Song Mingyue was bewildered, but Qi Zhenzhen was not. Although they were shopping, she hadn't let her guard down. On the contrary, she was observing the actions of those around them. Mingyue had almost collided with the person who fell to the ground, but it was only a near miss. The person then lay down on the ground, clearly intending to extort money, a scam. It seemed that whether in ancient times or modern times, scamming was a popular profession.
"What's wrong with this young girl? She bumped into someone and didn't help them up!" someone stepped forward to uphold justice. "Look how badly she fell, her face is pale."
More and more people gathered, whispering and pointing fingers.
"I didn't bump into her, I didn't bump into her," Song Mingyue protested loudly.
"You're an interesting young girl, denying it after bumping into someone. Your intentions are so wicked! How did your family teach you?" another woman spoke up. She had noticed these two young girls at the cloth shop earlier. They were generous with their spending, so they must have had quite a bit of silver on them. Being young, they would surely be scared when something happened, and then there would be no shortage of money.
"She said she didn't bump into you, are your ears not working well?" Qi Zhenzhen said slowly. "If you want to scam, please act more realistically. Her face is pale? Did you use too much stone powder? It's so white, a shake of the head would make two pounds of powder fall off, right? And you two, you're in on this together, aren't you? How much money do you plan to ask for?"
The person lying on the ground was stunned and forgot to cry out in pain.
The two people who had chimed in were also taken aback. This young girl showed no fear at all. Usually, when they acted like this, the other party would show fear. The timid ones would even cry, and then they would smoothly get the money. They had never encountered such a situation before.
The woman was the first to react. "How can you speak like that, girl? What do you mean 'in on this together'? I'm just standing up for this sister. She was walking properly and you bumped into her like this. Not only did you not apologize, but you also accused her of scamming. Relying on your youth and being so insensible, it's truly sad for your parents!"
Eloquent, what a talent.
The person lying on the ground continued to cry out in pain. The man who had first stepped forward to uphold justice also echoed the woman's words, "Sister, please help her up, and let's find a place to discuss this properly."
"Yes, yes, brother, keep an eye on these two girls, don't let them run away," the woman said with feigned indignation.
The onlookers watched with cold eyes, and not a single person stepped forward to speak justice. Qi Zhenzhen instantly understood that this scamming group probably consisted of more than just these three. It was likely that some of their people were scattered among the crowd. If anyone dared to speak up, they would probably be retaliated against.
Qi Zhenzhen grabbed Song Mingyue's hand, her face showing a hint of fear as the others wished, "You, what do you want?"
"Don't be scared, young girl. You bumped into someone, so you have to show some consideration. The person is injured and needs medicine and rest. You can't just ignore it, can you?" the man said. "We're just trying to help this sister out of pity and mediate. Let's go, it's not good to block the road here, delaying people's passage and business."
A small stall owner behind them said in a low voice, "Young ladies, compensate the sister with some silver, and let's just let it go."
Qi Zhenzhen glanced back. The stall owner's face was full of worry, likely fearing that Qi Zhenzhen and her friend would go with these people.
Indeed, not everyone was so indifferent.
"Where to?" Qi Zhenzhen asked nervously.
"Let's go, let's go, just down that alley, it's not far," a hint of smugness flashed in the man's eyes. He thought he had encountered a tough nut to crack, but it turned out they were just putting on a show. Now he didn't have to worry about not getting any money.
Song Mingyue shivered slightly, "Zhenzhen..."
Qi Zhenzhen gave her a reassuring look, squeezing her hand tightly. She didn't take these people seriously at all. Besides...
The two obediently followed the three people towards the alley, and two more people followed from the crowd.
Five people acting so brazenly?
Upon reaching the alley, the pale-faced woman no longer lowered her head. She looked up at Qi Zhenzhen. "Little slut, you almost broke my arm last time. Now that you've fallen into my hands, you'll have a hard time."
Qi Zhenzhen was stunned for a moment. It turned out that this scammer was the same woman with the long face from the shop last time. It seemed this wasn't a simple scam, but a scam with a vengeful motive?
"I showed mercy last time, and it seems you're not satisfied. Just say it, breaking your arm isn't difficult?" Qi Zhenzhen smiled, her face showing no trace of timidity.
The woman's heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively tried to retreat, but Qi Zhenzhen didn't give her the chance. With a crunch, the woman let out a pig-like wail, high and sharp, her wrist hanging limply, her face covered in cold sweat.
"There, is that what you wanted this time?" Qi Zhenzhen tilted her head, looking innocently charming, as if she hadn't been the one to deliver the forceful blow.
"What are you standing around for? Are you going to let these two little sluts ruin our livelihood?" the woman who had been helping earlier said with a fierce but shaky voice.
The two men who had followed and the man who had upheld justice exchanged glances, rolled up their sleeves, and prepared to fight.
Qi Zhenzhen watched them with amusement, showing no fear on her face. Song Mingyue, on the other hand, stared at the three men with her mouth agape, looking astonished.
The next moment, with three muffled thuds, the three men crashed into the wall and fell to the ground.
The three burly men were kicked into the air, and the person who kicked them was none other than Zhang Xiaoniu, his face stern.
When the small stall owner had spoken up to remind them, Qi Zhenzhen had looked back and happened to see Zhang Xiaoniu. The boy was about to step forward, but she had stopped him with a look, and then he had followed them.
"In broad daylight, you engage in such illicit activities. Where do you place the laws of our Great Feng?" Zhang Xiaoniu said sternly, one hand behind his back.
Qi Zhenzhen was stunned. Was this the childish Zhang Xiaoniu she knew? He was full of authority and righteousness, possessing a certain commanding presence. Tsk, Gu Sinian was quite good at training people.
The three men were all knocked down, leaving only the two women. One had her wrist broken by Qi Zhenzhen, and the other was trembling with fear from Zhang Xiaoniu's imposing demeanor.
"Officer, we were momentarily misguided. We will never dare to do this again. Please spare us," the woman knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.
Officer?
Qi Zhenzhen only then noticed something different. Zhang Xiaoniu's clothes were indeed different from his usual attire. As the saying goes, clothes make the man. At first glance, he really did look like an officer.
"Scram! If I see you doing evil again, I will not be lenient," Zhang Xiaoniu said fiercely.
The three groaning men immediately stopped their wailing, helped the two women, and stumbled away into the depths of the alley.
"Alright, so imposing!" Qi Zhenzhen punched Zhang Xiaoniu on the shoulder. "But you're just letting them go like this? They were trying to bully us two just now."
Zhang Xiaoniu scratched his head. "You broke that woman's arm, and those three men are also quite injured. It can be considered a lesson, and I believe they won't dare to do evil again in the future. If we don't spare them, should we continue to fight?"