Chasing the Thief
I once had an experience of being stolen from, but this time it wasn’t just a battle of wits; it was also a test of courage. The thief was a man and I am a woman. He was 1.8 meters tall while I'm not even 1.6 meters, yet I managed to get my money back. At the time, I was quite nervous, but now when I talk about it, it seems rather amusing.
That day, I was riding my bicycle past the train station. There were many people on the road, and I was slowly pedaling along with the crowd when suddenly someone brushed against my coat pocket. Instinctively, I touched my pocket and realized that my wallet was missing. Thinking of the more than a thousand yuan I had just withdrawn from the bank, I involuntarily screamed: "My wallet!" and immediately jumped off my bike to look around, hoping to spot the person who stole my money. But after looking all around, I only saw people slowly riding their bikes. Due to my scream, they were all staring at me. There was only one boy in his twenties walking on the sidewalk nearby. My first thought was: those riding bicycles definitely couldn't have done it; only someone on foot could have gotten close to me. But when I looked at the boy, he wasn't particularly close to me either. As I was thinking this, I turned around again to check my surroundings, but among so many people, which one was the thief? I was somewhat at a loss and stood there for a few seconds, my mind blank. The only suspicious person seemed to be that boy walking on foot, but at that moment, he was buying something in front of a shop. What should I do? Never mind, I'll just go check anyway. With a determined heart to find the thief, I parked my bike by the roadside and went straight to the side of that boy. I slapped both pockets of his coat, but they were empty. "What are you doing?" he asked, turning around while selecting goods. I stood there, full of anger but speechless. "Do you think I'm a thief?" he asked me. Before I could respond, he continued, "You're mistaken. I saw the person who stole your money, and he's already gone that way. How could I be that kind of person?" Hearing this, I felt like I might have made a mistake. Meanwhile, a boy about his age was waving and signaling him from the north to come over. He waved back but didn't move. Seeing this situation, I thought he didn't seem like a thief. So, I decided to leave and pushed my bike away.
Just as I was about to ride off, I heard the shopkeeper cursing at the boy who had just left her store. It struck me: why would she curse at him for no reason? So, I turned my bike around and chased after him. He was quickly walking south, and I hurriedly caught up with him, grabbing him and stopping him from moving further. He said, "What do you want? What do you want?" I replied, "I don't want anything." He then said, "I've already told you, the person who stole your money has already gone. Why are you holding onto me?" I said, "Why don't we go to the police station together? If I'm wrong, I'll pay for your wasted trip." Seeing us tussling, many people gathered around to watch. Given the situation, he decisively said, "Alright, let's go." So, I followed him southward.
I didn't know where the police station was, nor was I sure if he was really the one who stole my money. But regardless, I decided to go to the police station. After walking for a while, we reached a place to park bikes. I wanted to park my bike there before continuing, so I asked him to wait for a moment. However, before I could stabilize my bike, he started running. At this point, I knew for sure. I told the bike attendant to help watch my bike and started chasing after him, shouting, "Catch the thief! Catch the thief!" Unfortunately, despite the bustling crowd around the train station, no one helped me. He ran into a mall, where the counters were arranged in a maze-like fashion, twisting and turning. As I chased him, I lost sight of him. Fortunately, the shopkeepers nearby pointed me in the right direction: "Left, left, then right, right." After chasing around the entire mall, I was out of breath but still couldn't find him.
There were several exits in the mall, and I didn't know which one he had used. Disheartened, I headed toward the nearest exit, but deep down, I still hoped to catch him. Upon exiting, I searched everywhere, but the streets were crowded with people, and there was no sign of him. Sighing deeply, I was about to leave when I noticed a group of people in a jewelry store. Among them was a man who looked very much like him, carefully selecting jewelry. I approached and grabbed him. It was indeed him. I didn't let go. He said, "Let me go, let me go. You won't catch me again if you do." I replied, "Who would believe you? Give me my wallet back." He said, "The wallet isn't on me. Why don't you come with me to get it?" I believed him because I had already checked his coat pockets, and others said thieves often work in teams, each responsible for different tasks—some steal, some carry the loot. They're not like regular people who are indifferent and disorganized. Because of their unity and cooperation, victims often fear thieves. Thinking about this, I became a little worried. As a woman with no strength to fight, where would he take me? What if he took me somewhere deserted, beat me up, and ran away? I'd lose both my money and get beaten. No, I can't leave the crowded area. I need to think of a way.
At this moment, a young couple passed by. The woman was gentle and beautiful, and the man was wearing a police uniform. I secretly rejoiced, thinking it was heaven-sent. I shouted to the man in the police uniform, "Officer, I've caught a thief." The man glanced at me, hesitated, unsure what to do. The woman pulled his arm, indicating that he shouldn't get involved. Thus, the lovely young couple walked away closely embracing. Left behind, I tightly held onto the thief's arm, glaring angrily at the couple in police uniform as they walked gracefully away. Suddenly, I remembered 110 and the mobile phone in my other pocket. I took out my phone to call 110 while feeling grateful to the thief for stealing my money and not my phone; otherwise, I'd be truly helpless. Seeing me about to call 110, the thief panicked, saying repeatedly, "Don't call, don't call. I'll go get your wallet." I hesitated, considering the time it would take for 110 to arrive, so I stopped calling and walked south with him.
After walking for a while, he refused to move any further, standing still. Having no choice, I called 110 again. Just as I was about to speak after getting through, he got scared again and begged, "Don't call, don't call." So, we kept walking.
Thus, I held the thief's arm with one hand and the phone with the other, like holding a whip to drive a donkey. If he didn't walk, I'd threaten to call, and once I threatened, he'd start walking. We eventually reached a small stall near Yuanling Mall selling phone bags and keychains. He said we had arrived. Beside the stall stood a few young boys and a young girl. The boys didn't say much upon seeing me holding the thief's arm, but the girl was aggressive, yelling loudly at me, "What do you want? What do you want?" Knowing I wasn't dealing with her, I simply said, "Ask your own people," and ignored her. She yelled for a while, found it uninteresting, and stopped talking. Then, I demanded my wallet back, but they hesitated to give it. Unable to deal with them, I called 110 again and informed them of my exact location. 110 said they would arrive soon and asked me to stay put. After hanging up, they panicked. The thief who stole my money pretended to search someone else's pocket but actually pulled my wallet from his own trouser pocket and handed it to me. I counted the money; it was all there. As I was about to put it away, he asked me, "How much money is inside?" Only then did I realize he hadn't even had a chance to check his "work." Would all his efforts go to waste? Thinking about this, I feared they might retaliate against me. As I walked back home, I hoped 110 would arrive soon. Seeing me leave, they began packing up and leaving too.
Watching their flustered retreat, I sighed in relief. Only then did I feel a sharp pain in my stomach. During the chase, I had run hard and swallowed a lot of cold air, causing unbearable stomach pain. I no longer cared about the money or the thief and rushed home on my bike. Just as I left, the 110 call came through. They had arrived so quickly that all my previous resentment towards the police vanished, replaced only by respect. In critical moments, they truly are our protectors, safeguarding our lives and safety.
Back home, my parents scolded me for valuing money over life, but I told them that being stolen from doesn't just mean losing money; it also means losing dignity.