Xu Chen entered the branch and approached the ATM, inserting her bank card. She checked and saw that her mother had sent her three hundred yuan again this month, leaving a total balance of nine hundred. After a moment's thought, she decided to withdraw four hundred; the time ahead would involve many expenses, and she couldn't very well pay nothing herself—that would be too awkward.

To her surprise, the ATM withdrawal function was blocked. Xu Chen had no choice but to take her card to the counter for service. The Agricultural Bank of China typically didn't have heavy traffic; Xu Chen was the only customer conducting business in the entire lobby. After several interactions, Xu Chen truly disliked coming to the Agricultural Bank counter. She couldn't stand the attitude and the sour faces of the staff. Compared to the Bank of China or the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, or the China Construction Bank, the service at the Agricultural Bank was arguably the worst—perhaps even ranking near the bottom globally.

However, Xu Chen only had a few yuan left on her person, and she still planned to treat someone to lunch. She had to withdraw the money. Inside the lobby, a man and a woman were chatting, seemingly unconcerned by the surveillance camera hanging overhead.

"Please, I need to withdraw four hundred yuan," Xu Chen said, handing over her card. She specifically chose the male teller, figuring that men often provided special consideration to female customers; having worked away from home for a long time, Xu Chen understood that much.

The male teller didn't even take the card. "Go to the ATM. The counter does not process transactions under 5,000 yuan."

Xu Chen explained quietly, "The ATM withdrawal was blocked; perhaps it's out of cash."

The male teller looked up briefly. "Impossible. Do you know how to use it? Why don't you try the one outside? Walk out, cross one street, and there's another ATM."

"I've used it before; it's definitely not an operational issue. Maybe the machine is genuinely out of money. Could you please help me? I need the funds urgently."

The male teller grew impatient, roughly taking the card with a clatter, mumbling something under his breath. "How much are you taking out?"

"Four hundred," Xu Chen replied.

The male teller swiped the card and glanced at the woman seated across from him. "Only nine hundred yuan total, and the balance has never been over a thousand, even at its peak. What's the use of having a card like this? People like this waste our bank's resources."

The woman opposite chuckled. "Look at her clothes, you can tell what sort of person she is—either a migrant worker or a maid. If we had customers like this every day, we'd both be out starving soon enough."

Although separated by the bulletproof glass, there was a sound aperture. Standing outside the counter, Xu Chen heard every word of their conversation clearly. Her face burned with shame. Didn't every girl want to maintain her dignity and be respected? But could one choose the circumstances of one's birth in a poor family? Xu Chen didn't blame her mother; she held exceptional respect and gratitude for her mother, who worked herself to the bone every day, yet could only send her three hundred yuan monthly. Six hundred yuan of the current nine hundred had been earned by Xu Chen during her summer job. This was arguably the highest balance the card had ever held. Whenever she returned exhausted late at night from work, the thought that the balance would soon increase always brought her immense comfort. Yet, the nine hundred yuan that gave her such encouragement was viewed by the person inside as mere waste. Tears welled up in her eyes. She disliked this Agricultural Bank, but it was the only bank in her hometown, and without an Agricultural Bank card, her mother's money couldn't be sent conveniently.

"Please withdraw all of it for me," Xu Chen thought, resolving never to use the Agricultural Bank counter again. If her mother sent more money, it wouldn't go into this account; she would open a new account at the Bank of China and transfer any money there immediately upon arrival.

The male teller roared, "You're so troublesome! I've already printed the slip. Look at your withdrawal history—it’s always one hundred yuan at a time. Anyone dealing with you is unlucky. I was wondering why there was no business today; turns out it was you messing things up."

Smash! The nine hundred yuan and the card were thrown across the counter. Xu Chen wiped the tears from her face and picked up the money, walking out. She could not believe that withdrawing cash could lead to such an incident. Did the people inside truly believe they were superior? This sounded absurd, yet it had happened so realistically.

I was outside on the street, unaware of what had transpired inside. Xu Chen emerged with red eyes, startling me. I rushed over and asked, "What happened? Didn't you go in to get money? Why are your eyes all teary?"

Xu Chen felt wronged, and upon seeing me, the tears flowed again. I grew somewhat flustered; a woman's tears were the most potent weapon against me. "Xu Chen, what's wrong? Did you lose the money? Don't worry; we’ll be making big money in a few days. We can earn it all back later."

Xu Chen shook her head while crying, "The money isn't lost."

I questioned further, "Then what is it? Stop crying. How can I help you if you don't tell me? Was someone robbed? Impossible; I didn't see anyone go in from the doorway."

Xu Chen wiped her eyes and pulled me along. "Let's go. I won't use this bank again." I asked, "Were the people inside the bank bullying you?"

Xu Chen's expression suddenly hardened. Although tears still clung to her lashes, a resolute determination showed. "I've visited no fewer than five Agricultural Bank branches, and every one of them looks down on me like this. It doesn't matter; I won't bother arguing with them. But one day, I will make them regret it. In the future, I will earn a lot of money, but none of it will exist within the Agricultural Bank. I will even persuade everyone around me to close their accounts there so they can taste the bitter fruit they planted."

Damn it. Hearing the tone of Xu Chen's voice, I realized the incident must have been serious. I said to her, "Wait here outside; I'll go in and ask."

Xu Chen was still the same girl who preferred to avoid trouble. Despite her firm words just now, when she saw me about to enter, she grabbed my arm. "Brother Zhao, don't go in. Let's just drop it this time. We’ll deal with the future later. Can't we avoid what we can't fight right now? Let’s go buy a computer. Don’t go, okay? I’ll stop crying."

I shook off Xu Chen’s hand and walked directly into the lobby. The female teller seemed to be smiling foolishly at something. I roared at her, "Who handled the last transaction?"

My voice was loud, vibrating the bulletproof glass until it hummed. The two inside covered their ears before daring to look up at me. The man said, "I handled it. What, did we short you on the money? Look at the notice on the counter—once the money leaves the counter, we are not responsible for any discrepancies."

I pointed toward Xu Chen, who stood fearfully outside the door, and asked the male teller, "What did you say to her just now?"

The male teller snorted, "Her? I couldn't be bothered with her. Why are you yelling? Believe it or not, I can press the alarm and have you arrested."

I enunciated slowly, word by word, "Go outside and apologize to her!"