Xie Baoguo staggered and nearly fell to the ground. His eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief, and he said in a trembling voice, "How could it be Comrade Xie? I... I'm Baoguo! Don't you remember me?"
However, Liu Chunhua simply smiled at him, her eyes unmoved. She softly said, "Of course I remember Comrade Xie, but our relationship is a thing of the past. Now, you're just an ordinary old acquaintance to me. Since you're here, Aunt Xie, I'll take my leave."
After saying that, she turned around and said goodbye to Xie's mother, then took Liu Chunling by her side and left without hesitation. Xie Baoguo was left standing there, staring blankly at their departing backs, his heart filled with endless pain and loss.
Although Liu Chunling was simple-minded, she also noticed something was wrong with Liu Chunhua. She felt that Liu Chunhua was not as calm as she appeared, but was hiding some unspeakable emotions.
However, since she didn't know much about Liu Chunhua's past, she could only guess that this might be an unpleasant memory. So, she decided not to ask any more questions to avoid making Liu Chunhua feel uncomfortable. Looking at Liu Chunhua's slightly pale face, she just wanted to take her home as soon as possible to have a good rest.
But before they reached the bus stop, an old lady collapsed in front of them. The two looked at each other, blinked twice, and took two steps back in tacit understanding, looking at the old lady on the ground in confusion.
The old lady looked to be in her 70s, with wrinkles all over her face, silver hair, and a thin figure. She was wearing a tattered dress and a pair of cloth shoes, and looked very simple.
At this time, her face was pale, her lips were trembling slightly, one hand was supporting her knee, and the other hand was tightly grasping the ground, as if trying to support her body, but she was powerless. Her eyes revealed a kind of pain and helplessness, and her mouth uttered low moans from time to time.
She raised her head, glanced at the two Liu sisters, and said in a tearful voice, "You, why don't you look at the road when you walk? Ouch, it hurts so much! Ouch..."
The two were stunned when they heard this. They looked at each other and blinked, feeling a little confused. Liu Chunling frowned and thought about the scene just now, making sure they didn't run into this old lady.
Liu Chunhua also shook her head, indicating that she hadn't noticed anything unusual. They both thought at the same time: Could this be the legendary "pengci" (touching a porcelain) scam?
There weren't many people around, but as soon as they saw something exciting to watch, they immediately gathered around and pointed at Liu Chunling, Liu Chunhua and the old lady.
"What on earth is going on?" someone asked curiously.
"I'm not sure, it seems like the old man just collapsed suddenly." another person responded.
"Auntie, are you okay? Is your leg injury serious?" someone asked with concern.
"Big sister, did you knock the old lady down? Help her up quickly and take her to see a doctor!" someone else urged.
"Yes, the old man is so old, this fall is no trivial matter. It is best to go to the hospital for a check-up to be at ease." Everyone echoed.
"Old man, do you live nearby? Do you need me to help you contact your family?" someone asked enthusiastically.
Hearing everyone's discussion, Liu Chunling lowered her head and looked at the old lady, her face expressionless. She asked coldly: "Old lady, do you mean to say that we bumped into you?"
The old lady lay on the ground, groaning non-stop: "Who else could it be but you? Ouch, you young people, why don't you look at others when you walk? I'm so old, and I feel like my bones are falling apart after being hit like that."
Liu Chunling frowned, looking at her helplessly. She didn't want to dwell on the situation, but she couldn't compromise easily. She said calmly, "Old lady, what exactly do you want? Just tell me."
In reality, Liu Chunling knew perfectly well that it was impossible for them to have knocked someone down. Even if they had hit someone, they wouldn't have fallen so badly. After all, she and Chunhua were both walking on the side of the road, and this old lady suddenly appeared, clearly trying to scam someone.
Recalling her previous experience in Shanghai, she had encountered similar things before, but she didn't realize it at the time.
At this time, the old lady slowly got up from the ground and sat there rubbing her knee, pretending to be in great pain: "Oh, my knee hurts so much, I think it's injured. But life is not easy for everyone, and I don't want to make it too difficult for you, so there is no need to go to the hospital for a check-up. Just give me two dollars and I will buy a bottle of medicated oil and apply it myself."
Liu Chunling was speechless upon hearing this. Her eyes widened, she couldn't believe her ears. What? After all this effort, falling and crying, all for a couple of dollars? This was ridiculous!
What she didn't know was that, precisely because the extortion amount was small, many people were willing to pay up and settle the matter to avoid further trouble. After all, the old lady was old, and if something really happened, the consequences could be more serious. Therefore, many people chose to compromise, believing that this would avoid unnecessary risks and trouble.
For the old lady, this tactic had become her specialty. She was well aware of people's psychological weaknesses and used her age to her advantage. She felt satisfied and proud every time she succeeded. However, this time, she encountered Liu Chunhua, which caught her off guard.
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