My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 89 Begging for mercy
After entering the West Palace, follow the security personnel towards the main building. Once there, follow the corridor to the back of the main building, where there is a door leading to the security office.

As soon as he entered, Xu Guoqing saw A Mao and the others, their faces bruised and swollen, handcuffed to the wall in the corridor, half-squatting on the ground in an extremely awkward position, looking miserable.

Hearing footsteps, the three of them instinctively looked up, but immediately lowered their heads again, not daring to look him in the eye.

Xu Guoqing merely glanced at them indifferently, continued walking forward, and knocked on the door of the office at the end of the corridor before entering.

"Brother Zhang!"

This is Zhang Jianguo's office. I greeted him warmly as I entered, but instead of calling him Section Chief Zhang as I did outside, I called him Brother Zhang.

Zhang Jianguo nodded with a smile and accepted the cigarette offered by Xu Guoqing.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to light her cigarette, she gently placed the plastic bag containing the digital watch on Zhang Jianguo's table, and then subtly winked at him while blocking the doorway with her body.

Zhang Jianguo understood immediately. He opened the drawer and casually wiped it, and the digital watch went from the table to the drawer. Then he took out a piece of paper from the drawer before closing it.

"We used some tricks and got the information out of them. These three guys said they were acting under someone's orders."

"Being instructed by someone?"

Xu Guoqing frowned. He had been suspecting this, and now Zhang Jianguo's words had turned his suspicion into certainty. But the problem was that they had all thought back and hadn't offended anyone these past few days! If there really was someone, it would be the guy who got slapped twice by Zhou Jiye on the first day of setting up the stall. But judging from that guy's expression just now, it shouldn't have been him. So who could it be?

"Who gave the order?"

"They say it's a guy named Jiang Bin."

"Jiang Bin?"

Xu Guoqing had never heard of this person's name before, let alone knew who this person was.

"I've never heard of Jiang Bin before, so why did he contact us?"

"Hehe, I'm not looking for you, I'm looking for that woman in your group. According to the three of them, they met Jiang Bin near the West Palace. This Jiang Bin said he had a grudge against that woman surnamed Lin in your group and specifically paid them to help him get revenge."

Upon hearing this answer, Xu Guoqing frowned even more deeply. These three guys were actually recruited by Lin Ying? That's even more unreasonable!
How could Lin Ying, a woman, possibly do that? Besides, they've been setting up their stall together these past few days. Every day at noon, Lin Ying either goes home to cook or helps them bring out lunch. She leaves early and returns late, hasn't gone anywhere else, hasn't had any conflicts with anyone, and there's no way she could have offended anyone!

Do you know the specifics?

Zhang Jianguo shook his head: "They don't know the specifics either. To put it bluntly, these guys just took the money and helped someone vent their anger."

"Heh, Jiang Bin actually gave them money? How much?"

Upon hearing this question, Zhang Jianguo couldn't help but laugh, gesturing with his fingers: "One yuan and three mao."

"Cena!"

Xu Guoqing never expected it to be only one yuan and thirty cents. That was far too little! Just now, Xu Guoqing was thinking that no matter how much trouble Jiang Bin caused, he would at least have to pay ten or twenty yuan. Who would have thought it would be so little?
However, after a moment's thought, Xu Guoqing quickly understood. It was true that A Mao and his gang had taken the money to help Jiang Bin vent his anger, but it was also true that they planned to take advantage of the incident to steal something from their stall. However, none of the three of them were stupid; they knew that the latter was more serious than the former. If it were only the former, they would at most be taking money to help someone solve a problem. But with the latter, the nature of the matter was completely different.

"That's the situation. I asked you to come here partly to tell you the specifics, and partly to ask for your thoughts on what to do next."

"What ideas can I have?"

Zhang Jianguo pointed to the corridor outside and laughed, "Logically speaking, this kind of trivial matter is neither a big deal nor a small one. The solution is quite simple: just lock them up for a few days, or make them compensate you for your losses directly. If you insist on pursuing it, you can send them directly to a labor camp."

"Whether it's labor reform or being detained for a few days, I don't have the conditions for that here. It has to be transferred to the police station for handling. If it's just about compensation, you can calculate the amount of loss you should be compensated for, and then you can discuss it yourselves."

Xu Guoqing was both amused and exasperated. How much money could these three guys, who would do something like this for a mere 1.3 yuan, possibly come up with to compensate him? Ah Mao had stolen 115 yuan worth of their goods.

The lighter and the digital watch were no big deal; they were all brought back intact in the plastic bags. But the sunglasses were completely broken during the fight. Three pairs of glasses would cost forty-five yuan; could those three thugs afford that?
Seeing Xu Guoqing hesitate, Zhang Jianguo whispered something to him, and Xu Guoqing finally understood why Zhang Jianguo had given him two options to choose from. It turned out that someone was there to protect Amao!
"The person who came is waiting next door. Why don't you go over and talk to them? Talk to them first. It would be best if you could reach an agreement. If not, then we can discuss it further."

“Okay! I’ll go take a look.” Xu Guoqing readily agreed, showing respect to Zhang Jianguo. Zhang Jianguo was very satisfied with his cooperative attitude, so he got up and led Xu Guoqing out of the office to a small office next door. Inside, a person was sitting.

"You two talk it over. Come find me next door when you've settled things." With that, Zhang Jianguo turned and left.

As soon as Xu Guoqing entered the room, his gaze fell on the figure sitting opposite the door, and that person turned around to look at him when he heard the door open.

"Cena!"

"Holy crap!"

They both blurted out a curse in unison, and then the person inside stood up and strode towards Xu Guoqing. "Aqing!"

"Awei!"

"why you?"

After their initial surprise, they both laughed, clenched their fists and gently tapped each other's chests, then embraced in a very affectionate manner.

"It's been years, you're still alive, kid."

"Nonsense! Even if you turn to ashes, I'll still be breathing! But come to think of it, it's been seven or eight years since we were sent to the countryside as educated youth and separated, right?"

Xu Guoqing smiled broadly. The man in front of him, Awei, was his junior high school classmate and best friend from their school days. However, not long after graduating from junior high school, they responded to the call to become educated youth and go to the countryside. Xu Guoqing went to the Northeast Production and Construction Corps, while Awei went to Yunnan. One was in the north and the other in the south, and they parted ways. In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed.

"When did you come back?"

Ah Wei enthusiastically took out a cigarette and handed it to Xu Guoqing. Xu Guoqing took it and said with a smile, "I came back at the beginning of last year. It's been a year since I came back. What about you?"

"Then you came back earlier than me. I only came back at the end of last year, which is less than half a year ago."

How were things after you came back?

"So-so, how are you now?"

Xu Guoqing sized him up and asked with a smile, "You look quite different now. I remember you were a very honest kid in school. Now you're out there causing trouble? What? You've made a name for yourself? Become a gang leader?"

"What a load of crap! I'm just trying to make a living." Awei shook his head and sighed, "After coming back, I had no job and no income. What am I supposed to do? I can only figure it out myself. Now I'm just making a living with a few friends. I'm not starving but I'm not full either. It's just a bit more comfortable than having a job."

At this point, Ah Wei finally remembered the important matter: "But you, you're your own boss now? Selling things at the West Palace gate? You've made a fortune?"

"I'm just a partner with a few friends, trying to make a living," Xu Guoqing said casually.

"By the way, I didn't expect A-Mao to run into you. This saves me a lot of trouble. I know what A-Mao and his gang did today wasn't very ethical, A-Qing, we're old brothers, could you do me a favor and let this kid off the hook...?"

At this point, Awei looked a little embarrassed, his expression carrying a hint of pleading.

Xu Guoqing glanced at Awei and asked suspiciously, "Is this A Mao one of your men?"

Ah Wei shook his head: "I don't have a brother like that. This kid is all talk and no action and doesn't even have a brain. If he were one of my men, he would definitely ruin me."

"Then why did you...?"

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do about it..."

Ah Wei sighed. Since Xu Guoqing was no outsider, he immediately explained the reason.

He told Xu Guoqing that although he looked down on people like A Mao, A Mao's family had some connection with him. First, they were all neighbors from the old street, and second, A Mao's brother was A Wei's childhood friend.

They went to Yunnan together as educated youth, but A Mao's brother died in an accident after only a few years there.

When he left, A-Mao's brother asked A-Wei to help take care of the family if he could return to Shanghai someday. A-Wei is a loyal friend, so even if he didn't know about this, he couldn't just ignore it. Even if he was angry that A-Mao was such a good-for-nothing, he had to find a way to help him. He couldn't just stand by and watch A-Mao get sent to a labor camp.
"It's quite a coincidence today. I have two friends who resell movie tickets around Xigong. I happened to come over to chat with them and heard about A Mao getting into a fight at the entrance of Xigong and being taken away by the security department. So, I asked someone to come and ask. If it's not a big deal, I'll step in to bail him out. Even if I have to pay some money, I'll accept it. After all, his brother and I are brothers."

"His brother is...?" Xu Guoqing asked.

Ah Wei mentioned a name, and a figure instantly flashed into Xu Guoqing's mind: "So it was him..."

Xu Guoqing, A Mao's older brother, also knew him. Back when he and A Wei were close, he often went to A Wei's house to play, and A Mao's older brother would often come over too. Over time, they became friends. Unexpectedly, seven or eight years have passed and things have changed. His childhood friend from back then is long gone, and who would have thought that the person who came to their gathering today would be his younger brother, A Mao? What a small world!
Xu Guoqing sighed softly, feeling uneasy. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Giving you face is no problem, but do you know the whole story behind this?"

"I've heard some general information, but I don't know the specifics. Would you like to tell me more?"

Xu Guoqing didn't hide anything from him and immediately told Awei everything he had learned from Zhang Jianguo. When Awei heard what Xu Guoqing had to say and learned that A Mao and the others had actually stood up for someone over a mere 1.3 yuan, and even fought and damaged Xu Guoqing's property, he was so angry that his nose almost crooked.

"That little bastard, he's an idiot who doesn't even think before he acts!"

Unable to resist cursing a few times, Awei looked at Xu Guoqing with pleading eyes, clasped his hands together, hoping that Xu Guoqing would be lenient and give A Mao a chance for his sake.

(End of this chapter)