After wandering around for a while, she didn't see anything she wanted. Seeing the woman she'd just bought flour from walking towards one side, she followed her. Then she saw her hand over a penny to a man standing at the entrance of the alley before he let her go. She realized the person she'd just followed wasn't going that way. It turned out the black market had a fee: one entrance and one exit.
Xia Youyou couldn't help but admire the cleverness of the people in the black market! What if I want to follow them?
Regardless of whether they can get along or not, it’s okay to get to know each other. She still understands that more people mean more paths.
There's no rush, let's see what happens today. She took out a penny, handed it to the man, and went straight out. The woman was gone. She could only grope her way back to the main road in the alley.
As she walked, she thought about where to stay tonight. She wasn't afraid of staying in the wild, as there was a safe tent in the space that could be locked up and used as a small house. She was just afraid of being seen, which would be difficult to explain.
Night had fallen, and the alley was dark, with only a few lights in the distance. The air was filled with the aroma of cooking, and Xia Youyou was lost in thought. The last time she had smelled food was when her parents were around. After her parents died on a business trip, she had lost the courage to live at the base, and every day she only ate the dry food and self-heating rice in her space.
Just as he was stunned for a moment, he heard footsteps behind him. Fortunately, he reacted in time and dodged the man's hand. He stumbled and fell to the ground.
The tall voice in the darkness asked hoarsely, "Who are you?"
Xia Youyou was puzzled. "No, you attacked me first. You asked who I am?"
The man was about to say something when another person appeared from behind him, "Girl, you were the one who was following me."
She then realized it was the woman she had bought noodles from. "What a misunderstanding! It's just my first time here and I didn't know how to get out, so I came out with you."
Seeing that she didn't want to lie out of guilt, the woman half believed it. She tugged at the man's sleeve and went forward to help Xia Youyou up.
"Miss, I'm sorry. I thought you were following me with bad intentions. I misunderstood you."
Xia Youyou endured the pain in her ankle and stood up. She looked at the woman who had changed her clothes. She was a gentle middle-aged woman with a bun on her hair. She seemed like a good person. She looked at the man in the darkness again. He was too far away to see clearly, but she knew he was tall and strong.
"I really just followed you out. I have no ill intentions. I just got lost here."
"Since it's a misunderstanding, just explain it." The middle-aged woman saw her frail figure and the hand that had just supported her was like a bamboo pole. She felt distressed. Noticing the injury on her foot, she remembered that her son had scared her and caused her to fall. She felt bad, "Where do you live, girl? I'll ask my son to take you there."
Xia Youyou shook her head. She had no place to live and hadn't found one yet! "No, it's a small matter. Please take me to the main road and I can walk by myself." It's just a minor injury. I'll be fine after spraying some medicine.
"Okay, I'll take you out then."
"mom."
The man's rough voice suddenly rang out in the darkness, frightening Xia Youyou again. In the dark, with such a rough voice and such a strong figure, if this middle-aged woman didn't look like a good person, she would have been afraid of being kidnapped.
The man noticed her shrinking, paused, and then continued in a softer tone, "Mom, I'll go with you to see her off."
Xia Youyou limped along, supported by the middle-aged woman, as she walked towards the main road. From time to time, she quietly asked about her family situation, and she answered selectively, not wanting to say more, as the more she said, the more mistakes she would make.
"So you just got here today? Where do you live?"
"I live at my aunt's house, just outside the city." When she came here today, she noticed that there were a few scattered households outside the city, so she just picked a place.
The man listened from behind and frowned at her, still feeling that something was wrong with her and that she wasn't telling the truth. But he could understand that, since she was so young and out on her own, it was understandable that she would be a little wary.
When they reached the main road, the lights from the houses on the roadside shone on the road, which was not yet completely dark. Xia Youyou finally saw the man's true face. She was frightened because he looked so fierce.
The middle-aged woman saw that she was afraid and said embarrassedly: "My son looks like his father, just a little fierce. He is actually a police officer, don't be afraid."
Xia Youyou looked at her in surprise. "Are you sure?" "Doesn't this face look more like a gangster?" Fierce and burly, from this angle, she almost had to tilt her head back to see his face. It made her look even more like a child...
The man also noticed this, pursed his lips and almost laughed out loud.
"Well, thank you, Auntie. I can go on my own. It's really too much trouble for you."
"Are you really okay?" The middle-aged woman was a little worried about her and wanted to continue sending her off.
Xia Youyou quickly said, "Really, that's not necessary." She took a few steps forward, putting some distance between them. "Look, I'm fine. You guys can go back." After saying that, she walked out of the city without looking back.
The middle-aged woman, Liu Hui, had been a widow for many years, raising her son, Cao An, alone. Now 25, she was a sturdy woman. Because of her size and strength, she landed a small job at the police station. After five years as a police officer, she was finally promoted to captain. However, because he looked so fierce, everyone thought he was a bad guy.
"Eanzi, this little girl has been covering her face, so we can't see her appearance clearly, but she is so thin, just skin and bones. Do you think anything will happen to her?" Liu Hui let her son support her as she walked home. She was worried about the girl's feet, and also worried that something had happened in her family, so she came to the black market alone to trade things.
Cao An had doubts in his mind, but he was not in a position to tell his mother. Firstly, he saw that she was very concerned about the child. Secondly, the police had to rely on evidence when investigating a case. Even if they had doubts, they had to find facts to prove it first.
"It's okay. The security here is pretty good." He has dealt with all the hooligans in the city. They don't dare to cause trouble again, so it is relatively safe.
Liu Hui felt relieved when she thought of her son's abilities. It was also thanks to this face. Although it would scare ordinary people, bad guys would also be afraid of this face, not to mention that he was really capable. Cao An's father was a lay disciple of Shaolin Temple. He taught him martial arts since he was a child. As a result, his skills were so good that no one in the city could match him. If he hadn't become a police officer, he might have become a big bad guy! She was very proud of her foresight. She asked someone to observe his skills and recruited him to the Public Security Bureau as an assistant. Later, after seeing his real abilities, she made an exception and admitted him into the formal establishment.
Cao An didn't know what his mother was thinking. He just wanted to hurry up and get home for dinner. He was almost starving because of sending that little girl off!
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