The drawer opened, and the pile of hundred-yuan bills inside made Liu Juan's breathing grow heavy.
With this money, at least she could run to a southern city and live a better life. Thinking of this, Liu Juan's hands trembled, gripping the folding knife, and she instructed, "Put the money in a plastic bag, then give it to me."
"Aunt, this adds up to almost thirty thousand yuan... If you take it, how will we pay our suppliers?"
"Hurry up! Don't talk! Or I'll stab you!"
Liu Chen packed all the money from the drawer into a bag and handed it to Liu Juan.
Taking the bag, Liu Juan turned and ran.
Liu Chen grabbed the plastic stool she was sitting on and chased after her into the alley. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Robbery! That woman is robbing me with a knife!"
At noon, there weren't many customers in the wholesale market, but the bosses and shop assistants were all present. Hearing the shout of robbery, and that it was a woman, they all poked their heads out to see what was happening.
A few burly male bosses immediately pounced, tackling Liu Juan to the ground from behind. Even then, Liu Juan held onto the plastic bag tightly, her small knife flailing wildly as she tried to escape from the people behind her.
At the same time, she kept shouting, "I'm her aunt! I'm her aunt!"
The men who had pinned her down fell silent. Aunt or otherwise, she robbed them and wanted to run? If word got out that a woman could rob people in the wholesale market, wouldn't the market be targeted?
Liu Chen, still holding the plastic stool, caught up. Seeing the men who had subdued her aunt, she quickly thanked them, "Thank you, uncles, can you tie her up? I've already called the police station, and they said they'll be here soon."
Liu Chen didn't bother arguing about whether she was her aunt or not. Robbing was robbing, and the police would decide the matter.
Liu Fang and Sister Li also returned with a small trolley. They heard someone was robbing a person in the alley and had gone to see the commotion. When they got closer, they realized the commotion was happening to their own family!
This terrified Liu Fang. She only had Chenchen, her little girl, at the shop!
Dropping the trolley, Liu Fang ran like the wind to the center of the crowd.
"Chenchen! Are you alright?!"
Liu Chen spread her hands and turned a circle in front of Liu Fang, indicating she wasn't hurt. Then, her eyes locked onto her mother. "Aunt threatened me with a knife to rob me, so I had to give her the money. If I didn't, she said she'd stab me. But when she ran, I shouted 'robbery,' and these uncles helped me hold her down."
Liu Fang only knew they had been robbed. Now she realized the robber was her own younger sister. She opened her mouth, speechless.
Armed robbery was a serious offense, and the police arrived quickly. After a few questions, they took Liu Juan and Liu Chen to the police station.
On the way, Liu Juan kept shouting that she was innocent and that the money was borrowed.
At the police station, Liu Chen, with a furious expression, recounted how her aunt had borrowed money at high interest and wanted her mother to be a guarantor, which she had disrupted. Then, she took out her phone, found a recording, and played it. It was a conversation between her and her aunt.
The police officers' expressions were a bit awkward. In their eyes, this young girl's methods were too ruthless, and she even recorded it. It was clear she intended to ruin her own aunt.
"I didn't record it on purpose. I have a habit of recording myself reciting words and texts. You can check the previous audio files to confirm."
"Ahem, we're not suggesting you did it on purpose."
Despite their words, the female officer pressed play on the previous recording.
"Viewing Mount Lu from different sides gives different peaks, near and far, high and low, each with its own view. Not knowing the true face of Mount Lu, solely because one is within its embrace."
After listening to several audio clips and confirming Liu Chen was telling the truth, the female officer put down her phone and looked at Liu Chen with pity. "We found a folding knife on her. Due to the seriousness of the offense and the large amount of money stolen, she will likely go to jail. Don't worry, based on her criminal conduct, she'll get at least three years."
After dealing with the matters at the police station, Liu Chen finally saw Liu Fang, who had been waiting outside. Seeing her daughter emerge from the station with a pale face, Liu Fang's tears immediately streamed down. Her elder sister and her long-unseen mother stood behind her.
"Chenchen, how is it? What did the police say?" Aunt Liu Fen asked first.
"The police said the offense was serious and she'll be sentenced."
After saying this, Liu Chen stopped, observing the reactions of her aunt, grandmother, and mother.
"That's good. It's for the best. Little Juan has always been willful since childhood. Now, burdened by debt, she even dares to rob. If she's let out, I can't imagine what else she'll do." Grandmother Yang Shu, wiping her tears, embraced Liu Chen, who was standing. The old woman gently patted Liu Chen's back, trying to comfort the child she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Chenchen, you must have been scared. Come, Auntie will take you to KFC!"
Liu Chen, who had eaten at KFC a few days ago, waved her hand and gently patted her grandmother's back. "It's past noon now, and I have to rush to my cram school. A single class costs a lot of money, I can't waste it."
Liu Fang couldn't help but roll her eyes at this. "You make it sound like your old mom is a miser! Go on, go on, you debt-ridden brat!"
"My textbooks are still at the shop..."
"Then let's go back together."
Getting into the car, the four women sat in silence. After all, sending one's own younger aunt to prison, even if rationally they knew their younger daughter had brought it upon herself, emotionally it still required time to accept.
Arriving at the wholesale market, Liu Chen picked up her cram school textbooks and left. The rest of the people on the street subtly questioned Liu Fang, wanting to know if what the robber had said was true.
—
Hu Family.
Zhang Lili sat at her desk, staring at her reflection in the mirror and applying mascara. She heard the front door open but paid it no mind. As the boss, Old Hu often took a nap after lunch if he had a business engagement.
However, as Old Hu took off his short-sleeved shirt and lay down on the bed, he said to Zhang Lili, who was applying makeup nearby, "Why are you still here? What time is it? Aren't you going to the hospital to take care of Mom?"
Zhang Lili's hand, holding the lipstick, paused. She took a deep breath, suppressing her impatience. "Didn't we agree to hire a caregiver?"
Hu Xingfa pulled the covers over himself and turned his back to Zhang Lili. "Can a caregiver be as caring as a daughter-in-law? Besides, you've already taken Qianqian to her cram school, and you have nothing else to do this afternoon."
"I do have something this afternoon."
"Zhang Lili, don't make me say it a second time. If you don't want to go, fine. From today onwards, you won't get a single penny from me." Hu Xingfa interrupted Zhang Lili's words without turning around. "You're not young anymore, and wearing that color lipstick isn't appropriate."
Zhang Lili's hand, holding the lipstick, trembled. In that moment, she wished she could pull out the chair and throw it at Hu Xingfa. Taking several deep breaths, Zhang Lili endured it. Once her daughter graduated from college, and she had moved enough money, she'd kick that old man to the curb!
—
As soon as Liu Chen arrived at the cram school, she found Ren Mo sitting next to her seat. "Sister Liu Chen, why are you late today? Have you eaten lunch? I bought KFC!" His subservient demeanor made Liu Chen feel a bit annoyed.
Shaking her head, Liu Chen indicated she'd eat after class. Ren Mo's behavior piqued the curiosity of the other students in the cram school. Because of the last-minute holiday yesterday, they were unaware of the incident in the stairwell. In their eyes, Liu Chen and Ren Mo were strangers when they left school the day before. How could Ren Mo suddenly call Liu Chen "Sister" today? Moreover, Ren Mo's two best friends were also absent from class today. When the cram school teacher asked, Ren Mo only said he didn't know.
Liu Chen observed Ren Mo's impatient expression and had a guess. Those two boys were likely involved in that incident, otherwise, Ren Mo wouldn't be so indifferent. Tsk, betrayed by his friends, this little brother is having a tough time.
After four consecutive classes, Liu Chen remained energetic. However, Ren Mo then realized that Liu Chen had chosen to take remedial classes for all subjects. "Since I have nothing to do anyway, I'll sign up for a couple more!"
While Ren Mo was signing up, Liu Chen paid her remaining tuition fees of thirty-two thousand yuan. With time running out, she ate a couple of bites of bread and continued with her classes. After finishing the two evening classes, Liu Chen packed her books and said to Ren Mo, who was sitting next to her, "Let's go. Since you're calling me sister, I'll treat you to a meal!"
With nine thousand two hundred yuan left in her pocket, Liu Chen generously decided to take her newly acquired little brother out for a good meal! It was also to celebrate finally defusing the unstable bomb that was her aunt!
The two of them got out of the elevator and then got into Ren Mo's family's black Mercedes.
As the car drove away, Hu Qianqian emerged from behind a pillar. Looking at the slightly blurry photos on her phone, Hu Qianqian directly sent them to Hu Xingfa's phone, even resorting to using MMS.