Hearing the commotion, the neighbors living in the alley also grabbed their weapons and rushed over. Seeing the crowd, Ma Hua hurriedly said, "This is the guy! He actually came to our alley to rob us. I've knocked him to the ground now!"
Once the neighbors recognized him as someone from their alley, they immediately began kicking the idiot on the ground without any mercy: "What kind of dog are you, daring to cause trouble in our alley? I'll beat the shit out of you! Come on, beat this dog to a pulp!"
At first, Sha Zhu rolled around on the ground, trying to avoid the attacks, but as he was beaten more and more, he could only curl up on the ground like a boiled shrimp, constantly begging for mercy, "Grandpa, grandpas, please spare me!"
The commotion quickly attracted a police patrol. The area isn't exactly safe these days, so some officers patrol at night. The patrolling officers pushed through the crowd of onlookers and shouted, "Okay, okay, stop fighting! If you keep going, you'll kill them!"
Hearing the police's voices, the crowd angrily kicked the idiot Zhu twice more and spat on him before stopping. The police, watching from the sidelines, were somewhat helpless. What was this stupid thief thinking, committing a crime in broad daylight?
This thief is a bit silly. He's even wearing a hat and scarf. Has he been watching too many movies? There are so many people around. What is he thinking? Does he think he can just run away after he's done the robbery?
The police officers immediately went up and pinned Sha Zhu down, then handcuffed him, protecting him behind them to keep watch and block the view of the crowd. They had no choice; they were afraid of killing the criminal. After doing all this, they turned to the crowd and asked, "Who was it that shouted 'robbery' just now?"
Ma Hua then spoke up, "Officer, it's me, Ma Hua. I live at No. 54 Sesame Alley. I'm an apprentice at the sixth canteen of the steel rolling mill. I was just coming from that alley when this guy attacked me from behind. Look, this is the wooden stick he used to attack me. Luckily, I dodged it. Otherwise, I would have been in serious trouble. Thank you so much, Officer."
"Comrade, are you alright?" The policeman, hearing Ma Hua recount the events, felt a surge of excitement. Robbery! That's a serious crime! Good heavens, he could have a prosperous New Year! He rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"No, thankfully the neighbors arrived quickly and helped me subdue the assailant, otherwise I would have been in serious trouble," Ma Hua waved to the police to indicate that he was alright.
"Alright, we've recorded your name. We'll take the criminal back to the police station now. Comrade Ma Hua, it's good that you're not injured. We also want to thank all the comrades for their bravery. You're all great. We'll also notify the street office to commend you later."
Hearing that there was praise, everyone became even more excited, their joy evident on their faces. They almost wished another thug would appear—this was praise after all!
After the police took Sha Zhu away, Ma Hua expressed his gratitude to everyone, saying, "Thank you so much, neighbors."
"Hey kid, what are you saying? We're all neighbors, no need to thank me. And this thief is pretty stupid, daring to come to our Sesame Alley. I think he must have something wrong with his head, otherwise...hehe..." Although he didn't finish his sentence, everyone understood what he meant: he was incredibly foolish, coming here right after get off work, how idiotic!
At this moment, Ma Hua also felt an unparalleled sense of neighborly affection, full of warmth and human touch, something he had never felt in the cold apartment building before. Although these neighbors might have various petty calculations in normal times, they were all out of necessity and could be understood, but when it mattered, no one hesitated. It was truly wonderful.
Ma Hua thanked each of the neighbors who had come to help, and after a few pleasantries, the group gradually dispersed. Each of them, like victorious generals returning home, planned to go home and boast to their families about their heroic act—enough to brag about for years to come!
Ma Hua was somewhat relieved that Sha Zhu had chosen this spot to ambush them. Not many people in this alley worked at the steel mill; most, like his father, worked in factories like machinery, plastics, or food processing plants. Unlike Sha Zhu, who lived in Nanluoguxiang, it would have been difficult to explain if Sha Zhu had been recognized earlier. But Sha Zhu was also a bit ridiculous; why didn't he introduce himself? He just got beaten up like that and arrested by the police.
Back home, Ma Hua was completely unaware of Sha Zhu's earlier state. While Ma Hua dodged the first blow and snatched back the wooden stick, Sha Zhu was already stunned, deeply conflicted and incredulous. Wasn't he supposed to be lying in ambush? How could Ma Hua have dodged it? This shouldn't be happening; shouldn't he have been knocked to the ground?
He was about to give him a good beating, but then he ended up being the one getting beaten on the ground. How humiliating! He was supposed to be the War God of the Courtyard! How could he... By the time he tried to reveal his identity, he was already screaming in pain. Reveal his identity? What a load of rubbish! He should just beg for mercy first. These people have no sportsmanship. So many of them ganging up on him. Once he recovered, he would definitely get his revenge.
When Sha Zhu learned he'd been taken to the police station, he didn't think it was a big deal. What was the big deal? He often did this in the courtyard before, and nothing ever happened. Besides, this time it was Ma Hua, that ingrate, who was in the wrong. He was just joking with him, and yet he'd been beaten so badly. He'd make sure Ma Hua paid for it after he explained himself to the police and got out.
Ma Hua was unaware of all this. As soon as he got home, his mother grabbed his hand and asked, "Xiao Hua is back. Quickly wash your hands and get ready for dinner. Where did you get all this dirt on you? You're filthy. Go change your clothes right away."
"Hehe, it's nothing, I just tripped and fell," Ma Hua chuckled awkwardly, trying to brush it off. He didn't want his parents to worry. His mother wanted to ask more questions, but his father stopped her with a look.
When Ma Hua returned to the room, his mother, Chen Hongmei, glared at his father, Ma Jianguo, with a stern face: "What's wrong? Why didn't you let me ask? Isn't Xiao Hua your son?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? How could it not be? Why are you still asking? The child is already so big. If Xiaohua doesn't want to talk about it, then forget it. I'll tell you in a bit, so just leave it at that."
After finishing the last puff of his cigarette, Ma Jianguo, the father, slowly said, "I saw everything just now. Since Xiaohua doesn't want to talk about it, then so be it. He Yuzhu is really no good person. I'm the one who's held Xiaohua back. Sigh."
Ma Hua, who went back to change clothes, was unaware of all this and thought that his parents had not noticed. After the family happily ate dinner, Ma Hua took out the small potatoes and sweet potatoes that he had just taken from the kitchen from his ring.
Ma Hua just searched his house thoroughly and only found these two kinds of seeds. The others are all junk and can't be planted at all.
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