Chapter 31

Chapter 31 Uncle! It’s Him!

In front of the bus stop, there was a crowd of people. Two elementary school students in the fourth grade stood in line waiting for the bus.

Not far away, a middle-aged man with glasses stood on one side.

A crowded bus approached the station, and the two students got on board. The middle-aged man also followed the crowd onto the bus.

Just before the bus doors were about to close, the two kids ran out from the middle door. Seeing this, the man with glasses immediately called out to stop the bus and got off.

But after getting off, he looked around, but there was no sign of the two kids anywhere.

After getting off the bus, Mei Fang and Xia Yuan ran as fast as they could through several blocks until they found a bus stop and quickly boarded another bus. They found seats inside.

During the run, Xia Yuan held tightly onto Mei Fang’s hand, her palm sweating profusely, but she wouldn’t let go until they sat down.

Whew…

Encountering a bad person was truly shocking for Mei Fang, but fortunately, he had prepared for such an emergency. His vigilance helped avoid further danger.

“Would you like to wipe your sweat?”

Mei Fang handed Xia Yuan a tissue, but she continued to tremble uncontrollably, clearly still shaken by what happened.

Seeing this, Mei Fang gently patted her head to comfort her.

Under Mei Fang’s reassurance, Xia Yuan gradually calmed down.

But when she looked up at him again, her eyes were red and swollen, tears streaming down her face.

She began apologizing repeatedly.

“Mei Fang… it’s all my fault… I’m so sorry…”

“What did you do wrong? It’s fine now… be good, okay?”

This was hard to soothe. She must have been really scared.

Mei Fang wiped her tears, gave her water to drink, and kept comforting her throughout the journey. Eventually, she stopped crying.

Although this frightened her, it might not be entirely bad for innocent Xia Yuan to realize the dangers of the world.

After all, he couldn’t always be by her side, right?

“I… I never thought there would be so many bad people outside. Mom and Dad must be worried sick about us.”

Xia Yuan rubbed her eyes. “Mei Fang, I think we shouldn’t let our parents worry anymore… Your parents must be worried about you too.”

Mei Fang nodded. He hadn’t considered his own parents.

“At the next stop, there’s a police station. We’ll ask the police for help and tell them about that strange uncle.”

Mei Fang hadn’t planned for this incident to drag on any longer. The sudden situation showed that he couldn’t fully ensure their safety with his current strength.

After arriving at the station, Mei Fang and Xia Yuan went to the police station. Mei Fang explained to the police officer that Xia Yuan’s parents were arguing, and Xia Yuan wanted to consult her grandmother about what to do, so she came alone to Jiangcheng.

As a close friend who was concerned about Xia Yuan’s safety, Mei Fang followed her.

They also explained the encounter with the strange uncle at KFC.

The police officers criticized and educated Xia Yuan and Mei Fang while contacting Xia Yuan’s mother.

After explaining the situation to Xia Yuan’s anxious mother over the phone, the police officer handed the phone to Mei Fang.

It should have been Xia Yuan who answered the call, but she kept tugging on Mei Fang’s arm.

There was no choice…

Mei Fang cleared his throat and took the phone.

“Hello… Are you Teacher Yu? This is Mei Fang.”

“Yes, Xia Yuan is with me.”

“She said she wants to find her grandmother, and I’m very worried about her…”

The voice on the other end became unusually loud. Mei Fang closed his eyes, looking chastised.

“Why didn’t you contact me… At that moment, it was urgent, and Xia Yuan was about to get on the bus. I couldn’t stop her, so…”

“I’m sorry… Teacher Yu… really, I’m sorry.”

Mei Fang seemed to have been scolded by his homeroom teacher, Teacher Yu, whom he had never heard raise his voice before. There was a hint of sadness in his voice.

However, his emotional buildup was quite effective. Perhaps because of the tearful tone, Teacher Yu’s voice softened slightly.

“Should Xia Yuan take the phone?”

Mei Fang glanced at Xia Yuan, who looked humble and helpless.

“Excuse me, is Uncle Xia with you?”

“He’s still looking for us everywhere and hasn’t contacted you yet, right?”

“Teacher Yu, although we made mistakes, some things Xia Yuan might want to say in person.”

Mei Fang paused and explained calmly, “She can’t talk directly to Teacher Yu now. We plan to contact her grandmother first and wait for you and Uncle Xia to come over.”

Mei Fang then handed the phone back to the police officer, who confirmed some information before hanging up.

“You’re really just a little kid? You’re quite mature for your age.”

“There’s no helping it.” Mei Fang sighed. “I’ve always carried burdens beyond my years.”

“Today’s kids are really not simple.”

“Little Xia Yuan, where does your grandmother live? We’ll drive you there right away.”

“That would be great! Thank you, Officer Uncle!”

It was a fascinating experience for Xia Yuan to ride in a police car for the first time, but she wasn’t in a cheerful mood. She kept whispering to Mei Fang on the ride.

“What should I say to Mom and Dad when I see them?”

“… Should I ask?”

Mei Fang shook his head. “If you agreed to this plan, shouldn’t you have something you want to say yourself?”

“But everything I want to say is written in the letter…”

Xia Yuan said, “I hope Dad will spend more time with me. I don’t want Mom and Dad to divorce… In the letter, I told Mom that if I were gone, they might get along better. Then, whenever they argue, they’d remember me and stop fighting.”

“Have you ever said such things before?”

“Yeah…”

Xia Yuan glared at Mei Fang angrily. “I know it sounds funny.”

“It’s not funny at all, little girl,” Officer Uncle said. “No matter how big the difficulties, never underestimate life. It only hurts those around you.”

“I understand… Officer Uncle! I won’t do this again!”

Xia Yuan apologized hurriedly to Officer Uncle.

“Oh… Uncle… I have a question.”

“Go ahead!”

“If we did this… Do we need to stay in L for a few days or go to a correctional facility?”

“Well…”

Seeing Officer Uncle’s silence, Xia Yuan thought it might be serious and tried to distance herself from Mei Fang.

“This was all my idea. Mei Fang had nothing to do with it! He just… just wanted to stop me! If you’re going to catch someone, catch me!”

Mei Fang gently tapped Xia Yuan’s head, making her quiet down. “Relax, Officer Uncle won’t arrest you.”

“That’s good…”

The police car was waiting at a traffic light. Xia Yuan looked bored out the window, but the figure she saw outside made her grip Mei Fang’s arm tightly.

“What’s wrong…”

Following Xia Yuan’s pointed direction, Mei Fang saw the man reading a newspaper. The distinctive bald spot was unmistakable. It was the strange uncle who had been following them today.

Mei Fang noticed they had passed a bus stop. This strange uncle seemed to target lone children near bus stops, indicating he was a repeat offender.

He ordered the car to stop, and Xia Yuan immediately called out to the officers:

“Officer Uncle! That’s him! He’s been following us!”

The officers reacted decisively, pulling over and stopping the strange uncle. Seeing the officers approaching, he turned around nervously.

Xia Yuan and Mei Fang watched from the car as the officers apprehended the strange uncle. Xia Yuan felt relieved as the heavy stone in her heart finally lifted.