Modern True Love Story

Li Xiujun is a housewife who recently noticed that money in her purse frequently goes missing, usually between 50 to 100 yuan. Naturally, she suspects someone close to her. The only people who have access to her room are her ten-year-old son, Xiaomin, and her mother-in-law from the countryside, while her husband works far away on a construction project and seldom comes home.

Li Xiujun first asked Xiaomin. Xiaomin, a bit upset, replied, “Mom, I didn’t take the money. I’m an honest kid, even my teacher praises me. Besides, I don’t need money; Dad gives me a lot of pocket money whenever he comes home.” His response seemed reasonable, so she didn’t press further.

Then she subtly questioned her mother-in-law, “Mom, did you see any money on the floor when you were cleaning my room? I’ve misplaced a few hundred yuan.” Her mother-in-law quickly replied, “No, but you are quite careless, leaving your wallet around. Sometimes I see it and put it in the drawer.” Hearing this, Li Xiujun felt uneasy.

Proof was necessary, and questioning wouldn’t yield results as nobody would admit to it. Though she wanted to drop it, she couldn’t shake off the discomfort. It’s said that family theft is the hardest to prevent, and such an issue would disrupt their peace. Determined to uncover the truth without unjustly accusing anyone, she decided to take action.

A few days later, she had a technician install a hidden camera in her room. She purposely left some extra cash in her wallet, casually placing it on the bed. That evening, she eagerly checked the footage. The first person on camera was Xiaomin. He entered the room, seemingly looking for something, glanced around, saw the wallet, and quickly zipped it up before placing it on the desk and leaving. Next, her mother-in-law appeared, mopping the floor. After working for a while, she saw the wallet on the desk, looked at it repeatedly, and then cautiously put it in the drawer before leaving.

The footage didn’t provide conclusive evidence, but Li Xiujun thought it might have made them more cautious after her earlier questioning. However, the thief would eventually reveal themselves. This time, she zipped the wallet and placed a fifty-yuan note under the table. She intended to see if they would take the money or pick up the note, revealing their true nature.

That night, she checked the footage again. Her mother-in-law entered first, finished cleaning, and closed the door. She then picked up the wallet and unzipped it. Just as her hand reached inside, the door suddenly opened. Xiaomin walked in. Her mother-in-law quickly zipped the wallet, smiled awkwardly at Xiaomin, and he smiled back. Xiaomin, with his sharp eyes, saw the money under the table, picked it up, put it in the wallet, and left the room holding his grandmother’s hand.

Seeing this, Li Xiujun felt sure she had evidence. However, she didn’t confront her mother-in-law directly, only giving her the cold shoulder. She secretly told Xiaomin about the theft, cautioning him to keep it secret and jokingly warned him, “You should be careful with your money too, or Grandma might take it.” Xiaomin, unhappy, retorted, “Mom, you’re overthinking it.

Grandma would never do that.” Li Xiujun analyzed, “What do you know? Haven’t you seen Grandma often playing mahjong with other elderly ladies? She must have lost recently and took the money to recoup her losses.” Hearing this, Xiaomin’s face reddened with discomfort, and he fell silent.

As the saying goes, misfortune never comes singly. Just as Li Xiujun thought the matter was resolved, she received a call from Xiaomin’s teacher. The teacher said Xiaomin had a fight in an internet cafe and had been emotionally unstable recently, suggesting she should talk to him. Anxious, she hurried to the school. After handling Xiaomin’s situation, she returned home to find her mother-in-law missing.

The door to her room was closed, which was unusual as she should have been preparing dinner. Knocking with no response, she used a key to open the door and found the room tidy, with a key on the bed weighed down by a note. Her heart raced as she quickly picked it up to read.

“Xiujun, please forgive me for leaving this way. I’ve returned to the countryside because I couldn’t bear the tension. Ever since you asked me about the missing money, your attitude changed, and I couldn’t understand why. It wasn’t until I overheard your conversation with Xiaomin that I realized. I was devastated. I couldn’t believe you thought of me like that. I wanted to confront you, but feared the embarrassment. Xiaomin explained the hidden camera’s purpose to me, and I realized you were constantly watching me. I swear I never took a penny from you. I would never steal from you.”

Reading this, Li Xiujun felt terribly wrong. Could she have wrongly accused her mother-in-law? But the high-tech surveillance couldn’t be wrong! She lost her appetite and didn’t prepare dinner. When Xiaomin came home, he asked, “Mom, where’s Grandma? Why isn’t dinner ready?” Li Xiujun snapped, “Grandma went back home. Make your own dinner.” Xiaomin, eyes wide, asked, “Why did she leave? Why didn’t you stop her?” Li Xiujun handed him the note, “This explains it.” As Xiaomin read, tears streamed down his face. He knelt before her, sobbing, “Mom, you wrongly accused Grandma. It’s all my fault. I let you both down.” Hearing this, Li Xiujun slapped him in anger, “You little troublemaker! You caused all this!”

The next morning, Li Xiujun took a bus to the countryside to apologize to her mother-in-law and bring her back. Her mother-in-law was confused by the sudden visit. Li Xiujun held her hands, apologizing, “Mom, I wronged you. I’m so sorry.”

It turned out Xiaomin had taken the money to feed his addiction to online games. Seeing his mother’s wallet, he couldn’t resist.

Li Xiujun, full of guilt, explained, “Mom, the camera wasn’t meant for you. I just wanted to find out who was taking the money. You and Xiaomin are the dearest to me, and I didn’t want to wrong anyone.”

Still puzzled, she asked, “Mom, if you didn’t take the money, why did you open my wallet?” Her mother-in-law sighed, “Xiujun, after you questioned me, I saw your troubled expression. I thought you were upset about the missing money. I intended to put some money in your wallet to make up for your loss. When Xiaomin walked in, I didn’t want him to see, hoping to surprise you. I never expected this to happen!” She wept.

Li Xiujun, at a loss for words, blamed herself internally. She brought her mother-in-law back home and immediately discarded the spy camera. This incident taught her that a family is built on trust, and no spy camera can replace heartfelt communication.

Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys