"She’s not coming over," He Juncai pointed at Luo Qianqian, who stood motionless and said.
"Then can’t you go over there?" He Guo said angrily, "Why are you so lazy? Can’t even walk a few more steps?"
"Isn’t that just like you?" He Juncai retorted and was about to go downstairs.
He Wenyu hurried downstairs, deliberately bumped into He Juncai, causing the heavy-set man to lose his balance and suddenly sit down on the stairs.
"Ouch, my dear grandchild, are you alright?" Cong Xin hurried over to help He Juncai up, then she turned to He Wenyu, enraged, "You money loser, you bumped into my grandchild and you think you can leave without paying? Get that money loser of a mother of yours to bring the money over!"
"You think I won’t leave just because you say so? Stubborn old hag." He Wenyu’s last four words were spoken softly; even He Guo at the doorway couldn’t hear them clearly, but Cong Xin heard them loud and clear.
"You little brat, don’t you dare walk away!" she said and was about to go downstairs.
Luo Qianqian deliberately dropped some coins on the floor and then hurriedly picked them up, "This is half a month’s salary for my mom, I can’t lose it." Her voice was just loud enough for Cong Xin and He Juncai to hear.
"Half a month’s salary?" Upon hearing this, Cong Xin’s eyes lit up with greed, she shouted, "Stand right there, you bumped into my grandchild and want to leave? Leave the money and we’ll forget all about it!" They had already spent all the money they had brought, and He Jun only gave them money for groceries, not cash. He Jun hadn’t returned these past few days, and their food supply was almost gone. The sight of money got her very excited.
"Qianqian, run fast!" Pretending to be afraid of having the money stolen, He Wenyu clutched the pocket of her cotton-padded jacket tightly, "This is the money for New Year’s shopping, it can’t get stolen!"
"Wuwuwu..." Luo Qianqian followed He Wenyu quickly downstairs, listening to the footsteps coming closer from behind and, while He Wenyu was tearing off the tape, she screamed, "Help, they’re hitting us!!!"
With her sleeve over the phone, Luo Qianqian pressed the dial button; she heard the beep of the dial tone and the call being hung up and she let out a sigh of relief, running at a slow pace. It seemed urgent, but with a big fat man and an old lady behind them, their youthful vigor was undeniable and there was no acting in the background.
Hearing that the footsteps had quieted, Luo Qianqian quickly threw some coins from her pocket onto the ground, shouting, "I dropped the money, pick up the money!!!" Upon hearing the increased pace of footsteps and indistinct curses coming from upstairs, the two exchanged a smile after picking up the coins, only to see chasing figures coming down the stairs, and they hurriedly ran out of the building toward the prearranged route.
Seeing the people behind were moving too slowly, and not wanting their acted plight to be too obvious, Luo Qianqian resigned herself to ’falling’ while holding onto the snacks. He Wenyu quickly went to help her, and in their delay, they were caught up by the two-person robbery team that had hurriedly closed the gap.
When the adhesive tape was torn from the cotton-padded jacket and pulled with force, the cotton came flying out. The snacks, having fallen, were pressurized from nitrogen packaging, releasing the scent of spices. Both He Wenyu and Luo Qianqian put on a show of fierce resistance, shouting loudly, then amidst the chaos, they ruffled their hair and clothes and even forced out tears.
When Zhang Ye arrived with Luo Shufan, the scene they witnessed was of a big fat man and an old lady forcefully beating two children between them, their clothes torn and their throats hoarse from crying.
"Stop!" Zhang Ye hurriedly ran forward to separate them, while Luo Shufan ran over to check on the children, relieved to see no apparent serious injuries.
"What happened here?" Zhang Ye looked at the two disheveled children, momentarily at a loss for words. These were children who had been allocated for special attention from above.
"Wuwuwu, Uncle Zhang, this is Xiao Yu’s home, you should recognize it," Luo Qianqian sobbed, "We wanted to come back and retrieve some things, but these people chased us out and even wanted to steal our things! And our money!"
"What do you mean your home, it’s now my home!" He Juncai was used to being a tyrant in the village, he wouldn’t even show fear to the village head, let alone a policeman. Cong Xin wasn’t afraid either, but her daughter-in-law was still locked up in the detention center.
"Occupying someone else’s residence?" Zhang Ye frowned.
"What occupation, Mr. Police Officer, you’re exaggerating. This is my son’s home, as a mother, is it not normal for me to live here?" Cong Xin said with a forced smile, her face turning into a blossoming flower of bruising.
"Uncle Zhang, does the law state that besides supporting a mother, one must also support a fully able-bodied brother and his family?" Luo Qianqian asked solemnly, "I’m an outsider, and I’ve been repeatedly cursed at. I just want to ask, if an old person uses their age to insult and spits at others, who knows if they have a contagious disease? What if it’s rabies? I just want to know, can I call the police and have them arrested?"