Chapter 12 The Thief
"How do you know so much?" Su Ruyi asked curiously.
Wang Huiting: "My friend Zhang Yao, her uncle's family lives in the provincial capital, and she goes there to stay for a while every winter and summer vacation. She told me that. And I read every issue of the Life Daily, which talks about a lot of things happening in the province. Didn't you ask about the plastics factory before? I know where it is!"
"I'm going to the provincial capital to take care of some business..."
"I definitely won't bother you while you're doing your work. I can take care of myself and I won't wander off."
Su Ruyi: "I'll ask for you tomorrow, but I can't guarantee what the result will be."
Wang Huiting was so excited she almost screamed, but she managed to hold it in and said:
"That's perfect!"
The next day, Su Ruyi discussed it with Li Mei, and Li Mei immediately understood what was going on.
"Wang Huiting, you're being silly again!" Li Mei glared at Wang Huiting, then turned to Su Ruyi and said, "She's just a troublemaker, always doing whatever comes to mind. You're here to take care of serious business, so don't pay any attention to her."
Li Mei knew that Su Ruyi was going to thank the Zhang family. Logically, she and her daughter should also go together to thank them in person. However, Li Mei knew that the Zhang family was not ordinary and they might not be willing to see them, so she didn't mention it. Instead, she prepared some gifts to express her gratitude.
Wang Huiting pouted and didn't say anything, only looking longingly at Su Ruyi.
"I'm going to stay in the provincial capital for a few nights. Let Tingting stay with me."
Li Mei thought it was indeed unsafe for Su Ruyi to be out alone, so she said, "Then let Zhenzhen go with you. She studies in the province and is familiar with it. She also has classmates from the province. Tingting is just making trouble and will only cause you trouble."
"Mom! How could I be so unreliable!" Wang Huiting was displeased by this and couldn't help but speak up.
"I know you too well; all you ever think about is having fun."
"I'm not like that."
Wang Huiting was very dissatisfied, but dared not reveal her purpose in going to the provincial capital.
She's planning for the future, looking for job opportunities in the province; she's not just playing around.
But she knew that if she spoke out, she would be scolded even more severely.
"But wasn't your sister supposed to go help Grandma Zhou at her house?"
Grandma Zhou is an elderly woman living alone. She had fallen and her health is not good, so she needs someone to take care of her.
Grandma Zhou has helped their family a lot over the years; she was also the matchmaker for Li Mei and Tong Aihua.
After Tong Aihua fell into the water, she also used her connections to help her a lot.
Li Mei used to take care of her often, but now that she has to go to work, she asked Wang Huizhen to take her place.
Wang Huizhen was meticulous and had helped take care of her two younger sisters since they were little, so Li Mei was relatively at ease with her. However, she couldn't do the same with Wang Huiting.
Li Mei was also conflicted after hearing this, wondering if she could manage both.
Su Ruyi: "Let Tingting come with me. I need to go to the provincial capital to buy some clothes. Tingting has a good eye and can help me pick some out."
Mentioning this made Wang Huiting wide awake, and she said with great confidence:
"I can definitely do this better than my sister! I know exactly what's fashionable to wear in the province right now!"
Wang Huiting loves beauty, and despite her family's limited resources, she still manages to make herself look very beautiful.
For example, with her hair, she wouldn't just tie it into a simple ponytail; instead, she would use headbands made of scraps of fabric and braid various hairstyles.
The clothes are also decorated with small accessories and slightly altered to make them more eye-catching, but still within the limits of a student's clothing.
She doesn't have many clothes, but she manages to create the effect of many outfits.
Li Mei often criticized her for this, feeling that it was wrong of her to not focus on important matters.
But things are different now. Su Ruyi is going to the Zhang family, so she has to dress more presentably.
Li Mei didn't know the specifics of the Zhang family's situation, but she vaguely knew that they were quite remarkable.
She also knew that Su Ruyi was engaged. Although the engagement wasn't formal, it was still a promise, so there was still a glimmer of hope.
Isn't the most important thing for a woman in her life to marry into a good family? Li Mei also hoped that Su Ruyi could marry into that family, so that Tong Yunyun could benefit from it in the future.
Although Su Ruyi's clothes were not bad, made of good materials, the style was still a bit outdated in the province, and she would be looked down upon when she visited someone's home.
Li Mei didn't say anything then, but she talked to Wang Huiting for a long time, telling her to be obedient and so on, and even gave her fifty yuan.
"Keep your money safe and don't spend it recklessly. When you're with your older sister, be a little more discerning."
This was the first time Wang Huiting had received so much money, and her hands were trembling a little.
"Mom, I'll get reimbursed for the expenses when I get back."
Along the way, Wang Huiting was like a thorn, touching this and that all the time.
What are you doing?
Wang Huiting glanced around, feeling a strong urge to steal a look.
"This is the first time I've carried so much money, I'm worried it will be stolen."
She took five ten-yuan bills and placed them in various places on her body, thinking that if they were stolen, she wouldn't be completely robbed.
Zhang Yao said that there are many thieves in the province. One year, she took her New Year's money to buy something, but she didn't know when her pocket was cut with a knife and all her money was gone.
Su Ruyi was both amused and exasperated: "You're being too obvious. A thief could tell at a glance that you have a lot of money on you."
Wang Huiting immediately stopped what she was doing, and nervously looked around.
"What should I do, Sister Ruyi? Why don't you help me carry it?"
"You should take it yourself. In case we accidentally get separated, it'll be easier to have money on hand. We'll just be careful, so don't be too nervous."
Reminded by Wang Huiting, Su Ruyi became even more wary of those around her.
Although she knew there were many thieves these days, she was used to a safe environment and easily let her guard down.
When the two arrived at the station, Tong Dahua was already waiting there.
As soon as the bus arrived at the station, Tong Dahua rushed up and took up three seats in the last row.
These days, there's no such thing as overloading; you have to fight for a seat, or you'll have to stand or find something to sit on.
Su Ruyi asked Wang Huiting to sit by the window, and sat between the two of them.
After sitting down, he took out his backpack and pulled out the boiled eggs and pancakes that Li Mei had prepared.
"Aunt, have something to eat."
Tong Dahua quickly pushed it away, saying, "I've already eaten, you eat."
Su Ruyi took out a piece of cake and stuffed it directly into Tong Dahua's mouth.
"You've been so kind to us, so I'll be just as kind to you in the future."
Tong Dahua chuckled awkwardly, "I'm not being polite, I just don't eat in the car because I'm afraid of getting carsick."
Su Ruyi didn't believe her and stuffed the remaining eggs and pancakes into her arms.
When Li Mei gave these things to her today, she said that Tong Dahua must have left without eating much this morning. She is someone who is afraid of causing trouble for others, and she encountered a stingy person, so you can imagine what kind of treatment she received.
Tong Dahua failed to complete her 'mission' again, and I guess she didn't get to eat a peaceful meal last night either.
Tong Dahua couldn't argue with Su Ruyi, and eventually put it away.
As they approached the provincial capital, Tong Dahua got off the bus. As the door closed, Su Ruyi tossed a package to her through the window.
"Auntie, try my mom's cooking. You have to eat it all, or you'll be disrespecting me and my mom!"
The car drove off without Tong Dahua even having a chance to put it back.
When Tong Dahua opened the package, her eyes welled up with tears.
The bag was full of longan, dried mango, cured meat, sausage, dried fish, as well as several bricks of brown sugar and a large bag of fruit candies.
When Tong Dahua returned to the village, some people saw her and greeted her:
"Dahua, you've gone back to your parents' house again?"
"Yes, I'm going back to see my second brother's eldest niece. She's here." Tong Dahua didn't want to talk much and hurried home.
As she left, the others shook their heads and muttered behind her back.
"I've never seen anyone go back to their parents' home so frequently. Their own family is in such a state, yet they're still constantly subsidizing their parents' home. It's a waste that the Zhang family raised her for so many years."
"That's right. Every time they go there with big bags and small packages, they come back with nothing. I don't know what they're thinking. They're always so eager to get things."
Upon hearing this, someone sighed, "No matter what, they are still her own parents. Her husband's parents have all passed away, so she cherishes the time when her parents are still alive even more."
"I saw her carrying a big bag earlier. Could she have changed her mind this time?"
"How could that be! She probably took the clothes home to help her take them apart and wash. After all these years, you still don't know what's going on?"
When Tong Dahua returned home, a tall figure ran out of the house, waving his arms and shouting at her.
Tong Dahua smiled at her, rummaged in her bag, and took out a packet of candy:
"Stone, look what Mom brought back."
Zhang Shitou's eyes lit up, and he jumped and shouted, "Candy! Candy!"
"You're back! What made you decide to buy candy today?"
Zhang Dagui, supporting his crippled body with his hands, walked out of the house and was quite surprised to see the large bag of candy.
"They were all given to me by my niece," Tong Dahua said with a smile, opening her backpack and showing it to him.
Zhang Dagui was stunned when he saw so much food inside: "There's just too much!"
"Let's have a nice meal tonight."
"Are we just going to eat like this?" Zhang Dagui asked uncertainly.
The pigs and chickens they raise are not for their own consumption; they only eat meat during festivals and holidays. Normally, these things are given away as gifts.
Tong Dahua gritted her teeth: "I ate it! My eldest niece said it was a token of their affection."
At noon, a delicious aroma wafted from Tong Dahua's house. When the children returned home and saw the food on the table, they cheered and exclaimed that it was Chinese New Year.
After arriving in the provincial capital, Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting went to find something to eat.
Although Wang Huiting had only been here once, she led Su Ruyi to the bus stop with ease, knowing which bus to take without even looking at the sign.
When boarding, the bus door was extremely crowded, with people packed shoulder to shoulder.
Su Ruyi immediately sensed something was wrong. She pushed aside the two men who were trying to get close to her and Wang Huiting, leaving them behind. She squeezed her way into the car, drawing a string of complaints, which Su Ruyi ignored.
Not long after the bus started moving, Su Ruyi saw the man who had seemed suspicious take out a pair of tweezers and reach towards the cloth bag on the middle-aged woman next to her.
"Everyone, be careful with your wallets!" Su Ruyi shouted.
The sound made everyone instinctively look at their pockets, and the middle-aged woman quickly pulled the cloth bag that had been pushed to the back due to the crowd to her chest.
The thief quickly retrieved the tweezers. Although he wasn't caught, it wouldn't be easy for him to do anything again.
After Su Ruyi's outburst, everyone on the bus became extremely wary.
The thief glanced at Su Ruyi, then discreetly picked up the clothes draped over his arm.
Upon arrival at the station, Wang Huiting quickly pulled Su Ruyi off the train, her heart pounding.
“Sister Ruyi, you were too bold just now! These thieves are a gang, they're not easy to mess with. I read in the newspaper that someone who tried to help was retaliated against and stabbed several times! Luckily they stopped halfway and didn't hold it against us.”
Those thieves were clearly seasoned veterans, and the ticket seller and driver obviously knew what they were up to, but neither of them dared to do anything about it.
Su Ruyi knew very well that she might not have dared to interfere in the past, for fear of bringing trouble upon herself.
"The aunt who almost got her money stolen was carrying a thermos. Is the bus we're on going to pass by the hospital?"
Wang Huiting understood immediately. The woman was simply dressed, and there was a sick person at home. If she were to have money stolen from her again...
"Thank goodness, we're all alright," Wang Huiting said thankfully. "Sister Ruyi, the noodle shop I mentioned is just up ahead..."
Su Ruyi suddenly stopped, "You might be saying that a little too soon."
"ah?"
Just as Wang Huiting was about to ask a question, she saw four men walking towards them from behind. She recognized two of them from the car, and they seemed to have ill intentions.
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