It is not uncommon for a thief to be caught stealing and then run away. However, Yan Liqiang did not expect to encounter such a scene just after returning to Pingxi City.
There were a lot of people on the dock, and many of them heard about catching a thief and started to move, trying to stop the running thief.
The people in the northwest are all tough. Not to mention that the thief only had a dagger in his hand, even if he had a big knife, there are still many people who dare to rush forward. If they are afraid of even a small thief, can they still be called men
“Get out of the way, everyone, get out of the way! Who dares to block my way…” The thief waved the dagger fiercely, not daring to rush towards crowded places. When he saw that there were fewer people on Yan Liqiang’s side, he actually rushed directly towards Yan Liqiang.
"Young master, be careful..." Hu Haihe next to him also changed his expression, drew out the knife he carried with him, and was about to come over to protect Yan Liqiang.
Yan Liqiang smiled dumbly, and saw a piece of broken stone on the ground in front of him. He kicked it with his foot, and the broken stone shot out and hit the leg of the thief who was running towards him...
"Ouch..." The thief screamed, lost his balance, and rolled over, falling heavily to the ground like a vicious dog pouncing on its prey. The dagger in his hand flew away, and two of his front teeth were knocked out, and his mouth was full of blood.
"You little thief..." Before the thief could get up, the big man who was chasing him had already rushed to the thief, grabbed the thief, swung his fist, and knocked the thief unconscious with a few punches. The thief quickly begged for mercy.
"Da Zhuang, the lady asked me to tell you, don't beat him to death, just have someone send him to the government..." Just as the big man was beating the thief, a little girl in a green skirt ran over and spoke.
"This little thief is so blind that he dared to steal our things..." The big man said angrily, and punched the little thief twice, beating him so hard that he couldn't get up. Then he picked up the package that the little thief had just stolen, patted the dust off the package, and clasped his fists towards Yan Liqiang, "Thank you for your help just now, otherwise the little thief would have almost gotten away..."
"It's just a small favor. You're welcome!" Yan Liqiang said with a smile.
The big man handed the package to the little girl in the green dress, grabbed the thief on the ground, and together with a few enthusiastic people who came over, took the thief away. When the little girl in the green dress left, she looked carefully at Yan Liqiang and Hu Haihe and Yu Qing who followed Yan Liqiang with her clever eyes.
"That little thief is really blind to dare to rush towards you..." Hu Haihe put the knife back into the sheath, "If he rushes forward again, I will chop him down..."
"That thief is probably just a gangster in Pingxi City. He stole something, so his crime is not punishable by death. He took out the dagger just now just to scare people. We just need to catch him and send him to the government for trial!"
"That's what you said, sir!"
Not far away, the little girl in the green dress returned to a parked black carriage with the package. She spoke a few words to the people in the carriage through the window and pointed towards Yan Liqiang and the others. Yan Liqiang saw that the curtain of the carriage window was half opened by a slender hand, and a small part of the beautiful face was revealed from the window. She glanced over here...
It was a face of about twenty years old, stunning enough, with picturesque features and eyebrows. Compared with other beautiful women, the woman had plump lips, which gave her a unique charm.
Yan Liqiang and the woman glanced at each other from a distance through the carriage window, nodded slightly to each other, and then the woman lowered the curtain of the carriage window, and Yan Liqiang withdrew his gaze.
"Let's go!" Yan Liqiang turned around and saw dark clouds and snow. He took a deep breath and looked in the direction of Liuhe Town. "We should be able to get back home before dark!"
…
Before sunset, Yan Liqiang and his three companions actually returned to Liuhe Town.
Yan Liqiang, riding on a rhino horse, stood on the familiar country road outside Liuhe Town, looking at the town with smoke rising up in the setting sun. For a moment, he actually felt a little homesick.
Counting the time, it has been just about a year since he left Ganzhou with Sun Bingchen and returned now. However, too many things have happened to him in this year. There may not be too many storms, but he has gone through several life-and-death dangers, carried a gun, served as an official, met the emperor, fought against the powerful, walked the dog in the Deer Park, and killed people in the capital city. At this moment, Yan Liqiang no longer has any trace of youthfulness, but is replaced by a calmness and depth that does not belong to his age.
“Woof... Woof..." Before Yan Liqiang needed to give any order, the yellow-haired boy had already jumped out of the car excitedly, running happily all the way, and rushed towards the newly built mansion of the Yan family.
Just as Huangmao ran out, an old man led a water buffalo back to the town from the fields outside the town. On the back of the water buffalo sat a five or six-year-old boy wearing only a bellyband, chewing a wild fruit. When the old man passed by Yan Liqiang, he saw Yan Liqiang at a glance. The old man was stunned at first, then rubbed his eyes, and then shouted in surprise, "Isn't this Liqiang, why are you back?"
"Ha, Uncle Li, it's been a long time since we last met. You are still in good health!"
Seeing that a familiar neighbor recognized him, Yan Liqiang quickly jumped off his rhino horse and greeted the old man herding cattle with a smile.
"I heard from them that you met the emperor in the Imperial Capital, became a high-ranking official, and made a great name for yourself. Everyone in the Imperial Capital knows your name, and the people from Ganzhou who went to the Imperial Capital all talked about you when they came back. Is it true?" the old man asked, with a look of envy on his face. Just as Yan Liqiang's gaze was very enthusiastic.
"Hahaha, that's their compliment. Some of them are just rumors. I didn't hold any high-ranking official position in the Imperial Capital City. And now I'm back!" Yan Liqiang said with a smile.
While Yan Liqiang was talking to the old man herding cattle, Liu the butcher and his son were driving a cart with a large pig that they had collected from outside the town. When they saw Yan Liqiang, Liu the butcher shouted, "Ah, isn't this Young Master Yan?"
When Liu the Butcher and his son saw Yan Liqiang, they hurriedly got off the cart. Liu the Butcher's son, who had not been seen for a year, looked more and more like Liu the Butcher, with a greasy face and a fat head. When Yan Liqiang glanced at him, Liu the Butcher's son could not help but tremble, and then he saluted Yan Liqiang with trembling hands.
In just a short while, two more people from the town saw Yan Liqiang and surrounded him eagerly.
…
Before Yan Liqiang even reached home, hundreds of people had already gathered around him. More and more people heard the news and ran out to see Yan Liqiang. Each of them looked at Yan Liqiang with surprise, as if they had never seen Yan Liqiang before.
"Everyone, make way, Mr. Yan is coming..."
At some point, Yan Dechang had already advanced to become Old Man Yan in Liuhe Town.
Someone nearby shouted, and the people surrounding Yan Liqiang dispersed a little, making way in front of Yan Liqiang. Then Yan Liqiang saw Yan Dechang, Zhou Tiezhu, Zhou Hongda, and a large group of people walking quickly towards him. Huangmao was running in front of them. Yan Dechang and the others knew that Huangmao was their dog, and he had followed them to Dijing City. When they saw Huangmao coming back, they probably guessed that it might be them, so they ran out in a hurry.
Yan Dechang seemed to have come out directly from a blacksmith's workshop. He was sweating profusely, his face was a little gray and black, and he had not taken off the workman's clothes hanging around his neck. After not seeing him for a year, Yan Dechang had hardly changed. His face was rosy and he seemed to be in better spirits.
The moment he saw Yan Liqiang, Yan Dechang had a smile on his face, but his eyes suddenly turned red.
"Father, I'm back..." Yan Liqiang also felt his nose a little sour, but he still forced a smile on his face.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..." Yan Dechang took a breath and didn't let the tears fall. "Have you eaten?"
"no!"
"Then let's go home and eat!"
"good!"
When the father and son met, their eyes met, and they exchanged just two casual words, but countless warmth filled their hearts!
That very night, the news that Yan Liqiang had returned to Liuhe Town spread quickly throughout the surrounding area, and the entire Qinghe County knew about it.
The next morning, the entire courtyard of the Yan family was suddenly crowded with enthusiastic neighbors. Liu the butcher and his son once again brought over a slaughtered pig, and other families in Liuhe Town, whether they had any connection with the Yan family or not, all sent various gifts to visit the young master of the Yan family who had "returned home in glory"...
…
ps: Tiger has not been in good condition in recent days, so the update has been a bit slow. Please forgive me, readers!
(End of this chapter)