Chapter 158: Chapter 157: The Child Went Out and Something Happened

People came to buy fireworks and firecrackers, but ended up having their bike stolen. If word gets out, the stall owner won’t look good, so he anxiously jumped out from behind the stand to chase after, shouting, “Don’t run, catch him, catch that bike thief…”

Before he could finish his sentence, the bike thief suddenly fell down, both man and bike tumbling into the middle of the road, the bicycle wheels still spinning.

Some onlookers wanted to rush up to grab the thief, but were all bewildered by the unexpected turn of events.

While everyone was stunned, Ling Chengyan ran over, first picking up her family’s bike without caring about the thief lying on the ground, and bent down to check if the bike was damaged.

“Really took a fall!” Ling Chengyan muttered, looking back to see two half bricks by the roadside, she took them, placed one underneath, and lifted the other high, slamming it down forcefully.

“Stop!” someone shouted.

But they couldn’t stop Ling Chengyan’s action. With a clang, she glanced sideways and raised her hand to hit once more. Alright, now the bike’s bent pedal axle was mostly corrected.

“Comrade…” someone greeted from beside Ling Chengyan.

Ling Chengyan looked up, and the person was stunned for a moment, then smiled, “Comrade Ling Chengyan, turns out it’s you.”

Ling Chengyan’s eyebrows bent slightly, the person wore a uniform, someone she knew, actually the police officer she’d seen before when catching thieves and handling startled horses.

“Hello.” Ling Chengyan shook hands with him and briefly explained the situation.

The officer immediately took out handcuffs and cuffed the dazed bike thief lying on the ground.

Ling Chengyan glanced at the ground. The crash-bomb box she used as an impromptu weapon had split open, the crash-bombs and packing chaff scattered everywhere. She squatted down, looked closely, and found most of the crash-bombs had already exploded.

“Wasted a box of crash-bombs.” Ling Chengyan shook her head, turned to the coming firecracker stall owner, “Count this box too.”

The stall owner recovered, looked at Ling Chengyan with glowing eyes, like seeing a great hero.

He waved his hands repeatedly, his smile bright, “No need, no need, this box counts as mine, must count as mine…”

Finally, the owner not only didn’t charge for the box of crash-bombs, but also gave Ling Chengyan an extremely low price, and lastly stuffed two small fireworks sticks for kids into her bag, “Hey, you keep them well, come again next year for my business. A happy early New Year to you.”

Ling Chengyan smiled and accepted, also returning the blessing, “Happy early New Year to you too, wishing you wealth and family prosperity in the coming year.”

This little incident was forgotten by Ling Chengyan, who brought the fireworks home. Wang Liansheng had already prepared lunch.

The meat was cooked, an elbow and a pig’s trotter were carved up, and the purchased braised wild rabbit and chicken gizzards were placed on two plates. The soup was made from meat broth stewing seaweed, fragrant and delicious.

The family ate happily, after which they each rested for a while, by four in the afternoon they began preparing to make dumplings.

Ling Chengyan recalled the noon seaweed soup and said, “They say people by the sea use seaweed to make stuffed buns.”

Wang Liansheng glanced at his wife and smiled softly, “Then after the fifth day, we’ll make them.”

An old custom, before New Year’s preparations included steamed buns, stuffed buns, and year cakes, from the first to the fifth day no food-making activities, letting women who worked hard all year rest for a few days.

Ling Chengyan herself didn’t cook, so she had no say, and, as someone knowledgeable about ancient customs and taboos, naturally had no objections.

While making dumplings, the kids turned on the TV. It’s the New Year, and TV programs were broadcasted early. Watching TV while making dumplings, the small family of five didn’t have the bustling and lively reunion of a big family, but still felt warm and happy.

Wang Liansheng kept smiling, Ling Chengyan watched him twice, noticing no sign of homesickness, so she naturally didn’t mention it.

As night fell, they had just finished making dumplings and hadn’t yet put them in the pot, when the sound of firecrackers had already started outside.

Wang Liansheng carried the dumplings to the kitchen, laughing, “You take the kids out to set off fireworks, you can’t fall behind on New Year’s fireworks!”

Ling Chengyan agreed, called the kids to wear hats and coats, and walked out the front door with laughter. She hung the unwrapped firecrackers on a bamboo pole, Wang Liansheng prepared incense sticks, Ling Chengyan held the bamboo pole, Wang Liansheng ran out to light the firecracker fuse, with a crackling sound, the firecrackers exploded, and Wang Liansheng laughed as he ran back to the kitchen to cook dumplings.

Celebrating the boisterous New Year, time flew by quickly, and before long the fifth day had passed, Wang Lianfa returned with his wife and children, along with Hongbing, Hongling, and Hong Zhi.

Hongling and Hong Zhi were entering the city for the first time, curious about everything, but also a bit timid.

Ling Chengyan gave each child a New Year’s red envelope and additionally gave Hongling and Xiaoyu two bigger ones with five yuan each, letting the kids go out to play on their own.

On the sixth day, the department store reopened for business. Small traders were also resuming their stalls, the streets busy and lively, with fewer selling New Year’s goods and many more various items and foods.

Ling Chengyan had no vehicle task that day, and spent the morning leading the squad in checking their vehicles and performing maintenance.

Cold weather made hands less nimble, slowing vehicle maintenance compared to other seasons. Some people couldn’t bear the cold anymore and had to run inside to warm up occasionally, slowing progress further.

Ling Chengyan was more resilient to the cold than most, working continuously without rest, finishing her vehicle maintenance in one go. However, as deputy company commander and platoon leader, she had to check others’ work progress after completing her tasks, especially the new recruits enlisted this year, who sometimes didn’t perform well, requiring her to watch more closely.

She was squatting beside a vehicle, guiding a new recruit in checking the circuits, when suddenly someone from the telecomm class ran over, “Commander Ling, the police just called saying your child was beaten outside and has been taken to the hospital.”

Ling Chengyan instantly stood up and ran outside.

Zhang Wanxiang, Wu Qingyun, Ma Dajun, and others who heard quickly followed to go along.

Ling Chengyan saw this and immediately stopped them, “You all stay put, I can go alone. Oh, Ma Dajun, go to the company department and take leave for me.”

Hearing this, they didn’t dare disobey, reluctantly stopping, eyes full of worry.

Zhang Wanxiang: “Is it really okay for Commander Ling to go alone? What if there are many people on the other side?”

Wu Qingyun, calmer, patted his shoulder to comfort him, urging Ma Dajun to quickly take leave at the company department.

Ling Chengyan ran back home, rode a bike, and rushed to the hospital, where two uniformed police officers stood outside the emergency room, one of whom was very familiar, the one she had seen yesterday.

“How’s the child?” Ling Chengyan stopped the bike and walked inside, where the officer came up to meet her.

“Don’t worry too much, Comrade Ling Chengyan, the child only suffered minor injuries, nothing serious…”

Ling Chengyan: “Which child? What about the other children?”

“It should be your nephew, he said his name is Wang Hongbing. The other children are at the station, looked after by our female officer, you don’t have to worry. Oh, and your sister came along, over there…”

“…” Ling Chengyan pursed her lips, not continuing to ask, as she had already seen Xiaoyu sitting at the emergency room door.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep