Chapter 133 Old Sun got anxious, everyone surrounded Li...

Everyone surrounded Aunt Li to comfort her, saying things like, "The police will definitely find the things," and "Old Li, please don't worry or get anxious." Aunt Li smiled helplessly.

To be honest, she wasn't upset about her bag being stolen. After all, there wasn't much money in the bag; she carried all her money on her person. The bag contained small change that she had specifically exchanged. The bag looked sturdy, but it was actually full of small bills. Even if you put them all together, it wouldn't amount to ten yuan.

She wouldn't get anxious or upset over such a small amount of money.

Aunt Li told everyone about it with a smile, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief after hearing it.

It's good that not much money was stolen.

Aunt He said with a pained expression, "Ten yuan is not a small amount."

In the past, ten yuan would have been about a month's living expenses for her and her husband.

Although Aunt He has been making a lot of money from her stall recently, she still maintains her old-fashioned spending habits. She believes that earning money is hard, there are many places to spend money, so she should save money and avoid spending it if possible.

Losing ten yuan would make her feel the pinch for half a day.

Not to mention that Aunt Li was pushed down and injured during the robbery, and her medical expenses are not cheap.

Thinking of this, Aunt He gritted her teeth: "No matter what, that thief was a complete scoundrel. He was a perfectly healthy young man with arms and legs; why did he have to rob someone, especially an old lady? A person like that should be shot and executed!"

"That's right!"

"He not only robbed people, he also injured them!"

"If I were to run into that bastard, I wouldn't even need the police; I'd take matters into my own hands..."

Aunt He's words resonated with many.

Everyone hates robbery.

Earning money these days isn't easy. They work so hard, and the money they finally earn is stolen away like this. Who wouldn't hate that?

Don't say that robbers have their own difficulties. These days, jobs are hard to find, but if a able-bodied young man really wants to work, what can't he do? Even carrying heavy loads and cleaning toilets are in short supply.

Instead of finding a proper way to make a living, people who only think about taking crooked and unethical paths are not decent people!

The crowd was outraged and began to condemn the person who snatched Aunt Li's bag.

Aunt Ma said, "Everyone should be careful when going out lately. It's best not to go out alone after dark. Be careful when going to the toilet at night, because that robber might be lurking around nearby. I'll go and tell the neighborhood office in a bit so they can remind the residents in this area."

Everyone nodded, and Zhao Sulan pulled Mingxi aside and whispered, "Xibao, I'll take you to work these next few days."

“Okay.” Mingxi didn’t refuse. She knew that even if she refused, Zhao Sulan wouldn’t agree.

Aunt He, however, said defiantly, "He's just a nobody, what's there to be afraid of? If he comes one, I'll beat him up; if two come, I'll beat them both up!"

Mingxi twitched her lips: "Aunt He, you'd better be careful. Your body can't take any more strain."

Aunt He pursed her lips: "What's wrong with my health? Xiaoming, don't look down on me. Let me tell you, when I was young, I could take on three people without losing a fight."

Mingxi: "Well, you said it yourself, it was when you were young."

Aunt He's lips twitched, as if she wanted to retort, but Aunt Ma stepped in and made the final decision: "Alright, Old He, stop talking. None of us know how many people were involved in the robbery, whether they had accomplices, or whether they had weapons, so we should be cautious. If you encounter anyone suspicious in the alley, don't rush in recklessly. Remember what they look like first, and then report it to the neighborhood committee and the police later. If there's no time to report, at least call for help. Your own safety is the most important thing, understand?"

“Got it!” Mingxi shouted in agreement.

“I’ll remember—” Aunt He nodded, drawing out the sound.

"Remember, remember, don't worry, Lao Ma." The others in the alley nodded in agreement.

After finishing her story, Aunt Ma gave everyone a few instructions and headed off to the neighborhood office to report the matter. Aunt He, on the other hand, looked at Aunt Li with curiosity and kept asking, "Hey, Old Li, what did the kid who robbed you look like?"

Mingxi also turned to look at Aunt Li, listening intently.

What if she runs into the robber? If she catches him, will the police send her another reward, just like last time?

Ahem, whether she gets a reward or not is not important. What's important is that she's kind-hearted and loves to do good deeds.

Mingxi blinked and stared at Aunt Li. Aunt Li thought for a moment and said, "The boy who robbed me wasn't tall, he was quite thin, and he had a pointed face and monkey-like cheeks. If I had to describe his features, it would be that he had a big black mole on his face."

Okay, a big black mole, right? She remembered it.

Mingxi was itching to run into the robber.

"hiss--"

Just then, Aunt Li suddenly cried out in pain. Mingxi turned her head to look and saw Aunt Li frowning, looking pained.

"Aunt Li, are you alright?"

Aunt Li waved her hand: "It's nothing, my leg just suddenly cramped and hurt a little."

"Huh? Why does my leg suddenly hurt?"

"Hey, Lao He, look at the question you're asking. Lao Li's leg is fractured, how can it not hurt?"

"That makes sense, huh? Well, Lao Li, why don't you go home and rest first?"

Mingxi chimed in, "Aunt Li, if you're going back, I'll help you back."

Before Aunt Li could speak, Teacher Hou, who had been silently acting as a tool, spoke up first: "No need, I'll take Xiao Li home."

Aunt Li nodded in agreement: "Yes, Teacher Hou can take me home."

The group exchanged glances but said nothing. After watching Teacher Hou help Aunt Li into the yard, they all followed the two into the yard. Teacher Hou helped Aunt Li back into the house, and after she sat down, Teacher Hou didn't stop. He found pillows for her legs, books to keep her from getting bored, and poured her water… he was incredibly attentive.

The group couldn't help but exchange glances again. This guy's alright, he's got a knack for things.

Aunt Li was the first to feel embarrassed. Seeing Teacher Hou walking over with the cup, she quickly said, "Teacher Hou, you don't need to trouble yourself. If you have something to do, you can go back and take care of it."

Teacher Hou pretended not to understand the meaning behind Aunt Li's words, shook his head and said, "It's okay, I'm not busy."

Aunt Li pursed her lips. Teacher Hou wasn't busy, but she felt embarrassed!

Teacher Hou sat down, feeling a little awkward. He tried to make conversation, asking, "It's almost noon, are you hungry?"

Aunt Li was taken aback, then shook her head.

Teacher Hou suddenly stood up: "Even if you're not hungry, you should eat something. Now is the time for you to replenish your nutrition."

He looked at Aunt Li and asked, "I'm going to buy some food now. What would you like to eat?" Seeing that Aunt Li shook her head again, he simply said, "Then I'll buy whatever you think is best. Wait for me a moment, I'll be right back."

After saying that, Teacher Hou left in a hurry.

After watching Teacher Hou walk away, everyone swarmed into Aunt Li's room.

Aunt He joked, "Tsk tsk, Lao Li, I think Teacher Hou is a good person. He's observant, considerate, and caring. I'd approve of you two dating."

Aunt Li glanced at her, blushed, and said, "Don't talk nonsense!"

Aunt He: "What nonsense are you talking about? Everyone can see that Teacher Hou has feelings for you."

Aunt Li was easily embarrassed, and upon hearing this, her face turned completely red. She was so ashamed and angry that she reached out to hit Aunt He, but Aunt He laughed and ran behind Mingxi.

"Honestly, Lao Li, I think Teacher Hou is a good person. He's considerate and knows how to take care of people. You two are both getting on in years. If you're really interested in each other, don't waste your time. Get together sooner rather than later."

Aunt He spoke from the heart; she truly considered Aunt Li a friend to say such things to her.

They're all in their fifties or sixties, not like young people who have plenty of time to waste getting to know each other. To put it bluntly, at their age, nobody knows when they might suddenly get some disease and be gone. While they're still alive and able to walk and jump, if they like someone, they should act quickly. Otherwise, they might regret it later.

Zhao Sulan wasn't as blunt as Aunt Li, but she patted her hand and said, "I've been a matchmaker for so many years, and I can tell that Teacher Hou is a good person."

Amidst the chatter of her friends, Aunt Li remained silent, her face flushed.

Similarly, she did not deny anything.

Mingxi blinked, and the fact that she didn't deny it meant there was a chance.

As everyone was talking, the door was pulled open and another person squeezed in from outside. Everyone looked up and saw Old Sun rubbing his hands as he walked in from outside.

Old Sun looked up and was taken aback to see so many people in the room. He subconsciously swallowed, but still looked at Aunt Li and asked, "I heard you were injured. Are you alright?"

Aunt Li didn't look at him, but said coldly, "It's nothing, you can go back now."

Old Sun wasn't intimidated by Aunt Li's indifference at all. Instead, he stepped forward and said, "You said you were fine? Your leg is in a cast, you must have broken a bone, right? How did you get hurt? Did something happen while you were setting up your stall? I told you before, not everyone can run a stall. You have to work in all kinds of weather, from dawn till dusk, it's hard work. Although you can make money, there are a lot of dangers too. Look at you now..."

Mingxi rolled her eyes.

Putting everything else aside, what Grandpa Sun said was really unpleasant to hear.

Aunt Li clearly thought so too. Before Old Sun could finish speaking, she interrupted him, saying, "What brings you here? If you have something to say, say it. If not, go back."

Aunt Li's words were quite blunt in sending guests away; anyone with a thin skin wouldn't have been able to sit down.

But Old Sun wasn't shy. He didn't move an inch and said naturally, "I'm fine. I just came to check on you. You're injured and can't come easily right now, so I can take care of you."

Aunt Li: "No need, I have someone to take care of me."

Upon hearing this, Old Sun's expression visibly stiffened. He asked with a grim face, "Someone is taking care of you? Who is taking care of you? The old man who brought you back just now? I haven't even asked him yet. What does he do? What's your relationship with him? And why were you two being so intimate just now?"

He started rambling on: "Li Chunzhi, although we're divorced and legally we have no relationship, and I shouldn't interfere in your life, we've been husband and wife for half our lives, and you're still the mother of my child. Because of that relationship, I still have to say a few words to you. At your age, can't you be more settled, honest, and live a proper life? Stop being so indecent and doing all that messy stuff like young people do!"

Aunt Li's face turned red.

This time, however, it wasn't because of shyness, but because of anger.

She glared at Old Sun, her fingertips trembling with anger, and said, "Get out! Get out of here!"

Old Sun wanted to continue his nagging: "Hey, Li Chunzhi, what kind of attitude is this? I haven't finished speaking, why are you telling me to get lost? I'm telling you the truth, there's no one else who would say such things to me, don't be ungrateful..."

Before Old Sun could finish speaking, Mingxi pushed him out the door.

Old Sun turned his gun on Mingxi and confronted him: "Hey, Mingxi, what are you doing? Can't you see I still have something to say to your Aunt Li? Why did you push me out like that? I'm your elder, this isn't appropriate. Your family didn't teach you this, so I'll have to teach you..."

"Yes, yes, yes, what I did was inappropriate." Mingxi pointed into the house: "My mother is here. Why don't you wait a bit, and when she comes out, you can tell her how you want to teach me?"

Old Sun suddenly fell silent.

Zhao Sulan is especially protective of her own. If Zhao Sulan hears this, she's sure to fly into a rage and come after him.

Old Sun tried to save face: "Ahem, no need for that. I was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously."

He looked up at the sky, feigning surprise, and said, "Oh dear, it's getting late. I have something to do, so I'll head back now."

Having said that, he quickly walked away without waiting for Mingxi's reaction.

Mingxi rolled her eyes and turned back into Aunt Li's room.

Aunt Li was furious at Old Sun's words. Aunt He, Zhao Sulan, and several other women in the courtyard tried to calm her down and told her to ignore Old Sun's nonsense.

Although Aunt Li was angry, she didn't take Old Sun's words to heart.

Who is Old Sun anyway? To her, he's just a stranger. She really doesn't need to take a stranger's words to heart.

Teacher Hou, who had gone to buy food, returned quickly. Seeing that Aunt Li and Teacher Hou were about to eat, everyone felt embarrassed to stay any longer and said their goodbyes. Mingxi and her daughter said goodbye to Aunt Zhao and went home first.

Mingxi held back her complaints while at Aunt Li's house, but now that she was home, she couldn't help but complain: "Uncle Sun is really something... When I pushed him out the door, he had the nerve to say I had no manners, implying that I didn't respect him as an elder. Doesn't he even realize he deserves my respect? He's divorced from Aunt Li, but he still acts like he's someone important, coming to Aunt Li's house and lecturing her. Who does he think he is?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Sulan's face darkened: "That shameless bastard dares to say you have no manners?"

She rolled up her sleeves, ready to rush out and settle accounts with Old Sun.

She couldn't interfere in what happened between Aunt Li and Old Sun, but she couldn't tolerate Old Sun's explanation of Ming Xi.

Seeing Zhao Sulan's dark face, looking like she was about to settle scores with Old Sun, Mingxi quickly reached out and pulled her back: "Mom, Mom, there's no need, there's no need. Old Sun was talking about me just now, and I talked back to him. There's no need to settle scores with him again."

Zhao Sulan's expression softened a bit.

Zhao Sulan: "How did you retort?"

“He said I had no manners, so I told him my mom was here and asked him to talk to her about manners.” Mingxi proudly raised her head and said, “Mom, you don’t know, as soon as I said that, Old Sun immediately chickened out and said he had something to do and had to leave.”

Zhao Sulan: "I thought you were so powerful, but it turns out you're just a fox borrowing the tiger's power."

Mingxi straightened her back, her face full of pride: "Yes, I'm just borrowing my mother's power. My mother is so powerful and so influential, what's wrong with me borrowing her power for a bit?"

"Keep showing off."

Despite saying that, Zhao Sulan's upturned lips never left her lips.

Mingxi and Zhao Sulan exchanged a few more words when they heard someone calling from outside. She crawled out of the house and heard Aunt He say with a knowing smile, "Xiaoming, hurry up and go out. Wei Ning is waiting for you at the door."

When Mingxi came out of the backyard, she saw Wei Ning standing at the gate.

She stepped forward: "What brings you here?"

She had arranged to see a movie with Wei Ning that evening, but it was only noon. Why was Wei Ning here at this hour?

Wei Ning: "I want to ask you, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

He scratched his head, a hint of embarrassment showing on his smooth, white skin, and said, "I should have told you yesterday, but I forgot. I just remembered. I heard that a new restaurant opened near the movie theater, and the food is pretty good. I wonder if you would like to come and try it with me?"

Mingxi: "What dish is it?"

Wei Ning was taken aback by Ming Xi's question and blankly uttered an "Ah".

Mingxi: "Didn't you say that restaurant was good? What kind of cuisine does it serve?"

"Oh, oh." Wei Ning quickly said, "It's Sichuan cuisine. I heard it's a chef from Sichuan who makes Mapo Tofu and Twice-Cooked Pork exceptionally well."

Mingxi was actually craving Sichuan cuisine. Hearing Wei Ning say that, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva, but she still had to act all proud.

"Ahem, since you're so sincere in inviting me, I can't very well refuse. Alright, I'll accept your invitation. Let's go to the restaurant you mentioned tonight and give it a try."

Wei Ning: "Okay, I'll pick you up tonight!"

As if afraid that Mingxi would regret it, Wei Ning said quickly.

Even after he finished speaking, he showed no sign of leaving, staring intently at Mingxi. Mingxi felt embarrassed by his gaze and subconsciously touched her cheek: "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Wei Ning: No, it's just that you look especially good today.

Mingxi proudly raised her head.

That's as if she doesn't look good one day.

Mingxi: "Alright, do you have anything else to do? If not, I'll head back now."

Wei Ning shook his head. Seeing that he had nothing to say, Ming Xi waved to him, swung her braid, and turned to go back to the courtyard.

As soon as Mingxi stepped across the threshold, she saw Old Sun come out in a hurry, his face dark.

No one knew where Old Sun was going. He hurriedly brushed past Mingxi and headed towards the public phone at the alley entrance.

Mingxi muttered to herself, feeling that Old Sun was also quite inexplicable, but she didn't take Old Sun's behavior to heart and walked into the yard.

What Mingxi didn't know was that Old Sun went out to call Sun Lili and Sun Xuewen.

He had just returned home, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the man who had come back with Aunt Li had ulterior motives. Men know men best; being men, Old Sun could tell at a glance that the man Aunt Li brought back today was looking at her with impure eyes.

He originally wanted to remind Aunt Li to stay away from that man.

But judging from Aunt Li's tone, it seems she also has feelings for that man.

This won't do!

Although Aunt Li and Old Sun are divorced, in Old Sun's mind, Aunt Li is just having a disagreement with him; she is still his woman.

Even if Aunt Li is angry and doesn't want to get back together with him, she won't look for someone else or be with anyone else.

So when Old Sun saw that Aunt Li was looking for someone else, he immediately exploded.

No, how can Aunt Li find another man? She's already so old, does she really think about dating or marrying him?

No, no, if she really dates and marries him, what will outsiders think of him, Old Sun?

They'll definitely laugh at him for being incompetent, calling him a cuckold, saying his wife found someone else right after divorcing him, and who knows, maybe she'd already cheated on him before the divorce...

How can he possibly face anyone now?

Old Sun felt increasingly uneasy about it. He wanted to rush up to Aunt Li and chase away the "wild man" she had brought back, but just thinking about it made him realize that Aunt Li would definitely not allow him to do so.

After thinking it over, Old Sun decided that it would be better to let the children talk to Aunt Li.

Children are Li Dama's Achilles' heel.

Old Sun ran to the alley entrance, paid the money, pressed the dial button, and first called his eldest brother, Sun Xuewen.

In those days, landline phones weren't common. He called a public phone near Sun Xuewen's house, and when the person guarding the phone booth answered, he asked them to call Sun Xuewen.

After the other party agreed, he waited for a while before Sun Xuewen's panting voice came from the other end of the phone: "Hello, this is Sun Xuewen. May I ask who you are?"

Old Sun: "Ahem, I'm the boss, your dad."

Sun Xuewen's heart skipped a beat when he heard Old Sun's voice. Old Sun was notoriously stingy; phone calls weren't cheap, and he definitely wouldn't spend money to make a call unless something serious had happened.

Thinking of this, he asked anxiously, "Dad, what's wrong? What happened at home? Is it your fault, or Mom's fault? What's wrong with you two now..."

Old Sun: "Why are you talking so much nonsense? Listen to me, something happened at home, you need to come back today. Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up. Phone calls are expensive, whatever it is, we'll talk about it when you get home."

After he finished speaking, he hung up the phone without waiting for Sun Xuewen's reaction.

After hanging up, he repeated his previous actions and called his eldest daughter, Sun Lili. When Sun Lili heard what Old Sun said, she thought something had happened at home and quickly said that she would be back soon and told Old Sun not to worry.

Old Sun didn't say much either. After telling her to come back, he hung up the phone.