บท 3: "....I really want to stop..."
Chairman Mei took one look at Lijuan when she stepped inside the house and turned to his wife, "You either handle this or I will. And I truly hope you don't hold me back." He told his wife through gritted teeth.
"I'll take care of it" Mother Mei assured him and stood up to talk to Lijuan.
"Where were you and why did you run off on Jackie?" She asked, wanting to start with the minor questions.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me, I was just very bored" Lijuan said looking at her feet.
"Did you pay for the clothes you are wearing?" Her mother asked, looking her up and down.
Her lips formed a straight line as she looked at her parents.
Her action plus the look on her face, confirmed she hadn't.
"Where else did you go to? You better don't lie" Her mother warned her sternly.
"I went to a jewelry store. I wanted to buy you something nice for mothers' day" Lijuan said, bringing out the necklace she had bought from her bag as she handed it over to her mother alongside the receipt.
"Awwww, that's so sweet of you my darling girl." Mother Mei said with a smile, momentarily distracted from her original purpose.
"Focus woman! Will you?" Chairman Mei scolded from where he was still seated.
"Do you think she will just get something from there without pilfering something?" He growled.
"Did you take anything from the store?" Her mother asked in a gentle voice.
"What sort of question is that? When has she ever agreed to stealing something even when caught red-handed?" Chairman Mei bellowed at his wife.
"Call me Rong and Jiaying" Chairman Mei instructed Jackie who was just standing at the side.
"What for?" His wife asked him, not happy with the fact that he was calling them to experience Lijuan's humiliation.
"Someone needs to pat her down. I can't ask Jackie to do that, and I don't trust you enough with that job either. So her sisters will do it. Pray they don't find any stolen item on her, because if they do you're going to take it back, I'll make sure of it" He said glaring at both mother and daughter.
Rong and Jiaying rolled their eyes when they saw Lijuan standing in the middle of the sitting room in men's clothing.
"Pat her down" Their father instructed them without moving from his position.
Chairman Mei's instruction did not surprise them. They were already used to doing it.
Jiaying stood behind Lijuan, while Rong stood in front as they ran their hands down her body and all the pockets of her clothes.
Rong dipped her hand inside a tiny pocket which was inside the front jean pocket and brought out a small ring. She eyed Lijuan condescendingly before going to hand the ring over to their father.
"No, I don't want to touch it. Hand it to your mother" Chairman Mei said to Rong as he stood up from his position.
"You can't just conclude that she stole it just because it's inside her pocket" Mother Mei complained with a frown as she took the ring from Rong.
"Really? Then ask her how long she's had that ring."
"It looks new. And I don't think it was listed in the receipt." Rong chipped in while glaring at Lijuan.
"Just keep shut!" Mother Mei snapped at Rong.
"Ask your daughter to take you to wherever she stole that from. You'll apologise to them and pay for the ring." He paused and turned to look at Lijuan who looked at all of them apologetically.
"And this should be the last time you leave the house with the black card."
"But it is past 10pm already. Can't we just do that tomorrow?" Mother Mei pleaded.
"That stolen ring will not stay under the same roof with me. I don't want to see either of you until you have made amends" He said and turned to retire to his bedroom.
"You're really a disgrace to this household. I'm ashamed to say you're my younger sister" Rong hissed at her before walking away.
"I don't like you too." Lijuan muttered under her breath but with her head still down.
Lijuan's younger sister Jiaying, stared at her for a while and left without saying a word.
When she was sure it was just her mother and Jackie standing there, she raised her head.
"I'm sorry Mom" She said as the tears she had been struggling to hold back dropped from her eyes.
"I.... am.. really sorry. I want to stop. I really want to stop, I swear. I don't just understand why it is so difficult" She said as she started sobbing.
"It's alright. I understand. We should take it back now" Mother Mei said while hugging her close but Lijuan shook her head. "I don't want to go back there. Please talk to father." She pleaded.
Mother Mei sighed deeply. She was really faced with a dilemma and didn't know what to do either.
"Don't worry sweetheart. Just trust me to handle it properly okay?"
She cupped Lijuan's face and made her look at her.
"Even though this doesn't make sense, they won't have any choice but to believe it. You took some drugs which causes partial amnesia, you picked the ring because you wanted to buy it but forgot. Now, you're going to apologize and pay double for it. You understand?"
Lijuan nodded with tears still flowing from her eyes.
*************
A WEEK LATER...
Lijuan was sitting in a restaurant with Jackie, having lunch when Wang Yun entered with his younger brother Wang Jinhai.
She recognized him immediately he entered and quickly turned her face to the side so he wouldn't see her. She was grateful for the hat and glasses she wore.
Yun shook his head when he saw her and noticed the way she was trying hard to hide from him. Her height and frame had given her away the moment he looked around, not many women had such a distinctive physique.
He shifted his attention back to Jinhai who was still talking beside him even though he hadn't heard a word. He was too disinterested to pay her any more attention than he had already.
Few minutes later, a little ruckus at her end of the restaurant attracted the attention of everyone.
"My husband's wallet is missing." A lady cried out.
"Shouldn't they search for it instead of making such noise?" Jinhai muttered as he turned to look at what was happening.
"Sorry ma'am, you have to calm down" The manager of the restaurant who had been summoned told her calmly.
"I can't calm down. We have to search everyone here, beginning from her" The lady said pointing at Lijuan.
"You can't insult her in this manner" Jackie objected rising up from his seat opposite Lijuan.
Yun turned to look at them and frowned. What was it with her and stealing things? He wondered.
He really pitied the man beside her who was currently being subjected to such embarrassment because of her.
Lijuan stood up from her seat to face the lady, "Are you out of your mind" She asked the older lady with a deep frown as she took of her glasses. "If your husband's purse is missing, how does it concern me?"
She had chosen to have lunch at this particular restaurant because she had never eaten there before and as such had no record of theft there.
"Because your seat is closest to his own and you could easily have taken it from his pocket." The woman said eyeing her.
"I'm sorry for the embarrassment, please pardon my wife" The man whose wallet was missing said in embarrassment as he tried to pull her back to her seat.
Lijuan scoffed in disbelief as she looked at the both of them.
"Search me then. Someone should pat me down" Lijuan offered, making Yun turn to glance at her again.
Was she being serious? She was really going to embarrass her man and herself in this way? Yun wondered with a snort.
Just as the embarrassed manager signalled for a female staff to pat her down, the man's phone suddenly started ringing. He received the call and gave his wife an angry look after listening to what the person on the phone said.
"Please that won't be necessary. I just received a call from home saying my wallet was found on the floor just after we left. We are sorry for the embarrassment" The man said bowing his head in embarrassment as he glared at his wife to do the same.
The lady bowed her head in shame when she heard the murmurs of some of the customers. She was certain they were calling her names for accusing someone wrongly. They realised it could have been any of them if they had been sitting a little closer to her table.
"I'm sorry for accusing you falsely" The lady said with her head still down.
Lijuan said nothing to her instead, she walked out of the restaurant with a smile on her face, leaving Jackie to pay the bill, and the others wondering why she was smiling when she had just been embarrassed.
Mei Lijuan felt all bubbly inside. That was actually the first time she was accused of stealing when she hadn't stolen anything. The joy of it was indescribable. She desperately wished her life was like that. She didn't mind being accused falsely. She just didn't want to steal again!
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