NOVPUB
Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Calling the Parents
The words of Yuan Erfang happened to be clearly heard by the two police officers who had hurried over on bicycles. Because the incident took place at the school, the police didn’t dare delay after receiving the news. Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived on scene, they were met by the powerful tactics of Yuan Erhua.
The police officers, both in their thirties and with an air of authority, parked their bikes on the roadside and asked, "Who reported the crime?"
The serious demeanor of the police immediately put Yuan Erhua on edge, diminishing her previous bravado significantly.
"Officers, I was the one who called the police," Old Tang pointed towards Yuan Erhua as he addressed the questioning policeman. "She got jealous of others’ business and came here without reason to destroy their stall and even to assault people."
Hearing this, Yuan Erhua panicked, quickly explaining, "Officers, don’t listen to his nonsense. He’s in cahoots with this little harlot and they’re teaming up against me."
As she spoke, she pointed towards Tong Yao. "She was the one who started the fight. I was nearly killed by her. I’m old and frail and can’t hold up against young people. I’m in pain all over because of the beating."
The police glared at Yuan Erhua, warning sternly, "Don’t talk nonsense. The girl here is very young. If you defame her like this, she has the right to sue you."
With these words, Yuan Erfang immediately closed her mouth. While she wasn’t afraid of Tong Yao’s threats, she certainly had to fear what the police had to say!
Seeing that Yuan Erhua had settled down, one of the officers turned his attention to Tong Yao. Considering her appearance as a high school student, the scene they had just observed, and Old Tang’s words, he roughly guessed what was going on.
That being said, due process still had to be followed.
He first asked Yuan Erhua for her name, to which she grumpily responded, "My name is Yuan Erhua."
Hearing this, the other policeman frowned, asking, "Why is it you, again?"
The recognition came as he caught sight of Yuan Erhua’s familiar face, along with her name. He instantly recalled how, just a few months prior, she had started fights that brought her to the police station, and now here she was again causing trouble.
Feeling guilty, Yuan Erhua turned to leave, announcing, "I’ll call my man over here."
"You can’t leave," the policeman who recognized Yuan Erhua intercepted her, "You need to accompany us to the police station."
"Why is it the police station again?"
Panicked, Yuan Erhua didn’t want to go at all and insisted on returning to school. It was only after being scolded by the officer that she calmed down.
The officer then asked Tong Yao a few simple questions. She managed to squeeze out a few tears and, along with her hair tangled by Yuan Erhua, looked particularly pitiful—each tear telling a tale stronger than words.
The obvious disparity in body types between her and Yuan Erhua made it clear who was at a disadvantage. The metaphorical scales in the policeman’s mind instantly tipped in Tong Yao’s favor.
Selecting He Fang and Old Tang to discuss the incident, Old Tang clarified, fearing that the officers might believe Yuan Erhua’s claims, "Officers, I truly don’t know her. I just came to help break up the fight when I heard it happening."
The officer nodded, "Don’t worry, we won’t misunderstand an innocent person." These words were clearly meant for Yuan Erfang. Against stern righteousness, a villain like Yuan Erhua was always fearful.
After recording their statements, the police took Tong Yao and Yuan Erhua to the station for further processing.
This was the school gate where many students passed. They couldn’t have an incident disrupting children’s schooling.
Before leaving, Tong Yao handed over the stall to He Fang. Unsure of how much time she would lose at the police station, she instructed, "Sister Fang, don’t rush and sell things slowly. When Mr. Niu comes later, please tell him there’s no need to deliver milk this afternoon. If I haven’t returned by the time you’ve sold out of milk tea, you can go home."
He Fang nodded her agreement with a worried expression, reassuring Tong Yao, "Don’t worry, I won’t leave until we’ve sold out."
Seeing Tong Yao being taken away by the police, Niuniu clung to the officer’s sleeve with tear-filled eyes, pleadingly choking out, "Uncle Police, sister isn’t a bad person, can you please not take her?"
Only then did the police notice the little girl. Not wanting to traumatize her, he gently patted her head and said, "Uncle is just taking your sister to chat for a bit, not to arrest her, she’ll be back soon."
Tong Yao quickly nodded in agreement, "That’s right, Niuniu. Police uncles only catch bad people. I’m a good person, so it’ll be alright."
"Okay," Niuniu said faintly, forcing a small smile onto her face.
He Fang immediately hugged Niuniu to comfort her. Although worried for Tong Yao, she could only watch as the police led both Tong Yao and Yuan Erhua away. Seeing everyone else leave, Old Tang also returned to his security room.
Only when everyone had left did He Fang let go of Niuniu. Suddenly going weak at the knees, she sat down on the floor. She was scared out of her wits from the shocking event. Even when her husband was domestically violent towards her, she didn’t feel this scared.
She didn’t know what kind of food Tong Yao grew up on to become so brave. Facing Yuan Erhua without an ounce of fear, she even continued to fight fiercely. If it were her in Tong Yao’s position, she wouldn’t even dare to retaliate if she was beaten. She would have gone home as soon as a few men came to cause trouble this morning.
The saying "the brave starve to death while the timid die of hunger" was indeed true. She couldn’t learn to be as audacious and imposing as Tong Yao. No wonder Tong Yao was the boss and she was just a common employee.
With the end of class nearing, students unaware of the situation began flocking to the stall to buy milk tea. Wondering why Tong Yao, who always was there, was suddenly not around, their curiosity was piqued and some even inquired directly.
"Where’s Sister Yaoyao?"
Tong Yao was around the same age as the high school students, always smiling, and had a humorous and cheerful way of speaking. So, everyone fondly called her Sister Yaoyao.
"She had an emergency at home and had to leave," He Fang made up an excuse to brush off the question.
The students didn’t doubt her explanation. Some students even habitually started calling her boss and He Fang felt rather gratified, even rewarding those who called her boss with an extra half spoon of milk tea.
...
Arriving at the police station, the officers arranged for two female officers to mediate between the two parties. Seeing that Tong Yao was young, they determined her to be a minor and insisted on getting her parents’ contact information. Tong Yao, quite frustrated, asserted again and again that she was twenty and already married, hence a legal adult. However, because she couldn’t provide her ID number, the police insisted that her parents be contacted.
Initially, Yuan Erhua worried that Tong Yao’s parents would come and assist her, putting Yuan Erhua at a clear disadvantage. Thus, she also asked for members of her family to come over. However, Wang Fugui, unwilling to leave his small store, refused to come. This made Yuan Erhua furious. She started ranting and cursing in the police station, even insulting Wang Fugui’s ancestors eight generations back.
It was only after being shouted at by a police officer that she finally quieted down.
Seeing Tong Yao being reluctant to call her parents, Yuan Erhua smelled a rat and began fanning the flames, insistent that Tong Yao must call her parents over.
Tong Yao was exasperated. "I’m from Kyoto. My parents are thousands of miles away. It would take them at least two or three days to get here." It wasn’t such a significant issue to warrant calling in the parents, was it?
It’s not like she was still a primary school student.
