I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 59. The Skewers Incident
Not long after, three police cars sped up, and eight or nine fully armed police officers filed out of them.

Xu Qingfan was startled by the scene, and the police officers who came down were equally bewildered.

Didn't the operator say "multiple people, broad daylight, robbery"? Where are they?

The truth is that Xu Qingfan spoke too hastily and didn't express himself clearly. The operator was worried that the child might have misspoke and didn't dare to be careless, so he mobilized all the police officers in the station.

"Brother Xu!" one of the young men exclaimed excitedly, seemingly recognizing Xu Aiguo.

"Hey? Xiao Hai!" Xu Aiguo looked closely and realized it was his old comrade-in-arms!

"When did you retire from the army?" Xu Aiguo took out a cigarette case from his pocket and handed him one.

"I just retired last year and I'm on a mission, so I can't smoke," Fang Xiaohai waved his hand.

"What's going on here?" The squad leader, looking at the obvious signs of vandalism on the ground, asked Xu Aiguo.

Mr. Xu had no idea what was going on here. He had only been there a short time when he saw Wu Lingyu and her daughter being bullied. "I just got here too," he said.

He recounted what he had seen to the police officers, then pointed to several fried food stalls next door, indicating that the people who had started the fight were over there.

It was a kind-hearted old lady who stepped forward and told the truth: "The mother and daughter were doing well selling fried skewers here. Then those people followed suit and opened their own fried skewer stalls. They were jealous of their good business, so they falsely accused them of putting poppy flowers in their fried skewer sauce. They drove away all the customers who came to eat fried skewers, beat people up, and smashed their stalls. What kind of people are they!"

The old lady was filled with righteous indignation, shaking her head from time to time as she spoke.

Xu Qingfan recognized this grandmother; she was the one who took Wu Lingyu's mother to the hospital last time.

After hearing the whole story, Xu Qingfan and Xu Aiguo were both furious.

On the contrary, the police officers, perhaps used to such things, were quite dismissive of it.

They handle three to five civil disputes like this every day, where people fight each other over business or positions.

This reminded Xu Qingfan of a story he had read in his previous life, about a Jewish man who opened a gas station in a certain place and became very successful. Another Jewish man came and opened a restaurant next door, a third Jewish man opened a car wash, and countless Jewish men followed suit. Decades later, the place was developed into a town.

But when it comes to doing business in China, if you open a gas station and it becomes popular, they'll practically open up every gas station in the country within a month, leaving everyone with nothing.

Although Jews are utterly wicked, the Chinese people's love of involution is also ingrained in their very bones.

In my previous life, my university professor required an 800-word reflection after class, but a bunch of students, in order to get their participation points, would write as many as 3,000 words!

The police officers had a familiar procedure for handling these kinds of cases. They summoned the women who had vandalized the property and Wu Lingyu's mother back to the station. Xu Aiguo and the kind-hearted old lady also went along as eyewitnesses.

Three police cars came and went in a hurry, leaving the once bustling street deserted, with only chicken feathers scattered on the ground and an injured little girl.

Because there wasn't enough room in the police car, the five kids stayed behind.

As Wu Lingyu wiped away her tears, she picked up the skewers that had fallen to the ground, a sight that deeply distressed Xu Qingfan and the others.

They exchanged a glance and joined in the help.

"Don't cry, we'll buy all of these, nothing will go to waste!" Lin Wanning handed his pink wallet to Wu Lingyu and comforted her softly.

The little girl looked up at Lin Wanning with teary eyes, shook her head, and then continued to pack her things.

[Kids really don't know how to comfort people.] Xu Qingfan stepped forward, patted Lin Wanning's head, and put her wallet in his pocket.

“Those bad guys will definitely be punished, and Auntie will be back soon!” Xiao Ruanwen said.

"Cough cough umm" Wu Lingyu's throat choked, she wanted to speak but only coughed.

The six of them worked together and quickly transformed the previously dilapidated fried food stall, though it was a pity that the skewers that had fallen on the ground were gone.

Although you can wash it and still eat it, it's best to throw it away if you want to do business in the long run. Once your reputation is ruined, it will be extremely difficult to repair.

"What do we do now?" The little girls all looked at Xu Qingfan. "I'll call and ask first." Xu Qingfan took out his phone and called Xu Aiguo.

The phone rang for more than ten seconds before being answered: "Son, is your little girl still there? Let her answer the phone."

[What do you mean by "my little female classmate"?]
Xu Qingfan gave a barely perceptible purse of his lips and handed the phone to Wu Lingyu: "It's your mother on the phone."

Afraid of breaking the phone, Wu Lingyu carefully took the phone and gently held it to her ear.

"Mmm...mmm." The little girl blinked her big, tear-filled eyes and sobbed as she answered the phone.

"Thank you." After speaking for a short while, she handed the phone back to Xu Qingfan.

Xu Qingfan glanced at the screen; the call hadn't ended yet. He waited a moment, then his father's voice came through the receiver: "Son, take that female classmate home for a bit. I can't be there right away. That woman said I hit her and she's going to the hospital for a medical examination."

"Okay, I understand. Dad, you're busy." Xu Qingfan hung up the phone.

The girls all turned their gazes to him again.

"Brother Qingfan, what are you doing now? How are those bad guys doing?"

When will Uncle Xu and the others be back?

Xu Qingfan scratched his head, pointed to the uncontaminated skewers and said, "Want some fried skewers? I'll fry them for you! Is that okay?" His gaze fell on Wu Lingyu.

Wu Lingyu had stopped crying, but her throat was hoarse and she couldn't speak. The little girl nodded hurriedly, afraid that Xu Qingfan would misunderstand and think that she disagreed.

"Brother Fan, you can also make fried skewers?" Xiao Ruanwen asked in surprise.

"Of course!" Xu Qingfan turned on the gas and heated the vegetable oil in the iron pot.

Four little girls surrounded Wu Lingyu like warm sunshine, and soon drove away her unpleasant mood.

Considering that Wu Lingyu couldn't eat fried skewers, he took out the prepared skewers and then went to a nearby convenience store to buy snacks, drinks, and bottled water.

"Hold out your hands!" Xu Qingfan said to everyone, holding up a 2L bottle of mineral water.

"Brother Qingfan, hurry up and pour it, Ningning is hungry!" Lin Wanning couldn't wait to reach out and take the water.

Seeing that Wu Lingyu was embarrassed, several little girls helped her by hand, and used mineral water to wet tissues to wipe her tear-stained face clean.

Wu Lingyu stood there like a wooden doll, letting Xia Xiaoxiao and the others do as they pleased, but her empty eyes gradually regained focus.

"Have something to drink." Xu Qingfan inserted a straw into a Wanglaoji herbal tea and handed it to Wu Lingyu.

"Ah."

"Brother Fan, why did you buy all Wanglaoji drinks?" Xiao Ruanwen asked, pointing to the drinks on the table.

"Aren't fried skewers supposed to cause internal heat?" Xu Qingfan blinked.

"Drinking Wanglaoji when you have a sore throat is useless. The advertisements say it all: people only drink Wanglaoji to avoid getting a sore throat. It's just a placebo effect." Xiao Ruanwen burst into laughter after saying this.

The group looked at each other, then blinked in unison.

"Isn't it funny? Hahahaha, afraid of getting a sore throat, I'll drink Wanglaoji! Hahahahahahahahahahaha (≧Ｗ≦；)"

Everyone then realized that Xiao Ruanwen was telling a joke!
"Hahahaha~" Hearing Xiao Ruanwen's infectious laughter, everyone laughed along without any consideration for her feelings.

Seeing everyone's smiles, Wu Lingyu, who was drinking Wanglaoji herbal tea, suddenly realized that the drink in her hand seemed sweeter than any she had ever had before.

(End of this chapter)