Ningbo woman praised for act of honesty

A tenant in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, was praised for her integrity by not pocketing the fortune she found while cleaning a rented house, according to Ningbo Evening News.

On July 20, Jiang Jingping was cleaning a room she had rented when she found a secret chamber in a wall which included five fixed-term deposit certificates worth 400,000 yuan ($56,000) and some jewelry.

"Yesterday, I rented this house and cleaned it. When I moved a cabinet and started removing wallpaper, I noticed a hidden compartment in a corner of the wall. Inside, I discovered the certificates and jewelry. I was completely bewildered at the sight; I had no idea what was happening," Jiang told the paper.

Without hesitation, she contacted workers with the local community office to hand the hoard over.

Upon further investigation by the community, it turned out the previous owner was an elderly couple who had passed away. During the sale of the house, the money was neglected or its existence was not made known.

Jiang is in her early 50s and works at an occupational rehabilitation center. Her job involves providing services and assistance to people with disabilities. She also joined the community volunteer team, utilizing her previous expertise as a seamstress to help others.

"We had been paying close attention to and regularly visiting this elderly couple when they were alive. And the community managed to find their offspring. We are proud to have residents like Jiang," said Zhang Jingbo, Party chief of Houdajie subdistrict.

On July 24, the money was returned to the couple's grandson, who bowed and honored Jiang with a silk banner.

"I'm really grateful to Jiang," he said, as he was dealing with some difficulties after suffering a stroke.