also washed up and tidied herself, finally starting to feel relaxed.
After eating, their spirits lifted. When they heard there was another operation that afternoon to arrest suspects based on new leads from the interrogations, Tang Yuanxiao and Wu Sheng immediately volunteered to help.
The two of them hated these human traffickers to the bone and were burning with passion to help. The police happened to be a bit short-staffed, so their assistance was more than welcome.
Wu Sheng and Tang Yuanxiao went off to help. Su Li lulled Little Tongtong and Little Yang Mei to sleep for their afternoon nap, and was finally alone with Little Tang Mo.
Su Li held Little Tang Mo in her arms and began asking about the circumstances of his kidnapping.
"I asked around near the library. The last anyone remembers is seeing you with a woman about my age. Who was she? Was she the one who took you?"
To Su Li’s surprise, Little Tang Mo shook his head.