Thirty-two Children and the Police
Police officers disguised as People's Liberation Army soldiers shoved the thugs aside, and led Luo Da and the dejected Li Wei, who had been flattered to the point of exhaustion, into the police station two streets away to give their statements.
Li Wei sat on a bench in the police station's reception room, drinking water and sighing, "Sigh, this isn't my fault. Why do police uniforms look so much like People's Liberation Army uniforms these days?" She was still a little jet-lagged.
Turning to look at Luo Da, who had already finished drinking his water, she asked, "How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?" If anything happened to Luo Da, she'd be kicked to death by Luo San's aunt. Last time, Luo San's aunt only swore that hitting her would rot her hands, not her feet. She wondered if Luo San's aunt would ever learn her lesson and kick her next time she caused trouble.
Luo Da looked at him with a dismissive expression, or as if to say, "How could you have such poor eyesight?" He replied, "What kind of injury could I possibly get? I wasn't thrown to the ground and landed on my butt."
Li Wei nearly spat out the water she had just drunk. How could the Luo family produce such an ungrateful child? Not only did he not appreciate kindness, but he even mocked it! What kind of world is this?! Li Wei slammed the water jug down on the table in anger: "If I can get hurt, I'll fall on my bottom, okay? I was just worried you'd get hurt. How can a child like you fight against an adult!"
Luo Da's expression turned into blatant contempt: "I can't beat you? You think you can? If I wasn't afraid you'd get caught and fed to the dogs, I would have run away long ago."
Listen to this! Does anyone talk like that? Even kind words sound distorted coming from his mouth; he's practically a burden himself! If you hadn't taken the money and stayed, would I have fallen on my backside? You weren't carrying money, you were carrying a bomb! Don't you even have that basic awareness?!
If it weren't for the burning pain in her palms and calves, Li Wei would have loved to kick Luo Da a few times to vent her anger. A truly enormous generation gap loomed before her; communication was severely hampered.
Li Wei collapsed onto the table, panting. "How pathetic!" she thought. "When did I fall so low that even the little one despises me?"
Suddenly remembering that the root of all this was the evil of money, she hurriedly tore the bag off Luo Da's body and carried it on her own. With all the bombs on her back, she decided that if she ever encountered anyone tempted by money again, she wouldn't run; she would surrender and not kill them, prioritizing her own safety and, more importantly, the safe retreat of Luo Da's eldest son. If they were still on Luo Da's body, probably neither of them would escape.
Just as Li Wei finished designing her strategic plan, the brave police officers came out, holding notebooks and pens. They looked at the two brave children who had broken the arms of the criminals. There was nothing particularly unusual about them, except that the girl was particularly fair-skinned and the boy was particularly dark-skinned and strong. No matter what, they were still little kids, yet they were quite brave.
Wang Guodong had been transferred from the military to the local police station less than six months ago. Today was the first time he had personally and single-handedly apprehended a criminal. He was quite excited, so he was unusually kind to Li Wei and Luo Da: "Little friends, tell me your names, where you live, your home phone number, and what your parents work for?"
Li Wei and Luo Da both gave their names and then fell silent. They both realized with one mind that this matter couldn't be revealed to their families.
Wang Chaodong saw that the two children wouldn't talk about their families or parents no matter how much he asked. So he threatened them, "If you don't tell us, you'll be locked up today, just like that bad guy. Also, you have so much cash on you from unknown sources. That will be confiscated too. Oh, I mean hand it over."
He said everything else was fine. But when it came to money, Li Wei couldn't stay silent. She inwardly scorned Wang Chaodong, saying disdainfully, "Are you kidding me? We're the victims today. Protecting the lives and property of the people is the responsibility and duty of the police. We haven't even complained about you being late, causing me minor injuries, and you're trying to detain us? Have you even bothered to read the police regulations? This is outrageous! Besides, our money was earned legitimately from selling things. What right do you have to confiscate it? Show me the legal basis and I'll respect you. Otherwise, don't use your authority to bully children, Uncle People's Liberation Army!"
That's awesome! Now she can look down on others without any restraint, just like Luo Da. Wow!
Wang Chaodong was speechless. What kind of kid was this? He wouldn't say what he should say, and he had a whole set of excuses for what he shouldn't say. And yet, he couldn't even scare her. Besides, he'd been discharged from the military for almost half a year. Where did this kid get the idea that he was once a soldier? Did he not yet transform into a qualified police officer?! Frustrated, Wang Chaodong looked at the boy again. He showed absolutely no fear whatsoever.
Luo Da: Even idiots aren't afraid. If I'm afraid, I'll be laughed to death!
Wang Chaodong saw that he couldn't hit them, couldn't argue with them, and couldn't bring himself to curse them. The young man was completely helpless against the children. He tucked his pen into his notebook, got up, and left. He figured the old man would handle them; he wasn't going to put up with those two little monkeys anymore.
A few moments later, an elderly policeman in his fifties arrived, smiling broadly as he entered: "Hehe, little friends, would you like Grandpa to take you home in his car?"
The old policeman was indeed cunning and shrewd. Li Wei glanced at him and said, "Thank you, but no need. We can come and go on our own. Is there anything else? We're leaving now." Taking advantage of a child who's never ridden in a car before—that's so low-class.
Well--
The old policeman was puzzled. Why did the children speak in such an adult-like tone? If they were two adults, there would be no reason to let them go. But these were two children who had no responsibility for their actions, and he would only feel at ease if they were taken away by their families. Otherwise, what if something happened?
Older people are generally more patient, and the old policeman wasn't angry, still smiling: "Young men, it's already noon, you must not have eaten yet. Our canteen is serving meat buns and scrambled eggs today, come and eat before you leave, the buns smell delicious, come on, let's eat together!"
Li Wei clearly heard Luo Da's stomach rumble. She was also a little hungry, but was the food at the police station really that good? Besides, when did the police station's food become so good? So she remained unmoved and said, "I've heard that the police station's steamed buns are quite famous. Let's not go. We have our own money. We'll go out and eat chicken, duck, fish, and fresh seafood. If there's nothing else, we're really leaving." She really had to treat Luo Da to a good meal, and she also needed to nourish herself.
Before the old policeman could say anything, Uncle Wang Chaodong, the People's Liberation Army soldier who had returned, was displeased by Li Wei's arrogant remarks: "Old Liu, why are you being so polite with two little brats? Just slap them twice and ask their parents' workplace to come and pick them up." This was a blatant and shameful threat. If you're so capable, why don't you slap us yourself? Old policeman, you absolutely mustn't fall for the PLA soldier's tricks!
This time, Li Wei was really unhappy. Was this ever going to end? The bad guy was caught, the good guy was saved, but why did they have to investigate the good guy's entire family history? If her family found out about this, she would never be able to leave the house again. It seemed that she had no choice but to use some extraordinary means to get out of trouble, so without thinking, she used the same trick she had used to deal with her father.
Awooooo—
This time, Li Wei didn't roll around on the ground; instead, she burst into a loud, earth-shattering cry, covering her face with her hands. Besides the fact that she didn't have any tears and was afraid of giving herself away, she also genuinely couldn't bear to lose face—it was too embarrassing.
So she didn't see Luo Da looking at her like she was a giant panda, not knowing how to react. Why was she howling for no reason?
The veteran police officer, being experienced, quickly came over to comfort Li Wei: "Don't cry, don't cry, little one. Look at what they're saying. Your parents aren't coming, so we really can't let you go back by yourself. It's our responsibility to you. What if you run into bad people again? What if you get lost? Don't you think so, little one?"
While coaxing Li Wei, Old Liu also persuaded Luo Da, believing that the little boy hadn't said a word and must be quite honest.
Luo Dahui rolled his eyes at him, thinking, "Don't take me for a fool."
Old Liu, with his neither forceful nor yielding approach, encountered another setback.
No matter how much Li Wei cried, Luo Da remained silent, and the police station simply wouldn't release them. Li Wei was at her wit's end. Thinking that they had their own responsibilities, and besides, they were also responsible for the two of them, she wiped her tearless face and said to Lao Liu, "I know Ding Hong, the political commissar of your Public Security Bureau. Go find him."
Sure enough, after making the call, a bewildered Ding Hong arrived in his car shortly after. Based on the police station chief's description, he initially thought it was his daughter, Annie. However, upon entering, he realized it wasn't his precious daughter. He recognized her, though; Annie had often mentioned Li Wei's name, so she wasn't unfamiliar with her. After hearing the explanation from the station staff and exchanging a few more words, he took Li Wei and Luo Da away.
Ding Hong looked at the two well-behaved children in the car. If he remembered correctly, this little girl, Li Wei, was from the countryside. How did she end up in the city? How did the adults take care of her? So he asked, "Tell me, how did you two end up here? What did you sell? Do your parents know?"
Since she had to ask for a favor, Li Wei couldn't lie, so she recounted the whole story. Ding Hong, a man of some worldly experience, was increasingly astonished as he listened. These two children had actually run a business and made money! He couldn't help but scrutinize Li Wei several times; her speech was articulate, and her demeanor neither servile nor arrogant—quite remarkable. As for the boy, although he hadn't spoken, his bright, dark eyes revealed him to be an exceptionally intelligent child.
Even though he didn't want to admit it, Ding Hong had to face the fact that these two country kids were much better than Annie, who only knew about pretty toys and clothes. So he put today's matter aside and said with a smile, "Why haven't you come to my house with your aunt to play with Annie lately? Annie keeps talking about you."
“I also want to go see her, but I’ve been too busy lately. I’ll go see her when summer vacation starts. I also want to give her some hair accessories. Oh, right…” Remembering that she still had quite a few hair accessories in her bag, she took out two strings that she thought were pretty and handed them to Ding Hong: “Uncle Ding, you can give these to Annie. I made them. She’ll definitely like them. She said last time that she wanted to grow her hair long. It should be quite long now.”
Ding Hong smiled and took the hair clip, examining it closely. He couldn't really tell what it was, but it was clearly something Annie would like. He put it aside and said with a smile, "I thank you on Annie's behalf, but Uncle can't take your things for nothing. So, what do you want to eat for lunch? Uncle Ding will treat you."
Li Wei was overjoyed. She wouldn't have to pay for the big lunch herself. Being polite to someone like Annie's father would be disrespectful. She happily said, "Great! Uncle Ding, let's go to Jingxiangyuan. I've heard their fish dishes are excellent, but I've never had a chance to go." Jingxiangyuan was a well-established restaurant in the city, specializing in fish and seafood dishes, and it was also quite expensive.
However, there was a major issue that needed to be resolved before we could feel at ease eating the finest delicacies: "Uncle Ding, could you please keep what happened today from my parents? Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to go out again. Although it's a bit dangerous to talk about it, we often hear about child stalkers in our town, so there's always danger. We'll just be more careful in the future, okay?"
Ding Honglue pondered for a moment: "Okay, but you must promise me that you can only come out with an adult. You won't always be lucky enough to run into the police. You are still young and should focus on your studies. Making money is something for when you grow up. If you study hard, get into a good university, and find a good job, you will naturally be able to make money. Now is not the time to make money." Old Ding spoke with a rather earnest tone.
Li Wei knew this was a common and deeply ingrained idea among adults, and no one could change it. She figured she'd deal with it once this hurdle was overcome: "I understand, Uncle Ding, I'll definitely listen to you." She had already done a lot of preparation work to secure a job for her university entrance exams; it wasn't easy for her.
Li Wei and Luo Da had a lavish meal with Ding Hong at Jingxiangyuan Restaurant. Afterward, Ding Hong returned to his workplace and had his driver take Li Wei and Luo Da home. Of course, Li Wei didn't dare let the car drive into the village; she got out of the car far from the town and slowly walked home.
Back home, while drinking goat milk with Luo Da, I exclaimed: "My life is so decadent!"
Looking at the scrapes on her hands and legs, it wasn't too bad, just a few broken skin, nowhere near disfigured. Then she looked at Luo Da's spot next to her—he was gone, only a pile of dirty clothes remained. Damn! That brat must have been taking off his clothes and going to shower right next to this lady!
Listening to the gushing water from the makeshift shower in the yard, I reluctantly got up to fetch clean clothes for someone. How did I end up as a maid?
Oh right, I forgot to buy the sheet music, and more importantly, I didn't see the handsome boy at all!
I wonder if this pretty boy will grow up to be a handsome man. It's something to look forward to. Looks like I can't stop keeping an eye on him; maybe we can develop some potential...
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