Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Intermediary

“I truly don’t know her personally, but I do know about her family,” Manager Sun sighed. “Her aunt has been a longstanding depositor at our bank for many years. Back when Wang Yuluo was just a child and her father was always busy, it was her aunt who handled most of the family affairs—everything from redeeming maturing investments to arranging foreign currency for travel. She would come and go, tirelessly managing things for her brother and niece.

When the girl went off to college, her aunt would come to the bank every month—sometimes several times in a single month—to transfer her living expenses. Her aunt is actually a bit older than I am and doesn’t know how to use the self-service transfer machines, so she always needed our help to complete the transactions. That’s how we gradually got to know them.

At first, we were all curious as to why the aunt handled everything for the girl. It made sense that her father was too busy, but we never saw her mother. Only after we became more familiar did her aunt tell us in passing that the mother had passed away a long time ago. So the aunt alone cared for her brother and niece. It hasn’t been easy for her.

Eventually, every time her aunt came in, we’d greet her and say she was there to transfer living expenses to Wang Yuluo again. Over time, I came to know quite a bit about this child’s circumstances.”

“We did notice earlier that living expenses were regularly transferred from the aunt’s account to Wang Yuluo’s. So that’s the story,” Ning Shuyi said in sudden realization. “Was Wang Yuluo’s father really so busy? I noticed he started transferring money directly to her later on. Why did they go through the aunt for so long in the first place?”

Manager Sun sighed again, a note of helplessness in her voice. “It’s a long story. You’re not the only one who found it odd—we all did. We’d never seen such a complicated arrangement before. Wang Jie—that’s Wang Yuluo’s aunt—explained it to us because she didn’t want us to suspect anything improper.

She said when her sister-in-law passed away, her niece was very young. Her brother lost his wife in middle age and had to throw himself into work to support the family. He felt guilty for neglecting his daughter but didn’t have the energy to discipline her.

As her aunt, she pitied the little girl, who had lost her mother so young, and couldn’t bear to be strict. She always tried to comfort and spoil her. But the more she indulged her, the more unruly the girl became. When her niece got older, she became especially extravagant—spending every cent she was given.

At the beginning of the month, she might receive three thousand, but it would be gone in a week. If she got twenty thousand, it would be the same—she’d ask her father for more within a week, claiming her pockets were empty.

Since her brother was so busy and couldn’t keep up with these constant requests, he and Wang Jie decided he would transfer a large amount to her account periodically, and she would distribute it to the girl in smaller installments.

This way, he could free up some energy, and Wang Jie could help manage her niece’s spending. After all, no one’s money grows on trees, and as the child grows, she should learn to appreciate her father’s hard work.”

After finishing, Manager Sun glanced at Ning Shuyi and Huo Yan, then added, “Besides, when kids are at that in-between age, they aren’t as mature as you’d hope. If they have too much money on hand, they might attract the wrong crowd or get into trouble. That would be a disaster.”

It was clear that the two officers’ focused inquiry into Wang Yuluo had already led Manager Sun to some instinctive suspicions.

“That’s true. Without self-control, the more money you have, the greater the risks,” Ning Shuyi agreed, glancing down at the transaction records in her hand. “Wang Yuluo’s aunt must have been meticulous in managing her—early on, all the transfers were monthly, never a semester’s worth at once.”

“That’s nothing!” Manager Sun gave a wry smile. “You can’t even see the earliest records anymore, or you’d really be amazed. Back then, Wang Jie would come in every week to transfer money to her niece. Otherwise, it would all be gone in no time, and the girl would be asking for more.

Later, as she got older and perhaps started to realize she couldn’t squander money so recklessly, the transfers switched to every two weeks. Then, eventually, it became once a month, though sometimes if she ran out, there would be a second transfer in the same month.

Those years, Wang Jie came to our bank more times for her brother and niece than for her own affairs. When her niece graduated from college, she finally stopped coming as often. Once, when she did come, I asked why we hadn’t seen her in a while. She told me her niece had graduated, and her brother finally felt comfortable sending money directly to her. Only then, she said, could she relax and stop running around so much.”

“Do you know Wang Yuluo personally? Have you had much interaction with her?” Ning Shuyi asked.

Manager Sun shook her head. “Not really. She only came in once with her aunt. I actually thought she was Wang Jie’s daughter at first, but then I learned she was the niece.

The young lady almost never came to our branch for business. If she did, she’d use the 24-hour self-service ATM entrance and never come into the main hall. We never spoke.”

“As a bystander, what sort of impression do you have of her?”

“There really isn’t much to say,” Manager Sun replied. “She seemed a bit aloof, not one to engage with others—completely different from her aunt. Honestly, a few of us old employees who know Wang Jie have discussed it privately. We all feel that the girl is truly pitiful, but also quite lacking in sense.

If it weren’t for her wonderful aunt, who helped them with every little detail, without complaint or hesitation, that father and daughter would have been a mess. She’s a spoiled child who doesn’t know how to be grateful.”

“Is that what her aunt told you?” Ning Shuyi asked.

Manager Sun immediately shook her head. “Of course not! Wang Jie is a very kind, upright person. She never says a bad word about her brother or niece. But we’ve seen and heard enough—fairness speaks for itself.

Over the years, we watched her aunt running all over for her family’s affairs, always busy, inside and out. When the girl came in with her aunt that one time, she barely acknowledged her. All of us at this age have children. As elders, it’s hard not to feel uncomfortable seeing that.”