Chapter 631
Chapter 631
Victoria slowly turned around as saw Anthony standing on the side of the road, holding a little girl in his arms. There were some scattered pieces of bottles on the ground. At the same time, there was a sudden sound of a brake.
"You're digging your own grave! Can't you see the red light!" He shouted.
The driver roared without getting out of the car. Instead, he rushed away. The little girl was obviously frightened and cried loudly.
After tidying up the girl's clothes, he helped her to pick up some scattered empty bottles and put them back into the torn plastic bag.
"Little girl, why are you still outside at night? Don't play on the road next time. Remember to watch the road, okay?" He said.
"Oh, my bottle, I've lost Grandma's bottle. There were a lot of them! I just wanted to pick up a few more. If Grandma finds out about it, she'll cry! Without these bottles, I can't go to school. We can only eat one meal a day..." The little girl said.
The little girl hugged the bottle and pitifully cried.
"Where are your parents?"
"They passed away. I only have my grandma!"
He took out his wallet and took out all the bills.
"I broke your bag. I'll pay for them. Go home now! Your grandmother will be more worried if she finds out that you aren't home at this hour!" He said.
Upon shaking her head, the little girl said, "I don't want it! You saved me. I can't take your money! Thank you!"
As she spoke, she removed her tattered coat and was ready to wrap up the empty bottles that had fallen. Upon seeing this, Anthony snatched it away and helped her put her clothes back on.
"Who's going to take care of your grandmother if you catch a cold? These bottles won't be enough for medicine!" Anthony said.
The little girl stopped her action as she started to think. Once again, he tried to shove the money into her hand.
"Just assume that I've bought all the bottles you lost, or think that I lent them to you. When you grow up and have money, you can return it to me. There are a lot of bad guys at night. Don't stray out here alone in the future!"
"I... I'm not afraid. Grandma is on the opposite side of the street! I'm very smart. I'll scream when there's a bad guy!" She said.
There was a sense of stubbornness and unswerving determination in her eyes. However, there was some sense of hesitation when she held the money. Upon seeing her sallow and emaciated face, Anthony patted her head and held her rough hands.
"Take it! I've lent it to you, but you have to secretly hide it. When you can't get any bottles, take one out and tell your grandmother that you earned it by picking up a bottle. That way, you can also rest for a day. You don't want her to get sick and hungry, do you? I'll remember you and I'll do bookkeeping. When you grow up, I'll ask you for it," he said.
"Okay, I won't go back on my words," the little girl promised.
As he was speaking, the little girl focused on counting the money. "Eight hundred and twenty-one dollars, I'll keep it in mind! This is so much, we can eat some food for the next few months," she said.
All of a sudden, Anthony's heart ached. He hated that he didn't carry any more cash with him. "You have to hide the money well. Don't lose it and don't get cheated by others. Do you understand?"
All of a sudden, he remembered something. He said, "Put the money away. I'll get you a bag to keep your bottles. If someone sees you, they'll steal it from you."
As he was about to buy a roasted sweet corn to get some change, he saw Victoria at the same stall. He was surprised but still ran over.
Their eyes met and the both of them remained silent for a long time.
"Roasted sweet corn, roasted sweet corn..." The hawker said.
Upon hearing the hawker's voice, Anthony suddenly came back to his senses and said, "Give me the two largest ones! Boss, can you exchange some cash for me? The more the merrier!"
As he was in a small alley and he didn't attempt to go to the bank. He just wanted to find some extra change for the little girl. He paid digitally and exchanged it for five hundred dollars of cash. He also requested for a few large bags.
Soon after that, he walked over to the little girl and put the bottles in the bags. He then shoved the cash and roasted corn into her pocket.
"It's getting dark. You can stop looking for empty bottles. No one will come out for drinks on such a cold day. Go home now. Here's some sweet corn for your grandmother. Tell her that I bought them for her. Be careful when you're out in the future, okay?" Anthony said.
With the sweet corn in her arms, the little girl began to drool a little. However, she didn't dare to move. "Thank you, Uncle... But Grandma won't let me accept things from other people."
Just as she was muttering to herself, an old lady carrying a large bag walked over with a walking stick. "Ruth, Ruth..." She called out. "Grandma!" The little girl shouted.
The little girl was slightly clumsy as she helped her carry the large bags. However, she excitedly ran to the old woman and gave the old woman the trash bottle, the paper box, the corn, and money.
"Where did you get so much money from? Did you steal from someone else? Or did a man bully you and give it to you?" The old lady asked. She patted the little girl as she spoke. At the same time, she burst into tears. "Tell me. Where did you get it from?" She asked again. "Grandma, no! No! That uncle saved me and gave it to me. I didn't steal it, nor did I want it..." The little girl explained.
"Ruth, what did I teach you? How can you accept things from others?" The old lady said.
After grabbing it, the old woman put down the bag full of things on her back and wanted to return them. Both of them were just next to Victoria. She felt a little sad as she stood next to them. As such, she immediately stopped her.Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.
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"Madam, pleaşe take it! We mean no harm! Your granddaughter came out to pick up things at such a young age and she was almost hit by a car! It's not easy for her and it's dangerous at night. Don't mind the money, just take it. Even if you don't need it, will you let the little girl suffer with you?" Victoria said.
"It's fate that made us meet. Although it's not enough to solve your problem, it's still better than nothing. As long as it could make your life a little better, it's good, isn't it?" She said.
Upon saying that, she also rummaged her pocket and took out all the cash within her wallet.
"Madam, we're all volunteers in the department! These are charity funds, specially used to help families that are suffering. It's just that we didn't come across you. Please take it in the future, there may be people who regularly come over to do charity and there'll be some..." Victoria explained.
As she held the money in her hands, the old lady was full of excitement and said, "It's been so long. I haven't seen so much money!"
"Grandma?" The little girl asked.
The little girl gave her an appealing look. Victoria then said again, "If you don't think about yourself, you should think about the little girl. She still has
to go to school. That'll take a lot of money, right? Please take it."
"Thank you! You're really kind!" The old lady said.
She finally accepted the offer. She carefully put the money away and wiped her tears. She then ripped half of the sweet corn and put it into the girl's hands. The little girl was wolfing down the sweet corn. She couldn't wait to eat the sweet corn and didn't want to waste any of it. Victoria was a little touched by the scene.
As Victoria watched both of them leave, her gaze suddenly returned to Anthony. Once again, a tumultuous wave surged in her heart.