Yesterday at dusk, after several twists and turns, the Chengdu Business Daily reporter made contact with Huang Dongmei, who is currently working in a fan factory in Xiaolan Town, Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province. Talking about her experiences over the past six years, Huang Dongmei choked up several times. However, regarding her own actions, Huang Dongmei was quite calm: "This is nothing, I just did what I should have done." Huang Dongmei went to the finance department of Luzhou Modern Era Transportation Co., Ltd. to repay the money.
Share to: Welcome to post comments, I want to comment.
Huang Dongmei's father, Mr. Huang, was originally a dispatcher for Era Transportation. Former colleagues of Mr. Huang recalled that he usually spoke little but was relatively serious and responsible in his work.
Lawyer's Opinion
The day after Mr. Huang disappeared, 15-year-old Huang Dongmei came to her father's company, found the leader, and publicly vowed: "The money my dad owes, I will definitely pay back when I grow up." At the time, Era Transportation thought this was just something the young girl said casually. No one took this promise seriously.
Father absconded with public funds, 15-year-old daughter vowed, "The money my dad owes, I will definitely pay back when I grow up."
However, due to gambling debts, Mr. Huang disappeared without notice during the Spring Festival travel rush in 2005, taking with him more than 40,000 yuan in ticket revenue. The company searched everywhere but found no trace of him, and eventually reported the matter to the police.
Father absconds with funds, daughter vows to repay
Huang Dongmei: If you owe someone money, it must be repaid. I thought that if I could pay off the money my father owed, he wouldn't have to hide anymore and could come home.
Yesterday afternoon, Shi Qizhi, the head of the office at Era Transportation, stated that upon learning about Huang Dongmei's repayment, the company leadership and employees brought gifts and specially visited Huang Dongmei's grandparents in Lishi Village, Quban Town. "After repaying the debt, Huang Dongmei once again went out to work. Currently, only Huang Dongmei's grandparents remain in their hometown. Their house is very old, and it can be said that the family's financial situation is not affluent." Shi Qizhi hopes to convey through the Chengdu Business Daily that, "Given the integrity of this young girl, Era Transportation is willing to provide Huang Dongmei with a job opportunity. The company welcomes Huang Dongmei to come and work anytime."
The girl's name is Huang Dongmei, she is the daughter of former Era Transportation employee Mr. Huang. Six years ago, Mr. Huang absconded with more than 40,000 yuan in cash from the company and disappeared without a trace. At the time, the 15-year-old Huang Dongmei came to the company and promised: "The money my dad owes, I will definitely pay back when I grow up." Six years later, when she fulfilled her promise, everyone from the chairman to every employee at Era Transportation was deeply moved.
At the same time, in Lishi Village, the news of the "honest girl" repaying her father's debt also spread. The village head of Lishi Village, Chen Jiliang, remarked, "I want to tell Dongmei, child, you are really amazing."
Thus, over four years, Huang Dongmei saved more than 30,000 yuan. Subsequently, Huang Dongmei borrowed some money from relatives and friends, making a total of 41,227 yuan. In early November, Huang Dongmei specially took leave from the company and traveled a long distance from Guangdong back to Luzhou to repay the money her father had absconded with.
Chengdu Business Daily reporter: Now the company has decided not to pursue your father's responsibility and is also willing to offer you a job, are you happy?
Huang Dongmei: Of course, I am very happy! For more than six years, I have always wanted to repay the money on behalf of my father and have been quietly saving money. But I was indeed very lonely, I was afraid others would look down on me and my father, so I didn't dare to tell anyone else about this. Now that the matter is settled, I also want to return to Luzhou. As long as I am in Luzhou, I have other relatives. I want to be closer to my family.
Six years later
The company repeatedly expressed surprise and offered the girl a job
Deng Qing indicated that since Huang Dongmei's father absconded with the money when Huang Dongmei was still a minor, she had no legal obligation to repay her father's debt. "Even if Huang Dongmei became an adult, her father is a fully capable civil actor, and the debt he incurred can only be repaid by himself. If the parents pass away, only if the children inherit the parents' estate, do they have the obligation to repay the parents' debts. However, the repayment amount is limited to the inherited property portion. The children have no obligation to repay debts exceeding the inherited property portion."
Yesterday, lawyer Deng Qing from TaiheTai Law Firm said, "The obligation of 'father's debt, son's repayment' is not a legal duty. Huang Dongmei constrained herself with inner moral principles, giving society a lesson. The theme of this lesson is honesty."
News Background
"Father's debt, son's repayment" is not a legal obligation
Chengdu Business Daily reporter: Is all the 41,227 yuan in cash earned from your work?
After experiencing countless difficulties, Huang Dongmei finally found a job in a fan factory, earning about 2000 yuan per month. She lived frugally, maintaining basic living expenses and sending some money to her grandfather and grandmother during holidays, while depositing the remaining salary in the bank.
Subsequently, a series of misfortunes befell Huang Dongmei's family. Due to resentment towards her husband's behavior, Dongmei's mother divorced her father and subsequently left Luzhou. A kind aunt took Dongmei to Naxi to continue junior high school. However, because the aunt's family was not financially well-off either, Dongmei eventually returned to her old home in Lishi Village, Quban Town, Naxi District, living with her elderly grandfather and grandmother.
In 2007, at the age of 17, Huang Dongmei graduated from junior high school and gave up the chance to go to senior high school, deciding to work in Guangdong in the south.
Liu Shizhang, Chengdu Business Daily reporter Zhang Bingyao, photography report
Huang Dongmei: When I first arrived in Guangdong, because of my young age and lack of social experience, I endured a lot of hardships. Later, I found a job in a fan factory. Since then, I have continued to work in this fan factory. During good business periods, I could earn about 2000 yuan per month. During bad business periods, I could only earn about 1700 yuan. The factory provided meals, costing only 2 yuan per meal, but did not provide accommodation. To save money, I generally ate the factory meals. I had to keep my monthly expenses within 1000 yuan. This way, I could ensure saving 10,000 yuan annually. Out of the 41,227 yuan in cash, only more than 30,000 yuan belongs to me. The remaining 10,000 yuan was borrowed from relatives.