Chapter Seventy-Four: Robbery

At this moment, Liu Guihua and her husband had just stepped out of the stairwell, completely unaware that they were already being watched. Liu Guihua held the paper bag containing the money under her left arm, while pointing at her husband with her right hand and saying, “What did you even come here for today? You were no help at all. I can’t imagine what I ever saw in you.”

“We got the money back, didn’t we? They even gave us two thousand extra in interest. That’s not a small sum,” Zhang Baoguo replied, neither angry nor impatient.

“What does getting the money back have to do with you? That was all my doing. We never should have lent them the money in the first place,” Liu Guihua retorted furiously.

“You were the one who said our eldest brother’s interest rate was higher than the bank’s and that we’d make more, which is why I agreed. Since when did my opinion count for anything?” Zhang Baoguo defended himself.

“So now you’re blaming me? Or do you think you’re smarter, and that you should be the one managing the family’s finances from now on?” Liu Guihua snapped.

“That’s not what I meant. Just get in the car, let’s go home,” Zhang Baoguo said, his expression and tone as calm as ever, unaffected by their argument. He opened the driver’s side door and got in.

Their quarrel was witnessed by two men on a motorcycle. The one in front commented, “This woman’s pretty fierce, she’s got that man completely cowed.”

“Fierce only works on the right people,” the man sitting behind sneered. “Start the bike. It’s time for me to act.”

With that, the man on the back swung off the motorcycle, about to stride toward Liu Guihua, but the rider pulled him back and reminded him, “The gear’s in the toolbox. Aren’t you going to take it?”

“Unnecessary,” the man responded without turning his head, striding purposefully toward Liu Guihua, who was standing by the car. The rider started the engine, ready to accelerate at any moment.

Feeling triumphant that her husband had stopped arguing, Liu Guihua lifted her chin, held the paper bag close, and reached for the car door. Just as she opened the door to get in, she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder.

Instinctively, she turned her head, only to see a figure wearing a helmet. Before she could react, the helmeted man swung his right arm, delivering a heavy punch straight to her face.

With a dull thud, Liu Guihua was struck down at the front of the car. The force of the blow stunned her, leaving her dazed and nearly unconscious.

The helmeted man acted swiftly and efficiently; with one punch, he knocked Liu Guihua out, seized the paper bag from her arms, took two quick strides, leapt onto the motorcycle, and as soon as he was astride, the rider revved the engine and they sped away.

From the moment the helmeted man struck Liu Guihua to the moment he boarded the motorcycle, the entire robbery lasted little more than ten seconds. Zhang Baoguo, still sitting in the car, hadn’t even processed what had happened before the two men had disappeared.

Though dazed by the blow, Liu Guihua did not faint. After a moment, she regained her senses. As her vision cleared, she saw the two helmeted men speeding away and let out a heart-rending scream: “Robbery! Help!”

“Are you alright, honey? Are you badly hurt?” Zhang Baoguo hurried out of the car, supporting Liu Guihua’s arm, his face full of worry.

“Don’t worry about me! Go after them and get my money back!” Liu Guihua cried, shoving Zhang Baoguo toward the car.

“Calm down, I’ll call the police right away,” Zhang Baoguo tried to comfort her as he fumbled for his phone.

“Calling the police is useless! By the time they get here, those thugs will be long gone. Get in the car and chase after them—bring back my hundred thousand!” Liu Guihua wailed through her tears.

“But… where do you expect me to chase them? They’re already out of sight,” Zhang Baoguo sighed helplessly.

“My money! Damn those bandits, of all people they had to rob me! I’ll never forgive them!” Liu Guihua collapsed onto the ground, crying loudly, her wails echoing through the entire apartment complex.

After seeing the couple off, Zhang Wei’s family of four were basking in a rare moment of harmony. Zhang Wei’s parents were both pleased and curious, asking how he’d come by so much money. Zhang Wei simply told them he’d sold a villa for fifty million.

Though his parents had never worked in real estate, they’d heard enough about the booming market and stories of people getting rich from it, so they didn’t question the source of the money any further.

Zhang Song, however, was far more curious. Eyes twinkling, he was about to ask more about the real estate business when the sound of someone crying outside caught his attention. He frowned and asked, “Brother, do you hear that? What a terrifying sound.”

As soon as he spoke, the wailing grew even louder. The whole family heard it clearly now, and their faces all showed surprise.

“Isn’t that the second daughter-in-law’s voice? Could they have had a fight?” Zhang Jianguo stood up, puzzled.

“No way! With the way your second uncle is, he’d never dare quarrel with his wife,” Li Huilan shook her head.

“It sounded like she said something about a robbery?” Zhang Song, always sharp-eared but unsure, hesitated.

“Could those two men on the motorcycle really have been robbers? That can’t be—it couldn’t be that coincidental,” Zhang Wei said as he suddenly remembered something. He stood up and strode toward the north balcony.

On his way home in the taxi, Zhang Wei had noticed two men on a motorcycle through the window. He’d only been curious why they were wearing helmets on such a hot day, never suspecting they were criminals.

Later, as he and Zhang Song were talking at the entrance, he’d seen the same two men ride into the complex. This time, something had felt off, but with no evidence, and since he and Zhang Song were already home, he figured even if they were robbers, there was no way they’d break in.

“Robbery? That can’t be,” Zhang Jianguo said, unable to sit still at the mention of the word. He followed Zhang Wei onto the balcony.

Zhang Wei hurried to the balcony, opened the window, and looked down. He saw Liu Guihua sitting on the ground, crying out, “You damned thieves! How dare you rob me—you’ll never have a good end!”

“Dad, something’s happened. Let’s go down and check,” Zhang Wei said, feeling a mix of satisfaction and relief.

He was certain now: Liu Guihua and her husband had been robbed. The satisfaction came from seeing the thieves take Liu Guihua’s money, which indirectly vented his parents’ anger. The relief was from seeing Zhang Baoguo on the phone, clearly unharmed, and Liu Guihua, though on the ground and wailing, seemed energetic enough that she was probably not seriously hurt.

Though Zhang Wei disliked Liu Guihua’s snobbery, Zhang Baoguo was still his uncle. If something truly bad had happened because of the robbery, Zhang Wei would have felt guilty. But since it was only money that was lost and no one was injured, this was precisely the outcome he’d hoped for.