RYEY -Chapter 334 A Job Came Up

But as he walked, he suddenly felt something was wrong. The public security bureau wouldn’t be set up in such a rundown place, right? Xiao Chengli looked up at the man and recalled what Cheng Qiao had told him:

“A bad person doesn’t have a mark on their forehead, and they often pretend to be very nice.”

Suddenly, Xiao Chengli understood—he’d been fooled again. Looking at his hands firmly held by the man, an idea popped into his head.

He had a few coins in his pocket that he had snatched from a woman, which gave him confidence. Deliberately, he stepped on his shoe’s heel to break it, then tugged at the man’s hand: “Uncle, my shoe heel came off.”

The man glanced at the large courtyard ahead, which was only a dozen meters away or so. Feeling reassured, he loosened his grip on Xiao Chengli’s hand. Xiao Chengli crouched down to fix his shoe heel, but his eyes were scanning for an escape route.

Just as he stood up after fixing his shoe, the man reached out again. Xiao Chengli acted instantly—using all his strength, he shoved the man to the ground and bolted toward the large courtyard.

The man hadn’t expected Xiao Chengli to strike so suddenly and was sent sprawling. His buttocks and back slammed hard against the ground, sending waves of pain through his body. For a moment, he couldn’t get up.

He never imagined this kid would suddenly attack—and with such strength. Watching Xiao Chengli run toward the courtyard, his heart sank.

If the boy ran outward, he could still shout and stop him. But the boy ran inward, and with a few turns, he would be gone. Shouting would be useless.

Xiao Chengli ran quickly, turning at every corner and weaving through every alley, convinced he could escape the slum.

At this moment, he was very grateful to Cheng Qiao. From a young age, she had taken him up the mountains to collect herbs and given him sweet water. This not only made him strong and fast but also gave him excellent endurance.

Half an hour later, Xiao Chengli stopped and began to take in his surroundings. The place was filthy—sewage flowing everywhere, the stench overwhelming.

At a corner, a small boy was crouched down. Skinny as a skeleton, he clearly lacked enough food and warm clothing. Xiao Chengli approached and squatted beside him.

“Who are you?”

“I’m here visiting relatives with my mom. But when I went out to play, I couldn’t find my way back.”

“Which relatives? Tell me, I can take you to them.”

“I don’t know what my uncle’s name is, but you can take me to the police station. My mom will surely come there.”

“The police station? It’s really far from here. We need to take a bus, and I don’t have money.”

“How much is the bus?”

“Two fen [cents] each way, so four fen round trip.”

“I have a jiao [ten fen]. You take me to the police station. Buy the ticket, and the rest is yours.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

The little boy stood up, then plopped down on his butt again, his legs numb from squatting. Xiao Chengli quickly helped massage them.

Though he wasn’t fond of medicine, he had learned some simple massages and acupoints from Cheng Qiao. Soon, the boy felt normal again:

“You’re amazing. Let’s go.”

This time, Xiao Chengli stayed alert, keeping a two-step distance from the boy, constantly scanning like lightning, afraid of encountering the man from earlier.

When they reached a narrow, long corridor, Xiao Chengli paused, watching the boy move ahead, torn about whether to follow or not.

“Big brother, this is a shortcut. Walk through here and you’ll reach the main road. From there, it’s just a little more to the bus.”

Xiao Chengli looked at the so-called shortcut. Small doors lined both sides, and if any opened, he’d be trapped. Resolutely, he turned and walked away.

The little boy was stunned, glanced at the narrow path, then at Xiao Chengli walking away faster and faster. Confused, he still followed, remembering the jiao Xiao Chengli had promised.

“You’re afraid to take the shortcut, huh? Fine, I’ll take you the long way.”

Xiao Chengli nodded, glanced at the boy, and saw confusion and frustration in his eyes. He relaxed a little—maybe he was overthinking.

Left turn, right turn, left turn, left turn, right turn… Xiao Chengli retraced his steps. After over ten minutes, they finally saw an exit and a bustling crowd.

“Is the main road ahead? How far to the bus?”

“Quite far. We’re in the middle of the bus stops. Going forward or back is the same.”

Understanding this, Xiao Chengli quickly left the slum behind, finally escaping the dizzying stench. He looked around and chose to walk forward.

Passersby saw the two children on the road and wanted to ask if they were lost, but Xiao Chengli, a bird startled by arrows, grabbed the boy and ran as soon as anyone approached.

After about fifteen minutes, they finally saw the bus stop sign. They waited, and a bus eventually arrived. The boy eagerly climbed aboard; he loved buses, but rarely had the money to ride.

“Tickets, four fen for the two of you.”

The conductor glanced disdainfully at the two shabby children but didn’t openly scold them, fearing a complaint.

Xiao Chengli handed over a jiao. The conductor froze—this child, in tattered clothes, actually had a jiao.

As a mother herself, she knew how hard it was to spare even a few fen for her child. A jiao was a lot, even for New Year red envelopes.

“Where are you going?”

Xiao Chengli was thinking of what to answer, but the little boy smiled and said, “We’re going to the police station. My big brother got separated from his mom. I’ll take him to find the police.”

Seeing the boy’s proud expression, Xiao Chengli tensed, fearing he’d be captured by the bad man again. Seeing his nervousness, the conductor felt her heart tighten.

This child was so lovely. She, a mother, imagined losing her own son and immediately started speaking warmly:

“Is anyone getting off at the next stop? If not, we’ll go straight to the police station.”

People in this era were really kind-hearted. Seeing children separated from adults, they sympathized. Even if someone wanted to get off, they didn’t complain—walking one more stop wouldn’t hurt.

The bus stopped directly in front of the police station. The officers immediately called out—thinking they had caught a thief, they now had a job to handle.