Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Fishing Again

After the Lantern Festival, the Automobile Company started getting more driving assignments, and Ling Chengyan had two days off after going on two long-distance trips consecutively.

She went to the department store to buy things and ’bumped into’ Gou’er there. After a brief chat, Gou’er left. Ling Chengyan bought two pieces of fabric and then went to the third floor’s home appliance section to look at the newly arrived televisions before leaving.

Even though the festival was over, the street outside the department store was still bustling. The department store had set up two stalls in front, selling winter clothing and shoes that were about to go out of season. Because of the discounts, many people were eager to buy, creating a lively and crowded scene.

Ling Chengyan slowly walked over, watching a crowd noisily snatching various coats, winter outfits, and winter hats. She also stepped forward to grab a plush scarf, but was immediately pulled away by a woman: “I fancy this one, going to pay for it.”

Ling Chengyan smiled, said nothing, and turned to leave.

In such a lively setting, it’s a perfect spot for pickpockets to strike. She took a look around but didn’t see any. It truly seemed that Gou’er’s words rang true: the wind was tight, and they were all lying low for the time being.

It made sense; during the New Year and Lantern Festival, these people must have stolen quite a bit. Lying low for a few days, they could afford to be patient.

In no time, the first lunar month passed, ushering in the second month.

Zheng Xiaotian had delivered stir-fried soybeans and stir-fried noodle flags to the children two days in advance. Saccharin was being promoted these days; many families cut corners by using saccharin in these snacks, but Zheng Xiaotian used brown sugar. The brown sugar soybeans and noodle flags were sweet and crispy, loved by the children.

Coincidentally, the second day of February was a Sunday. Wang Liansheng woke up early to boil water and give a haircut to a few rascal boys, believing that cutting hair on Dragon Heads Day ensures a year without illness or misfortune.

The farmers’ market had private meat stalls, and Ling Chengyan had ordered a set of pig’s trotters from a vendor in advance, retrieving it early in the morning, boiling water to scald them, meticulously plucking the residual hair, and putting them in a pot to simmer.

This custom was learned from a lady from the Northeast in the family compound: eating pig’s trotters was seen as a rake to gather wealth, symbolizing prosperity and fortune.

With the second day of February being bustling, the children couldn’t wear their heavy winter clothes and hats anymore. Shedding the cumbersome winter outfits, they became as lively and cheerful as little birds released from a cage.

Little boy Wenzhang was running around the compound, with the big yellow dog following behind. All the children were familiar with the old dog, knowing its human-like nature, and they weren’t afraid of it. They often took food to it, but the dog would look to its small master for approval before eating.

In late March, inspections on the streets suddenly intensified, and vendors without license couldn’t operate.

Wang Lianfa came over to lament, thankful that he had taken care of his license early on; otherwise, he would have suffered significant losses this time.

Some managed to get their licenses and moved to the street where the farmers’ market was, leaving the street noticeably empty and bleak, with only the occasional sound of scissors sharpening and knife grinding echoing through the alleys and byways.

With fewer stalls outside, the department store and subsidiary food company became noticeably busier.

Ling Chengyan often visited these two places instead of going out driving. Finally, as March was about to end, she found the two people who had previously targeted the children.

There was even one she recognized, the one who had stolen her bicycle, detained for half a month, now out for a while.

Ling Chengyan followed the crowd to the first-floor bicycle section, spotting an orange-red bike.

The salesperson proudly introduced it: “This is the latest Jialing motorcycle, runs on gas like a car. Just turn the throttle and it speeds off, no need to pedal laboriously…”

Ling Chengyan leaned forward with a look of interest, touched the motorcycle, and regardless of the salesperson’s displeased glare, she did not back off and even asked about the price.

“This is a motorcycle, not a bicycle, over a thousand bucks!” the salesperson said, raising his chin.

Ling Chengyan silently withdrew her hand, gave it several more glances, and finally retreated from the crowd, but didn’t go home. Instead, she headed straight for a savings bank outside the street.

After a short while, she emerged from the bank, now tightly clutching her fabric bag instead of holding it casually.

She walked quickly, frequently glancing around as if on guard for something.

When she returned to the department store and approached the bicycle counter again, she finally spotted what she was waiting for out of the corner of her eye.

A dozen steps away, she looked at the layers of people still crowding the area, hugged her fabric bag closer, hesitated for a moment, and turned upstairs.

This time, she bought several pairs of shoes for the children. At the payment counter, the person behind her saw her pull out a thin stack of money amounting to two or three hundred from her bag.

Wandering around upstairs for over half an hour, seeing lunchtime approaching and the crowd in the department store noticeably thinning, Ling Chengyan finally descended again, heading towards the bicycle section once more.

Sure enough, most people had gone to eat, leaving only a few at the bicycle counter, even the salesperson was tidying up his handbag, preparing to leave.

Ling Chengyan quickened her pace, wanting to catch the salesperson before he clocked off, but unfortunately, she was destined not to buy that bike, as someone came charging in from the side and roughly bumped into her, causing her net bag to fly out, but she held tightly to the fabric bag without letting go.

“Oh, how do you walk?” Ling Chengyan shouted.

“…” Yet the person who bumped her didn’t stop, quickly running away, disappearing out of sight.

As she turned to spot him, two others rushed forward, directly trying to snatch the fabric bag from her hands.

Ling Chengyan tightly hugged her bag, refusing to let go, and shouted loudly: “Help, they’re robbing me!”

With two men working together, they eventually snatched the fabric bag from her, pushing her to the ground in the process.

Watching the two men swiftly dash towards the department store’s exit, Ling Chengyan picked up the shoe that had just fallen to the ground and threw it, hitting one of them. Just before they could escape the department store, she struck down the robbers with the shoe.

The motorcycle salesperson was nearby and witnessed the scene. Ling Chengyan picked up her fabric bag from the ground and pointed to the shoe on the floor: “This happened in your store, watch them for me…”

Before finishing her sentence, she was already in pursuit.

This time she didn’t chase far; on the adjacent small street, she caught up with the person who had bumped into her—it truly was a coincidence, the guy who was knocked off her bicycle by a box of firecrackers before the year-end.

Half an hour later, Ling Chengyan, as the victim, brought the evidence—a fabric bag—and along with three robbers, arrived at the police station.

Ling Chengyan finally opened the bag she had been clutching: “I was preparing to buy a TV for the home, saw the motorcycle but didn’t have enough money, so I withdrew some more—three thousand bucks.”

“Wow, three thousand…” The police officers were all shocked.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep