PWE – Chapter 107 Is she a liar?

After finishing the meal, Xiao Wange quickly took Zhaozhao out of the restaurant.

The old woman hurriedly paid the bill as well and got up to follow them out.

Xiao Wange had originally planned to head home after eating.

But now that someone had their eye on her, she wasn’t in a hurry to leave.

She led Zhaozhao toward the supply-and-marketing cooperative, intending to go somewhere crowded.

When they reached the entrance of the cooperative, she suddenly stopped and put down the basket on her back.

Pretending to be tired and needing a rest, she turned around and glanced at the old woman.

Seeing Xiao Wange stop and look back, the old woman’s breathing tightened, and she inexplicably felt nervous.

However, after quietly taking a breath, she suppressed her anxiety, lifted her head, straightened her chest, and walked toward Xiao Wange.

As she passed by Xiao Wange, Xiao Wange suddenly stood up and hoisted the basket back onto her back.

That movement caused them to brush past each other. The old woman frowned and couldn’t help turning her head to look at her.

Xiao Wange curled her lips and gave the old woman a faint smile.

The old woman’s brow furrowed even more. She couldn’t understand why Xiao Wange was smiling at her.

Without thinking too deeply about it, she quickened her steps and entered the supply-and-marketing cooperative.

She had already been planning to carry out her scheme in a crowded place. She hadn’t expected Xiao Wange to be so “considerate” as to walk right into the cooperative herself.

Even though it was already noon, there were still quite a few people inside.

Making a move in such a crowded place—no matter how capable Xiao Wange was, she wouldn’t be able to wriggle out of it afterward.

But once inside, the old woman belatedly realized that she should have quietly slipped the item into Xiao Wange’s basket earlier.

That had been a perfect chance to make her move—and she had missed it. She really was stupid!

Feeling annoyed, she secretly turned back to take a look, hoping Xiao Wange would hurry in. Once she did, she would act!

…

Xiao Wange soon led Zhaozhao into the cooperative. She brought him to the shoe counter and showed him some shoes.

The staff there were very enthusiastic, taking out the latest styles for her to look at.

Both Xiao Wange and Zhaozhao were wearing clothes bought in the county town. Just from the fabric, it was obvious they were well-off, so the salesclerk was especially warm and smiling from ear to ear.

After looking for a couple of minutes, Xiao Wange chose the most expensive pair of small leather shoes and prepared to pay.

But when she reached into her pocket, her hand froze, and her expression instantly cracked.

She stared in shock. “Where’s my money? Why is my money gone?”

The old woman who had just walked up behind her: “……”

What did that mean? Xiao Wange’s money was gone?

Was it really gone, or was she pretending?

The salesclerk was also stunned and hurriedly asked, “Comrade, there have been pickpockets in town lately. Could it be that you ran into one?”

“A pickpocket?” Xiao Wange looked surprised. “There are pickpockets in town?”

The salesclerk nodded. “Yes. Quite a few people here have fallen victim. Those pickpockets are especially despicable—they pretend to bump into people accidentally, then take the chance to steal the money from their pockets. Think about it carefully—did anyone bump into you? I bet it was whoever bumped into you who stole your money.”

“The person who bumped into me?” Xiao Wange frowned, thought for a moment, and replied, “Yes, there was an old woman. At the entrance of the cooperative, an old woman bumped into me. Other than her, there was no one else.”

The old woman behind her: “……”

Was Xiao Wange talking about her? Was she accusing her of being a pickpocket?

The salesclerk slapped her thigh and said with sudden realization, “Then it must have been her—definitely her! Let me tell you, some old women nowadays are especially bad. They wander around town and steal money whenever they see someone well-off. They rely on their age, thinking no one will suspect them, so they’re particularly bold. I even saw the police arrest an old woman pickpocket before—she was nearly sixty!”

The old woman behind them: “……”

She was furious. She felt that Xiao Wange was clearly talking about her, and that the salesclerk’s words were all but calling her a pickpocket.

Pickpocket my foot! She hadn’t even done anything yet—how had she already become a thief?

What’s more, her original plan had been to frame Xiao Wange as a pickpocket.

She had intended to bump into Xiao Wange “by chance,” slip her own money into Xiao Wange’s pocket, and then accuse her.

But before she could even act, she had been labeled a pickpocket instead! This was infuriating!

Her face darkened, as gloomy as if storm clouds had gathered over it.

Then, absentmindedly, she touched her pocket—and that touch startled her.

Her right pocket, which had originally been empty, now felt bulging.

What was this?

When had something appeared in her pocket?

She quickly pulled her pocket open and secretly glanced inside.

That single look startled her even more.

Inside was a wad of cash! At a glance, there were many large-denomination bills—at least a hundred yuan!

Her eyes widened in shock. When had this money gotten into her pocket? And… could this be Xiao Wange’s money?

An instinctive sense of unease rose in her. She instinctively felt that she might have fallen into Xiao Wange’s trap.

She wanted to turn around and leave, to get away from this place as fast as possible.

After all, with the money in her pocket, if Xiao Wange demanded a search on the spot and the money was found, she wouldn’t be able to explain herself even with ten mouths.

But just as she turned around, Xiao Wange’s voice reached her: “Old comrade, you were the one who bumped into me just now, weren’t you?”

The old woman: “……”

Her steps halted, and her expression stiffened involuntarily.

Seeing everyone around turn to look at her, she knew it was impossible to pretend nothing had happened and leave.

So she cleared her throat and said calmly, “I bumped into you just now? Comrade, what are you talking about? I’ve never even seen you. If I had bumped into you, I’d definitely remember it—but I have no impression at all. Comrade, please don’t make accusations so casually. Lying isn’t a good trait.”

She spoke with complete composure, even lecturing Xiao Wange.

Xiao Wange stared straight at her. “Old comrade, it was you who bumped into me just now. At the entrance of the cooperative, you bumped into me and then quickly went inside. I thought it was an accident—but now it seems you had ulterior motives!”

“Hey, you little girl, how can you slander people like that? When did I ever bump into you? I didn’t see you at the entrance at all. I know you’re anxious because your money is missing, but no matter how anxious you are, you shouldn’t frame me like this!” the old woman said displeasedly, her face darkening.

Seeing how calm the old woman looked, the surrounding people hesitated. She didn’t seem like she was lying—but the young girl didn’t look like she was making things up either.

So what exactly was going on?

Just then, the salesclerk who had been helping Xiao Wange suddenly looked at the old woman and said, “Then do you dare let us search you? If we find this comrade’s money on you, that proves you stole it. If we don’t find anything, that proves you didn’t steal it and that we wronged you. If we wronged you, we’ll apologize properly. How about that?”

The old woman: “……”

She turned and glared at the salesclerk, cursing her for being nosy!

Grinding her teeth, she lifted her chin and said, “You want to search me just because you say so? Who do you think you are, being so overbearing? And searching someone is such a humiliation—it’s how criminals are treated! I won’t let you search me. I won’t suffer this kind of insult!”

With that, she strode toward the entrance. “What kind of cooperative is this? The salesclerks here help others frame me. I’m never coming here again!”

The salesclerk: “……”

She was furious. This old woman was clearly suspicious—trying to run away and even scolding her on top of that.

She jumped out from behind the counter and rushed up behind the old woman, reaching out to grab her.

But before her hand could reach her, the old woman fell to the ground by herself.

As she fell, the money in her pocket spilled out.

Seeing the wad of cash, everyone around gasped.

The old woman had so much money on her! At a glance, it was at least a hundred yuan.

Seeing the money, Xiao Wange cried out, “That’s my money! That’s my money!”

This made everyone freeze for a moment. That money belonged to the young woman? So the old woman really had stolen it?

Hearing this, the salesclerk smiled smugly. She knew there was something wrong with this old woman. She picked up the money, held it up, and said loudly, “See? This old woman is a pickpocket—she stole money!”

The old woman was aching all over from the fall.

But she didn’t care about the pain. She scrambled up and snatched the money back.

Stuffing it into her pocket, she glared at the salesclerk. “This is my money! I saved it bit by bit with great hardship! Don’t go around framing people! Don’t help that little girl slander an innocent person!”

Then she turned on Xiao Wange. “You’re going too far, young lady! You only glanced at the money once and immediately claimed it was yours? Money all looks the same—how could you recognize it at a glance? You’re clearly trying to seize my money for yourself. You’re obviously a swindler!”

She then looked around at the crowd with a wronged expression. “Everyone, please judge for me. I’m an old woman who worked hard to save this money over a long time. Now this young girl not only frames me, she even wants to take my money as her own. How can she be so excessive, so shameless?!”

After a pause, she continued, “I don’t know how she found out I had money, but she came up with such a vicious scheme. First she says in front of everyone that she lost her money, then says I bumped into her. Then she can search me and claim my money is hers, taking it away in one go. I know there are shameless people in this world—but I never thought someone could be this shameless.”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she even began wiping away tears.

People tend to sympathize with the weak. Seeing the old woman look so pitiful, many in the crowd believed her.

Someone glared at Xiao Wange and scolded disapprovingly, “You young girl—of all things to learn at such a young age, you had to learn how to scam people!”