One of the "Superman with Pickles" series - Pickles and Eggs
Demanding Debt from a Thief
Category: Essays Added Time: March 31, 2011, 15:28:28 Source: admin Clicks: 17
The incident where I reclaimed money stolen by a thief happened two years ago. On that day, a colleague and I were going to Gongyi on business. We boarded the bus, and amidst the laughter and tears of Thai ladyboys, only the last two rows of seats were available, so we sat in the second-to-last row.
Halfway through the journey, a few men boarded the bus. They were all around thirty years old, tall, and well-dressed. Some of them sat at the front, while others sat at the back. Two of them sat directly behind us.
After the bus started moving again, my friend and I were quietly talking when I noticed one of the men who had just boarded reaching into someone else's pocket. Realizing this, I instinctively checked my own pocket, only to find that the money which had been there moments before was now gone. Panic set in as I wondered if I had accidentally taken it out myself. I quickly bent down to look on the floor but found nothing. This made me suspicious of the two men sitting behind me.
But how could I ask them for it? I didn't want to end up like some people who not only fail to retrieve their money but also get beaten up. As I thought about this, my mind raced, trying to recall any stories of wit and cunning I had read for guidance, but none seemed suitable. Just as I was getting anxious, I remembered how I had earlier looked for the money on the ground and an idea struck me.
I knew that even if the person sitting behind me was a thief, they would still value dignity and face. Their reasons for stealing might be due to laziness or bad company, but regardless, they knew that what they were doing was dishonorable and wrong. I believed no thief would say, "Being a thief is a glorious and great profession." People often say that to subdue a snake, you must strike its vulnerable spot. Their guilt and cowardice might just be their weak point.
With this in mind, I turned around and asked them politely, "Did either of you see two hundred-yuan bills?"
"No, no," they both replied hastily.
"You must have seen them," I insisted.
"How can you be so sure we saw them?"
"Minutes ago, I felt the money was still in my pocket, but now it's gone. It must have fallen when I was taking something out, and you two picked it up."
"How can you be so sure we picked it up?"
"There's no one else behind me but you two. If it wasn't you, then who? And it's not on the ground," I said.
"No, we didn't see anything."
"If you picked it up, please give it back. That's all the money I have. Without it, I won't be able to go home."
"We didn't pick it up, how can we give it to you?"
"If you didn't pick it up, then fine. Since I don't have any money, I might as well ask the driver to take us to the police station for a check." Saying this, I made a gesture as if I were about to call the driver.
"If you insist it was us who picked it up, then here, take two hundred yuan. Do you dare to take it?" He said this while pulling out two hundred-yuan bills and waving them in front of me, referring to a selection of short novels.
Looking at him, I hesitated, feeling uneasy. I was afraid of falsely accusing a good person, yet also feared that he might be a bad person who could retaliate against me after I took the money. But then I thought, this is indeed all the money I had. If I didn't take it, what would I do? Besides, if the money wasn't stolen by him, where could it have gone? With these thoughts in mind, I reached out and took the money.
Although I had retrieved the money, I still felt uncomfortable inside. I was worried that he might resort to violence with his group, making things difficult for me.
As I was anxiously thinking about countermeasures, the bus arrived at a stop and the men at the front got off. The two behind us also stood up and left. Watching their towering backs disappear, I was extremely frightened, unsure whether they would turn around and demand their money back. Only after watching the bus door close and the bus start moving again did my heart settle. At this point, everyone on the bus began discussing, and the person who had lost money earlier realized they had been robbed. They wanted to get off and chase those men still standing by the roadside, but everyone persuaded them not to. Amidst the chaos, everyone unanimously agreed that the group of men who had just disembarked were accomplices.
I sat silently, relieved to have reclaimed my money but saddened by the state of society where mice fear cats. I remember that when I was a child, in the seventies and eighties, whenever a thief appeared, everyone would unite in condemning them, calling for justice. Now, several decades later, why has society regressed instead of progressing? Is Darwin's theory of evolution wrong, or are the people of this society behaving abnormally?
Thieves may be organized into groups, but can their group match the size of society? Can their numbers and strength rival those of an entire street of people?