An Moxue came out of the post office, got into the car, and met up with Old Ma to head to the state-run restaurant.
Just as the car was about to pass an intersection, the state-run restaurant was right in front of them. Two people jumped onto the mule cart from the opposite side. One of them grabbed An Moxue by the back of her collar with one hand and held a dagger to her neck with the other. The other person held a dagger to Old Matou's lower back. Old Matou was so frightened that he gripped the reins tightly and stopped moving forward.
"Don't stop! Hurry up! Or I'll take care of you too!" The dagger was pressed against Old Ma's lower back.
"No-no-no, I-I-I-I-I-I-"
"Can't you understand human language? Hurry up and catch the carriage!"
Old Ma kept stuttering, unable to utter a complete sentence, and wouldn't urge the mules to move the cart. He looked as if he was still in a daze, uttering "I-". At this moment, the pursuers at the intersection arrived and, seeing this scene, quickly surrounded the mule cart. An Moxue, who was about to move her hand, withdrew it and silently tightened her grip on the anti-wolf stun pen in her hand.
Enraged at missing their best chance to escape, the two fugitives gripped An Moxue's dagger and plunged it deeper, instantly slashing her neck and drawing blood.
The two fugitives demanded to catch a ride away, but they didn't know how to drive. Old Ma kept babbling "I-I-I-" as if he was terrified and couldn't stop, and the situation became tense for a while.
Suddenly, a sharp bicycle bell rang out from the intersection, urgent and piercing, diverting the attention of the fugitive on the vehicle. An Moxue seized the opportunity, secretly flashing her anti-wolf stun pen at the fugitive. Taking advantage of the fugitive's momentary numbness, she leaned down along the other side of the dagger pressed against her body, simultaneously kicking the kidnapper. As the kidnapper fell onto the vehicle, Old Ma Tou seemed to be stunned, his head tumbling off the vehicle. At this moment, the bicycle reached the mule cart, and the rider leaped up, pinning down the person who had kidnapped An Moxue. Old Ma Tou also rolled a few times on the ground, freeing himself from the restraint. The surrounding people rushed forward and captured the other person.
In the blink of an eye, An Moxue and Lao Matou escaped danger, and the bandits were captured.
Old Ma dusted himself off and came to An Moxue's side. "Girl, are you alright? There's still blood on your neck. Is there anything there? Press it."
An Mo had completely forgotten about his neck; he was too excited. Only when Old Ma mentioned it did he remember. Using his schoolbag as cover, he took out a red plaid cotton handkerchief from his spatial storage and gently pressed it against the cut on his neck.
At this moment, the men who had captured An Moxue approached her and asked, "Comrades, were you frightened?"
An Moxue looked up and exclaimed, "Oh my, isn't this the tall man who bumped into me on the train?"
The first time we brushed past each other on the train, I only noticed that he was tall and his eyes seemed to hold stars.
When he captured the kidnapper, his movements were fluid and graceful, as elegant and dashing as a pine tree.
Standing before her, he was tall and elegant, with a refined and gentle demeanor, and a cheerful and graceful air.
The man was referring to the two of them, but his eyes were fixed on An Moxue.
Old Ma replied cheerfully, "I'm fine, it's just that Mo Xue is injured."
The man said, "Excuse me, please wait a moment," and then turned around and said something to the other people.
He turned around, picked up his bicycle, and said to the old man, "Uncle, please take the bus with my colleague to the police station to make a statement. I'll take this woman to the hospital for treatment."
"Uncle Ma, wait for me a moment, come back and let's go eat."
"Go ahead, do you want me to come with you?"
"No need, this comrade is here." Turning to Wu Sicheng, he asked, "Comrade, is this considered a work-related injury? Will you reimburse my medical expenses? I was taken hostage and injured while you were arresting criminals."
Wu Sicheng replied, "It can be considered a work-related injury, and medical expenses can be reimbursed. My name is Wu Sicheng, you can call me Comrade Wu. Comrade, what's your name?"
"My name is An Moxue."
"Okay, Comrade An Moxue, I'll take you to the hospital to get bandaged up." The two rode away.
"Okay, does this count as helping the soldiers catch criminals? Is there a reward? I don't need any other kind of certificate."
"I can help you apply for it. You'll need to make a statement after the bandaging is done."
"Okay, no problem."
...
At the hospital, An Moxue's collar was stained red, which looked a bit scary, but after examining the wound, the doctor said it wasn't deep and didn't need stitches; disinfection, medication, and bandaging would suffice. Wu Sicheng insisted that the doctor prescribe some more wound medication, including a tube of scar-reducing ointment, and told him how to use it at home.
An Moxue raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
After bandaging the wound and getting the medicine, Wu Sicheng drove An Moxue to the police station to give her statement. Just as An Moxue was about to leave, Wu Sicheng stopped her.
"I feel really bad for bumping into you on the train last time. I hope you weren't injured. I was busy catching bad guys and didn't have time to look after you. I'll treat you to dinner today as an apology."
"It's nothing, no need."
"Thank you not only to you, but also to the uncle who drove the carriage!"
"Okay, let's go."
This time, An Moxue rode in a mule cart, and Wu Sicheng followed suit.
When the three of them arrived at the restaurant, it was already past 1 p.m., and there weren't many people eating there. They asked what dishes were left, and the waiter said there was only one last serving of sweet and sour pork, so they ordered that, along with a stew of green beans and potatoes, a crucian carp and tofu soup, and three large bowls of rice.
When the food was served, An Moxue first picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork, which was crispy and particularly appetizing. She then took a sip of the crucian carp and tofu soup, which was fresh and fragrant. While eating, she kept urging Old Ma to eat more, praising how delicious the food was. To the uninitiated, it would seem that she was treating, but in reality, Wu Sicheng paid for the meal.
The three of them finished the meal completely. With Wu Sicheng there, and An Moxue having forgotten her lunchbox, she couldn't pack up the leftovers. She couldn't help but glance at Wu Sicheng with a resentful look, leaving him confused and speechless. Before leaving, he simply told An Moxue that the award certificates would be distributed to the village when they arrived, and that she should just wait.
After a satisfying meal, they hurried back. Along the way, An Moxue praised Old Ma's prowess, and Old Ma recounted his experiences fighting the Japanese invaders in previous years. An Moxue admired Old Ma's resourcefulness and wisdom; it turned out he was a veteran soldier who had served as a reconnaissance soldier with numerous military achievements. Old Ma praised An Moxue for having her father's qualities, and An Moxue shamelessly accepted it all.
The old man and the young man became close friends despite their age difference on this day.
Back at the educated youth settlement, everyone pressed for details about how he got injured. He only briefly mentioned that he was scratched while assisting the soldiers in apprehending criminals. Wang Zhaodi spoke sarcastically, and several others had different expressions, but none of them said anything harsh. What they were really thinking, however, remains unknown.
That night, An Moxue lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), unable to fall asleep.
The first night, I was so tired from the long train ride that I fell asleep as soon as I lay down.
It's too early, only eight o'clock. But at this time, people do a lot of physical labor and have little entertainment, so they all go to bed early; nine o'clock is considered late.
I can't sleep, especially since my neck is a little sore, making it even harder to fall asleep.
Encountering a fugitive today was an accident, but what about encountering a human trafficker yesterday? Was encountering a human trafficker an accident? And the human trafficker was dressed neatly and cleanly.
I don't even know when I fell asleep while I was thinking about it.
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