novelhk Chapter 385 - 383: Discovery of the Theft
Chapter 385 - 383: Discovery of the Theft
When Lin Lan arrived at the clothing store, Old Li had already gone to the bakery for lunch. Little Xue and her sister looked at her with dejected expressions. "Auntie Lin, a size S beige trench coat is missing."
Inspired by the shoe store, Little Xue had started marking the size and quantity of each item on its hang tag. According to the tag records, there should have been one size S of the beige, wide-lapel trench coat left, but today it was nowhere to be found.
Lin Lan asked, "Was the size S trench coat put out on the racks?"
Little Mei frowned. "I remember there was a size S among the trench coats I hung up yesterday. I’m the one who put it out. A customer just asked to try it on, but we couldn’t find it anywhere."
This trench coat was the latest style for the year, made from a new gabardine fabric that draped well and didn’t wrinkle easily. It sold for 88 yuan apiece!
According to store policy, if any merchandise went missing, the two sisters had to pay for it out of their own pockets.
This was the first time the sisters had lost anything since the store opened. Their wages weren’t low, but having to pay dozens of yuan was still a painful blow.
Seeing their pained expressions, Lin Lan knew she couldn’t just waive the payment. The store rules had been set long ago. If she made an exception now, it would be impossible to do business in the future.
She recalled some of the methods that a friend in the clothing business had once described, tactics used by professional shoplifters. "When a customer takes several items into the fitting room," she said, "remember to count them when they come out. You have to be careful, or someone with sticky fingers might just walk off with one."
"Also, if a group comes in and keeps you occupied—asking to try on this, then that—you have to be careful. They’re very likely creating a diversion for an accomplice to steal something."
Upon hearing this, Little Xue suddenly had a thought. "Auntie Lin, it happened yesterday right after lunch, when it was just me and Little Mei in the store. Two groups of people came in, one after the other. The first group was just as you described, wanting to try on this and that, and they ran me and Little Mei ragged. A second group came in later, glanced at the women’s section, and then left."
Little Mei recalled it as well. "It must have been them! They’re the ones who stole the trench coat."
Seeing they remembered, Lin Lan began to analyze the situation. "A crew like that, once they succeed, they’ll be back for more. The next time they show up, watch them closely and don’t let them out of your sight."
Little Xue nodded in agreement. Little Mei, however, cursed through clenched teeth, "Those sons of bitches. If we catch them, we should tie them to a telephone pole."
「Meanwhile」
At Zhou Xiaohong’s shop, two men and a woman came in. The woman was holding a baby that was only a few months old, and one of the men was none other than Zhang Hua.
Zhou Xiaohong was busy with two regular customers, so when Chen Dongming saw the new arrivals, he hurried over to greet them.
Zhang Hua picked up a trench coat and a thin cotton T-shirt and said to the woman with the baby, "Jiang Xiu, how about this one?"
Jiang Xiu nodded. "Have him find them in our sizes so we can try them on."
The other man, who was middle-aged, held a Zhongshan suit up to himself in front of the mirror. "Hey, boss," he said, "this one’s a little small. Can you find me a larger size?"
Chen Dongming was busy finding clothes for Zhang Hua and his wife. He smiled at the man and said, "Just a second, my friend. I’ll grab that for you as soon as I’ve helped this gentleman."
"Try to be quick," the middle-aged man said. "I have to catch my ride home."
"Alright, I’ll get it for you!"
Chen Dongming glanced at the size on the suit the man was holding, then bent down to search for another one.
Just then, another group—one man and three women—walked into the store. Three of them were none other than Liu Jinbao, Zhang Yazhen, and Zhang Jun’s wife, Huihui.
Zhou Xiaohong glanced at them, and a faint memory of a face flickered in her mind, but she dismissed it. With a smile, she called out, "Feel free to look around. Let me know if you find anything you like!"
Liu Jinbao said, "You look busy. We’ll just browse on our own."
Zhang Yazhen and Huihui shot a nervous glance at Liu Jinbao. He and the woman known as Little Song were already rummaging through the clothes on a rack.
"This one looks good," Liu Jinbao said. "You should have the owner grab it for you to try on."
"What’s your hurry?" Little Song retorted. "I’ll decide when I’ve had a proper look."
While pretending to browse, Liu Jinbao provided cover for Little Song and repeatedly shot meaningful glances toward Zhang Yazhen.
Little Song glanced toward the owners, then quickly stuffed a Dacron shirt under her clothes. Without batting an eye, she picked up a thin sweater and began examining it.
Zhang Yazhen felt her heart pound, ready to burst from her chest. Staring at the colorful clothes before her, her palms grew slick with sweat. She made a few attempts but couldn’t bring herself to make a move.
Then she turned and saw Huihui tuck a cardigan under her own clothes. Gritting her teeth, Zhang Yazhen snatched a small jacket off the rack and quickly shoved it under her coat.
Once Liu Jinbao saw all three women had succeeded, he led the way out of the store. The woman, Little Song, even did another casual lap around the shop before sauntering out.
Zhang Hua and his wife, who had stayed behind, left Zhou Xiaohong’s clothing store after trying on a few more items.
After Chen Dongming bagged the Zhongshan suit for the middle-aged man, took the payment, and saw him out, he turned to the clothes Zhang Hua and his wife had left behind. He hung them back up, some on the rack and others on the spiral display chain.
「A dozen or so minutes later」
Zhang Hua and the others were gathered in a house on the middle section of Furong Street. They sat in the dim main room, but Liu Jinbao was nowhere to be seen.
Zhang Hua grinned at Zhang Yazhen and Huihui. "Sister Zhang and Sister Huihui, you two were pretty quick! A successful debut, huh!"
Zhang Yazhen couldn’t tell if she was happy or upset. "My heart was about to beat out of my chest," she said. "Huihui is the impressive one."
Huihui glanced at the sharp-chinned woman sitting in a chair and laughed. "Me, impressive? Little Song is the real pro. She snagged two items at once."
The house belonged to this woman, Little Song. After her husband died of illness, she had turned to... other lines of work. Judging by the way she and Liu Jinbao acted around each other, it was pretty clear they were sleeping together.
Little Song just gave a smug smile and said nothing.
Zhang Yazhen glanced toward the door and asked Jiang Xiu, "Little Jiang, where did Liu San take the clothes?"
Jiang Xiu, who was busy giving her baby a drink of water, shook her head. "We don’t know, either. The fence doesn’t allow anyone else to go."
Huihui glanced at Zhang Hua. "When are we hitting the little widow’s shop?" Flushed with her initial success, she was eager to test her skills at Lin Lan’s store.
Zhang Hua laughed. "Liu San said he was just at the widow’s place yesterday. We’ll go back in a few days." Liu San had warned them not to hit the same store too often, or they’d get caught easily.
Besides, the widow and her husband both knew them, so they’d have to make their move when neither of them was in the shop.
A short while later, Liu Jinbao returned on his bicycle. He beamed at the group, pulled twenty yuan from his pocket, and announced, "A good haul today. Tomorrow, we harvest the rapeseed. Meet back here after we’re done."
Zhang Hua grinned. "You already have a target picked out for tomorrow?"
"Yep!" Liu San nodded smugly. "The shop at the intersection on the east side of town is huge. I figure we should target the big stores. The staff can’t keep an eye on everything, which makes it easier for us to score."
Zhang Yazhen and Huihui each received three yuan. After changing out of the clothes they had borrowed from Little Song, they left her house, feeling a thrill of excitement. The money had come so easily. They had been gone for barely an hour after lunch and had already made three yuan.
They recalled the other day at the brickyard, where they’d spent the entire day loading bricks until their backs ached, all for just three yuan—and that work wasn’t even available every day.
The two women exchanged a delighted glance. They felt like they had just discovered a new way to get rich.