The time I asked a thief to return the money he stole from me was an incident from the year before last. That time, a colleague and I went to Gongyi on business. When we boarded the bus, only two rows of seats at the back were empty, so we sat in the second-to-last row.
Halfway through the journey, a few men got on the bus. They all looked to be about thirty years old, were tall, and dressed very well. Some of them sat at the front, some at the back, and two of them sat right behind us.
After the bus started moving again, while my friend and I were talking softly, I noticed one of the men who had just boarded reaching into someone else's pocket. Seeing this, I instinctively touched my own pocket, but the money that had been there just moments ago was now gone. Panic set in as I wondered if I had accidentally taken it out when I was fumbling with something else. Thinking quickly, I bent down and looked around the floor, but saw nothing. At this point, I began to suspect the two men sitting directly 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, searching for any stories of wit and strategy I'd read before, hoping for some guidance, but after much thought, I couldn't find anything suitable. Just then, I remembered how I had earlier bent down to look for the money, and suddenly, I had an idea.
I knew that even if the person sitting behind me was a thief, he would still care about his dignity and face. The reason they steal might be due to bad nature or laziness, or perhaps because they've fallen in with the wrong crowd. But no matter what, they know that stealing is dishonorable and wrong. I believe no thief would say: "Being a thief is a glorious and great profession." People say to strike a snake, you must hit its vital spot; their weakness and cowardice might just be their Achilles' heel.
With that in mind, I turned around and asked them politely: "Did either of you see two hundred-yuan notes fall?"
"No, no," the two men replied in unison.
"You must have seen them!" I insisted.
"How can you be sure we saw them?" they asked.
"Minutes ago, I felt the money was still in my pocket, but now it's gone. It must have fallen out when I was taking something out, and you two picked it up."
"How can you be sure we picked it up?"
"There's no one behind me but you two. If it wasn't you, then who? And it's not on the ground," I said.
"We didn't see anything, we didn't see anything."
"If you found it, give it back. This is 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, fine. Since I don't have any money, I won't be able to go home anyway. Let's just tell the driver to take us to the police station and check things out," I said, making a gesture as if I were about to call the driver.
"If you insist it was us who picked it up, then here, I'll just give you two hundred yuan. Do you dare take it?" He said this as he pulled out two hundred-yuan notes and waved them in front of me.
Looking at him, I hesitated, my heart racing. I was afraid of falsely accusing a good person, yet I was also worried that he might indeed be a bad person who would retaliate against me if I took the money. But then I thought, this is really all the money I have. If I don't take it, what will I do? Moreover, 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 didn't feel good about it. I was afraid that he might resort to brute force with his group, which would put me in a difficult situation.
As I was anxiously pondering my next move, the bus arrived at a stop, and the men at the front got off. The two behind me also stood up and disembarked. Watching their tall figures disappear into the distance, I was terrified, wondering if they would turn around and demand their money back. Only after watching the doors close and the bus start moving again did my heart finally settle. By this time, everyone on the bus was discussing the event. The person who had lost money earlier realized they had been robbed and wanted to get off and chase after those men standing by the roadside. However, everyone advised against it. Amidst the chaos, everyone unanimously agreed that those men were a gang.
I remained silent, seated in my place, both relieved to have retrieved my money and saddened by the state of a society where cats are afraid of mice. I remember that when I was a child, in the 70s and 80s, whenever a thief appeared, everyone would unite and shout to beat them. Now, several decades later, why hasn't society evolved for the better, but instead regressed? Is Darwin's theory of evolution incorrect, or are the people in this society behaving abnormally?
Thieves may be organized or part of a gang, but can their organization match the size of society? Can their numbers or strength compare to the number of people on a single street?