Chapter 59: Effortless

If this article were handed to her, how would she even begin to write it?

Su Qinghu thought about it. Aside from skipping over the fact that the child involved was once a student who acted bravely for a just cause, she couldn’t think of any way to truly make such a person be praised as they deserved.

But the main characteristics of news are just those three: authenticity, timeliness, and accuracy.

If she put down on paper the teacher-student relationship between the child who stole and the teacher, and didn’t handle it well, it could deal a heavy blow to the teacher, maybe even hurt innocent people...

As Su Qinghu pondered, Sister Li was thinking about the same thing.

The old lady saw that neither of them was speaking and chuckled, “At my age, I’ve been through a lot. I’ve seen all kinds of people, and all sorts of black, white, and gray things.”

“You two look kind and upright.” The old lady led them to a window outside a room. “I’ve said so much, but it’s no use. I don’t know how to persuade my old boy. If you can, please help talk some sense into him...”

As she spoke, the old lady knocked on the window. “Liangzi, there are reporters here for an interview. Do you want to come out and meet them?”

“I’m not accepting interviews.”

A voice came from inside. The old lady looked at Su Qinghu and Sister Li, smiled helplessly, and said, “You see how it is.”

Just as she finished speaking, there was a knock at the gate outside.

The old lady glanced at the two of them, then at the courtyard gate, shaking her head, “I don’t know where you got your information, but I guess those are your people too...”

Sister Li said nothing, just watched as the old lady went to the gate, not stopping her.

Su Qinghu was a bit surprised, but didn’t say anything. After a moment’s thought, she knocked on the window and asked the person inside, “Sir, do you remember who the victim was?”

There was silence from inside. Su Qinghu thought for a moment and said, “Your mother is very worried about you. She wants us to try to talk to you. We don’t really know where to start, but we’ll do our best to ease her worries.”

Still no response from inside.

Sister Li wanted to shake her head, to tell Su Qinghu not to waste her breath. She’d seen plenty of stubborn people like the old lady’s son.

Especially those with ideals and a bit of backbone—intellectual types. Unless they figured things out on their own, there was no persuading them.

“Your mother’s worried that your act of bravery will get written up in a report and end up cold and impersonal, lacking any humanity, and that it might bring you trouble.” Su Qinghu smiled. “It’s true, this is a tricky thing to write about. If it’s not handled well, it might even drag in some teachers with a bit of property.”

After she said this, a voice finally came from inside, “If you don’t inject your own emotions and just report the facts, there’s nothing tricky about it.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Su Qinghu’s eyes lit up, and she smiled, “Even just a headline—‘Mr. Liangzi of Such-and-Such Street did such-and-such on such-and-such day’—can cause trouble.”

People living here can’t really be called poor, can they?

And if the old lady has some status, even better.

If someone with an agenda starts digging, oh, there’s a courtyard house here—no matter how big or small, they’ll slap a label on you: ‘the rich feast while the poor freeze outside,’ accuse you of being a cold-hearted capitalist...

Hearing Su Qinghu’s meaning, the person inside fell silent again.

“So, if you tell us who the victim was, we can start the story from their gratitude towards you...”

As Su Qinghu spoke, she suddenly paused and glanced cautiously at Sister Li beside her.

Just now...

Sister Li’s expression was unreadable. She didn’t tell Su Qinghu to stop, but she didn’t tell her to continue, either.

Su Qinghu thought: ...Does this mean I can handle it as I see fit?

As she was guessing, the old lady at the door suddenly raised her voice, “Don’t you understand? My son’s not home.”

“Auntie, the two people who just went in are my colleagues,” came the voice of a short-haired woman. “Please let us in for an interview. We won’t take long, just twenty minutes.”

“I said he’s not home,” the old lady insisted.

“Auntie, I have really good hearing. I heard my colleagues’ voices. Please let us in.”

“He’s not home,” the old lady repeated.

“Auntie, just let us in. My two colleagues are both women, and I heard a man’s voice in your yard just now...”

“He’s not home.”

“Auntie, we really won’t take up much of your time. Fifteen minutes, just fifteen minutes, that’s all we need.” Seeing the old lady was about to close the door, the short-haired woman grew anxious. “Sister Li! Say something!”

Sister Li looked toward the door but said nothing.

Su Qinghu glanced at Sister Li. She didn’t know the ins and outs of this business, or what unspoken rules there were, so she left it to Sister Li to handle.

“What do you think?” Sister Li asked softly, nodding toward the door.

Su Qinghu lowered her voice as well. “I think, except for matters of the heart, which can’t be decided by who comes first, everything else should have an order. In this situation, the choice and the decision are in the old lady’s hands. There’s nothing more for us to say.”

Before Sister Li could respond, Su Qinghu added, “Oh, and even with matters of the heart, there’s still a moral baseline. If someone messes around while married, they should just get lost.”

No need for any of that ‘true love is never wrong’ nonsense.

Sister Li let out a low laugh, but before she finished, the man inside spoke up, “You can come in.”

Had he finished weighing things up?

Su Qinghu’s eyes curved in a smile. She made a “please” gesture, letting Sister Li go in first.

The room was a bit dim, but since it was summer, even after six in the evening, it wasn’t too dark.

The old lady’s son nodded when Sister Li entered. Clearly, when he wasn’t being stubborn, he was quite well-mannered.

Then he looked at Su Qinghu, who followed Sister Li in. He paused in surprise—were reporters always this good-looking nowadays?

Su Qinghu finally got a good look at the man before her. He didn’t look old, but judging by his calm demeanor, he was probably thirty-five, not yet forty.

“Hello, sir,” Su Qinghu smiled and nodded. “You really do have your mother’s poise.”

Sister Li almost choked. She knew Su Qinghu could give compliments, but seeing her praise a man’s poise in person—this was a first.

Complimenting women was nothing special, but to so naturally compliment a man—she actually got goosebumps.

The old lady’s son was also taken aback, then smiled, a little helpless but clearly pleased. “Go ahead and ask your questions.”

Sister Li thought for a moment, then pointed to Su Qinghu. “You do it.”"