Sun Xue's heart skipped a beat and she said in panic, "Xiaodouzi, tell me slowly what happened. How could Grandpa be deceived?"

Xiao Douzi wiped away her tears and spoke:

"Sister, just two weeks ago, Grandpa received a call from someone claiming to be a doctor at the hospital. He said you had been in a car accident and were sent to the hospital by kind people and were about to undergo surgery. He asked Grandpa to pay the money quickly, otherwise your life would be in danger. Then... Grandpa believed it. The scammer instructed Grandpa to transfer the money to the bank over the phone..."

Sun Xue felt a buzzing in her head.

"How much money did you defraud?"

"Grandpa said that all the money in the card was swindled away, and he only had 20 yuan left in his pocket."

"You damn liar, Xiaodouzi, Grandpa is confused, why don't you try to persuade him?"

"Sister, I tried to persuade Grandpa, but he didn't listen. I even called Brother Liu Bin, but no one answered his phone. In less than half an hour, Grandpa transferred the money to the scammer. Later, Brother Liu Bin called and said you were fine. Grandpa then realized he had been cheated. Grandpa kept crying and crying, and he didn't eat for two consecutive days..."

Hearing this, Sun Xue choked up and said, "Is Grandpa stupid? He lied, so why doesn't he eat?"

"Sister, Grandpa told me not to let you know about this. I know Grandpa was afraid that you would be angry. He said that it was not easy for you to make money. Later, Grandpa ran out of money, so he set up a stall to repair shoes to make money."

Sun Xue said angrily, "Why didn't you call Liu Bin if you ran out of money? How did you get by in the past ten days with only 20 yuan?"

"Sister, that's okay. We have flour at home. Grandpa makes steamed buns himself. He also buys some potatoes and cabbage. He stir-fries potatoes and cabbage and eats the steamed buns. We won't go hungry."

Sun Xue cried bitterly and complained, "This silly grandpa..."

She didn't know how much money he had been cheated out of, but she knew that the money she had given him over the years, which he could not spend, must have been secretly saved by Old Man Sun.

She knew Old Man Sun's character. He had suffered a lot in the past. Even though he had no worries about food and clothing now, he was still frugal with money and never compared himself with those wealthy old people in the city.

She reminded him more than once that one doesn't have to live a frugal life and should eat and drink as needed. Old man Sun always said that he would be very satisfied as long as he had meat for every meal.

When Old Man Sun hadn't eaten for two days, Sun Xue realized how much damage the money scam had caused to Old Man Sun.

"Xiaodouzi, is grandpa okay?"

"It's okay. However, ever since he was defrauded of his money, grandpa has become a different person. There's no smile on his face anymore, and he's always talking to himself. One night at two in the morning, I went to the bathroom and found grandpa sitting on the sofa in the living room, secretly wiping away tears..."

"I understand, Xiaodouzi, give the phone to grandpa."

A few minutes later, Sun Laohan's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Xue'er, have you eaten? You are alone outside, remember to take care of yourself."

Sun Xue choked up and couldn't speak for a long time.

"Xue'er, are you busy? Why aren't you talking?"

"grandfather……"

Sun Xue broke down and screamed.

"Xue'er, I'm here. What's wrong with you?" Old Man Sun heard something strange in Sun Xue's voice.

"Grandpa, why are you so stupid!"

Old Man Sun was stunned for a moment, then he joked, "Xue'er, Grandpa must have become stupid as he's getting old."

"Grandpa, you were swindled out of all your money by a liar, why didn't you call Liu Bin? How did the three of you survive with 20 yuan for more than ten days? If Xiao Douzi hadn't told you, would you have kept this a secret?"

Old Man Sun smiled and said, "Grandpa has a skill! He can earn enough money to buy groceries every day with his skill."

"Grandpa, the money was cheated, so why don't you eat? I told you not to set up a stall, why didn't you listen? Do you think you are still young? What if something unexpected happens? Don't I make money? If you can't contact me, you can contact Liu Bin! Such a big thing has happened, why are you still hiding it from us, how long are you going to keep it a secret?"

Sun Xue asked angrily.

There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone...

"Grandpa, please say something! I can earn back the money I've been cheated of, but what if you mess around and ruin your health?"

Old man Sun was sobbing softly from the other end of the phone...

"Grandpa, what's wrong with you?" Sun Xue asked anxiously.

Old Man Sun was completely defeated, and he cursed in a choked voice:

"What a liar... a full 600,000 yuan, not a cent left, I am so upset... Do you know? The betrothal money your father gave you was also swindled away, I was too foolish and easily believed the liar's words.

I had saved that money to give to Hu Zi later. I thought he wasn’t very smart, so I saved it for him to marry a wife. But that damn liar cheated me out of it all, not a single cent left… wuwuwu…”

Old man Sun was heartbroken and cried like a baby on the other end of the phone.

Sun Xue panicked and tried to comfort him, "Grandpa, don't cry. It's okay if you've been cheated. Your health is more important. I can earn hundreds of thousands a year. What are you afraid of? I'll take care of Hu Zi in the future. Why are you saving money for him?"

"Xue'er, Grandpa knows that it's not easy for you to make money. You have to work outside in the wind and sun, and you have to look at other people's faces and be looked down upon by others. This liar is so hateful..."

"Okay, Grandpa, let's not talk about this anymore. After dinner, ask Xiao Douzi to help you pack up your stall and go home. I will not allow you to set up a stall outside again. I will ask Liu Bin to send you the money right away."

"Xue'er, Grandpa is fine. Grandpa has been busy all day and has given me living expenses. I don't want your money. I know you have many places to spend money..."

Sun Xue interrupted Old Man Sun and said in a commanding tone, "Okay, stop talking. It's decided. Let Xiao Douzi answer the phone."

Sun Xue warned Xiao Douzi on the phone, "No matter what, you must move the shoe repair stall away and hide your belongings. You can't let Grandpa go out to set up a stall. Do you understand?"

"I know, sister."

After hanging up the phone, she immediately called Liu Bin, told him what had happened, and asked him to deliver the money to Old Man Sun.

"Sun Xue, no wonder Grandpa called me several times a while ago, asking me if you had been in a car accident. I thought he had heard something about your coma and just brushed it off, but I didn't expect..."

"Grandpa was defrauded of 600,000 yuan, of which 300,000 yuan was the betrothal money my father gave me. I saved that money for grandpa's retirement. Last time the company got into trouble, grandpa insisted on giving it to me, but I refused. Now that he has been defrauded by a liar, grandpa must be feeling upset."

"I see. Don't worry. I'll go give him the money right away."

"Liu Bin, please buy some meat and vegetables for grandpa. Grandpa and his family haven't had a good meal in many days. Every meal is potatoes and cabbage."

After hanging up the phone, Sun Xue told Zhu Biao about this. After listening, Zhu Biao sighed, "The old man was defrauded of so much money, it must be a big blow. I'm afraid that the old man will worry about it and get sick, which will be troublesome."

Sun Xue suddenly had an idea, "Uncle, I have a way to make grandpa feel better."