Chapter 32: I Don’t Know How Long I’ve Waited

The moment she heard that voice, Xu Jiaojiao felt a conditioned reflex of physiological disgust.

However, she didn’t intend to pay any attention to her.

Just as she was about to turn around and buy a vest, she heard the skinny man shout angrily.

“You’re full of shit!”

He had only made one sale today, and he had been caught.

He was already so miserable, and someone was trying to extort him?

The skinny man’s expression was even more furious than Xu Jiaojiao’s.

“My money is gone. If you didn’t steal it, who did?”

Li Wenxiu had already squeezed over, intentionally or unintentionally blocking Xu Jiaojiao’s path.

“Where did you lose your money? How would I know?”

“I don’t believe you. Did you put my money with hers?”

Li Wenxiu pointed at Xu Jiaojiao.

Xu Jiaojiao: …

She finally understood. This woman was trying to extort her.

“If that’s the case, let’s go to the police station and make things clear.”

Xu Jiaojiao was too lazy to argue with her and went straight to the point.

“No need to go to the police station. I lost ten yuan. Let me have a look, I can recognize it.”

Li Wenxiu moved aside, blocking Xu Jiaojiao’s path again.

This time, Xu Jiaojiao was really annoyed.

“You’re afraid to go to the police station, aren’t you? You must be guilty. So, tell me, do you know how much money I have here?”

Li Wenxiu had no idea how much money she had.

Her money was indeed missing, but she didn’t know where she lost it.

She heard that the thief had been caught, so she came to see if her money had been stolen by her.

Xu Jiaojiao sneered and raised the money in her hand.

“There are twenty-eight yuan and six jiao in total, two ten-yuan bills, one five-yuan bill, three one-yuan bills, and six jiao. If you doubt it, let’s go to the police station together.”

The onlookers looked at the money in her hand, neatly stacked.

They also began to doubt.

How could a thief have time to stack the money so neatly after stealing it?

Could this woman be trying to cheat money?

Thinking this way, the crowd’s suspicious gaze turned to Li Wenxiu.

“Comrade, if you lost your money, go find it. She even knows how much jiao there is. The money must be hers.”

“That’s right. Ten-yuan bills all look the same. How can you say it’s yours?”

“She said she’ll go to the police station. Why don’t you go?”

…

Seeing the suspicious looks around her, Li Wenxiu’s face turned pale and red, looking very ugly.

But her eyes still wouldn’t give up, looking at the money in Xu Jiaojiao’s hand.

What if her money was there?

“Please, just let me have a look.”

“Why? Just because you say it’s yours?” Xu Jiaojiao rolled her eyes, not wanting to bother with her.

“Then let’s go to the police station. I don’t believe she has so much money!” Ye Shuizhen couldn’t stand her appearance and said angrily.

Hearing this, Li Wenxiu’s expression also wavered.

She was so poor, where did she get more than twenty yuan?

She knew it well, her clothes were all torn.

“Comrade, did you hide your money in your shoes?”

Suddenly, an old woman’s voice came from the crowd.

Hearing this, the crowd started discussing.

“Yeah, check your shoes. Maybe it’s in there.”

It was common to put money in shoes in those days.

They were afraid of losing it, and also afraid of being stolen.

Some messy people even put it directly in their underwear.

Hearing everyone’s suggestions, Li Wenxiu’s face became even more embarrassed.

She wasn’t a country bumpkin. How could she hide money in her shoes?

Seeing her refusing to do this or that, the crowd’s patience gradually ran out.

“Xu Jiaojiao, I’ve known you for a while. Where did you get so much money?”

Seeing the situation was not right, Ye Shuizhen said again, her face full of suspicion.

The meaning of her words was clear.

Hearing this, Li Wenxiu felt like she had found a lifeline and turned to Xu Jiaojiao again.

“Jiaojiao, we’ve been friends for so long. I know your situation…”

Hearing this, the crowd’s gaze changed again.

Could it be that this woman took the other person’s money first, and then it was stolen?

Xu Jiaojiao was about to laugh. “My husband is standing right here. Don’t you see him?”

As soon as she said this, Li Wenxiu’s face froze, and her face turned pale.

Seeing her like this, the male onlookers all showed a look of pity.

But the skinny man who had been caught raised his head and spat at Li Wenxiu, cursing:

“Bitch, you’re always pretending!”

Li Wenxiu didn’t react in time and was sprayed with the foul-smelling saliva on her face.

She screamed and backed away in horror.

Xu Jiaojiao happened to be blocked by her and didn’t get hit.

But she didn’t feel sorry for her.

She always came out to be annoying and pretentious. Today, she was finally disgusted.

It was karma!

Thinking that she still owed her ten yuan.

Xu Jiaojiao was about to say something nasty to her when she saw Li Wenxiu cover her face and squeeze out of the crowd.

…

“Go buy your things. I’ll take this guy to the police station.”

Qin Shu’s voice came from behind. Xu Jiaojiao turned around and saw him escorting the man away.

“Okay.”

She responded and turned to leave.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to watch, the crowd slowly moved again.

“Jiaojiao! I’m here!”

Suddenly, Chen Qiaolian’s voice came from ahead.

Seeing her, Xu Jiaojiao was overjoyed and squeezed towards her.

“I finally found you!”

Xu Jiaojiao looked worried, but she saw how crowded it was.

The female educated youths were used to it. They pulled her hand and squeezed through the crowd skillfully.

“Let’s go. Aren’t you going to buy that thing?”

Hearing this, Xu Jiaojiao’s eyes lit up, and she was even more eager than Chen Qiaolian.

She couldn’t convince herself to use that thing at home.

So she asked for help from the female educated youths who came from the city.

As expected, Chen Qiaolian took her to a small counter.

“What kind do you want?” There were few choices for daily necessities at the time.

There were no styles to choose from.

But this self-changing cotton pad was much better than using straw ash.

Finally, she bought it, and Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Holding her loot, she went to the vest counter.

Soon, she got two vests.

She had bought all the important things she needed. Xu Jiaojiao followed the group and wandered around several counters.

When they went out, it was almost eleven o’clock.

The group finally squeezed out of the department store.

Xu Jiaojiao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

If she hadn’t gone out, she would have doubted if she would have suffocated.

Taking a deep breath, she said to Chen Qiaolian, “Qiaolian, we’re going to the state-owned restaurant…”

Before Xu Jiaojiao finished speaking.

She saw the fiery female educated youth pulling the people beside her and leaving.

She only left behind a sentence.

“We won’t disturb you two.”

Looking at her winking expression, Xu Jiaojiao noticed the tall figure not far away.

He had been waiting for a long time.

Xu Jiaojiao: …