Eight years ago, a philanthropist saw a homeless woman on the street and took her home. The philanthropist hired the woman as her nanny, paying her 1,000 yuan a month, which, considering the cost of living differences, is equivalent to about $3,500 in purchasing power in the United States. She also gave her a 1,000 yuan bonus, gold rings, and necklaces.
When the philanthropist found her, the woman was in rags, malnourished, and thin. But her life changed after being taken in. She gained weight and started wearing brand-name clothes bought by her benefactor.
The philanthropist treated the nanny very kindly, and the nanny enjoyed a happy and fulfilling life for eight years. As she grew older, she realized she couldn’t be a nanny forever, but was too embarrassed to bring it up. So she devised a scheme to get some money from her benefactor.
A deceitful plan
One day, the nanny pretended to limp and told the philanthropist she had twisted her ankle while working. The philanthropist gave her 8,000 yuan [US$28,000 equivalent in purchasing power] to go to the hospital. When the nanny returned, she hesitantly told the philanthropist: “The doctor said my ankle is severely sprained, and I might become disabled. I need 20,000 yuan [US$65,000 equivalent] for treatment.”
The philanthropist responded: “Why don’t you stay here, and I’ll take care of you.” But the nanny refused and insisted: “The doctor said I will never heal completely.” Realizing the nanny just wanted money, the philanthropist gave her 25,000 yuan [US$87,500 equivalent].
The philanthropist’s friends later told her she had been scammed, but she said: “It’s okay, it’s not really a scam. She just wanted money, so I gave it to her, considering it as helping her.”
A fresh start with ill-gotten gains
The nanny took 33,000 yuan [US$115,500 equivalent] in total from the philanthropist. She left and returned to her hometown in Jiangxi, where she opened a small shop selling bed covers, quilts, and curtains. Soon, the nanny fell in love and planned to get married.
One day, her boyfriend took her on his motorcycle to a studio for wedding photos. The motorcycle slipped, and she was thrown far away, landing hard and severely fracturing her legs from the ankles to the knees.
Paying the price
The nanny spent seven months in the hospital, and her medical expenses amounted to exactly 33,000 yuan. She then realized the irony of her situation: She had lied to the philanthropist about her ankle injury, claiming it was severe and would never heal, but now her ankles were indeed injured, and the doctor said even if they healed, she might be disabled for life.
Filled with regret, the nanny blamed herself for her greed and lies. She called the philanthropist, confessed her mistakes, and said: “I’m sorry for my mistakes. I shouldn’t have taken so much money from you.” What she regretted most was realizing that she might never meet another person as kind as the philanthropist who had helped her so much in her time of need.
Translated by Elaine
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