Wei Feng didn’t fully understand, but he agreed that his older brother was indeed the best. At first, their little vegetable stall attracted no customers. Wei Jing remained calm, but Wei Feng grew anxious. This was normal, they were just kids, and adults were worried they might mess up the weighing.
As more people came to buy vegetables, some noticed the quality of their produce and asked about the prices. Finding them reasonable, they made purchases. Soon, regular customers also bought some, and others, seeing how skilled the kids were at calculating and weighing, gathered around.
Some came for the good vegetables, some out of curiosity, and others to take advantage. As the crowd grew, some followed the trend, and their business suddenly picked up.
Wei Jing was quick at calculations and handled the money. Bai Cheng, under Yang Jiabo’s guidance, had become proficient at weighing. Yang Jiabo took charge of calling out to customers, collecting money, and giving change. Even Wei Feng was assigned to help bag the vegetables. The kids worked together seamlessly, and the adults found it fascinating to watch.
Then, a plump woman pushed through the crowd and bought a lot of vegetables. When she handed Yang Jiabo a ten-yuan bill, he glanced at it and said, “Auntie, could you please change this?”
The woman didn’t say anything and handed him another bill. Yang Jiabo looked at it again and said, “Auntie, could you change another one?”
“What’s wrong with you, kid?” the woman said unhappily but handed him another bill.
Yang Jiabo examined it and, with a cold expression he said, “Auntie, could you please give me real money?”
Wei Jing stared at the bill in the woman’s hand in surprise. He hadn’t noticed it was counterfeit. Was Jiajia even more skilled than him?
The woman exploded at Yang Jiabo’s words. “What’s wrong with you, kid? Do you even know how to handle money? Can you even tell?”
Her loud voice attracted the attention of others. Many thought, “Kids will be kids, they’re so unreliable.”
Yang Jiabo remained calm. He raised his voice and said, “Don’t bully kids here. There’s a bank nearby. We can go there to check if your money is real.”
Now the onlookers understood, it was counterfeit money. But some doubted Yang Jiabo, thinking, “How could such a young kid tell the difference?”
“You think I’m scared of you? Let’s go! What does a kid like you know?” The woman refused to back down and reached out to grab Yang Jiabo’s collar.
Wei Jing quickly stepped in front of Yang Jiabo, blocking the woman, but a scratch from her nail left a mark on his fair neck.
“Brother, don’t worry about me. Go call the police from the convenience store. This woman has more than one counterfeit bill. She might be a scammer specializing in fake money,” Yang Jiabo said loudly.
“Be careful,” Wei Jing said, giving Yang Jiabo a worried look before running to the convenience store across the street.
“Don’t you dare spread nonsense!” The plump woman reached out to grab Wei Jing but missed.
Yang Jiabo shouted to the crowd, “Uncles, aunties, grandpas, grandmas, help! This woman is a scammer using fake money. She’s carrying counterfeit bills. Has anyone been tricked by her? Don’t let her get away!”
Yang Jiabo hadn’t wanted to make a scene, fearing it would draw unwanted attention. But this woman was relentless and had even hurt his brother. He couldn’t let it slide. At that moment, Old Man Li, who sold leeks, hurriedly pulled out his money to inspect it. Then, grabbing a carrying pole, he charged at the woman.
Seeing that someone had actually been scammed, Yang Jiabo breathed a sigh of relief. Moments like these made him resent his small, weak body. If the woman decided to attack him, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
“You scammer! How dare you cheat people with fake money!” Old Man Li swung his pole at the woman, who dodged and tried to run.
Yang Jiabo, being petty and vengeful, wasn’t about to let her go. Since they’d already crossed the line, they might as well go all the way. “Don’t let her escape! This scammer is trying to run!”
Most of the people selling and buying vegetables here were familiar with one another, and several stepped forward to help. They surrounded the woman, determined to take her to the police station.
“I didn’t know selling vegetables could be so dangerous,” Wei Feng said, still shaken. The whole incident had scared him.
Bai Cheng scratched his head. “We’ve always had smooth sailing before. This is the first time something like this happened.”
When Wei Jing returned, he looked at Yang Jiabo and asked, “Are you okay? The police will be here soon.”
“You actually called the police?” Yang Jiabo was surprised. He had only meant to scare the woman.
“Yeah,” Wei Jing nodded.
“Good. People like her belong in jail,” Yang Jiabo said, pulling Wei Jing aside to check his neck. Sure enough, there was a small bead of blood where the woman’s nail had scratched him. He told Bai Cheng and Wei Feng to watch the stall while he took Wei Jing back to the convenience store to buy a Band-Aid for the scratch.
The Xicheng police station wasn’t far, and soon officers arrived to take the woman away. Old Man Li, who had been scammed, accompanied them to the station. The incident had nothing to do with Yang Jiabo and his friends. After that, they smoothly sold the rest of their vegetables, packed up, and went home.
No comments:
Post a Comment