In 2009, there was a huge news in our village. The village shipwright was defrauded of more than 100,000 yuan by a telecommunication scam, which was an astronomical figure for an ordinary rural family at that time.
When I heard that he had been cheated, my first reaction was surprise: a farmer in the soil, and he did not know how to access the Internet, how in the end was he cheated? How was his information leaked?
1
The boat maker’s real name is Chen Ze Chuan, because Chuan and boat harmonics and got this number.
In my impression, the boatman has never been a middle-aged leap image – a big, tall, four-sided face, a face of vicissitudes, ordinary rural people. He was the second of three brothers, and the other two brothers, he was mute and reticent. I often think afterwards, if the fraudulent phone call to his brothers, the two may not fall for it, but the same fate selected him.
When my father was diagnosed with lymphoma, he came to our house to deliver a book he picked up when he was working in Guangdong, which recorded various remedies for difficult diseases. We were always grateful for this kindness.
In that year, the shipwright took his wife Gui Rong to work in a prefabricated factory in Chengdu with the village people, doing hard work like unloading cement and lifting electric poles. One morning in March, the shipwright suddenly received a strange phone call, the phone is a woman’s voice, said congratulations to him “won the grand prize, the prize money of 500,000.
The shipwright was puzzled for a moment, thinking that he had never participated in any lottery ah. The person on the other end told him that the TV station had drawn a lottery at random in the background and his cell phone number had been drawn. The shipwright was surprised and delighted – a few years ago, a cousin in the same village bought a lottery ticket and won $5 million for $2. At that time, the cousin was worried about being kidnapped or robbed, did not tell anyone the news of winning the lottery, the family secretly went to collect the prize, after receiving the prize, the family moved to the provincial capital, and then bought a house, home ownership, open stores, business is doing well. After a few years, everyone knew that they were envious – I never thought that such a good thing would find its way to their head.
Perhaps the perennial site life is too closed, perhaps this life is a hard life, the shipwright did not even think that this is a fraudulent scam, only that God finally opened his eyes – the shipwright’s wife Gui Rong has a family genetic disease, two legs do not obey, early years have been unable to work, the whole day can only sit, eating are to Handed to the hand. The two also have two sons and a daughter, the eldest son Changfeng in the factory to talk about a daughter-in-law, the second son Changwen is still in college, the youngest daughter, in a garment factory to pedal electric sewing machine.
The shipwright’s house is a self-built two-story rough house, the exterior walls are not painted to move in. The second-story porch should be installed in the glass place or a frame, the family just make do with living.
Listen to the village people later said, after knowing that they won the jackpot, the shipwright began to think, is the house decoration can be on the agenda, “and so the house decoration, on the feast to hold a wedding to his son”. The rest can be used to improve the family life, “at least to buy a wheelchair for the wife, she has not been out of the door for how long ……”
At that time, the shipwright was so happy. Even the month’s wages are not waiting to receive, said not to do it, in a hurry to pack up the things to go.
The workers asked him, he also covered up how not to say why, mysteriously took Gui Rong back home.
2
Home in a few days, the other side let him play 10,000 yuan “processing fee”. The shipwright immediately took out the money from the bank, according to the other party designated account number and played it. After playing the “processing fee”, sit and wait to receive the money. But wait until the next day, the other party called again, let him play another 50,000 yuan of “personal income tax” – everything has to pay taxes, this request is reasonable, the shipwright is also very recognized – – but, at once to come up with so much money “commission”. -But, to come up with so much money at once, it does make him a little stretched.
The shipwright began to look for people in the village to borrow money.
After thinking about it, the boatman decided to “keep a hand” first: he deliberately did not look for close people to borrow, fearing that close people to stop him, spoil his good. Shipwright to the neighbors, 10,000, 20,000 to borrow, everyone heard the number is not small, they refused. The shipwright explained that they just use a few days, a few days later, “the money came” immediately returned, “and you high interest”.
This is someone curious, asked him what is this money, what business he is doing, “there is a way to get rich take me together ah.
The shipwright couldn’t hide it, so he repeatedly told the other side to keep it a secret for him, “I won 500,000! Wait for the money to call, owe you this point, still can not pay?”
Everyone showed envious and jealous eyes, “how this pie did not hit their heads!” Most people thought so. At that time, the news in the ravine was still very closed, no one knew that there was still “telecom fraud” in this world.
Thinking about 10,000 yuan to borrow a day on the interest of 50, people moved, this lend him 10,000, that help him to put together a few thousand, plus the shipwright’s own remaining more than 10,000, finally enough to 50,000 yuan. He rushed to the bank to remit to the other side, lest he miss the time, the good thing went down the drain.
And at this time, the shipwright in the jackpot news, one to ten, ten to a hundred, to the ears of his nephew Changping in a neighboring village to help people build houses.
As soon as Changping heard it, he felt that something was wrong, put down the work in hand and rushed to the shipwright’s house, “the sky will not fall pie, the ground will not grow gold. No reason to pick up the pie is either a trap or a trap ah!”
The shipwright’s heart sank, chagrin is: which talkative, so quickly spread the news out.
At this time, he did not have the heart to listen to his nephew’s sermon, not to believe that he met a liar, “X TV fame so big, but also can cheat people? You just don’t have such an opportunity to be like me, so you won’t come to persuade me.”
Changping saw that he could not persuade him, there was nothing he could do but to persuade the shipwright that then either stop calling the other side, if the other side still asked for money, let them deduct it from the bonus.
“Don’t worry, the money will call tomorrow, now it’s just a matter of time, we’ll see soon.” The shipwright patted his chest and said.
3
That afternoon, the other party’s call came again. Tell the shipwright that now the prize information has been reported up, need him to play another 50,000 yuan deposit over.
The shipwright felt very strange, a prize to what the deposit, “will I still backtrack? You directly call the money will not be on the line.”
The other party said no, “the thing has been done half, in order to ensure the successful completion, you need to play a deposit, otherwise, the 500,000 above will not be allocated down.”
Has spent 60,000 yuan, the money is true or false, the shipwright’s own heart is not the initial bottom, but can not just give up.
In order not to give up, he began to raise money around again. All the neighbors borrowed all over, this time, he had no choice but to go to his sister’s house. Shipwright brother-in-law is a high school teacher, before he finished listening to him immediately stopped him, “This money can not play! Obviously a scam, is a step by step let you fall in, play more loss more …… you how so confused, this can not see?”
The shipwright saw the brother-in-law refused to lend money, angry: “You just can’t see the poor get rich, can’t see me living better than you! If you don’t want to lend, you don’t want to lend, what are you saying?” After saying that, he got up and left.
The shipwright called his son and daughter, and asked them to come back quickly with money. The children asked him about the situation, he lied that the town developer’s house is now being sold at a reduced price, there are two sets, he looked at a set of intention to buy, still 50,000 yuan short. “Buy the house, you will have a new house to live in when you return for the New Year.”
Son and daughter working is not easy, but still do their best to give him some money.
The money is not enough, the shipwright is anxious, see people want to ask, the village people have been he asked all over, so that later see him from afar to avoid walking. 3,000, 2,000 is not too much, a few hundred, 1,000 is not too little, the shipwright finally enough to 50,000 yuan.
That day, he got the money to go to the bank on the way, met a cousin of the village. The cousin saw that he was in a hurry to send money to others, rushed to stop the way, but the shipwright is like a martial arts master, dodging left and right, hard to barge through. The cousin hurriedly called to tell Changping, Changping hung up the phone and rode his motorcycle to the bank.
When he arrived at the bank in a hurry, the shipwright was pulling money out of the bag, Changping anxious, an arrow step up to grab the money in hand. Uncle and nephew in front of the bank counter almost to fight, even the staff are impatient: “You two in the end who remitted money, also remitted or not?”
The shipwright became enraged, square big face into pig liver color, a push away Changping, “you do not block my way, you eye red is not it? It’s my money, I’ll remit it wherever I like, it’s none of your business!”
Changping was pushed 1 meter away from him, taking advantage of this time, the shipwright quickly stuffed the money into the counter. Changping could not say anything and left with red eyes like a frosted eggplant.
Most people in the village have been convinced that the shipwright is pitted, but the shipwright is open-eyed must jump in, who can not pull, he has played more than 100,000, now want him to give up, that is to kill him.
In order to minimize losses, the only thing we can do is to tell as many people as possible, do not lend him money.
At that time, Wei, who was selling building materials in town in the village, called his sister and asked, “Sister, do you have money?”
When A Wei’s sister heard that she thought her brother wanted to borrow money from her, she hurriedly said, “My two children go to school, where is the money?”
“You do not have money is good, the shipwright was cheated, if he borrowed money from you, you must not borrow, lend him is a waste of money!”
“Ah? I have I have, he has borrowed to go. “
“You just said no money?”
Later, A Wei and his sister this conversation spread, but also let everyone laugh for years.
4
The shipwright began to wait single-mindedly for his half million.
Soon, the other party’s phone call came again, asking him to remit 5400 yuan, saying it was the last time. After this money was wired, he was assured that he would not be asked to call again. The shipwright asked what this money, the other side said it was “payment fee”, pay the money, there is nothing, just sit back and wait for the money.
But the shipwright has no money. But how can we not fight it? So much money has been paid to people, still care about the thousands of dollars? Can not lose a lot for a small ah.
Thinking about it, he called another town’s old cousin, to his old cousin said the reason for borrowing money is that the government next to a piece of land, just short of 6,000 yuan. His old cousin said this way, you take me over, I look at the location is good, to give you a reference, if good, not to mention 6,000, is 10,000 I also borrowed.
Hearing the words of the old cousin, the shipwright, like a deflated ball, had to find another way.
He had to find his eldest son again, Changfeng has long known from Changping that he had been cheated, said nothing and refused to give him money. But the shipwright has long been anxious, he directly threatened Changfeng said, “If you do not give me this money, I will break off father-son relationship with you!”
Changfeng understood that at this juncture, not to pay his father, his father would really go crazy. I had no choice but to hide from my daughter-in-law, and gave the boat builder another 5400 yuan.
This time, the shipwright is bound to get. When he took the money to the bank remittance, halfway met brother-in-law, the other side asked him, “Second brother what are you doing in a hurry?”
The boatman glared at him and replied angrily, “I love what I do, don’t you tube!” He was afraid that his brother-in-law would stop him, so he turned him away at once.
Before the remittance, the boatman phoned the other side again, and the other side told him that after receiving the money this time, they would call him at 12:00 noon on time, and they would only need to bring the bag to the bank to withdraw the money.
At noon that day, many villagers saw the boatman, with his hair neatly combed, wearing a black suit, white shirt and black shoes, holding a password box in his hand, walking towards the town with a ruddy look…
The outcome of events was predictable.
As soon as 12:00 p.m. arrived, the other party’s phone was no longer connected. Then the boatman woke up and realized that he had been cheated.
He went to his sister’s house, threw himself into a chair, and burst into tears. His brother-in-law said to him, “I asked you why you were there, but you didn’t tell me. Now I know you are crying, and the last number they gave you is 5400. May fourth means nothing, nothing, you understand?”
His brother-in-law is about to go to the police with the boatman. The police checked their numbers, but the IP address showed up in Taiwan. The police told him that cross-border cases like this are usually unsolved and money is difficult to recover. “If there is any progress, I will inform you,” they said.
The dream of making a fortune was broken and the seamstress’s spirit collapsed.
In the home waiting for good news Guirong, see her husband dejected appearance, has guessed 89. When the boatman told her that she had not received the money and that she could not get through to the telephone, GUI Rong burst into tears: “That’s over, I’m so poor, the sky is falling down!” GUI Rong’s health was poor, and once again carried so many foreign debt, the condition is more serious, a few days before he died.
In those days the boatman’s house was always full of people. When they heard him coming back from the bank, they all came to ask for money. The boatman’s eldest brother can only say to those who come to ask for money: “A man will not die, the debt is not bad, the money owed to you will be repaid slowly, you can not be forced to rush, forcing someone to die I will get even with you…”
“They all said,” I have come to see him, but I have no intention of asking for money, and I know he has no money. In fact, everyone’s mind is beating: God knows if this money will ever come back.
“We blame ourselves, too. If we hadn’t been greedy, they wouldn’t have lost so much money.”
“Surely a man dies for his wealth, and a bird for its prey. The boatman has lost his mind, and it is too great a price to pay.”
Others expressed their understanding: “If you are afraid of poor life, who doesn’t want to live a better life? I thought it was a lifesaver, but who knows it’s a trap…”
The money may never come back, but at least no one will be cheated again. A few years ago, an old lady in the village also received a phone call, the other side said she was in the one million, the old lady to remit tax money.
‘You take the money out and we’ll divide it.’ The old lady said it directly, and the other man hung up the phone.
“You think I am a boatman, not see a cent, I will give you money.” That’s what the old lady said to everyone.
Afterword.
Shortly after the incident, the boatman disappeared.
One day, the people in the village suddenly found that the boatman’s shabby house was empty except for a note on the table. The boatman said he had gone away and told everyone not to look for him, and he was never heard of again.
Big daughter-in-law know home owe a buttock debt, changfeng also carried himself to give so much money, angrily with the child left without saying goodbye. At the beginning also let the long wind to see the child, then the phone does not pick up, the child also do not let the long wind see.
It is said that around 2012, a man from a neighboring village once met a boatbuilder in Guangdong. The man told him to go home, saying that the debts he had left behind had been paid off for him by the children. But the boatman would not answer, and said he had no face to answer.
Now, the boatman’s daughter has married, the eldest son married and had a son, but the younger son graduated from college many years ago, 30 years later is still alone, still working in a factory.
In 2017, the boatman’s eldest brother Ze He was seriously ill and wanted to see the boatman for the last time. His family inquired around, but they still could not find the whereabouts of the boatman. There are rumors that he hired someone outside, some said so many years have not heard from, perhaps early death in a foreign land.
Since the boatman left, his house has been a complete ruin. Since the boatman left, his house has been in ruins. (Courtesy of the author)
In the Spring Festival of 2019, I went back to the village and passed the old house of the boatsmith’s family. The house was in danger, and the surroundings were desolate and bleak. I couldn’t help but feel sad: If he had not received the fraud call, and if he had detected the fraud earlier, would it be another scene?
But in life, which have so much if.
When I was going to write this article, I asked Changfeng for advice. Changfeng scratched the back of his head and said, “It’s been so long, what’s the point of writing it now?” I said, this is the main cause of your family’s tragedy, it is good to write about the world.
“If only it would help me find my father, or if only my father would come back when he sees the article.”
I hope so.
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