novelraw Chapter 215: The Righteous Thief
Chapter 215: The Righteous Thief
Chapter 215
"Ah! Brother Lin Feng, is there danger at Mom and Dad’s?" Lin Jie, hearing Lin Feng say this, felt a sudden surge of anxiety and froze on the spot. With so many people around, how could her parents possibly be in danger? She hoped nothing would happen to them!
But Lin Jie immediately realized a problem: her parents and their two companions were nowhere near them, and she couldn’t spot her parents anywhere. She hadn’t seen Brother Lin Feng receive any phone calls, nor had she observed any unusual behavior from him. So how did Brother Lin Feng know that the four of them were in danger? It was extremely strange! What on earth was going on, and how had he found out that her parents were in danger?
"There’s no time to explain, follow me." Lin Feng took Lin Jie’s hand and pulled her along with a slight force. After speaking quickly, he rushed down the stairs with her, his heart filled with urgency. As the time since the alert had been extended, he knew her parents must have truly encountered trouble. There was no time to explain anything to Lin Jie—what mattered most was reaching her parents as fast as possible to see what had happened.
As Lin Jie was being pulled along, though barely keeping up, she still moved as fast as she could, not wanting to waste any time. From Lin Feng’s tense demeanor, she could tell that the situation was probably really bad. In no time at all, her heart started beating wildly, anxious about what might have happened to her parents.
...
Lin Yiwen and the other three members of his party were pleased to see Lin Feng and Lin Jie disappear from sight, chatting happily as they walked toward the Tianhai Department Store. Everyone was hoping Lin Feng could spend some time alone with Lin Jie, and their lighthearted laughter was truly infectious.
"Liu Li, what do you think of this piece of clothing?" Zhang Lan, upon spotting a satisfactory garment, casually turned to Liu Li for an opinion, hoping for a bit of advice.
"Sister-in-law, this outfit suits you really well, it’s truly pretty. If you’re not going to buy it, I will," Liu Li complimented the garment that Zhang Lan had pointed out, as she too found it appealing.
"If you like it too, I’ll let you have it. We’re all family here, it’s fine," Zhang Lan said upon hearing that Liu Li also liked the outfit. She often attended endless meetings and rarely had outings, so it did not really matter whether she bought it or not.
"How could I do that? Sister-in-law saw it first."
"I hardly have the chance to wear it; it fits you better."
...
Seeing their wives courteously deferring to each other, Lin Yiwen and Lin Dongchen exchanged a knowing glance before they both broke into a smile. Accompanying their wives on a shopping trip was a tiresome affair, even more so when there were two women involved, but such opportunities were few and far between. With both families together and everyone happy, these trivialities faded away.
Suddenly, Zhang Lan spotted a thief nearby reaching into a young woman’s bag, seemingly intent on stealing the wallet within.
"Lady in the red outfit holding the bag, watch your purse!" Zhang Lan immediately shouted a warning to the young woman, hoping to prevent her from getting pickpocketed.
Upon hearing the call, the young woman quickly realized someone must have targeted her while she was engrossed in shopping. She hugged her shoulder bag close to her chest and glanced behind to confirm her suspicion. Indeed, she saw a sly-looking young man—not the trustworthy type. With increased caution, she tightened her grip on her bag, then noticed her wallet peeking out. It dawned on her that the thief had indeed struck, and had it not been for the warning, her wallet would surely have been gone.
"Thank you," the young woman bowed slightly to Zhang Lan to express her gratitude. Then, clutching her bag tightly, she dashed away as if fleeing, afraid of being targeted again. She had heard news stories about thieves who, failing the first time, would often try again, and she wasn’t about to take any chances.
Pickpocket Liu San was extremely angry. He had worked hard to bring his brothers under the tutelage of Brother Huangmao, and today was a test Brother Huangmao had set for them. They needed to steal more money to make him happy, and that would ensure a better life for him and his brothers—having Brother Huangmao’s protection meant safety in this territory. Things were going smoothly so far; he had already swiped over a dozen wallets that night, and it looked like the haul would please Brother Huangmao. But then, out of nowhere, a Cheng Yaojin messed up their good fortune, and that was infuriating.
As the woman he had targeted fled, Liu San’s irritation with the person who had spoiled his theft grew deeper. He glared at Zhang Lan with venom, thinking, "Are you smart or just stupid? Seeing us stealing and you dare to shout out? You’ve got some nerve! What business is it of yours?"
"Stupid woman, why are you meddling, what does it have to do with you? Believe me, I can make you regret this!" Liu San, unable to contain himself any longer, glared at Zhang Lan and spat out these vicious threats. If it hadn’t been for this meddling woman, the wallet would have been his, filled with cash no doubt. It was damn infuriating to lose a sure catch because of her mouth. Now he had to find another victim, wasting time.
"Since when did thieves become so brazen, is there no law left?" Zhang Lan didn’t care about Liu San’s words at all and rudely tossed them back, feeling very puzzled internally. Since when did thieves become so bold as to threaten people openly? She didn’t believe it when she saw it on TV about how arrogant thieves have become, but now it seemed to be true. But with so many people around, what could he do to us four? Even if he wanted to make a move, he wouldn’t dare, what have I got to fear!"
"This thief is something else, even threatening people now. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police and you won’t be able to leave at all." Lin Yiwen was furious when he heard the thief threatening his wife. How could thieves be so audacious nowadays, daring to threaten others? In the past, thieves would have run away in such a situation, but he couldn’t let himself be intimidated by him, who ever heard of someone being scared by a thief."
"Exactly, you better leave quickly, or believe me, I’ll call the police right now." Liu Li was also very angry. The thieves in Tianhai are too bold, daring to threaten people with so many around. Are you wrong for not letting you steal, or should we pretend not to see you thieving, what a joke. Not reporting you to the police right away is already showing you mercy, how dare you threaten us in return, you really have some nerve."
"Enough talk, just catch him and call the cops." Lin Dongchen didn’t beat around the bush, immediately taking out his phone with the intention of calling the police. However, he was the only one who knew that the number he dialed wasn’t 120 but 114, deliberately bluffing the thief. What’s the point in wasting words with such a thief, better to just scare him off."
"Fine, you all just wait, there will come a time when you will cry." Seeing the four people opposite talking about him, Liu San realized that these four were together, and seeing two men taking out their phones to call the police, he felt vexed. You think you can bully me because I’m alone, fine! I won’t battle wits with you now. I’ll call my brothers together, then invite Brother Huangmao to support us, and let’s see if you can still talk tough to me then."
With that thought, he dropped a fierce line and then moved back, disappearing into the crowd.
"The public security in Tianhai is getting worse."
"Yeah, even thieves dare to act like this now."
"Forget it, let’s move on."
"I wonder how Lin Feng and Xiao Jie are doing now."
...
The cheerful mood of the four was disrupted by the incident with the thief, but it improved again as they started talking about Lin Feng and Lin Jie, treating what just happened as an unpleasant interlude that was quickly forgotten as they continued their stroll on the street.
Liu San walked to a corner, then took out his phone to call his brothers.
"Old Two, come to Golden Happiness Jewelry, someone messed with my business," he said.
"Old Three, someone messed with my business, hurry over to Golden Happiness Jewelry," he said.
...
After ending his calls, Liu San headed towards Golden Happiness Jewelry. Brother Huangmao was stationed there; the area was under his protection. Normally, brothers with any issues could go there and find him.
"Brother Huangmao, my business just got messed with, I hope you can bring the brothers to back me up," Liu San approached Huangmao and explained the situation, sensing from Brother Huangmao’s good mood that he would likely give his support.
"Yo, it’s been a long time since anyone’s dared to cause trouble, and now someone’s asking for it, who are these people?" While playing Mahjong, Huangmao was surprised at Liu San’s words, thinking how people these days are so timid, yet someone still stepped up. He thought to himself, why bother interfering and making us brothers run over for such a trivial matter, wasn’t this just making trouble for himself?
"It’s just four middle-aged people on the other side, Brother Huangmao and the others don’t need to get involved. Just intimidate them from the sidelines, we’ll handle the action," Liu San quickly responded to Brother Huangmao’s question, and explained his intentions. If this matter wasn’t serious, there was no need for Brother Huangmao to intervene. Just a show of force would suffice, otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth it if he lost Brother Huangmao’s respect over such a small affair.