Xiao Xiao's blunt way of putting it made the old man instinctively protest, "Chenchen wouldn't steal someone else's things!"
"I didn't say he stole them."
Xiao Xiao pointed out the old man's poor choice of words.
"Chenchen might have thought they didn't belong to anyone."
"But they do belong to someone."
"Chenchen."
Xiao Xiao looked at the child, who seemed a little uneasy. "You've probably remembered what I was talking about, haven't you?"
"The owner of those pearls wants them back."
"Chenchen, can you return the pearls to me?"
"Pearls?"
The old man was astonished. "Chenchen, you took someone's pearls?"
"Is that true?"
The child's silence made the old man raise his voice. "Chenchen!"
"I found them."
The little boy shuddered, then said stubbornly, "I found them, so they're mine."
"You found them?"
The old man was so angry he almost laughed. "What do you mean, you found them?"
"You found someone else's things in someone else's house!"
The child had not only trespassed, he had also taken something without asking.
If the owner hadn't been kind and taken into account that he was still a child, they would have called the police long ago.
The old man felt a rush of lingering fear.
If the police had actually come knocking, it would have been bad for the boy's reputation.
In other people's eyes, he would be a bad kid.
Which parent would want their child to play with a bad kid?
Thank goodness. Thank goodness.
The little boy's eyes reddened, and he cried out sharply, "I found them!"
"I felt them while I was feeling around for my marbles."
"Feeling around for marbles?"
The old man froze. What was this about?
"Chenchen."
"What happened?"
"Explain it clearly."
Could there be more to the story?
He didn't