Chapter 84: The Dumbest Thief I’ve Ever Met

The person who had set his sights on Hu Zhaodi and her group turned out to be a thief.

When he saw Hu Zhaodi and her companions leaving the fabric store with high-quality fabric, despite their modest clothing, he figured she must have come into some money.

Hu Zhaodi, aware that someone was following them, didn’t pay it much mind. After all, she had no loose change on her; everything was tucked away in her space. She was also curious to see what this thief would try.

The old scholar led the group to a bookstore to pick out the textbooks they needed.

Choosing the books was entirely up to the old scholar; Hu Zhaodi didn’t know what they needed to buy.

After the books were selected, the bookstore assistant tied them into six bundles with rope.

When Hu Zhaodi pulled out a silver note to pay, the thief’s eyes gleamed with excitement. Jackpot—this really was a fat sheep!

Catching the thief’s eager expression in her peripheral vision, Hu Zhaodi’s lips curled slightly. She deliberately stuffed the remaining silver notes back into the money pouch hanging from her waist.

Since the books were heavy, Hu Tieniu picked up four bundles, and Uncle Ji carried the other two.

Hu Zhaodi and the old scholar were in charge of the fabric.

As they left the bookstore, Hu Zhaodi hoisted the fabric onto her shoulder and purposely walked at the back of the group.

The thief was overjoyed—this girl was walking at the back, which made it the perfect opportunity for him to strike!

After trailing them for a while, the thief noticed more people on the street and casually sidled up to Hu Zhaodi, reaching for her money pouch.

In that instant, Hu Zhaodi shifted the fabric on her shoulder and abruptly turned around. With a loud “thud,” the fabric smacked the thief right on the head.

Startled, the thief quickly retracted his hand.

Hu Zhaodi turned her head and offered an apologetic smile. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to.”

The thief rubbed his head and stammered, “N-no problem.”

Turning back, Hu Zhaodi gave a sly grin before continuing on.

But when the thief reached out for her money pouch again, Hu Zhaodi lowered the fabric and spun around once more.

This time, she didn’t hold back.

Two loud “thud” sounds echoed, one from the fabric hitting the thief’s head, and the other as he fell to the ground.

Once again, Hu Zhaodi put on an apologetic expression. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to.”

The thief was dumbfounded. What was going on with this girl?

He’d followed her the whole way and hadn’t noticed anything odd, but now, she kept turning around randomly. His head was ringing from the blows.

Yet, seeing her genuinely apologetic face, the thief once again believed she hadn’t meant it.

“N-no worries, go ahead. I’m not hurt.”

“Thank you for understanding! I’ll be on my way, then.”

Due to the crowd and the old scholar chattering on, neither Uncle Ji nor the others had noticed what was happening with Hu Zhaodi.

Hu Zhaodi quickly caught up with Uncle Ji and the others, and the thief scrambled to his feet, hurrying after her. He wasn’t giving up; he’d regret it forever if he let such a rich target slip away.

This time, he trailed her cautiously, knees slightly bent.

When the moment was right, he reached for her money pouch again.

Just as his hand was about to touch the pouch, Hu Zhaodi’s lips curled in a mischievous grin, and she turned abruptly.

“Thud, thud,” came the sounds, followed by the thief’s pained cry of “Ow!”

This time, even Uncle Ji and the others ahead turned around in surprise.

Hu Zhaodi looked down at the fallen thief with a playful smirk. “Oh, it’s you again?”

The thief rubbed his head in utter disbelief.

This was the third time he’d been smacked, and this time, he’d even crouched down to avoid it! There was no way he could still believe Hu Zhaodi’s actions were accidental. But how was she managing to hit him every time without even looking back? Did this girl have eyes in the back of her head?

After a second of bewilderment, he decided to make a break for it.

Hu Zhaodi swiftly moved to block his way. “Why are you running? I haven’t even properly apologized for knocking you over.”

Hurry up and apologize, then!

The thief shouted this in his mind but instinctively turned to flee in another direction.

However, no matter which way he tried to run, Hu Zhaodi was always there in an instant, blocking his path.

“Don’t run! If I don’t apologize for hitting you, I’ll feel guilty and won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

“N-no need for that. I know you didn’t mean it,” the thief stammered.

“Oh, but that won’t do. I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean it. To show you my sincere apologies, here—take my money pouch,” Hu Zhaodi said, holding it out to him.

The thief was dumbfounded. Did he hit his head so hard that he was hallucinating? Or was this girl actually out of her mind?

There was quite a bit of silver in that pouch, after all.

Even the old scholar and the others looked thoroughly confused—Zhaodi was acting very strangely today.

The old scholar approached Hu Zhaodi and whispered, “Zhaodi, are you alright?”

Hu Zhaodi gave him a light smile. “Of course! There’s nothing wrong. Don’t worry, Grandpa Ji!”

The old scholar twitched his lips and thought, There’s no way I’m not worried! That pouch of yours has silver notes worth hundreds of taels in it!

“Girl, don’t scare an old man like me—I can’t handle this kind of shock.”

Hu Zhaodi gave him a reassuring look, then casually untied her money pouch and tossed it to the thief. “Honestly, if you wanted my money pouch, you could’ve just asked! It’s just a pouch—why sneak around following me all this way?”

At that moment, the crowd, who had been watching the scene unfold, finally understood: this man was a pickpocket, trying to steal the girl’s pouch.

In an instant, the onlookers surrounded the thief, closing in on him.

The thief was frozen in shock as Hu Zhaodi tossed the pouch to him. Was this girl out of her mind?

When the light little pouch landed in his hands, he finally realized he’d been played by a girl who looked barely over ten.

Trying to be subtle, he squeezed the pouch and confirmed it was empty.

He’d been watching her ever since she’d left the bookstore, and he hadn’t seen her touch the pouch even once! So, where was the silver?

Realizing the trap, the only thought in the thief’s mind was to escape.

But glancing around, he saw no possible way out—the crowd was staring at him with amused expressions.

Hu Zhaodi raised an eyebrow and taunted, “Well? Aren’t you going to run? If you wait any longer, you won’t get another chance.”

At her words, the thief turned and tried to charge past a small elderly man in the crowd.

The old man widened his eyes, ready to brace himself, but Hu Zhaodi swiftly crouched down and swept her right leg out, tripping the thief.

With a loud thud, the thief crashed to the ground.

Hu Zhaodi shook her head in mock disappointment. “Sigh. All my life, I’ve never met such a clumsy thief. This must be your first day on the job?”

The old scholar nodded in agreement. “Must be. He couldn’t even steal your money pouch—he probably hasn’t been a thief for more than a few days.”