Chapter 84

Shi Tingyu felt the leash in her hand suddenly tighten.

It turned out that Lijian had sprung up.

Lijian, being a descendant of military dogs, had an inherent drive to fight against injustice. When the commotion broke out, it seemed as if his instincts awakened, and if not for the leash, he would have bolted immediately.

Even so, he whined anxiously, looking at Shi Tingyu with eager eyes.

Shi Tingyu suddenly thought of the protagonist she had depicted in her drawings. Lijian was a smart dog, always aware of his differences from other dogs, and therefore more eager to prove himself.

In that moment, Lijian overlapped with the protagonist of “Loyal Dog,” Chasing Wind.

Lijian had always been the model for Chasing Wind, and now she truly felt his resilience and longing.

With a decision made, Shi Tingyu quickly unfastened the leash.

It all happened in a flash, from Lijian wanting to chase after the thief to Shi Tingyu removing the leash—it took only a few seconds.

The thief was still running through the street, with onlookers hesitant to intervene directly. Occasionally, someone brave enough would try to trip him up, slowing him down.

The moment the leash was loosened, Lijian bolted forward.

His initial force was so strong that he lost balance and hit the ground chin-first, but he quickly got up and continued running.

Shi Tingyu’s heart tightened as she watched this.

Everyone’s attention was on the thief when suddenly, a wolf-blue figure darted past them, kicking up a gust of wind.

By the time they reacted, Lijian had already leaped and bit the thief.

The thief screamed as he was tackled to the ground.

Lijian bit down on the man’s arm, his eyes sharp as he watched the struggling, wailing thief. Any movement from the man would make Lijian bite deeper.

Soon, the thief and Lijian were surrounded by a crowd.

People were amazed, praising the dog’s ability.

“Who would’ve thought a dog with a lame leg could catch a thief so well?”

“Look at its build; it’s no ordinary mutt.”

Someone knowledgeable commented.

“It looks like a military dog.”

The crowd nodded, though they weren’t entirely sure what a military dog looked like.

At this point, Shi Tingyu arrived.

Seeing the man struggling under Lijian’s bite, Shi Tingyu quickly addressed the crowd, “Could a few of you gentlemen help hold the thief down? I’m afraid if my dog lets go, he might run off again.”

Seeing some hesitation, Shi Tingyu approached and reattached the leash. “My dog is trained and won’t hurt anyone.”

The man who identified the dog as a military breed was the first to step up. He held the thief down and shouted, “There are so many of us here, and the dog’s owner is right here. What’s there to be afraid of?”

With that encouragement, two more men came forward to hold the thief down.

Shi Tingyu patted Lijian’s head, “Lijian, release!”

Obeying the command, Lijian immediately let go.

Everyone was impressed.

The previously screaming victim also came over. Seeing the thief pinned down, she kicked him a few times.

“You young thief, you have hands and feet, yet you do this? Shame on you! I’ll teach you to steal!”

The thief, already frightened by Lijian’s bite, was now crying after being kicked.

Satisfied, the woman turned to Shi Tingyu, who was trying to leave with Lijian, and grabbed her arm, thanking her profusely, “Young lady, if it weren’t for you and your clever dog, my money would’ve been gone! Please, don’t leave. I must thank you properly.”

Saying this, the woman remembered her money was still on the thief and began to search him.

At this moment, the sound of approaching police was heard.

The post office was in a busy area, and there was a police station nearby. Someone had reported the theft, so the police arrived quickly.

The woman, still holding Shi Tingyu’s hand, led her to the police.

“Officer, we caught the thief, and my money is still on him.”

Shi Tingyu felt a bit embarrassed being dragged along, looking helpless.

The police quickly spotted the thief on the ground.

They took over, securing the thief.

Shi Tingyu, as the owner of the heroic dog, had to accompany the police to the station.

Luckily, the station was nearby.

She went to the post office entrance and rode her bicycle over.

The brand-new 26-inch women’s bicycle immediately attracted a lot of attention.

In addition to her, Lijian, and the older woman who was the victim, the three men who helped also followed along.

The victim, Mrs. Qin, was articulate and praised Lijian highly.

Several police officers were also very interested in Lijian.

Despite his disability, Lijian’s appearance was that of a purebred Kunming dog.

Though not yet widely known, the police were familiar with police dog breeds.

“Comrade Shi, your dog looks quite exceptional,” said an older police officer, looking at Lijian with great interest.

Shi Tingyu didn’t hide anything. “This is a puppy from a military dog training base. Because of his disability, he couldn’t participate in training, so I adopted him.”

Everyone thought to themselves, no wonder. As the saying goes, ‘like father, like son.’ The offspring of military dogs have a heart that fears no hardship.

The victim, Mrs. Qin, was from the railway bureau and had come to the post office to withdraw money.

Her sister-in-law was getting married, and the money was meant as a dowry.

Mrs. Qin didn’t mind giving the money to her sister-in-law since she was a good person and had found a reputable family.

But if the money were lost, it would feel like losing a part of herself.

Mrs. Qin pulled out a large bill and handed it to Shi Tingyu. “Comrade, take this money. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have gotten my money back.”

Shi Tingyu repeatedly declined. “Mrs. Qin, really, there’s no need. This wasn’t entirely my doing. It was my dog, Lijian, who caught the thief.”

In the end, Mrs. Qin generously cut ten pounds of meat, costing seven cents and three per pound, totaling seven yuan and three cents. Shi Tingyu had no choice but to accept.

“Take this meat back and give Lijian a special meal.”

Shi Tingyu couldn’t refuse the kindness of this enthusiastic woman.

Finally, the ten pounds of meat were placed in the small basket on the front of her bike.

Shi Tingyu hadn’t expected that the first time she used the basket, it would be to carry ten pounds of pork.

As for the thief’s injuries, that was no big deal.

In those days, if a thief got hurt while being caught, it wasn’t a problem.

With these ten pounds of meat, Shi Tingyu decided not to buy any other meat.

Perhaps because of the unanimous praise from everyone, Lijian was now in high spirits, full of confidence and energy.