Huang Dongmei came to the Finance Department of Luzhou Modern Transport Era Co., Ltd. to pay back the money
Six years ago, her father absconded with public funds, and the 15-year-old girl promised, "The money dad owes, I will definitely pay it back when I grow up."
Six years later, she brought more than 40,000 yuan she had saved from four years of working in the south to fulfill her promise.
"Uncle, Aunt, I've come to pay back the money for my father." On the morning of November 4th, a young girl with a slim figure wearing a white down jacket walked into the finance department of Luzhou Modern Transport Era Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Era Transport). The girl took out a thick stack of cash and handed it over to the company's finance staff.
The girl's name is Huang Dongmei, the daughter of Huang, a former employee of Era Transport. Six years ago, Huang embezzled more than 40,000 yuan in cash from the company and disappeared without a trace. At that time, the 15-year-old Huang Dongmei came to the company and made a vow: "The money dad owes, I will definitely repay when I grow up." Six years later, when she fulfilled her promise, everyone from the chairman to every employee at Era Transport was deeply moved.
Father absconded with public funds, daughter vowed to repay
Huang Dongmei's father, Huang, was originally a dispatcher at Era Transport. Employees who used to work with Huang recalled that he was not very talkative but worked fairly seriously and responsibly.
However, due to gambling debts, in 2005 during the Spring Festival travel rush, Huang took off with more than 40,000 yuan in ticket revenue without saying goodbye, disappearing into the vast sea of people. The company searched everywhere but found no trace of him and eventually reported the case to the police.
The day after Huang disappeared, the 15-year-old Huang Dongmei came to her father's company, found the leader, and publicly vowed, "The money dad owes, I will definitely repay when I grow up." At the time, Era Transport thought this was just something the little girl said casually. No one took this promise seriously.
Dropped out of school to work in the south, saved diligently for four years
Afterward, a series of changes occurred in Huang Dongmei's family. Due to hatred for her husband's actions, Dongmei's mother divorced her father and subsequently left Luzhou. A kind aunt took Dongmei to Naxi to continue her junior high school education. However, since the aunt's family was not well-off either, Dongmei eventually returned to her old home in Lishi Village, Qudam Town, Naxi District, living together with her elderly grandfather and grandmother.
In 2007, at the age of 17, Huang Dongmei graduated from junior high school. She gave up the opportunity to attend senior high school and decided to work in Guangdong in the south.
After countless hardships, Huang Dongmei finally found a job at a fan factory, earning about 2,000 yuan per month. She lived frugally, maintaining basic living expenses and sending some money to her grandparents during holidays. The rest of her salary, Huang Dongmei deposited into the bank.
In this way, over four years, Huang Dongmei saved more than 30,000 yuan. Then, she borrowed some money from relatives, raising a total of 41,227 yuan. In early November, Huang Dongmei specially took leave from her company and traveled a long distance from Guangdong back to Luzhou to pay back the money her father had initially embezzled.
The company expressed surprise and offered the girl a job
"We had already forgotten about this matter, but we didn't expect this little girl to be so honest." The chairman of Era Transport, Chen Shanxin, sighed. Era Transport stated that they would soon follow legal procedures to withdraw the case involving Huang Dongmei's father.
Yesterday afternoon, the head of the office at Era Transport, She Qinzi, said that upon learning about Huang Dongmei's repayment, the company leaders and employees brought gifts and specially visited Dongmei's grandparents in Lishi Village, Qudam Town. "After paying the debt, Huang Dongmei went out to work again. Currently, only her grandparents remain in their old home. Their house is very dilapidated, and it can be said that this family is not economically well-off." She Qinzi hopes to convey through Chengdu Business Daily, "Given this little girl's honesty, Era Transport is willing to offer Huang Dongmei a job opportunity. The company always welcomes Huang Dongmei to start work."
Meanwhile, in Lishi Village, the story of the "honest girl" repaying her father's debt also spread. The village head of Lishi Village, Chen Jiliang, remarked, "I want to say to Dongmei, child, you are really impressive."
Legal Perspective
"Son repays father's debt" is not a legal obligation
Yesterday, lawyer Deng Qing from Taihe Tai Law Firm said, "Son repays father's debt" is not a legal obligation. Huang Dongmei constrained herself with inner morality, giving society a lesson. The theme of this lesson is integrity.
Deng Qing pointed out that when Huang Dongmei's father absconded with the money, Huang Dongmei was still a minor and did not have the responsibility 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 owed could only be repaid by himself. If the parents pass away, only if the children inherit the parents' estate do they have the responsibility to repay the parents' debts. However, the repayment amount is limited to the inherited property portion. For any debt exceeding the inherited property, the children do not have the obligation to repay."
Face-to-face interview with the news
"Helping my father repay the money means he doesn't have to hide anymore"
Yesterday evening, after many twists and turns, Chengdu Business Daily reporters contacted Huang Dongmei, who is currently working at 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 actions, Huang Dongmei remained calm: "This is nothing, I just did what I should do."
Chengdu Business Daily reporter: Is all the 41,227 yuan cash earned from your work?
Huang Dongmei: When I first came to Guangdong, being young and inexperienced, I endured a lot of hardship. Later, I found a job at a fan factory. After that, I have been working at this fan factory. During good business periods, I could earn around 2,000 yuan per month. During bad periods, it was only about 1,700 yuan. The factory provides meals, each costing only 2 yuan, but does not provide accommodation. To save money, I generally eat at the factory cafeteria. I must keep my monthly expenses within 1,000 yuan to ensure that I can save 10,000 yuan annually. 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.
Chengdu Business Daily reporter: Some people say that your behavior is touching and call you the "honest girl." How do you feel about that?
Huang Dongmei: If you owe someone money, you should definitely pay it back. I thought that as long as I paid back the money my father owed, he wouldn't have to hide anymore and could return home.
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 pay back the money for my father and have been quietly saving. But I was indeed too lonely. I was afraid others would look down on me and my father, so I didn't dare to tell anyone about this. Now that everything is settled, I also want to return to Luzhou. Only in Luzhou do I have other relatives. I want to be closer to my family.
Reported by Liu Shizhang, Zhang Bingxiao, Chengdu Business Daily, with photography.