"Okay, thank you!"
Xi Yangyang got up from the ground and walked into the room. It was old and yellowed with age, but despite that, it was kept remarkably tidy.
Tian Yuan gestured for Xi Yangyang to sit on the sofa. Xi Yangyang nodded, then tiptoed over to take a seat. He pulled out a small notebook for recording and a pen printed with a starry sky pattern from his wool.
Tian Yuan went to tidy up the kitchen for a moment, poured a glass of cold water, and placed it in front of Xi Yangyang.
Xi Yangyang took a deep breath, watched as Tian Yuan seated himself on the opposite sofa, and then slowly began to speak.
"Excuse me, do you know anything about the past of Boss Zhu, the curator of the Erying Museum?!"
Xi Yangyang asked the question he had in mind. As for why his question wasn't about Phantom Thief Shenhu, but rather about Boss Zhu, Xi Yangyang had already thought it through carefully.
Based on Xi Yangyang's investigation so far, Phantom Thief Shenhu was essentially a chivalrous thief who robbed the rich to give to the poor. Furthermore, he didn't just steal from anyone; he only targeted those who were truly evil and corrupt.
This detail made Xi Yangyang take notice. If the thief only targeted the wicked, what about Boss Zhu? Xi Yangyang had no leads or clues whatsoever and could only start investigating from scratch.
Ultimately, Xi Yangyang had decided to investigate Boss Zhu's past first to see if there were any breakthroughs.
"Hmm, my name is Tian Yuan. I have some impression of him. That Boss Zhu has attended all sorts of factories, so it's not hard to remember him."
Tian Yuan first introduced himself, and then proceeded to share what he knew.
"As for what happened after that, I'm not too sure, but I do have a hunch. Back in the day, I seem to remember reading a news article—what was it called again? Something about Boss Zhu withholding wages? But it was suppressed soon after, and I never saw it again!"
"Of course, I might be misremembering. That's all I can think of!"
The clues Tian Yuan provided were very limited, but to Xi Yangyang, that final point was important enough.
"Okay, thank you!"
Xi Yangyang nodded and jotted it down. Afterward, he asked a few more questions about the chivalrous Phantom Thief Shenhu, and about the items recently stolen from the Erying Museum.
"Thank you."
Xi Yangyang stood up, gave a polite bow, and said thank you before opening the door and heading out.
Suddenly, before Xi Yangyang had walked far, Tian Yuan opened his door and came out.
"If there's anything else you want to ask, just come to me! I'll definitely cooperate fully!"
Tian Yuan said, leaving Xi Yangyang slightly puzzled. This matter had nothing to do with him—why was he so eager?
Thinking this, Xi Yangyang walked back up and questioned Tian Yuan.
Hearing the question, Tian Yuan looked a bit shy. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Because I want to become a police officer and solve mysterious cases."
After some explanation, Xi Yangyang learned the reason: Tian Yuan had dreamed of becoming a police officer since he was a child.
He wanted to crack all sorts of puzzles and bring safety to the people. Unfortunately, he had unexpectedly failed the civil service exam and had been depressed ever since.
"I see!"
Xi Yangyang nodded, gave an encouraging response, and promised that if he had any new questions, he would definitely come back to ask Tian Yuan.
Watching Xi Yangyang's departing figure, Tian Yuan stood frozen in place. Once Xi Yangyang was completely out of sight, he wore a faint smile, turned around, pulled open the door, stepped inside, and slammed it shut.
"So that's how it is—withheld wages! Excellent, finally a new breakthrough. I'll follow this line of inquiry!"
Recalling all the information he had gathered, Xi Yangyang finally had a breakthrough: Boss Zhu was withholding wages.
This topic might seem useless at first glance, but it actually opened up many possible trains of thought.
Xi Yangyang vaguely felt that the withheld wages must be connected to the theft of the Rainbow Pocket Watch. He had to find the truth and rescue Lan Yangyang; his time was running out, and he only had three days left.
At that moment, the afternoon sunlight shone just right on Xi Yangyang as he walked step by step away from the neighborhood against the light.
"I'm exhausted!"
Dragging his weary body, Lan Yangyang walked step by step. It hurt—it hurt so much. Lan Yangyang had actually spent a full three hours crawling through the sewers.
He looked at the street before him. It wasn't very bustling, and the passing pedestrians were few and far between.
This was probably the edge of the city, where people were scarce—at least he didn't have to worry about being discovered in the short term.
"I'm starving!"
At that moment, Lan Yangyang's stomach let out a loud rumble. He was hungry.
"Is there anything to eat around here? I'm starving!"
Lan Yangyang looked left and right, and suddenly spotted a small food stall. The stall mainly sold noodles called Chongqing noodles, which looked quite delicious.
He looked around to make sure no one would suddenly rush out and capture him, then cautiously walked over to the noodle stall.
"I'm dead tired. Boss, three bowls of noodles! One with extra cilantro, one with extra chili oil, and make the last one a deluxe version!"
Arriving at the stall, Lan Yangyang sat down on a wooden stool and rubbed his little cheeks. He felt like his limbs were about to dislocate; his physical exertion today was more than he usually had in an entire year.
Raising his little hand, Lan Yangyang immediately ordered three bowls of noodles, especially emphasizing that the last one had to be packed with extra ingredients. He reached into his wool, fumbled around, and took out his hidden pocket money.
There was no way around it. Running all the way here, wanted posters of him were plastered everywhere, and Hui Tailang had even used Boss Zhu's authority to forcibly cancel his unlimited free pass.
It hurt, it hurt so much. These stashed-away savings were New Year's money Lan Yangyang had accumulated from the previous year. His heart ached; his wallet was bleeding.
"Coming right up!"
The vendor yelled out and immediately started... rolling out dough. That's right, rolling out noodles! The vendor's technique was extremely practiced. Although the stall was quite old and worn down, it was still in use, likely having been in business for many years.
The vendor took a deep breath, his technique practiced. Grabbing the dough with both hands, he began to pull. The dough moved like a sharp weapon in the vendor's hands, and in just a moment, he finished pulling the dough into distinct, individual strands of noodles.
With a casual wave of his hand, the vendor dropped all the noodles into a pot of boiling water. The bubbling sound was endless, accompanied by an appetizing aroma that wasn't overly spicy yet impossible to resist, making one's mouth water instantly.
Soon, the noodles were cooked. The vendor scooped them out into a bowl, added some garnishes, and topped it with extra cilantro. The first bowl was freshly served.
"Here are your noodles!"
The vendor said, placing the bowl onto the wooden stool in front of Lan Yangyang. Lan Yangyang muttered a thank you, reached into a bamboo tube on the wooden table, and pulled out a pair of disposable chopsticks.
He tore open the packaging, took out the chopsticks, and cautiously blew on the noodles in front of him.
The noodles were freshly made, and the rising steam made Lan Yangyang break out in a sweat.
"They look so good!"
His saliva kept flowing uncontrollably. Although Lan Yangyang wanted to dig in immediately, he asked the vendor for some vinegar and chili oil, and of course, the classic pickled mustard greens—an absolute must for Lan Yangyang.
Using his hands, Lan Yangyang picked up the chopsticks, grabbed a mouthful of noodles, blew on them carefully, and put them into his mouth.
In an instant, the spicy flavor rushed straight to his brain, and Lan Yangyang's taste buds felt like they were exploding. It was wonderful; Lan Yangyang loved this feeling.
Mainly because he had been chased for a long time and hadn't eaten properly, taking a bite like this right after exercising was simply amazing.
"So good!"
Lan Yangyang's eyes widened in bliss. His cheeks turned flushed from the rising heat, making him look even more adorable.
"Boss, bring me a bottle of iced orange soda!"
Lan Yangyang quickly finished the first bowl with extra cilantro, and soon the second bowl with extra chili was served.
The chili in the second bowl was easily twice as spicy as the first. Just smelling it made his mouth water involuntarily.
However, to prevent himself from getting overwhelmed by the spice, Lan Yangyang reached out and asked for a bottle of old-school orange soda called Beibingyang.
"Can't wait, dig in!"
Looking at the glowing red broth of the second bowl, Lan Yangyang couldn't hold back any longer and eagerly scooped up a spoonful of soup first.
The soup was practically bursting with spice, but Lan Yangyang loved it, especially the instant rush of satisfaction when the heat hit him.
After a sip of soup, Lan Yangyang picked up his chopsticks to eat a few mouthfuls of noodles, and then grabbed the Beibingyang.
The Beibingyang came in a glass bottle. Taking a bottle opener, Lan Yangyang popped the cap off with a crisp *pop*.
He set the opener down on the table and looked at the alluring bottle of Beibingyang orange soda in his hand. Because it was iced and had just been taken out, a thin layer of frost covered the outside of the glass. Due to the warmth of being held, part of that frost had already melted into water.That made it look even more appetizing. Lan Yangyang took a hearty gulp of his Beibingyang orange soda, then began slurping down the burning-hot, ultra-spicy Chongqing noodles before him with loud gasps.
"Hmph, kneel down to me right now!"
Just as Lan Yangyang was eating his noodles, a group of young boys in a corner behind him were bullying a little girl. The little girl was a little sheep, just like Lan Yangyang, and she was very cute.
However, because she was probably quite dirty with a lot of mud on her face, her original lovely appearance was obscured.
"Ugly freak! Ugly freak! Ugly freak, no parents! Ugly freak, no parents!"
The group of boys laughed as they hurled taunts. Judging by their teasing words, it seemed the little girl had no parents—was she an orphan?
As Lan Yangyang thought this, the speed of his noodle-eating unconsciously slowed down.
"You parentless ugly freak!"
The boys mocked her again, pointing and shouting at the little girl. By this time, whether out of fear or something else, the little girl was already crying.
She squatted on the ground, curled into a ball with her hands covering her eyes, crying nonstop. Tears streamed down her face, making her look so pitiful and heartbreaking.
Seen from afar, the little girl looked truly helpless, surrounded and cursed at by a bunch of boys who used her scars and the fact that she was an orphan as weapons against her.
In an instant, Lan Yangyang stopped eating. It was as if he was recalling the past, and he muttered the word "Mom" to himself.
The boys kept bullying the little girl. Just as they were getting carried away and about to resort to physical violence, *smack*! Lan Yangyang slammed his chopsticks down on the table.
Then he abruptly stood up and walked toward the little girl and the boys.
"Which family taught you kids such bad manners?"
Lan Yangyang stepped forward to shield the little girl, glaring angrily at the children who were only five or six years old.
These kids were five or six, yet they didn't even have the most basic manners? They actually had the nerve to bully a girl who looked like she was only four!
"Hmph, what right do you have to lecture us?"
The boys looked at him with utter disdain, not taking Lan Yangyang seriously at all, and rudely stretched out their hands to dismiss him.
"What, looking down on me?"
Looking at these kids, Lan Yangyang completely lost his temper. Bratty kids were truly hateful!
Before Lan Yangyang could react, one boy wearing a red shirt, who seemed to be the ringleader, rushed forward and reached out to grab the little girl.
"Get over here!"
The boy shouted, but suddenly Lan Yangyang reached out and grabbed him instantly.
"Just try moving! How did your mom and dad teach you?!"
Lan Yangyang was furious. Normally he would disdain hitting such little brats, but this time he really wanted to ask how their parents had raised them.
As Lan Yangyang thought this, the boys' parents rushed over. Unexpectedly, the very first thing the boy's mother did upon arriving was to violently shove Lan Yangyang away.
Lan Yangyang was slightly stunned, but before he could recover his wits, the boy's mother grabbed her son in a tight embrace and began wailing as if mourning the dead, then immediately pointed at Lan Yangyang and started laying blame.
"Why are you putting your hands on him? He's only a child! How could you lay a hand on a child? He's just a kid who doesn't know anything!"
*The Great Detective of the Year of the Dog: Meng Xiaoyang's Memories*
"Wuuu wuuu wuuu!"
Facing a crowd of unreasonable parents, Lan Yangyang decided to be unreasonable right back. He was not the type to let himself be bullied.
Accused of bullying a child, Lan Yangyang instantly dropped to his knees, covered his face with one hand, and burst into tears.
The parents nearby were instantly thrown into a panic, at a complete loss. Immediately, Lan Yangyang straightened up one hand and began pointing accusing fingers at them.
"How can you do this? I'm just a child!"
"What?!"
Looking at the panicked parents before him, Lan Yangyang smiled slightly. He was about to unleash his ultimate move.
He opened his wide, beautiful eyes wide, filled with a watery sheen and a hint of tears swirling in his sockets. He looked so pitiful, so deserving of sympathy.
Striking a classic loli-kneeling pose with a slight blush on his cheeks and his hands trembling in helplessness, he looked utterly pitiful—simply explosive in cuteness.
"I'm still a child, and I'm so cute, how could you?! Wuuuuuuu wuuuuu wuuuuu... sob sob sob!"
The parent was left speechless, frozen in place. *What the hell?* He had seen people argue back, but never using magic to defeat magic!
"No, you—!"
The parent tried to retort, but right at that moment, a crowd of aunties rushed in from behind.
The large group of aunties swarmed forward, positioning themselves right in front of Lan Yangyang. Without even asking questions, they immediately started berating the parent.
"This is going way too far! How can an adult bully a child? Especially such a cute child?"
"Exactly! You have zero morals. Is this the distortion of human nature or the loss of morality? How can you bully a kid? Are you even human?!"
"Too much! How can you bully such a cute kid? Here, Auntie will treat you to some candy, stop crying!"
"Auntie will buy you snacks!"
"Auntie will buy you a drink!"
"..."
"..."
"..."
The parent froze, his worldview shattering piece by piece. *What the hell, why are modern mom-fans so crazy?!*
Realizing they couldn't reason with this crowd, the parents could only beat a hasty retreat. After they left, the aunties immediately produced all kinds of snacks, candies, desserts, drinks, and even more delicious treats to pamper Lan Yangyang.
Watching the retreating figures of the parents, Lan Yangyang smiled faintly. When it came to acting pitiful and cute, who could possibly rival him?
"The aunties are leaving now. If anyone bullies you, be sure to tell us!"
After showering Lan Yangyang with affection, the aunties slipped him some extra money and left.
Lan Yangyang stuffed the money into his pocket and was just about to leave when a small hand grabbed his ankle.
He turned around and saw that it was the little sheep. Lan Yangyang instinctively yawned and scratched his head, failing to understand why she was stopping him.
"What are you doing?"
"C-can I follow you?"
The little sheep asked tremblingly, a look of desperate fear in her eyes—the fear that Lan Yangyang would abandon her.
Perhaps fearing that Lan Yangyang would leave her behind alone, she vigorously wiped at the dirt on her face.
Yet the harder she rubbed, the dirtier she smeared it. It looked a bit silly, but even more pitiful.
"Little sister, where are your parents?"
In the end, Lan Yangyang sighed. He squatted down, patted the little sheep's head, and asked where her parents were.
"I don't know! I was abandoned when I was very little! The kind grandpa who took me in passed away, and I don't know what to do!"
As the little sheep spoke, her voice was choked with tears, yet she stubbornly held them back so they wouldn't fall. This fragile yet stubborn demeanor tugged at Lan Yangyang's heartstrings.
Or perhaps it wasn't just sympathy—he was also reminded of his own mother. Having once walked in the rain himself, he simply couldn't bear to watch others standing helplessly in the storm without an umbrella.
"Are you hungry?"
Lan Yangyang finally relented. After all, he was the Lan Yangyang of Sheep Village. He turned to look at the little sheep.
"N-no, Big Brother, I'm not hungry at all."
The little sheep smiled as she answered. Yet despite her words, her stomach let out a loud rumble.
The reason was simple: the little sheep hadn't eaten in two days. Even though her stomach rumbled, she tried her absolute best to suppress the sound, insisting she wasn't hungry.
Lan Yangyang felt a mix of amusement and heartache. She was clearly starving, yet she was trying with all her might to hide her hunger.
Perhaps the little sheep simply didn't want to owe Lan Yangyang any more favors.
In her eyes, it was already a massive blessing that Lan Yangyang had been willing to help her; she dared not ask for anything more, nor did she want to incur any further debts of gratitude.
"You're already starving, aren't you? I'll treat you. It's fine, I'm already full!"
Seeing the little sheep's stubborn look, Lan Yangyang smiled and pointed toward the nearby Chongqing noodle stall.
"Look, I ordered three bowls right over there. I've already eaten two, and I can't finish the last one. If nobody eats it, it'll just go to waste and I'll have to throw it out!"
"If nobody eats it, it's just wasted!"
Lan Yangyang said this even though he was only about forty percent full; he felt he should fill the little sheep's stomach first.
"I-is that so?"
Hearing Lan Yangyang's words, the little sheep still felt a bit hesitant.
Seeing how stubborn she was, Lan Yangyang rolled his eyes and smiled.
*Hey readers, there's still more to this chapter! Click the next page to keep reading—it gets even better!*
"Well, if that's the case, and nobody's going to eat it... Boss, please help me throw that bowl away."