TL: Etude
Chen Jianghai firmly gripped the brake, his foot touching the ground.
He quickly reached out to steady the television tied to the back of his bicycle. Seeing that the TV hadn't fallen off, he finally exhaled in relief.
Just as Chen Jianghai was about to see who it was, the other person spoke first, in an aggressive tone.
"What's the matter with your cycling? Are you blind?"
The tone was exceedingly confrontational.
Chen Jianghai glanced at the person and found him somewhat familiar.
"Oh? If it isn't Chen Jianghai," the man said with a sarcastic smile. "Haven't seen you in a few days. Where've you been messing around?"
Chen Jianghai narrowed his eyes, recalling who this person was.
This man was nicknamed Meng Lao Si, a notorious layabout known by everyone in the neighborhood.
"Eh? Where'd you get this TV?"
Before Chen Jianghai could speak, Meng Lao Si noticed the television at the back of the bicycle and asked with a look of surprise.
Chen Jianghai gave him a cold glance. "None of your business. Next time you're walking, watch where you're going."
Not wanting to deal with such a person, Chen Jianghai planned to leave.
But what kind of person was Meng Lao Si? With a small-minded temperament akin to a mangy dog, how could he tolerate being scolded by Chen Jianghai?
Grabbing the bicycle's handlebars, Meng Lao Si snarled, "Mr. Chen, have you grown a bear's heart and a leopard's gall? Daring to lecture me?"
Chen Jianghai's expression darkened. "Let go. Move!"
This time, even Meng Lao Si was a bit surprised. When had this guy become so tough?
His gaze then shifted to the television tied to the back of the bike, and a strange smile crept onto his face. Pointing at Chen Jianghai, he said, "Ah, Chen Jianghai, never thought you'd do something like this."
Chen Jianghai was taken aback. "What are you talking about?"
"Come on, Chen Jianghai, stop pretending. How'd you get this TV? Don't think I don't know. You stole it, didn't you?"
Meng Lao Si lowered his voice for the last sentence, so only the two of them could hear.
Hearing Meng Lao Si say this, Chen Jianghai immediately understood what he was up to.
He glanced at Meng Lao Si, "What do you want?"
"You're planning to sell this stolen good, aren't you?"
Shaking his head, Meng Lao Si said, "Just give me half, and I'll pretend I never saw this."
Chen Jianghai wore an amused expression, "Do you know how much this TV is worth?"
When money was mentioned, a glint of greed flashed in Meng Lao Si's eyes: "Even though it's second-hand, it should be worth several hundred yuan, right?"
"In that case, I don't want much. Just give me a hundred!"
"A hundred?" Chen Jianghai glanced at him. What audacity!
Meng Lao Si quickly nodded, "Yes, or else if I report you, not only will you not make any money, you'll end up in jail. You better be sensible."
The last sentence was an outright threat.
Chen Jianghai flatly said, "You're dreaming."
Meng Lao Si paused, "What did you say?"
"I said you're dreaming. Money's gone to your head!" Chen Jianghai said dismissively.
Meng Lao Si was immediately enraged: "Fine then, Chen Jianghai, remember you said this. No regrets!"
Chen Jianghai sharply yelled, "Get lost! Move, or don't blame me for being rude!"
Meng Lao Si was startled.
Standing less than 1.7 meters tall and thin as a reed, he was no match for Chen Jianghai, who was tall and robust, standing at 1.8 meters.
"Chen Jianghai, you..."
Meng Lao Si wanted to issue a threat, but a fierce glare from Chen Jianghai made him swallow his words. He quickly let go and cleared the way.
Seeing Meng Lao Si's cowardice, Chen Jianghai snorted and began pushing his bike to leave.
Just as Chen Jianghai was about to go, Meng Lao Si gritted his teeth and yelled, "Thief! Someone's stealing!"
Soon, the neighboring residents heard the shouts and promptly rushed over.
In this era, when the customs were still rather simple, hearing of someone stealing elicited righteous indignation from everyone.
"Where's the thief?"
"What did he steal?"
"Did he get away?"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Meng Lao Si pointed at Chen Jianghai and said, "It's him! This guy stole someone's TV!"
Hearing Meng Lao Si say this, the crowd quickly surrounded Chen Jianghai.
Faced with such a situation, Chen Jianghai remained unflustered. After all, he who stands upright need not fear a crooked shadow.
Meng Lao Si pointed at the television and proclaimed, "Look, everyone, we've caught the thief red-handed. No escape now!"
In the crowd, someone recognized Chen Jianghai.
"Isn't this Chen Jianghai?"
"It's him alright. I heard he's an idler, and now he's even taken to stealing."
"Ah, what a shame for his wife!"
"Who's telling me? Such a good catch and she ends up with a pig."
"Still, this Meng Lao Si isn't exactly a good character either."
"Hmph, stealing today, who knows what he'll do tomorrow!"
The crowd was buzzing with discussions, most looking down upon Chen Jianghai, subconsciously believing that he had indeed stolen the TV.
Meng Lao Si looked at Chen Jianghai triumphantly, thinking to himself, "Mess with me, will you? Now you'll get what's coming to you."
Chen Jianghai glanced at the crowd and then at Meng Lao Si. After that, he started to push his cart away.
Meng Lao Si promptly stepped in front of him.
"Trying to run? Let me tell you, you're not going anywhere today," Meng Lao Si declared smugly.
Chen Jianghai calmly retorted, "If you don't get out of my way, don't blame me for being rude."
Meng Lao Si seemed a bit uneasy, but seeing the crowd around him bolstered his courage.
"Rude? I'd like to see how! So many people are here, and you, a thief, still dare to act so brazenly!"
Chen Jianghai glanced at the crowd and said, "So, you all just believe whatever this scoundrel says, can't you think for yourselves?"
"What did you just say?"
"He's still acting defiant? Let's take him to the police station now!"
"He won't shed tears until he sees the coffin!"
Upon hearing Chen Jianghai's words, the crowd began to berate him, emotions running high.
Unperturbed, Chen Jianghai responded, "You say I stole this, do you have any evidence? Besides, if I did steal it, would I be parading it around so openly?"
Hearing this, the crowd suddenly fell silent, exchanging glances.
That did seem logical!
Joining the excitement is something the people here loved to do.
A group of people gathered in one place would undoubtedly attract many more from the surrounding area.
As the crowd grew, naturally, more people recognized Chen Jianghai.
"Isn't this Master Chen? What's going on here?" someone in the crowd curiously inquired.
No need for more words; this was definitely someone who had employed Chen Jianghai's repair services before.
"Master Chen? You mean Chen Jianghai?" someone cluelessly asked in return.
The man affirmed, "Yes! I had Master Chen fix my appliances before, his craftsmanship is really something! So, what's going on here?"
Soon enough, the cause of the incident was explained by the crowd, each person adding their own version of the story.