Not a detective

Page 240

Even the owners of street food stalls can't be trusted...

Judging from his indifferent expression, and the same goes for the other waiters in the store, people in this kind of place must have seen many such scenes of conflict and fights caused by drinking.

For them, it doesn't matter as long as it doesn't concern them. Settling the bill is more important than anything else. As long as it doesn't interfere with their business, they don't care who gets hurt.

"A-Qian... what should we do..."

Xu Qishi, who was hiding behind me, said in a low voice. Her face was pale with fright, and she had never encountered this situation before.

I responded in a low voice, but my tone was steady enough: "Don't worry, leave it to me."

At least I can't let the panic affect her.

Moreover, I've come up with a solution.

"Are you still going to play the hero, young man? What's your plan? I'll give you a chance. If you run away by yourself now, I'll let you go."

The leader of the thugs brandished a sharp knife, a lewd smile on his face: "If you don't run, you'll be watching right before your eyes what happens to your little girlfriend..."

Hehe... Hahaha... Those thugs all laughed, not taking me, a student, seriously at all.

It's now.

I took the opportunity to turn around and forcefully ripped some wires off the table; these wires were connected to an important machine.

Cash register.

It was heavier than I expected. I struggled to lift it; it must have contained a lot of coins. The weight was enough to make it a weapon. I carried it and charged forward.

"what--!"

"Seriously? You came up with this idea?" The gang leader seemed amused by my comical performance: "That's hilarious."

Because it was too heavy, my charging speed was a bit slow, and he easily dodged it, letting me pass by.

"Ouch, don't fall down."

I couldn't stop in time, and could only let the inertia carry me forward, stumbling and swaying, while behind me I heard the thugs' laughter and contempt.

"Is this guy out of his mind...?"

"Hahaha, you idiot."

I ignored it.

He simply rushed to the riverbank, lifted his hand forcefully, and sent the entire cash register down.

He fell into the river, and the rushing water swept him away instantly, and he sank and disappeared.

For a moment, the scene seemed to fall silent.

No one could have imagined that I would do this.

Especially the person who stood up from behind the table, the stunned food stall owner.

"you……"

He was stunned, and the cigarette in his mouth fell out.

"What the hell are you doing...! What the hell is your argument to me? This is my shop, and this is my money!"

The boss got angry, slammed his hand on the table, and yelled at me. Great, I've attracted another enemy.

He stormed over, yelling, "None of you are leaving! Call your parents and have them come and compensate us! Otherwise, none of you are leaving!"

Now, even the gang leader was confused about what I was going to do. Holding the knife, he suddenly felt like he had become a supporting character.

"Uh... you want compensation from that young man, and I want this woman, there's no conflict, right?"

"Fuck your mother's fart!"

As a result, the burly boss slapped him hard across the face, spitting as he cursed, "What if I let one go and the owner denies responsibility? Are you going to compensate me?!"

"Damn it... what's so great about running a shabby stall!"

The thug was slapped for no reason, and enraged, he brandished the folding knife in his hand.

His companions also bared their teeth and began to hurl foul curses.

"What did you say……"

However, the seemingly unremarkable boss grabbed the arm holding the knife, and the force he used was so strong that it hurt the gang leader.

At the same time, the waiters who had been sitting indifferently in the store, and even the barbecue stall chefs, stood up, some of them carrying cleavers and forks...

Suddenly, the two groups were locked in a standoff.

"I am talking about you!"

"I think you're getting too big for your britches!"

I smiled silently. The plan had succeeded. It seemed I was right. The owner of a food stall in a place like this must be someone of considerable stature.

Judging from the fact that the boss could still coldly ask for payment and his disdainful attitude amidst the threats and chaos from the thugs, it's clear that he might have a powerful backer.

But he wouldn't help me for no reason; such a person wouldn't suddenly have a change of heart...

So I came up with this idea: since you're unwilling to do something heroic, I'll force you to.

I threw his cash register directly into the river, tying his interests to my safety. If we got into trouble with those thugs, he wouldn't be able to get any compensation back.

Therefore, no matter how angry he was, he had to protect me so that I could go and call my parents back to pay the money. In addition, these thugs were heavily intoxicated, making a conflict very likely.

This is... using one group to devour another. Under my plan, the two groups soon clashed.

It escalated from verbal abuse to pushing and shoving, and then a physical fight broke out!

"Fuck them!"

"Go!!"

The scene was extremely brutal at one point, but the boss's side still had the upper hand. The few thugs were outnumbered and were beaten to the ground.

"Little Poem!"

I quietly called to Xu Qishi, and she, startled, came running over obediently like a little rabbit.

We stayed by the riverbank, not daring to slip away early, and slowly watched the entire close-up fight scene.

About ten minutes later, the police car finally arrived.

Winter of Man: Chapter Nine - Aftermath

"Ah Qian, you're really clever." Xu Qishi leaned on my shoulder. "How did you come up with such a method?"

I replied, "We couldn't think of a better way at the time. To save both of us, we had to resort to this reckless idea."

I know this is risky, even gambling. If the food stall owner still doesn't intervene, or if they're in cahoots, then we're doomed.

But I seem to be lucky enough.

"You should work out your muscles more."

She suddenly pinched my arm: "If you charged in and took them all down by yourself, wow, that would be so cool."

"Please spare me." I helplessly pushed her hand away: "This is the real world, not a martial arts movie. How can I fight so many people bare-handed? I'm not Superman."

I prefer to use my brain to solve problems; that's how civilized people do it.

"Then I'll work on my muscles and protect A-Qian from now on!"

Xu Qishi suddenly bent her arm and struck a pose showing off her biceps, even though there wasn't a bit of fat on her slender arm.

We looked at each other and burst out laughing at the same time.

This is the relief of surviving a disaster. It's so good to have returned safely from such a thrilling and dangerous situation. We are all sincerely grateful.

Looking back now, I really don't know how I managed to stay calm and think things through.

She looked at me, tears welling in her eyes:

"Honestly... thank you, Asahi. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't know what to do tonight..."

"Stop talking about this."

I interrupted her, feeling a little embarrassed, which was only right: "I'm glad you're alright."

...

After that, the police arrived at the scene.

Many people tried to break through and escape, but in the end they were all caught, pinned to the ground and handcuffed.

It was originally just a fight between two groups, but since it involved two students, Xu Qishi and me, and especially given the current crackdown on crime, I'll probably be locked up for a while.

Of course, I'm not sure if Uncle Xu had any influence on this.

I saw him with a gloomy and serious expression, standing on the shore smoking incessantly, and making several phone calls in a row.

Our parents arrived at the scene quickly and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that everything was alright.

My dad praised me for my quick wit and cleverness, but my mom scolded me for trying to be clever and for coming to such a dangerous place...

The ambulance doctors and nurses checked our condition and drove away after finding nothing wrong.

The police officer said he needed to take statements, but Uncle Xu waved his hand and said they would talk about it tomorrow, and let the children rest.

The others weren't so lucky. Everyone involved in the fight was taken into police cars, and some even left in ambulances, indicating they were seriously injured.

The owner of the food stall glanced at me as he passed by.

"Pretty smart, huh?"

It seems that after he calmed down, he realized that I had used him.

The police officer behind me sternly shouted, "Don't move! Keep your head down and keep walking!"

At first, I didn't pay much attention, but the old man next to me stood up, smiled and said a few words to the police, and then spent a little while alone with the boss by the police car.

Although he didn't know what they were talking about, he saw his father hand him a cigarette and light it.

"...Why do this?"

I don't understand what Comrade Lu is trying to do.

"We don't need that many enemies; the more friends we have, the better."

When Dad came back, he smiled and touched his chin.

Actually, I've never seen him smoke; he always carries a cigarette specifically for handing out to others.

He said, "I don't know who that person is, nor do I care what his true intentions are. But I only know that objectively he saved my son, and that's enough."

I was lost in thought.

Indeed, when Xu Qishi and I were in a critical situation, the boss's indifferent and detached attitude was infuriating.

But thinking back, no one is obligated to help.

While it was certainly right of me to think quickly and bring him onto a boat—a desperate measure to save myself—it also constitutes a form of moral blackmail against others.

"I will think carefully before I give my statement tomorrow."

I was silent for a moment, and then I spoke.

Indeed, it's better to have one more friend than another enemy. Objectively speaking, I was saved because of him.

In this case, the thugs who instigated the trouble will certainly be severely punished. However, the situation of the food stall owner and his employees is more nuanced. They could be participants in a violent brawl, innocent owners acting in self-defense to protect their stall, or even good Samaritans who stepped in to protect students.

It all depends on what I say in my statement tomorrow.

I understood what my father meant. He smiled with satisfaction and said no more.

He's always like this, a riddle. Comrade Lao Lu never tells me his thoughts directly, but lets me guess, and he doesn't force me to do anything, letting me figure it out myself.

It felt quite strenuous... Even though I'm an adult now, I'm still a long way from being a real adult.

I shook my head and walked over to Uncle Xu, who was busy making phone calls.

"...Um, wait a minute. What's wrong, Xiao Lu?"

I was just going to wait for him to finish his call, but I didn't expect him to put down the phone and look over here.

"Please make the call first..."

He shook his head, looked at me, and said very seriously, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't even want to think what would have happened to Xiaoshi. Really, you are our family's benefactor."