Chapter 252: Old Acquaintances

"Big Brother, it's this kid. He just spent over twenty yuan at Donglaishun without even blinking. He's definitely a fat sheep."

A meal costing over twenty yuan could be considered top-tier luxury these days; after all, it adds up to some people's monthly salary.

The youth in the lead was likely just past twenty, with slightly bulging temples; he probably had some skills and was a practitioner of martial arts.

The rest, holding weapons like chains, sticks, and bicycle locks, were just half-grown kids of fifteen or sixteen, and they all had very distinct looks.

"Buddy, looking at how young you are, you just started working, right? We brothers are a bit tight on cash. How about you lend us a hundred or eighty to spend?"

"I saw you didn't care about spending a few dozen yuan at Donglaishun just now. It's not worth getting hurt over this hundred or eighty, right?"

Then, the leading youth waved his hand, and the few skinny, half-grown kids surrounded Zhang Ping'an with their gear.

Zhang Ping'an found this group somewhat amusing and decided to tease them.

"Cough, cough. Since you all saw me spend over twenty, do you think I could still have a hundred or eighty yuan on me?"

"Ye, yeah, that's right, Big Brother. Who, what kind of good, good person carries hundreds of yuan when they go out?" a stuttering, skinny lackey with mismatched eyes said.

"This little brother's words make sense."

"Who, who is your little brother? Don't try to, to get chummy."

"Ye, ye, yes."

"Bi, Big Brother, i, is he, is he imi, imitating me?"

"..."

"Little brother, don't speak yet. Buddy, what do you mean? Mocking my brother? You don't have to give me money, but you can't mock my brother."

"Uh, then you should've said so earlier."

"Kid, are you playing me?"

The leading man had lost his patience and threw a punch directly at Zhang Ping'an's face. Zhang Ping'an stepped back, leaned his Bicycle against the wall, and then kicked the leading man flying.

"Hiss~"

"Cough, cough. Buddy, are you also a practitioner?" The leading man's expression was grave; he knew from that kick alone that he definitely couldn't beat the other party.

Zhang Ping'an had only used thirty percent of his strength in that kick, and since this person was thick-skinned and sturdy, he didn't suffer much damage.

"I suppose so."

"Offended you just now. Let's go." The group of lackeys also realized they had kicked a hard iron plate and hurriedly put away their gear to scatter.

"Go? Where are you going? Who taught you that you can just leave if you can't win? Do you know that this is highway robbery? Reaching a certain amount means execution."

Then, under the shocked gazes of everyone, Zhang Ping'an finished a transformation, and a Public Security Uniform appeared before their eyes.

"Yo, you, you're Public Security?" the one with mismatched eyes said in surprise.

"That's right."

The group of troubled youths was also dumbfounded. There's no one else who would try to rob a Public Security officer. The leading youth had sweat on his forehead.

"Comrade Public Security, this is our first time. I'll go with you, please let them go. They're still young."

"Big Brother, we agreed to live and die together back then."

"Yeah, Big Brother."

"Heh, quite loyal. Then let's go together."

"No, no, no, Big Brother, we had eyes but didn't recognize Mount Tai and walked right into the muzzle. I admit to this crime; they were all forced by me."

"Enough. What's the use of catching just you? Catching you alone is individual robbery; catching all eight of you is breaking a gang case. This is a political achievement."

"Line up and stand still. I advise you not to run, or bullets don't have eyes, oh."

The leading youth was anxious and angry, his clenched fist loosening.

"Thump."

"Comrade Public Security, I beg you, let my brother and the others go. We were forced by necessity to come out and rob a little money to make ends meet."

"Heh, that's only because you robbed me this time and got caught. What about the people you robbed before?"

"Comrade Public Security, it really is our first time. Is it easy for me? I do heavy labor during the day carrying bags, and what I earn isn't enough for everyone to eat. Look at them, each one is so thin. It was hard enough to go against my conscience to do one job, and it turns out I ran into you."

"..."

"Who?" Zhang Ping'an suddenly heard someone approaching the alley entrance.

"Ping'an, is that you?"

"Brother Yi, why are you here?" Zhang Ping'an turned around and saw Yi Zhonghai and Yi Jiabao approaching with a bicycle lock.

"We saw you and Factory Director Li at Donglaishun, and just now we heard movement here that sounded like your voice, so we wanted to come over and see. What's the situation?"

The Yi Zhonghai family was also out for a special meal, eating hot pot in the Donglaishun lobby, but Zhang Ping'an hadn't seen them.

"Oh, these little guys wanted to rob me, and it ended up like this."

"Brother Dahu? Are you Brother Dahu?" Yi Jiabao recognized Qian Dahu at this moment; he was his Big Brother from the orphanage back then.

When Yi Jiabao and his sister first entered the orphanage, it was the Qian Dahu brothers who protected them.

"Uh, who are you?" Qian Dahu was startled. Since he left the orphanage in his teens, no one had known his name.

"I'm Xiaobao, and there's my sister Xiaobei. Ten years ago I was adopted by my parents, and later I went to the orphanage to look, but you and Brother Xiaohu were already gone."

"You're Xiaobao?" Qian Dahu couldn't believe it; this graceful youth was the little one from back then.

"Yeah, it's me. Zhang Shu, look..." Yi Jiabao looked at Zhang Ping'an with a pleading expression.

"Hmm, get up first and then we'll talk."

Afterwards, through Qian Dahu's explanation, all eight of them were from the orphanage. The one who stuttered was his own younger brother, and the other six had also come out to follow him once they reached the right age, only they would go hungry nine times out of three days.

This was their first time coming out to rob, and they didn't expect to run into his muzzle. Through Yi Jiabao's words just now, it wasn't hard to see that these two shouldn't be people of great evil.

"Hmm..."

Zhang Ping'an was hesitating whether to let them go. After all, Yi Jiabao hadn't seen them for ten years, and it was hard to guarantee whether they would turn bad.

"Take me to where you live. Brother Yi, you two go back first."

"Hmm, that works too." Yi Zhonghai trusted Zhang Ping'an's skills, not to mention that he was now holding the truth in his hands.

"Oh, oh, okay, Public Security comrade, please come with us." Qian Dahu also knew that the situation had taken a turn for the better, so he hurriedly got up to lead the way.

The Yi Zhonghai family returned to the Siheyuan, and Jiabao finally spoke up, feeling uneasy.

"Dad, Mom, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have secretly gone to the orphanage."

"Silly child, how could I blame you for having a grateful heart? Besides, your father and I both knew about this."

"Huh?" Now it was Jiabao's turn to be confused.

"You were only in the fourth grade at the time, and you came back so late. Your father was worried about you, so he followed behind you, and that's how we found out you donated all your savings to the orphanage."

"It was also because we were moved by you that your father organized the three-worker families in the courtyard to donate money and buy food for the impoverished households."

"Dad, I..."

"Good child."

Zhang Ping'an followed Qian Dahu, winding through many turns until they arrived at a dilapidated courtyard where only the East Wing Room was still in decent condition, and it was clearly patched up by hand later on.

"Brother Dahu, you're back." A thin, small girl opened the door and came out, but her expression changed when she saw Zhang Ping'an in his Public Security Uniform.

"Laidi, this is a Public Security comrade; we live here."

Zhang Ping'an went inside and saw another girl, about ten years old, cooking; there was a blackish pot with a few vegetable leaves in it, and he had no idea what it was.

The three wing rooms had been converted into four; one for the two girls, two for the eight people, and one was the kitchen.