How could there be so many thieves out there?

Old Mrs. Xia was so angry she didn’t want to deal with Wang Jingui and Xia Hongxia after hearing they’d both lost their money.

When buying train tickets in Shang City, Wang Jingui and Xia Hongxia claimed they had no money, and since Old Mrs. Xia had limited mobility, she had to swallow her anger and pay for the tickets. But it turned out both mother and daughter had money – Wang Jingui had wrapped over 100 yuan in her clothes and stuffed it in a snakeskin bag. When getting off the train in the crowd, even the snakeskin bag was stolen.

Xia Hongxia had money too. Though Wang Jingui told her to break up with her boyfriend in the county, Xia Hongxia kept that as a backup plan.

Marrying someone from Hong Kong would be ideal, but if that didn’t work out, she could return home and marry her current boyfriend. So before leaving, Xia Hongxia told her boyfriend she was going to visit her Second Uncle in Peng City and got several dozen yuan from him for travel expenses.

Xia Hongxia had kept this money secret, not even telling Wang Jingui. The train from Shang City to Yang City took over thirty hours. Unable to sleep well on the train, they had to sit upright until arrival. The four Xia family members had managed to get seats together around a small table, facing each other, taking turns resting their heads on the table. When it was Xia Hongxia’s turn to “keep watch,” she couldn’t resist her drowsiness and dozed off briefly.

Xia Hongxia swore she only slept for a moment, just barely closing her eyes before waking up. Later, when they announced “Yang City Station,” everyone rushed toward the exits. Wang Jingui’s luggage was stolen, and Xia Hongxia’s pants pocket had been cut by thieves.

The mother and daughter had no experience traveling far from home. Wang Jingui was rather plump and kept her snakeskin bag under the seat, checking on it every time she returned from the bathroom.

Xia Hongxia frequently patted her pants pocket – these gestures practically advertised to thieves where they kept their valuables. Both mother and daughter being robbed truly demonstrated their shared level of intelligence.

Old Mrs. Xia’s money, sewn into her clothes, was the family’s only surviving cash.

“Hongbing, look at your wife and daughter!” Old Mrs. Xia fumed.

Xia Hongbing felt embarrassed too. He hadn’t known these two had money – Wang Jingui always claimed to be broke, and he had believed her. If the money was destined for thieves, they might as well have spent it freely.

Xia Hongbing raised his fist threateningly, “If you two ever dare hide money from Mother again, I’ll beat you!”

Being in a big city, with so many people at Yang City Station, Xia Hongbing didn’t hit them. Yang City was truly bustling, with various vendors selling their goods around the station. Smelling the fragrant food made Xia Hongbing’s stomach growl.

He sniffed and moved closer to Old Mrs. Xia: “Mother, there’s no use scolding them now. Shouldn’t we get something to fill our stomachs first?”

Old Mrs. Xia’s heart ached thinking of the lost money.

“I spent all my money on train tickets!”

Despite saying this, she couldn’t resist Xia Hongbing’s pestering. Her daughter-in-law might be a worthless spendthrift, but her son, despite his faults, was her flesh and blood, and Xia Hongxia was her granddaughter. Finally, Old Mrs. Xia took out money to buy several portions of rice noodle rolls. The taste was different from Yunan’s style. Being elderly, Old Mrs. Xia preferred salty foods and felt steamed buns would have been more filling.

Xia Hongxia drooled at the wonton noodle stall. The wontons were filled with pork and shrimp, and watching others eat from their bowls made it smell incredibly tempting.

“Grandmother, I’m still hungry…”

“Stay hungry then. If we don’t find your Second Uncle quickly, our whole family will be sleeping on the streets!”

However, getting to Peng City to find Xia Dajun wouldn’t be easy. The train went from Shang City to Yang City, but from Yang City to Peng City required another vehicle, and most importantly, they needed a “Border Region Permit.”

None of the four Xia family members were worldly. Most people in Yang City spoke Cantonese, with few speaking Mandarin. They couldn’t even ask for directions due to the language barrier.

The four Xia family members clutched their remaining luggage tightly, both confused and wary, wandering around the train station like headless flies.

Such country bumpkins were easily spotted, especially by con artists operating at the station. Though Xia Hongxia was plain-looking, she was a young woman. Wang Jingui and Xia Hongbing appeared to be in their prime – “introducing” them as manual laborers could earn a good commission.

To these swindlers, if people had money they’d steal it, if they had no money they’d steal the people themselves – they’d try to squeeze oil from stones if they could. How could they resist trying? Every day, newcomers to the city were scammed at the train station.

Soon, a seemingly friendly local approached them:

“Auntie, I’ve noticed you wandering around for a while. Are you here visiting relatives?”

Manual labor was unlikely – migrant workers wouldn’t bring along an elderly woman, especially one with facial paralysis and limited mobility. If not for work, they must be visiting relatives.

Finally finding someone helpful, Old Mrs. Xia remained cautious, but when Wang Jingui heard the comprehensible speech, she revealed everything about all four of them.

The stranger was delighted inside.

Farmers from another province, indeed come to find relatives and head to Peng City. They’d heard on the train about needing a “Border Region Permit” to enter Peng City but couldn’t figure out how to get one… They could be sold as a package, and no one would investigate!

People back home would assume they’d settled in the big city. If they never arrived in Peng City, who would know where to look?

With the reform and opening up, more people from other regions were heading south. While the economy developed, various forms of fraud and crime also emerged.

Being smart wasn’t enough – you needed luck too to make money in the South. More people lost everything on the path to wealth. Losing money to scams was one thing, but losing freedom was another.

The four Xia family members followed this “kind-hearted comrade.”

After temporarily settling the four people, this helpful comrade went to discuss with a minor boss.

“Sell the young one, separate and send off the couple, but that old one is troublesome – why did you bring her back?”

The elderly wouldn’t fetch much money and had various problems. If something went wrong and caused a death, the police would investigate.

Of course, they hadn’t wanted to bring her, but the other three seemed very filial, sticking close to the old woman throughout the journey – they didn’t know that Wang Jingui’s family of three weren’t being filial but keeping close to the money source. Without Old Mrs. Xia, the three of them couldn’t even afford food.

This person said they could help process the “Border Region Permit,” so all four handed over their introduction letters obediently.

The minor boss looked at the Border Region Permit on the table and his expression darkened:

“Yunan Province? And surname Xia? Damn, they hit both points I hate most!”

“Brother Six, what’s wrong?”

Cao Six scowled. Seeing someone named Xia from Yunan Province always reminded him of another Xia.

The good old Boss Ke had been slapped by a woman named Xia and couldn’t forget her, still dejected about it.

“Enough questions! Don’t ask what you shouldn’t! Quickly move these four along, don’t let the boss know.”

Ke Yixiong happened to walk in just then: “Six, what shouldn’t I know about?”