Returning to the hotpot restaurant, the local police swiftly arrived and understood the whole affair.
They concluded that Zhang Hao and He Qianhui bore no responsibility.
The young man helplessly held his head and wept, saying that his parents were farmers and that the lost money came from selling a year's worth of grain as well as from borrowing from neighbors.
Without this money, he couldn't afford to go to school.
The police said they would help look for the thief, but told him to be prepared for the possibility that his tuition and living expenses might have been squandered.
"Officer, does this mean there's nothing to do with us anymore?" Zhang Hao asked.
"No, you're free to go."
With the officer's words, Zhang Hao took He Qianhui back to the car and drove away.
"That boy seems pretty unlucky, but his clothes don't really seem like those of a farmer's child."
"Those shoes he's wearing cost two thousand alone, not to mention his clothes and pants are also not cheap."
