Chapter 31: Robbed

An Changlin’s sister froze the moment she took the letter from Fan Lihua’s hand; she recognized her brother’s handwriting. The letter had indeed been written by An Changlin.

Chen Haichao was perfectly capable of writing his own letters, so there was no reason for him to have An Changlin ghostwrite one to his family. Unless, of course, something had happened to him. Fan Lihua grew anxious immediately.

Fan Lihua’s unease made An Changlin’s mother worry as well. The two elderly women kept their eyes fixed on An Changlin’s sister, only letting out a sigh of relief once she finished reading the letter aloud.

"Is that all it is? So they got held up in the county seat! If they can find work there, that’s not a bad thing—at least they’re closer to home. There’s nothing so great about the provincial capital anyway; being in a strange place where you don't know anyone is even more worrying."

Fan Lihua said this while slapping her curved knees, then hurriedly hopped off the An family’s heated brick bed. She had a medicinal decoction simmering for Chen Jiangchao back home and feared it might boil dry if she stayed away too long. She left the An household in such a rush that she even forgot the letter.

Only after watching Fan Lihua walk away from the window did An Changlin’s sister pick up the other letter her brother had sent. She told her mother that Chen Haichao had suddenly fallen ill at the train station on their way to the provincial capital, leaving An Changlin no choice but to stay behind with him in the county seat to help him recover.

Chen Haichao had already taken a significant amount of the family’s money with him; he didn't want to return home and disappoint his mother, nor did he want to burden his second brother, Chen Yunchao. He was now working odd jobs with An Changlin while undergoing treatment.

"What a nuisance. I hope it’s not smallpox!" An Changlin’s mother sighed, her face full of sorrow. She feared her son might be infected and worried that caring for a sick person would wear him out. However, An Changlin’s letter repeatedly urged the family not to tell anyone about Chen Haichao’s condition, nor to come visit him. He hadn't even left an address for where they were staying, leaving her with nothing to do but fret.

After several days of spring rain, the temperature rose noticeably. When the long-distance bus arrived at the county station, beads of sweat appeared on Li Tian'er’s nose, and she felt a warm glow. By the time she reached the main street of the county town, she was drenched in sweat.

She visited several grocery stores with her fruit samples. This time, she didn't insist on "cash on delivery." Based on her experience, it was harder to get customers to part with their money upfront, whereas negotiating a commission for consignment sales was much easier.

The county’s economy was not as developed as the big cities, and the small shopkeepers were cautious. Although she faced the risk of not collecting payment, her intuition helped her determine which owners were worth partnering with. She kept the volume of consigned fruit within a controlled risk range, planning to return the next day to settle accounts before deciding whether to increase, decrease, or terminate the partnership.

To earn someone’s trust, one must first show trust in them.

Afterward, she visited the four fruit shops she had worked with previously, wholesaling two types of exclusively supplied fruits to each. Once the payments were collected, her small sheepskin bag was packed full.

"Don't show off your wealth, miss. It’s not safe to carry so much money on you. You’d better go to the bank and deposit it quickly."

Li Tian'er smiled and thanked the concerned shopkeeper for the advice, then hailed a tricycle and hurried toward the Xinhua Bookstore.

***

In the morning meeting at the village, the cadres expressed their hope that she could start the medicinal herb cultivation project as soon as possible, so she needed to equip herself with knowledge first. She planned to collect the remaining consignment payments tomorrow and begin planning the ginseng cultivation project as soon as she returned to Xiaowu Village.

The Xinhua Bookstore closed at 4:30 PM. Li Tian'er frantically searched for a few books on medicinal plant cultivation and, without time to look them over, hurried to the counter to pay.

As she stepped out of the bookstore clutching the bag of books, she felt the temperature beginning to drop. The sweat on her body turned cold in an instant.

The wide temperature gap between morning and evening made it easy to catch a cold in the spring. Li Tian'er intended to go to the guest house where she had stayed before to take a packet of cold medicine. Just as she was debating whether to take a taxi or walk, she felt something tugging at her from behind. When she turned to look, a figure darted away.

She instinctively reached for her bag and was shocked to find her small sheepskin shoulder bag gone. Only a strap remained dangling from her shoulder, cut through by a blade, revealing the off-white lining inside.

"Robbery!"

The bag contained the fruits of her afternoon’s labor—several hundred yuan from the fruit sales. Li Tian'er’s scalp tingled with panic, and she immediately took off in pursuit of the retreating figure.

Li Tian'er shouted as she ran, hoping someone would stop the villain ahead. Unfortunately, the more she shouted, the faster the crowd scattered; everyone watched as if it were a street performance, observing her as she disregarded all decorum to give chase.

The robber turned into a small alley and vanished.

*I must get the bag back!*

That was the only thought in Li Tian'er’s mind. Looking back on it later, she found it somewhat ridiculous. At the time, she had risked her life for a few hundred yuan. The robber had a knife, and she, a lone woman with empty hands, was clearly at a disadvantage.

The sun was already dipping below the horizon. The alley was dim and virtually empty, the side streets silent and still. Li Tian'er ran into the alley, following her instincts.

"Heh, choosing money over your life, are you? Not a bad-looking girl. Come, play with your big brothers for a while."

A mocking, sinister voice came from nearby. Li Tian'er stopped, but couldn't see anyone.

"Give me back my bag."

She demanded her belongings with righteous indignation.

"Sure, come over here and get it."

***

A tall, thin man emerged from a dark corner, waving the bag in his hand. Judging by his height and build, he wasn't the same man who had snatched her bag; it was clearly a coordinated effort.

Li Tian'er finally realized the danger. Scanning with her peripheral vision, she saw her path of retreat blocked by a short, squat figure.

Caught in a pincer movement, she had to rely on surprise to win. Li Tian'er still held onto the naive hope that she could retrieve her bag and leave safely.

"Fine, I'll come over. But keep your word."

She walked toward the tall, thin man as she spoke. There was a distance of five or six meters between them, and the short man behind her stood motionless. Li Tian'er intended to walk slowly until she was close enough to snatch the bag back in a quick strike.

The man watched her approach as if admiring a model, arms crossed, his eyes roaming over her face and waist. He dangled her sheepskin bag by its zipper strap in one hand, while the other rubbed his chin, as if contemplating how to handle the beauty approaching him.

The man’s face became clearer, and his long, thin, horse-like face finally came into sharp focus.

Li Tian'er feigned a smile to distract him. Feeling she was close enough, she suddenly reached out and grabbed the bag from the man’s hand.

The thrill of reclaiming the bag surged through her, but she immediately realized she had to run. She bolted past the man with the horse-face.

"Hey, don't run, beauty. You can have the bag, but you have to stay."

The man didn't chase her; his voice carried an eerie, mocking laugh.

Seeing the dead end ahead, Li Tian'er understood why he had laughed. She realized they had lured her here on purpose. She felt the sheepskin bag in her hand; it didn't feel like it contained money. She pulled the zipper open, only to find a crumpled ball of newspaper inside.

Li Tian'er’s face turned deathly pale.