Chapter 8 Thief Catches Thief
The streets were bustling with people, and I led my dog all the way back to the brothel.
The dog remained silent, head down, following me forward, not caring where I was taking him.
"Oh dear, what's wrong with the feng shui today? Why are so many stinking beggars visiting our brothel?" A woman with a disheveled headdress said with a coquettish laugh, covering her nose.
"Call Huifeng out." I frowned as I smelled the pungent fragrance emanating from her. The perfumes of this era were truly terrifying, comparable to the strange smell on my body.
"What a joke! Do you think you can just see Sister Huifeng whenever you want?" the woman said disdainfully, curling her lip.
“Tell Huifeng that her son’s father was beaten to death,” I said, my voice cold.
The woman seemed to pause for a moment after I said that.
"Ask Huifeng if she still wants her son?" I asked, and then I felt the hands holding mine tighten slightly.
Turning around, the woman entered the brothel.
A moment later, the wind returned, still serene, but the fine beads of sweat on her forehead betrayed her thoughts.
"He...is dead?" She bit her lip, looked at me, and asked.
"Mm." I nodded.
"Child, what's your name?" Turning her head to look at the dog behind me, Huifeng's sorrowful eyes softened with a touch of warmth as she spoke, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze in March.
The dog didn't look up, but grabbed my hand and turned to leave.
I grabbed him and said, "Didn't you want a mother?"
"I didn't," he said, still without looking up, his voice very low.
Hui Feng's smile froze on his lips, turning into a touch of desolation.
"Listen to me, children with mothers are happier." I cupped his face in my hands, and surprisingly, I didn't see a single tear in his dark eyes.
“Child…” Hui Feng gently raised her hand, her delicate, jade-like hand trembling slightly.
The dog turned its head to look at the woman standing at the door, its dark eyes unfathomable. "I have no mother."
"Be smart, kid. Do you want to live a life of poverty, starving to death on the streets?" I pulled him into my arms, pretending to comfort him, but I whispered through gritted teeth in his ear.
The dog remained unmoved.
"Hmph, I'm not going to bother with you anymore." I let go of him and turned to leave.
I've spent all my last twenty wuzhu coins. Sigh, I haven't even had a chance to enjoy that money I risked my life for... I need to seriously think about where I'll find my next meal. (08)
As I turned around, I saw the glistening tear tracks in Feng's eyes.
After walking several streets, I deliberately ignored the figure that had been following me the whole way.
I didn't stop until I was panting and drenched in sweat. I turned around and glared at the brat who had been following me all this way.
The dog seemed surprised that I suddenly stopped, and it stopped abruptly half a step away from me, almost bumping into me.
"Don't follow me!" I gritted my teeth.
“I am yours,” the dog said, blinking its dark eyes.
I almost fainted. "You...you..." I pointed at him, my hand trembling.
"I am yours." As if afraid I hadn't heard him clearly, the dog repeated.
I was speechless. "I'm not your mother!"
“I have no mother,” he said calmly.
"Then why are you following me?" I gritted my teeth.
"I am yours."
Goodness, it's been repeated three times.
"You bought me, so I belong to you."
"If you follow me, you'll starve to death sooner or later!" I said bitterly.
"I will take care of you," the dog said to me with great conviction.
This child… his lips twitched a few times; he really is a clueless blockhead.
"I won't be a lowly person forever, I won't be a beggar forever," Gou'er said, his ink-black eyes staring unblinkingly at me. "I can make money."
I raised my hand to touch my forehead, and smiled helplessly. What a principled child...
Ignoring him, I turned around and continued strolling leisurely down the street, my steps languid, but my eyes were intentionally or unintentionally fixed on the people coming and going, looking for an opportunity to strike.
"Hey! You're dressed so well, do you not have any money?" The cursing voice came with the warm summer breeze, carrying with it the indescribable stuffiness in the air.
Looking up curiously at the crowd gathered not far away, I smiled slightly. Hmm! More people, more business! Hehe, the more mixed the crowd, the easier it is to make a move.
Squeezing into the crowd, I secretly pulled a bulging purse from a fat man who looked like a nouveau riche.
"You thief! You dare to steal my jade pendant when you have no money!" The shouts from the crowd grew louder.
I curiously peered over and saw a man pushed to the ground, his magnificent purple robe stained with dust, looking utterly disheveled.
At that moment, he stared blankly at the swearing vendor, looking completely innocent.
Thief? I curled my lip. To be caught red-handed, this ancient colleague has utterly disgraced me.
"I...I didn't," he said, his voice hesitant.
Suddenly, I felt a chill run down my spine. That voice... it sounds so familiar!
"Sixty strokes of the cane... sixty strokes of the cane... sixty strokes of the cane..." A terrifying voice, like a ghost, echoed in my ears... Ah... my nightmare...
That's the sound!
Sixty strokes of the cane!
It's him! Prime Minister Cao Cao!
I pushed my way forward, puzzled. Wasn't he the Prime Minister? How could he allow himself to be insulted by a mere street vendor?
"No? Everyone, be the judge! My jade pendant was perfectly fine on the stall, how could it suddenly disappear!" The vendor with pointed ears and monkey-like cheeks pressed aggressively.
“I…” The man in the purple robe sat on the ground, stammering and unable to speak.
"Hey, look at him... is he an idiot?" someone suddenly shouted from the crowd.
"Yeah, yeah, look at him, he looks like a fool!" Everyone started to jeer.
"Such good looks, I never imagined he was a fool. What a waste of such a handsome face..." someone said with regret.
"Idiot...idiot..."
"Fool...fool...haha...he's a fool..."
The man in purple robes sat helplessly on the ground, looking left and right, but couldn't find any words to refute her.
Staring at that face that resembled Aman's so much, my heart began to ache.
"Even a fool won't do! If you dare steal my jade pendant, I'll chop off your hands!" The vendor spat fiercely.
A jade pendant? My professional habits over the years have made my eyes exceptionally sharp. In just one glance, I noticed a furtive figure trying to squeeze out of the crowd.
"Dog! Catch him!" I yelled instinctively.
Upon hearing my voice, the dog didn't even hesitate for a moment before lunging straight at the person I was pointing to.
It's surprising how strong the dog was, despite its small size. It quickly pinned the man down and the two began to wrestle.
During the struggle, a jade pendant that was entirely emerald green fell out.
The crowd fell silent immediately.
Once the jade pendant was exposed, the thief resigned himself to his fate and stopped struggling.
I bent down, picked up the jade pendant from the ground, and casually pulled up the dog, who was covered in mud.
Based on my years of professional experience, I examined the jade's quality. "It's nothing special, name your price," I said as I walked up to the stunned vendor.
The vendor paused for a moment, then said, "Ten coins."
"It's worth at most three coins," I scoffed.
The vendor shook his head and smiled wryly, "Look at your ragged clothes, young man, I didn't expect you to be an expert. If you can come up with three coins, I'll sell it to you."
I reached into my pocket and pulled out three coins. Of course, the unlucky guy whose purse I had casually stolen was also in the crowd, watching the commotion with his chubby head.
After taking the jade pendant, I squatted down and tied it to the man's purple robe.
“You didn’t steal anything; this is proof of your innocence.”
He looked up at me blankly, his eyes filled with a pure innocence, completely devoid of the indifference he had shown that day.
I was also taken aback. If it weren't for his purple robes and the fact that this was the era, I would have almost mistaken him for Aman.
"You...know me?" He looked at me for a long time before speaking.
The crowd started clapping, making me dizzy.
What am I doing? A thief catching another thief?
Thinking about it this way, I started to feel guilty and subconsciously grabbed the dog and ran.
When the dog saw me pulling him along, a hint of joy appeared in his usually jet-black eyes.
As I stepped past the thief who had been knocked to the ground, I quietly leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Even thieves have professional ethics. Don't be a scapegoat anymore, or I'll catch you every time I see you, and beat you up every time I catch you..."
Seeing the thief staring at me with a bewildered expression, I suddenly felt much better and ran away with the dog.
"Wait... I... wait for me..." The chilling voice behind me shouted, and then... it chased after me.
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