The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 165: Chapter 165: Fear Not the Thief, but Being His Target

They would have never been able to afford this in the past, but now their wages were high and they had no other expenses. They had money.

These clothes were very expensive in their county town. They wanted to buy some here for their family and mail them back.

They chose the sizes, packed them into a woven plastic bag, and continued shopping for summer clothes.

Wu Yao stopped her sister, who was about to pick out more clothes. ”Sis, let’s not buy any more clothes. The cost of one outfit can buy a lot of fabric. We have a sewing machine at home, and Mom knows how to sew.”

”Let’s buy more fabric in different colors so Mom can make several new outfits. With the money we save, we can buy shoes for Mom and our younger siblings.”

Wu Jiao thought for a moment and nodded. ”Yaoyao, you have a point. Let’s just buy fabric.”

And so they bought polyester-blend fabric, as well as cotton fabric—six different bolts of cloth in various colors, enough to make two or three outfits for everyone.

After that, they went to buy shoes. They bought a pair of size 38 leather shoes for their mother and a pair of little white sneakers with laces for their younger brother.

(This style could be worn by both men and women.)

For their younger sister, they bought the kind of little white shoes with an elastic strap across the middle. Kids grow fast, so they intentionally bought them one size bigger than their feet.

(This was a girl’s style and very comfortable.)

The fabric, clothes, and shoes filled one bag, and the dried seafood filled another. They put them on the tricycle.

There wasn’t enough room on the tricycle for everyone. Pingping and An’an rode on the bicycle, and Cai Wenjun sat in the back of the tricycle.

Han Xiaoqing used to think about buying clothes for her parents, but ever since they sold her university acceptance letter, she had considered herself to have no parents.

As for the debt of her upbringing, the money from selling her university acceptance letter had bought out her filial piety.

’In this life, all I want is to live well, stay by my sister’s side, and get through this short, precious existence.’

They didn’t go home. Instead, they went straight to the post office to mail the packages.

The letter was tucked into the pocket of a piece of clothing. After their mother received the clothes, she would definitely try them on and find the envelope.

Inside the envelope was not just a letter, but also photos.

The post office staff carefully inspected the items, sealed the packages, weighed them, filled out the address, and took their payment.

Watching the post office staff carry the two large bags inside, Wu Jiao and Wu Yao’s eyes filled with longing.

Although their boss was very kind, this was the first time Wu Jiao and Wu Yao had been away from home. They were just nineteen-year-old girls, and they were very homesick.

Granny Cai couldn’t bear to see the young girls on the verge of tears. She chuckled, ”Let’s go to the market and get a duck. I’ll make you Eight-Treasure Duck tonight. It’s so fragrant, it’ll make your tongue curl with delight!”

Han Xiaoqing pursed her lips into a small smile. ”Sister Cai, I’d like to eat stir-fried shrimp.”

”Alright, stir-fried shrimp for Xiao Jing it is.” Granny Cai smiled. ”Jiaojiao, Yaoyao, Pingping, An’an, Wenjun, what do you all want to eat? Each of you name one dish, and I’ll make it for you.”

Cai Wenjun was the first to speak up, completely trusting his grandmother. ”Grandma, I want crystal shrimp.”

Pingping thought for a moment. ”I want to eat steamed egg custard.”

Granny Cai’s face lit up with a smile. ”Alright, I’ll make steamed egg custard for you tonight. What about you, An’an?”

An’an answered in a small voice, ”Sweet and sour pork ribs.”

”Okay, Grandma will make it for you.” Granny Cai nodded. ”Jiaojiao, Yaoyao, what about you two?”

Wu Jiao waved her hand. ”Sister Cai, you just said you’d make us Eight-Treasure Duck. We’ve never had it before.”

”Then let’s go grocery shopping right now!” Granny Cai laughed. The little old lady rode the tricycle with surprising vigor.

After buying the groceries, Wu Jiao rode the tricycle, letting Granny Cai and the four children sit in the back.

When they got home, Granny Cai made all the dishes they had asked for, including the Eight-Treasure Duck for Wu Jiao and Wu Yao. ”Jiaojiao, Yaoyao, eat and drink your fill, and you won’t feel homesick.”

”Mm!” Wu Jiao nodded, her heart filled with gratitude for Granny Cai’s kindness. The tip of her nose tingled.

’We’re so lucky. Everyone we’ve met has been so kind.’

’Big Brother, you can rest easy. Don’t worry about us.’

’Once I’ve earned enough money, I’ll definitely find a chance to take Mom and our younger siblings to the Yunnan Martyrs Cemetery to visit you.’

’I’ll even make you your favorite big steamed buns and bring you seafood, so you can taste the flavors of the ocean too.’

That evening, Wu Jiao rode the tricycle to take Granny Cai and Cai Wenjun home, then ambled back.

Tonight, the crescent moon was playful, hiding behind the clouds one moment and peeking out the next.

As she rounded the corner, Wu Jiao saw a figure by their front door. She approached quietly.

She couldn’t make out who it was, but the silhouette felt unfamiliar.

When she was about five or six meters away, the person heard her footsteps, quickly turned their head, and bolted the moment they saw her.

”Where do you think you’re going?” Wu Jiao shouted.

’If it were an acquaintance or someone with no ill intent, they would never have run away just at the sight of someone approaching.’

’This person was clearly up to no good.’

’Ever since we arrived at Sister Xiao Rui’s house, we’ve been called bodyguards, but our work was really that of nannies. There had been no need for our protection at all.’

’But now it seemed Sister Xiao Rui’s worries hadn’t been for nothing.’

’Sister Xiao Rui had a big boat and made a lot of money on every trip. Word had already gotten out.’

’Thieves, or greedy people with malicious intent, must think that a house full of women and children was an easy target.’

After a chase of a dozen meters or so, the person ducked into an alley. Wu Jiao stopped and didn’t follow.

’Wu Yao was home alone. What if this was a ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain? That would be dangerous.’

Wu Jiao went back, carefully checked the main gate, and locked it from the inside.

She carefully inspected the courtyard before finally going back into the house.

Wu Yao was curious. ”Sis, there are so many mosquitoes outside. What are you doing wandering around the yard?”

”Yaoyao, just now I saw a man at our front gate. When I asked who he was, he ran off. I think he was up to no good. We need to be on alert at night for the next few days.”

Hearing this, Wu Yao immediately pulled out a meter-long steel pipe from under her sleeping mat and handed it to Wu Jiao. ”Sis, this one’s for you. You take the first half of the night, and I’ll take the second.”

”Okay!” Wu Jiao agreed. ”You stay downstairs. I’ll go up and tell Xiao Jing, and check the windows while I’m at it.”

”Mm,” Wu Yao nodded. ”We definitely need to tell Xiao Jing about this so she can be on guard.”

Han Xiaoqing was in her room, reading a short story to her two nieces. When she heard Wu Jiao’s warning, she was stunned for a moment. ”My sister was right. A house full of us women and kids has become a juicy target in other people’s eyes.”

”Xiao Jing, don’t be afraid. Yaoyao and I will protect you,” Wu Jiao promised. ”You stay in the room. I’ll check the security bars on the windows and make sure they’re all shut tight. If you hear any noise downstairs, don’t come out.”

Han Xiaoqing nodded. ”I understand. Leave the two children to me.”

With that, she took out a steel pipe from under the bed and placed it by the headboard.

With her sister away, Han Xiaoqing called Yang Zhigang and told him what had happened that evening.

When Yang Zhigang heard this, he was instantly furious. ”Xiao Jing, don’t you worry. We have patrols in the village. I’ll have them pass by your gate more often. If anything happens, call me immediately, and I’ll bring people right over.”

”Thank you, Uncle Yang,” Han Xiaoqing said gratefully. In Jinshan Bay, Uncle Yang was someone she could trust.

After hanging up, Yang Zhigang grabbed a few cartons of cigarettes and went to find the patrol team at the docks. He asked them to pass by Han Xiaorui’s house more frequently during their rounds.

The patrol team members took the cigarettes and readily agreed.

Wu Jiao and Wu Yao took turns keeping watch, but the night passed without incident.

It’s not the thief you fear, but being targeted by one!

This feeling of being targeted by a thief was terrible!