PCJ – Chapter 361 The Theft

“Youping, Youping!”

Zhang Youping and his wife hadn’t even gotten out of bed when they heard someone shouting from outside.

“Who’s shouting this early?” Liu Qiaoye grumbled.

“It sounds like Uncle Jiwang.” Zhang Youping hurriedly put on his clothes and called out, “Uncle Jiwang, hold on, I’ll be right there.”

Zhang Jiwang paced anxiously back and forth outside the door like an ant on a hot pan. He kept glancing toward the window of Zhang Youping’s room. After a short wait, he heard the door open and quickly walked toward it.

Zhang Youping opened the door and, seeing how anxious Zhang Jiwang was, asked curiously, “Uncle Jiwang, what’s got you in such a rush?”

“Don’t even ask. Yesterday, Beggar mentioned that we had a jar of money buried under the bed. When I got home, I was worried it wasn’t safe to keep it there anymore, so I dug it up. But before I could hide it again, your aunt called me to help her with something. I thought I’d hide the jar after I finished helping. But by the time I was done, I completely forgot about it. Before bed, I even checked and saw that the jar was still there. This morning, when I woke up, I found the back door open. I rushed to the room, and the jar of money was gone! I need to report the theft. Can I borrow your phone at the factory to make the call?” Zhang Jiwang said, looking miserable.

“Alright, alright, let’s go. How much money was in the jar?” Zhang Youping asked, feeling equally anxious when he heard Beggar was involved.

“Everything I’ve saved is in that jar. It’s probably around one or two thousand yuan. Your aunt would know for sure. Damn those thieves!” Zhang Jiwang was heartbroken as he spoke.

As they headed toward the tea factory office, Zhang Youping asked, “How did Beggar know you had money buried under your bed? I never heard about it.”

“Who else but your aunt? She suggested we check if the money had gone moldy. I had put quicklime in the jar, so it couldn’t have. Beggar must have overheard while passing by. I made a joke with him yesterday, and he turned around and told everyone. If I hadn’t panicked and dug up the jar, it might still be safe. Those troublemakers, they must’ve heard about it yesterday and decided to steal it last night. If we catch them, I’d want them shot.” Zhang Jiwang was fuming as he spoke.

“Dad, Uncle Jiwang, where are you going?” Zhang Jiaohua jumped down from a stump in the yard. It had rained a bit last night, making it difficult to go up the mountain, so Zhang Jiaohua had been practicing stances in the yard since early morning.

“It’s all because of you! Brat, I’ll deal with you later.” Zhang Youping glared at Jiaohua.

“You can’t blame Jiaohua. He was just joking, and he didn’t know a thief would overhear. Don’t be mad at him,” Zhang Jiwang quickly defended Jiaohua, completely forgetting that it was this very kid who had caused the jar to be stolen.

“Uncle Jiwang, what’s going on? Why blame me?” Zhang Jiaohua asked, curious.

“Your uncle’s jar of money was stolen last night,” Zhang Youping said, clearly annoyed.

“Ah! Uncle Jiwang, your jar of money got stolen?” Zhang Jiaohua quickly caught on.

“Yes. But it’s not your fault. I didn’t hide the jar properly,” Zhang Jiwang said.

“Then let’s catch the thief quickly. It rained a bit last night, so there should be footprints. I’ll help you catch the thief!” Zhang Jiaohua eagerly offered.

“Don’t get in the way, kid. Uncle Jiwang, let’s go report the theft,” Zhang Youping said, glaring at Jiaohua again. Hearing that Jiwang’s house had been robbed because of Jiaohua, Youping couldn’t help but be upset.

Jiaohua scratched his head, whistled, and ran quickly toward Jiwang’s house.

In no time, Leopard was sprinting toward him, followed by a pack of hunting dogs. A fat monkey and a plump cat also came running.

By the time they reached Jiwang’s yard, many villagers from Meizitang had gathered. It had been years since such a major theft had occurred, and the news had everyone on edge.

“Sigh, people aren’t like they used to be. Back when we were in the commune, we didn’t even lock our doors, and no one would steal. Nowadays, theft is becoming more common. Last year, the Liu family lost all their cured meats from the kitchen while they were watching TV in the next room. These thieves are getting bolder.”

“Yeah, back in the commune, if something got stolen, we’d search every house until we found it, and then the thief would be sent to a labor camp. They’d be lucky to get out of that alive.”

“It’s all Beggar’s fault for running his mouth. If he hadn’t mentioned the money jar under Uncle Jiwang’s bed, no one would’ve known there was money there.”

“Who would’ve thought Uncle Jiwang had saved up so much money?”

When Jiaohua arrived at Jiwang’s house, the villagers were all talking.

“Beggar, it’s all your fault for running your mouth. Now look what’s happened—Uncle Jiwang’s jar of money is gone. You’re responsible, you should pay him back,” Zhang Enzhong said as he stepped out.

“Whether I pay or not isn’t for you to decide,” Jiaohua retorted, clearly annoyed by Enzhong’s sarcastic tone.

“If you hadn’t said anything yesterday, who would’ve known about Uncle Jiwang’s money jar? The thief must’ve overheard you and decided to steal it. Don’t you think you’re at least a little responsible?” Enzhong pressed.

“I’ll catch the thief,” Jiaohua said confidently.

“You? Don’t touch anything! Uncle Jiwang has gone to report the theft. Don’t mess up the crime scene,” Enzhong scolded. Everyone had seen enough detective shows to know the importance of preserving the scene.

“Yeah, Jiaohua, don’t interfere this time. The police might be able to find the thief when they arrive,” Zhang Qigao added quickly.

“By the time the police get here, the thief could be long gone. If they’re already hiding, it won’t matter if the police come. We need to act while the thief is still nearby. The money probably hasn’t been spent yet,” Jiaohua said.

“Jiaohua makes a good point. It’ll take a while for the police to get here. The thief probably hasn’t fled yet, but once the sun comes up, they could make a run for it. Hopefully, the police can get here soon,” Zhang Qigao agreed.

“If we want to catch the thief, we’ll need police dogs. The local station doesn’t have any,” Zhang Jingbing chimed in.

While the villagers were talking, Jiaohua patted Leopard on the head. Leopard sneaked around to the back of Jiwang’s house.

The thief had entered through the back door, leaving clear footprints in the soft dirt. The pattern of the shoe soles was clearly imprinted in the ground. The scene had been well preserved. Leopard sniffed around, then returned to Jiaohua, nudging him.

Jiaohua knew Leopard had found something, so he followed the dog.

“Jiaohua, wait! You haven’t paid Uncle Jiwang back yet!” Zhang Enzhong called out, unwilling to let it go.

“I’ll catch the thief later,” Jiaohua replied, ignoring Enzhong as he walked off.

“Catching the thief? He’s just trying to avoid responsibility,” Enzhong scoffed.

“Enzhong, that’s too much. Why do you always pick on Jiaohua? It’s not his fault. He was just joking around; no one could’ve guessed a thief would overhear,” Zhang Qigao said, displeased.

“You guys are all siding with Jiaohua because you work at the tea factory with Zhang Youping. But this is clearly his fault. Who else is to blame?” Enzhong argued.

Meanwhile, Zhang Youping and Jiwang arrived at the tea factory office. The office phone, covered in a silk cloth to keep the dust off, was the most high-end item there.

Zhang Youping dialed the police station.

“Is this the police station?” Zhang Youping asked.

“Yes, where are you calling from? What’s the matter?” the officer replied.

“I’m calling from the Meizi’ao Tea Factory. Last night, one of our villagers had over a thousand yuan stolen from their home. Can you send someone over quickly?” Zhang Youping asked.

“Last night, several cows were stolen in Maotouqiao, and all our officers are there right now. We can’t send anyone over at the moment. Even if we could, we’d need police dogs to catch the thief, and the only dog in the county is already in Maotouqiao. We can’t send anyone there right now. Sorry about that,” the officer said.

If it hadn’t been the tea factory calling, they wouldn’t have been so polite. They knew that the factory’s director had connections with Deputy County Chief Luo Changjun, who used to work at the Geyangping Station. They didn’t want to upset anyone important.

“Uncle Jiwang, the police won’t be coming today. The dogs are all at Maotouqiao,” Zhang Youping said after hanging up.

“What do we do then?” Jiwang asked, sounding even more dejected.

“Let’s head back for now. Even if the police came, they wouldn’t be able to catch the thief,” Youping replied with a sigh.

This passage captures a vivid moment of village life with themes of community, gossip, crime, and tradition, all wrapped in a rural Chinese setting.