Chapter 19

Xiaoming's mother packed a food bag full of jujubes for him. After that, the little guy was led by his grandfather, skipping and jumping down the mountain to go home. Seeing that the little guy was really fine, Wang Yong's heart finally settled. Just now, everyone was scared to death.

"Bro, take me to the market tomorrow. No saying no, get up early and drive to Grandpa's house to pick me up," Wang Qian said without allowing any contradiction.

Wang Yong thought about the委屈 (wronged) look of the girl just now and felt a bit guilty. So he put on a look of being ready for a grand sacrifice and said, "Please, Commander, rest assured, I will definitely complete the mission."

The next morning, Wang Yong, who hadn't even had time to eat breakfast, drove to his second uncle's house in the village. Wang Qian, who had been waiting for a long time, kept complaining that Wang Yong was a big lazybones and made her wait so long. If it weren't for Second Aunt explaining that going too early to the market would be pointless, this girl would have kept complaining for a long time. Wang Yong and Wang Qian then drove to the village to pick up Dawei, who had agreed to go to the market with them the day before. Both of them rarely went home after school, and even during holidays, they only stayed for two or three days. Of course, they didn't have time to go to the market. So their enthusiasm for going to the market was no less than Wang Qian's.

Around eight o'clock, the three of them arrived at the market in the town. The town market was held on the 3rd and 8th of the lunar month, with a smaller market on the 5th and 10th. The smaller market had far fewer people than the larger one. The official market area was about 200 meters away, and cars couldn't drive in. The roadside was already crowded with stalls, which were not fixed. Villagers brought their local produce to the market to earn some money, and they certainly wouldn't go to the specialized stalls in the market, which required a fee and a one-year payment. These roadside stalls only cost two or three yuan each time, which was quite cheap.

The road was crowded with people, and vehicles moved slowly like turtles. Various sounds and smells mixed together, entering people's ears and noses.

Wang Yong parked the car in a suitable spot, locked it, and led the group toward the market. As they entered the market, Wang Qian's face showed a strange expression, frowning and following her brother. Wang Yong and Dawei, who were searching for childhood memories, didn't notice her expression.

When children went to the market, they were most interested in snack stalls, not candy stalls, meat stalls, toy stalls, or clothing stalls. In those days, families weren't well-off, and no one would spend money to eat at the market, even though a meal cost less than one yuan. At that time, eating a bowl of tofu pudding and a crispy fried dough stick or a meat bun could make children excited for at least five days. Because five days later was another market day, and perhaps their parents would take them to eat again. Of course, such hopes often went unfulfilled, as rural people didn't have the habit of strolling around like city people. If there was nothing to do, they would sleep at home rather than wander around the market.

"Hey, Wang Yong, I remember you said you would take me to Old Yang's stall to drink tofu pudding and eat fried dough sticks, and even bring a bowl back home. Are you going to keep your promise today? I haven't eaten breakfast and am waiting for you to treat me to tofu pudding and fried dough sticks."

Wang Yong rolled his eyes at Dawei and said, "You've been a chef in several big cities for over ten years. What haven't you eaten? And you still act like this? Besides, last time you ate a whole tray of buns and left me only one fried dough stick. Do you still have the nerve to ask me to treat you?"

Hearing this, Dawei became flustered: "Hey! You're being unreasonable! You don't like fatty meat, can you blame me? Besides, didn't I buy you a gun afterward? It was much more expensive than a tray of buns."

"Enough, even if you ate two trays of buns, it wouldn't be that expensive. I'll buy you two trays of buns today and see if you can eat them all," Wang Yong said, pursing his lips.

Just as the two were bickering, they suddenly heard Wang Qian cry out, "Ah—" followed by her indignant voice, "What are you doing?"

Wang Yong turned around and saw Wang Qian facing a few young thugs with dyed yellow hair. One of the thugs was grinning and said to Wang Qian, "Beauty, our Brother Yao invites you to sing at the KTV in the county. How about it? Give us some face."

Seeing this, Wang Yong pulled Wang Qian behind him. At the same time, Dawei, who was well-coordinated, delivered a standard side kick, sending the thug who was trying to grab Wang Qian's arm flying over a meter away, directly colliding with the other thugs behind him. The force of the kick knocked down all seven or eight thugs. A guy who looked like the leader got up from the ground and glared at Wang Yong and the others, saying, "You guys dare to hit us? You've got guts. Damn, get up!" He kicked his subordinates who were still groaning on the ground. Except for the one Dawei kicked, who was still rolling on the ground holding his stomach, the others got up and pulled out steel pipes, police batons, and telescopic batons. The leader even pulled out a military bayonet, which had been polished to a gray-white color and had blood grooves, exuding a bloodthirsty aura.

Seeing the military bayonet in the thug's hand, Wang Yong and Dawei exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness of the situation. A military bayonet was not like an ordinary knife; if it pierced 8 centimeters deep, it would be fatal. The bayonet in the thug's hand was about 40 centimeters long, with a triangular blade and three blood grooves, overall gray-white, and had been polished to not reflect light in the sun. It was a genuine military bayonet, not something an ordinary person could obtain.

Seeing the group of thugs advancing, Wang Yong made a gesture and charged at them with Dawei. In such a situation, the first to act had the advantage. Clearly trained in martial arts, Dawei took the lead, kicking a thug with a rubber baton to the ground. As his foot landed, he dodged a telescopic baton, then punched another thug, sending him flying and spitting out blood and two front teeth. Before the thug hit the ground, Dawei grabbed his steel pipe and handed it to Wang Yong. Wang Yong swung the pipe, and for a moment, it seemed as if time stopped within a ten-meter radius. This pause was enough for Wang Yong to easily reach the thug with the bayonet, who was only three meters away. The pipe whistled through the air and struck the thug's arm. The thug, who had just been stunned, saw a flashing shadow coming at him and was hit by the pipe on his arm.

"Smack—"

"Ah—"

Wang Yong, full of anger, used at least 50% of his strength. The thug's arm was bent in an unnatural way, and the bayonet fell to the ground. He was lying on the ground, crying and rolling, holding his arm. His arm was definitely broken, but Wang Yong had held back to avoid making the situation worse. On the other side, Dawei had also dealt with the remaining thugs but was injured and was rubbing his shoulder and gasping.

"Move, police." Two police officers from the town police station arrived. "What's going on?"

The group of thugs on the ground knew each other, and the three standing there were clearly not local farmers, so they were the other party in the conflict.

"Second Master Brother?" Dawei, rubbing his shoulder, looked uncertainly at the police officer in uniform, who had a first-class police inspector badge on his shoulder, indicating his high rank.

"Gaowei, Wang Yong?" The first-class police inspector also seemed uncertain.

"Yeah, it's really you. Impressive, you're already a first-class police inspector?" Dawei excitedly patted the badge on his shoulder.

Wang Yong remembered who this police officer was. He was Zhu Wei, Gaowei's classmate from junior high school, who had been his desk mate for two years. Although their academic performance was vastly different, their relationship, or rather, the relationship among the three of them, was good. Even when Wang Yong was in college, he still kept in touch with Zhu Wei. After graduation, they all got busy with work and lost contact. He didn't expect a graduate of the Police University to end up in such a remote place. Perhaps he had offended someone and was sent here. With many questions in mind, the group headed to the town police station, of course, the two seriously injured thugs were taken to the hospital by another police officer.

After a series of registrations and inquiries, the procedure was completed, and there was nothing left for Wang Yong and the others. A duty police officer told them that Chief Zhu was on a mission and would see them when he had time. From this officer, they learned that Zhu Wei was sent by the Ministry of Public Security for a training assignment. It just so happened that the chief had retired, and the new chief hadn't arrived yet, so Zhu Wei, with the highest rank, was appointed as the acting chief. He had just taken over and was inexperienced, and it was market day, so he was very busy.

The group left the police station, laughing and chatting as they prepared to go to Old Yang's stall for fried dough sticks and tofu pudding. As they walked, they reminisced about their junior high school days.

"Dawei, how many times have I told you? How can you call people by their nicknames in front of so many people? Look, Old Zhu is angry. When old classmates meet, he didn't even invite us to eat or say hello before leaving," Wang Yong complained.

"Wang Yong, you have the nerve to say that? Who in our class didn't have a nickname you gave them? I just followed your lead," Dawei angrily revealed Wang Yong's true nature. Seeing Wang Qian's interested look, Dawei became even more enthusiastic. Just as he was about to continue exposing and accusing Wang Yong, Wang Yong pushed him away and pulled Wang Qian to his side, ignoring Dawei's muttering and taking Wang Qian to the market.

Seeing a stall where an old lady was selling children's shoes, hats, and other items, they couldn't move on. These traditional handmade items were no longer seen in the city. Wang Qian was amazed, looking at one thing after another, unable to let go. In the end, Wang Yong paid for a set for her, including a small hat, a small bib, a small cotton jacket, small cotton pants, and small shoes. This set of exquisitely crafted, high-quality clothes sold for only 100 yuan, making Wang Qian want to take them all.

By the time they reached the place to eat, their hands were full of various items, all bought by Wang Qian.

Today, I'm on duty and sneaked out to upload a chapter! The next chapter will be tomorrow morning.

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