Chapter 279: Catching Thieves

A dark and windy night was the perfect cover for some petty thievery.

Around one-thirty in the morning, all of Bailong Village was cloaked in silence, broken only by the chirping of insects and the calls of night birds.

Inside Yun Jiao’s room, a fan whirred noisily. A long cooling mat was spread on the floor, and she and her brothers were sprawled across it, blankets covering only their stomachs.

The weather was growing hotter by the day. At Yun Jiao’s insistence, the family had bought two more electric fans. One was in her room, so all her brothers came to sleep there with her.

One was for her parents’ room, and the other for her Little Uncle and Little Aunt’s room.

The night, previously quiet save for the sounds of cicadas, night birds, and the whirring fan, was suddenly pierced by a series of unusual barks.

Yun Jiao’s eyes snapped open.

Her brothers, however, weren’t nearly as alert. They were still fast asleep with their bellies exposed, drool practically leaking from their mouths.

With a yawn, she pushed a stray hand off her stomach. Instead of waking her brothers, Yun Jiao got up and tiptoed out of the room.

Meanwhile, outside, three masked men crept about furtively. But no matter how quietly they moved, the family’s dogs heard them.

Instantly, the family’s three dogs, and even the tabby cat sleeping on the roof, were on high alert.

As the three men drew closer to the house, the dogs began to bark warningly.

"Damn it. These families really are rich. They’re raising three huge dogs."

These days, people could barely feed themselves. A family would need some serious means to raise three big dogs.

"Quick, toss in the drugged meat we prepared."

"Are we really tossing this? What a waste to just feed it to the dogs."

"’Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’ Besides, we can just take the dogs with us when we leave. Three big dogs are way more valuable than a little bit of meat."

"Heh, you’re the smart one, Brother Wa."

Several pieces of pork laced with a sedative were tossed into the yard. Big Black’s eyes glowed faintly as he stared outside. He walked over, lowered his head to sniff the meat, but didn’t eat it. Instead, he turned and let out a single bark toward the two younger dogs.

Baozi and Tang Yuan immediately fell silent, each finding a spot to sit down quietly.

Big Black also fell quiet. The three dogs positioned themselves in different spots, appearing to be sitting relaxed, but they were actually poised to attack at a moment’s notice.

"Brother Wa, it sounds like they’ve gone quiet in there."

The three thieves outside waited patiently for a bit. Hearing no more barking, they grinned.

"See? This trick always works."

"Heh, what dog isn’t greedy? We’ll be feasting on them later, boys!"

"Let’s get in there. That motorcycle will sell for a good price. We’ll each get a few hundred from it."

One of the three thieves acted as a lookout while Brother Wa and his underling crept toward the house.

"Keep your eyes peeled. I’m picking the lock."

Brother Wa took out a piece of wire and started working on the lock.

CLICK...

Brother Wa’s face lit up. ’Success.’

"B-B-B... Brother Wa."

The underling behind him tapped his shoulder, his voice trembling with panic.

"What? Be quiet."

"B-B... Brother Wa... The dogs... the dogs..."

Just then, Brother Wa got the door open.

But something seemed to be blocking the doorway.

Brother Wa looked up and found himself face-to-face with two men holding iron bars, glaring at him like tigers stalking their prey.

"Run!"

His reflexes were quick. He spun around, ready to bolt.

WOOF WOOF WOOF...

At that moment, Big Black led the charge, lunging at the two thieves.

"AHHH!!!"

Men in front of them, vicious dogs behind them.

Brother Wa and his underling were being bitten and beaten simultaneously. A duet of shrill, tenor-like screams erupted in the family’s courtyard.

The lookout outside saw that things had gone south and tried to flee, but he was quickly added to his partners’ chorus, his own resounding tenor scream joining the cacophony.

The sound rivaled the squeals of a pig being butchered for the New Year’s festival.

The tranquility of Bailong Village was shattered. A wave of barking rose and fell, soon joined by the squawking of chickens, ducks, and geese.

"What’s going on? What happened?"

Neighbors who lived close by heard the commotion, hastily threw on some clothes, and ran over.

By then, Yun Jiao had finished dealing with the lookout. She was dragging him by one leg back to the courtyard, like she was dragging a dead pig.

"Dad, Little Uncle, here’s another one!"

Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei came out with flashlights, shining the beams directly into the three thieves’ faces.

Yun Linhe yanked off their masks, his gaze lingering on one of the men’s faces.

"You’re Brother Wa, aren’t you?"

After making inquiries for the past few days, they had naturally gotten a clear description of Brother Wa’s appearance.

Brother Wa tried to hide his face, but Yun Linhe scoffed. "Give me a break. What’s the point of hiding your face now? Once you get to the police station, you won’t just be giving them your name; you’ll have to tell them your exact date of birth."

By this time, the villagers who had heard the commotion had arrived.

"Lin Hai, what happened at your place?"

"Is everyone all right?"

Yun Linhai replied, "We’re fine. Just a few petty thieves who tried to steal our motorcycle. We’ve already caught them."

"What? You had thieves?!"

"Let me see who’s so bold as to be a thief instead of a decent human being."

"Where are these three from? They don’t look like they’re from our village."

Yun Linhe nodded. "That’s right, they’re not from our village. Could someone do me a favor and get the village chief? We need to borrow his tractor."

"I’ll go! I’ll go!"

"Lin He, you’re taking them to the police station, right? I’ll go with you. Can’t let these little crooks escape."

"We’ll go too."

That was just how the village was. Minor squabbles and disagreements were a normal part of daily life, but when real trouble struck, everyone was willing to lend a hand.

Hearing they were being taken to the police station, the three thieves began to beg for mercy. They spouted sob stories about having eighty-year-old mothers and young children at home—anything to win some sympathy.

But no one paid them any mind. After all, which family didn’t have it tough? Did your family’s hardship give you the right to steal from others? If everyone acted like that, what kind of chaos would society descend into?

In the end, the three men were taken to the police station.

Yun Linhe made a point of speaking to the police officer he knew at the station. "Mr. Zhao, that one they call Brother Wa... he has a connection to my wife’s older brother’s second wife. I was hoping you could try and question him about it. It would be great if you could get something out of him. If not, we’ll have to find another way to make my brother-in-law divorce her."

Zhao Jian Country was shocked. "There’s more to this story?"

"Does that mean you knew beforehand that they were going to steal your motorcycle?"

Yun Linhe gave a wry smile. "The children overheard them by chance while they were out playing and told us when they got back. But we didn’t know who this Brother Wa person was, or when they’d show up. With no evidence, we couldn’t very well come to you, so we just had to stay on our guard."

Zhao Jian Country clapped him on the shoulder. "I’ve got it. I’ll ask him during the interrogation."

Yun Linhe felt relieved. He went home to wait, his mind at ease. It was already late, so it was unlikely they’d get any answers from the interrogation tonight.

The next morning after breakfast, Yun Linhe and Yun Linhai headed back to the police station.