"I caught him! I caught him! Come out and see, I caught the thief!"
Jiang Cha, who was still sleeping, heard shouting outside, put on his coat and opened the door to see what was going on.
"Who is this? You wicked thing! I saved up for these tickets for so long, hoping I could have two more dishes for the New Year, but in the end, they were all sold at a steal."
"That's right. We had a chicken left at home to entertain our son-in-law, but it was stolen. My daughter and son-in-law are coming back today, so where can we buy one?"
Those who were talking at once were all victims of lost things. It was annoying for others during the New Year, and no one would feel comfortable with it.
"That's her. Everyone, see if anyone knows her."
Suddenly a woman came out, she looked about 40 years old, with a face full of vicissitudes and a lot of white hair.
The person lying on the ground was very thin, and thin people look shriveled.
The snow had fallen all night, and even standing still, it was deep enough to cover her ankles. Seeing her lying on the ground, some aunties, though hard-mouthed and soft-hearted, scolded her mercilessly, but still helped her up.
"Oh! I know her. She lives in Mao'er Hutong, not far from us. I know the director of their street. She's very famous in that alley.
She was known for her virtue and kindness towards her second-married husband. She raised the two children his husband brought with her and made them plump and healthy.
"Are you really so virtuous that you can come out and steal things? And you feed a fat, white thing that smells like thieves to feed people, right?"
An old lady said with disdain that anyone with a discerning eye could see the problem. If she was really a virtuous person, would she dare to come out and steal things on New Year's Eve?
"That's right. How many good stepmothers can there be? From what you mean, she remarried and invited someone to marry into the family? Doesn't she have any children of her own?"
"I heard she has a son who is disobedient at home and often quarrels with his stepfather. Every time the street office comes to mediate, the woman cries and says she didn't teach her child well.
She quarreled with her stepfather and had no manners, and her children were difficult to manage. Her son went to the countryside a while ago. No one knows what her family is like, but if someone can commit a late-night robbery, they're definitely not a good person.
Jiang Cha listened to their discussions and realized that they definitely didn't come out to steal because they were starving. How could someone who was truly hungry be so picky?
In the winter in the north, who doesn’t freeze some food outside? He stole the good stuff and it was obvious that he was a habitual offender who came to buy goods.
The crowd grew larger and larger: people on holiday, returning to their parents' homes on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and people out sweeping snow. It was so tight that when the police arrived, they could barely squeeze in.
"Make way, make way, uncle and aunt, please give me some space. Excuse me, excuse me."
The police pushed their way in, their mouths chattering non-stop. The ground was covered in snow, and if you slipped too hard, you'd fall.
Besides, there were so many people watching, and if they fell and were trampled, it would be even more troublesome. I could only move forward cautiously, but the onlookers were too focused and even talked back!
"Why are you trying to give way? You're all just here watching the fun. If you're late, just stay at the back. I've never heard of anyone cutting in line while watching the fun. Be careful or the old lady in front of you will hit you with her cane."
He didn't even look back, just wondering who had stolen the pound and a half of pork from his home. He and his nephew had agreed to save it for his sister, intending to make meat dumplings on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
The policeman was also trying to laugh, just wanting to watch the fun. After hearing this, he felt sorry for the people living in this alley.
It's not easy for anyone to buy something. When he got off work at night during the busiest time before the New Year, his mother asked him to go shopping before going home.
He said it was on his way back from his night shift, but he still had to queue up in long lines, and the whole family rushed to buy whatever they wanted.
"Police, please make way."
Hearing the police were coming, the crowd slowly parted to form a passage. The woman inside visibly trembled. Was she afraid? Why hadn't she been afraid when she was stealing?
They handcuffed the woman and were about to take her back to the station, but the old ladies in the crowd refused to let it go.
"Can we hold a public trial for her in our alley? I want to know how much she stole? How much is left in the house?"
"Yes, we'll interrogate them here. We'll take the street officials to their house later to check how many people they have to support. And if anyone in other alleys has lost anything?"
He couldn't make the decision on this request, nor could he bring the case back to the police station for trial. The main reason was that everyone was quite agitated, and it was difficult for him to resist.
"Take the person back to the station, and then have two people from our street come with us, and we'll go to her house together. If anyone is unhappy, go stand guard outside her house and make sure no one takes the things away.
Let's make a deal: first, you're not allowed to enter the yard without permission; second, you're not allowed to hit anyone; and third, you're not allowed to steal anything from his house. Just stand outside and wait for us. Now, get out of the way and let the police go back and call for help."
The speaker was Grandma Wang, a local resident. Her words carried a lot of weight in this area. Everyone, led by someone who knew which alley her home was in, gathered in a large group to watch and observe.
If Grandma Wang hadn't spoken up just now, there would have been more trouble with so many people. This time, it's really their family that's in trouble. How can they still have any shame after being a thief?
A large group of people surrounded the yard, the large compound where this family lived. The two-story courtyard was tightly packed with people, and the haphazardly built houses and sheds made it almost impossible to even step foot in the yard.
Otherwise, it is said that there are many talented people! I don’t know where she lives. When I enter the yard, someone shouts, "Whose family is remarried?" Her child who went to the countryside sent her a sack of grain, and asked her to come out and take a look.
"We are from this family. Why are you all here? Do you want to borrow food? Come on, where is the food?"
A man came out, and he looked like one of the children they had brought with them. He was white and chubby, with stubble on his face, and looked about the same age as her.
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