The two guards then asked Sanbao for more details and, upon learning that their target was an elderly woman, were confident they could handle it.

Even if she had accomplices, they were not afraid.

Their primary concern was to ensure the safety of the two young boys.

They quickly made a plan and took action.

Sanbao stood at the compound gate, acting as a guard while watching the two guards follow the route he had described.

He felt anxious, hoping that his older brothers would be safe.

During the day, as long as Eldest Brother and Second Brother did not follow the old woman, they were unlikely to encounter any trouble.

After years of training with their father, even if the old woman tried to forcibly take Yibao and Erbao, it would be absolutely impossible for her to succeed on her own.

Thinking this, Sanbao felt somewhat relieved.

However, his anxiety quickly returned.

Their lives had always been smooth and uneventful.

Today was the first time they had encountered such a situation.

Sanbao was only nine years old, and no matter how smart he was, he was still just a child.

Twelve is considered a young teenager, but at nine, he was still just a kid.

As Sanbao worried, two guards followed the route he had mentioned and soon spotted Yibao and Erbao.

Yibao and Erbao were walking towards the courtyard with the old woman when they saw the two guards approaching them.

In that moment of eye contact, everyone except Erbao understood.

Yibao had anticipated that after Sanbao went back, he would look for help from the guards at the courtyard gate.

Sanbao wouldn’t go to their mother for help because if something happened to her, they would never forgive themselves.

Additionally, their mother couldn’t help them in this situation.

So, in this unfamiliar place, the only people Sanbao could rely on were the guards at the courtyard gate.

After all, they didn’t even know where the police station was.

Seeing the two guards, Yibao knew he had guessed correctly.

Erbao had no reaction to the guards.

It was quite normal to see someone you know on the road, right?

Erbao didn’t think much of it and was still curious about what would happen after Sanbao left.

But he was always on guard, especially against the old woman.

At that moment, the two guards approached: “Yibao, Erbao…”

Hearing their names, Erbao was surprised: “Brother, how do they know our names?”

Yibao wanted to roll his eyes at his younger brother but managed to suppress it and feigned ignorance: “I don’t know?”

He then turned to the guards, “Uncle, is there something you need from us?”

The guards had observed the surroundings as they approached, trying to see if the old woman had any accomplices.

Their observation showed that the old woman was not looking around suspiciously, indicating there were likely no accomplices nearby.

If a trafficker was targeting children, there would usually be accomplices around to assist, and the trafficker would frequently check in with them or exchange glances.

However, the old woman hadn’t shown any such behavior, meaning she was acting alone.

However, the guards remained cautious.

The old woman could easily deceive the children with meat buns and make them follow her willingly.

They needed to be careful as the old woman was quite cunning.

The two guards approached Yibao and Erbao: “Yibao, Erbao, your mother…” While speaking, they naturally positioned themselves between the old woman and the children to avoid any potential harm to the children.

Then, with lightning speed, they moved to apprehend the old woman.

The old woman, seeing the guards coming for her, immediately tried to flee.

However, as an elderly woman, she couldn’t outrun soldiers from the military.

The two guards quickly captured her.

Seeing the old woman running, Yibao and Erbao’s hearts also raced, and they rushed over.

But before they could run too far, the old woman was already restrained by the guards.

Yibao and Erbao felt relieved.

“Let go of me, let go of me, let me go…” The old woman’s face was ashen as she panicked.

She was extremely worried.

Despite being cautious, how could things end up like this?

When she saw Yibao and Erbao, she realized that the story about the child going home to get money was just a ruse to find someone to come after her.

But how did they know about her?

“Be quiet. Any questions will be answered at the police station,” one of the guards said as he restrained the old woman.

The other guard said to Yibao and Erbao, “Little comrades, we need to take her to the police station. Please come with us to give your statements.”

“No problem,” Yibao replied.

Erbao said, “We don’t know where the police station is. It’s good that we can get to know the way. If we had known where the police station was earlier, we would have taken her there immediately.”

The guards, hearing Erbao’s words, smiled and praised them: “You did well.”

“Hehe…” Erbao gave a shy smile.

Yibao also smiled faintly.

The five of them, ignoring the old woman’s struggles, soon arrived at the police station.

The local police were familiar with the two guards, having seen them come and go from the courtyard.

When they saw the guards with an old woman and two young boys, one of the officers immediately approached to ask, “What’s going on here?”

The guards explained, “This old woman tried to deceive the children with meat buns. We suspect she’s a trafficker.”

Upon hearing it was a case involving a trafficker, the officer’s demeanor became serious: “First, separate them and take their statements.”

He then called for another officer, “Take this old woman in for interrogation.”

The old woman struggled even more: “I’m not a trafficker. I’m not a trafficker. Let me go, I’m not a trafficker…”

The officer holding the old woman said, “If you’re not a trafficker, why are you trying to deceive the children with meat buns? We’ll sort this out inside.”

The old woman continued, “I’m really not a trafficker. I… I didn’t deceive them with meat buns. I just…”

Before she could finish, she was taken into the interrogation room.

As the door closed behind her, all her words were cut off.

The statements from Yibao, Erbao, and the two guards were quickly recorded; it wasn’t a complicated matter.

As for Sanbao, a nine-year-old child, his statement was considered less critical.

However, the old woman’s statement still wasn’t finished.

But once Yibao, Erbao, and the two guards had completed their statements, they were free to leave the police station.

After leaving the police station, the two guards said to Yibao and Erbao, “You did very well this time, comrades. You are true children of the compound. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Uncle Guards,” Yibao and Erbao waved as they left.

After parting with the guards, Erbao asked, “Brother, even if Sanbao didn’t really go home to get the money, how did he think of asking the guards for help?”

If they hadn’t heard the guards say they were called by Sanbao, Erbao would never have thought of it.

Yibao gave his less intelligent younger brother a look.

Such matters that required thinking were hard to explain to him.

But as a good older brother, he patiently explained, “The old woman was suspicious. We are kids and can’t act on our own, so we needed to drag her to find an adult. I made up an excuse to go home to get money, but our only adult at home is Mother, who is a woman and wouldn’t be able to handle bad people. So, if we needed another adult, who could we turn to?”

“Hmm,” Erbao understood.

But since they didn’t know any other adults around and didn’t know where the police station was, the only people they could turn to who were somewhat familiar were the guards at the compound gate.

“I see,” Erbao said, now understanding.

Yibao thought for a moment and asked another question, “If it were you pretending to go get the money, what would you do?”

“I’d definitely find someone for help,” Erbao said confidently.

Although he wasn’t as smart as Yibao and Sanbao, he wasn’t foolish.

He remembered their mother often telling them not to fight with bad people.

“That’s correct,” Yibao said. “But it’s not entirely right because going to the police station to find the police would take time. During that time, the traffickers might get suspicious and run away.

So, to deal with bad people, you can’t let them suspect you; you need to resolve the situation quickly. Finding someone somewhat familiar and trustworthy, like the guards, is the best approach.”

Yibao’s explanation was clear, and Erbao understood. He said, “Brother, should we tell Mother about this when we get home? She’ll surely worry about us. Maybe it’s better not to mention it.”

Yibao said, “We should still tell her. Mother wouldn’t want us to lie to her. Besides, even if we don’t tell her, if the guards run into Father and Mother, they’ll surely tell them.

It’s better to confess directly than to wait and have Mother be angry with us when the guards tell her. You should also always talk to me or Father and Mother about anything that happens.”

“I understand, Brother,” Erbao said.

Yibao thought that if it were him, he would try to avoid telling Mother about dangerous situations if possible.

But since Erbao was not reliable in handling things alone, it was better to inform them.

Unbeknownst to Erbao, who had his own thoughts, this was a double standard.

“Brother, should we still go for a morning run?” Erbao asked.

“No, we’ll go buy breakfast at the state-run restaurant and then go home. Mother will be waking up soon,” Yibao said.

Yibao and Erbao bought buns and steamed buns from the state-run restaurant and returned to the compound, where they met Sanbao waiting at the gate.

Seeing his two older brothers return, Sanbao ran up to them, “Brothers, you’re finally back!”

Erbao asked, “Sanbao, why didn’t you go home and wait?”

San Bao: “I’ll go home first. Mom will ask about you, and I’ll be waiting for you.” He didn’t know what Big Brother and Second Brother would say about this, so he needed to discuss it with them.

Yi Bao understood his meaning: “Let’s tell Mom the truth later.”

Er Bao nodded: “Okay.”

The two brothers discussed the police station while heading home.

As they were nearing their house, they saw two boys coming from the opposite side.

Er Bao said: “Brother, look! The person with the fishing rod from yesterday. Can I go ask him where to fish?”

Yi Bao replied: “Sure.”

So, Er Bao ran over: “Comrade… Comrade…”

Yu Chengci and his friend Zhang Mingcheng were on their way to buy breakfast.

They saw the twins approaching and one of them calling out to them, which made them a bit surprised.

Yu Chengci then said, “Mingcheng, look, they’re twins.”

Zhang Mingcheng looked on with curiosity.

Er Bao, being quite outgoing, continued: “I’d like to ask you something.”

“What’s up?” Yu Chengci asked.

Thinking about what his friends had mentioned—possibly being bullied by a stepmother—and what his mom had said about not spreading unverified rumors, he felt some sympathy for them.

Er Bao said: “I saw you with fishing rods passing by my house yesterday. Are you fishing? Do you know where we can fish around here?”

Yu Chengci and Zhang Mingcheng became interested: “Do you know how to fish? Are you any good?”

Er Bao: “I can fish, I guess. I catch fish every time.” He wasn’t sure if that was impressive or not.