"Mom, are you alright?" Lin An, who had been held tightly by Fu Wenwen, was almost crying as he saw her sweating profusely.
"Mom's fine. Let's go home!" Fu Wenwen felt a little better and wanted to pick Lin An up. But Lin An insisted on walking down by himself.
"I can walk by myself." Lin An thought Fu Wenwen was weak because she was tired from holding him, and he adamantly refused to be carried.
As Fu Wenwen walked out of the alley holding Lin An's hand, two people blocked their way, scrutinizing them from head to toe.
"Where are you from?" one of them asked Fu Wenwen sternly.
Fu Wenwen raised an eyebrow. "Comrade, I'm from Honghe Village. This is my son. I just went to the food store to buy some pork offal and was on my way home."
"Pork offal? That stuff is edible? You're so good-looking, and you eat pork offal..." The two men glanced into Fu Wenwen's basket and saw the pork offal. They recoiled slightly in disgust. "Have you seen anyone suspicious running by?"
"No, comrades. Are you looking for someone?" Fu Wenwen asked curiously.
"Hmph, we're looking for speculators and hustlers! If you see anyone suspicious, tell us. There's a reward for reporting them!" the two men told Fu Wenwen.
"Let's go!" Seeing that there was nothing suspicious about Fu Wenwen, they let her pass.
Fu Wenwen had only taken a couple of steps with Lin An when they encountered a man at the mouth of an alley, gasping for breath, who was about to enter the alley they had just come from.
"Comrade!" Fu Wenwen looked at the man, her eyes vigilant, her expression tense. He was panting heavily, clearly having just escaped pursuit.
"What do you want?" Hearing Fu Wenwen call out to him, the man looked back at her warily.
"Two men in uniform just went that way," Fu Wenwen said softly, glancing at the man.
The man froze, surprised that Fu Wenwen would tell him this. He was indeed trying to evade those people. "Thanks!"
Seeing that he heeded her words and changed direction, Fu Wenwen nodded and turned to leave.
The man suddenly doubled back and said to Fu Wenwen, "My name is Wang Hu. If you ever need help in the black market, use my name. It'll ensure your safety."
With that, he ran off.
Fu Wenwen was stunned. Wang Hu? That name sounded familiar, and it sounded rather imposing. Had she just helped someone important?
On their way back, Lin An refused to be carried, so Fu Wenwen had to slowly walk with his little hand in hers. What should have been a thirty-minute journey took an hour and a half to get home.
As soon as they got home, Zhang Cuihua arrived.
"Sister! Sister!" Zhang Cuihua said with a smile, "Look what good news I've brought you!"
"Sister Cuihua, what news has made you so happy?" Fu Wenwen asked with a smile, pouring Zhang Cuihua a cup of sugar water.
"Oh, no need to be so polite with family, it's a waste," Zhang Cuihua said playfully after taking a sip and realizing it was sugar water, but she clearly enjoyed it. "Sister! Didn't that educated youth Su get taken away by the police?"
"Mm, what happened? Was she released?" Fu Wenwen nodded, asking curiously.
"No way! She's been locked up! Detained for fifteen days! They've even sent a notice to the village!" Zhang Cuihua said gleefully. "Finally, the wicked get their just deserts."
"I didn't expect that!" Fu Wenwen thought Su Xiaoxiao would at most get a scolding, but she never imagined she would actually be detained.