The driver and passengers, still shaken, gathered around and expressed their deepest gratitude to the three men. Some of them had already tied up the robbers and called the police.
"Thank goodness the three of you were so good at fighting! Not only did they steal our money, but who knows what else might have happened!" an old man said gratefully, still shaken.
"These guys are incredibly audacious. I'd heard of similar incidents happening on other roads before, but I hadn't paid much attention. I never imagined they'd rob us too," the bus driver said indignantly.
After waiting for nearly two hours, more than a dozen police cars arrived with sirens blaring.
Looking at the eleven car robbers, a criminal police captain, overjoyed, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We've been chasing this gang of highway robbers for quite some time. Because they frequently change their robbery routes, it's been difficult to catch them. I never expected to be caught here."
The police officers were astonished and impressed to hear that Tang Yu, Song Hao, and the sergeant had subdued the bandits. They spoke with great respect and asked the three men and the passengers to act as witnesses. After another two hours of work, the bus finally continued its journey.
Having survived the ordeal, the passengers were naturally filled with joy and laughter throughout the journey.
Through a conversation with the corporal, I learned that he came from a remote rural area and had come out to find work.
"Your master only taught you kung fu, but didn't find you a way to make a living. It's such a waste to have such good kung fu," Tang Yu said.
"My master spent his life traveling the world. I haven't seen him for three years since I finished my apprenticeship. He doesn't seem to care about us either," the squad leader said with a simple and honest smile.
Tang Yu's heart stirred at this moment. She glanced at Song Hao, who understood and nodded.
Tang Yu then said, "Xiao Wu, if you don't mind, how about I find you a job?"
"Great! Sister Tang Yu!" The squad leader exclaimed with delight, "I'll do anything. I don't know much, I can only offer my strength."
"It's like this," Tang Yu said, "Your brother Song Hao is planning to open a pharmacy, and he might need some manpower for some things. You can come with us this time. We'll talk about the specific work later."
"Alright!" The sergeant nodded and said, "So Brother Song is a doctor!"
"By the way, I'm getting off in the county town ahead. If I want to go with you, I'll need to buy a ticket for the rest of the journey." The corporal said, getting up to go to the conductor to buy a ticket.
Tang Yu stopped him, saying, "I'll do it."
When the conductor and driver heard that they needed to pay extra for the tickets, they refused to accept the money, saying that they were lucky to have given the three of them a ride. Tang Yu had no choice but to smile and thank them.
The sergeant held Song Hao in high esteem at this moment. Song Hao's incredibly powerful Thunder Needle Technique had already impressed him, and he thought that Song Hao was a martial arts master who was much stronger than Tang Yu.
Because of the encounter with bandits, the bus was delayed for several hours, and it wasn't until nearly noon the next day that it arrived in the county seat where Baihe Town was located. The passengers thanked the three men profusely again and then went their separate ways.
Song Hao looked at the familiar county town in front of him and was filled with emotion as he thought about how he had returned to his hometown to start a business.
Tang Yu found the phone number that Maggie had left behind, dialed it, and handed the phone to Song Hao.
"Who is this?" Magee's tired voice came through the phone.
"I'm Song Hao, I've arrived in the county town, where are you, brother?" Song Hao said.
"Really?! Song Hao, you're not kidding me, are you?" Maggie said excitedly.
“I’m standing right in front of the bus station now. That Hongli Shopping Mall in front of me is newly built, isn’t it? It wasn’t there when I left,” Song Hao said with a smile.
"Hey! You're finally back. I'm out of town on business right now and can't come back today. Wait a minute, I'll have Liu Tian and Zhang Baolun pick you up. Don't wander off! They'll be there in ten minutes at most. I'll rush back tonight," Maggie said excitedly. He then hung up the phone.
"Someone will come to pick us up soon," Song Hao said with a smile. He already felt like he was coming home.
Before ten minutes had passed, two black sedans drove up one after the other.
First, a smug, overweight man stepped down. Before he could even get a good look at Song Hao, he was immediately drawn to Tang Yu. "Wow! A beauty!" the overweight man exclaimed. Then, noticing that the person next to the beauty looked familiar, he raised his round, bulging finger, pointed, and exclaimed with delight, "Song Hao! It really is you! I thought that guy Maggie was lying to me!"
"Liu Tian!" Song Hao greeted him happily.
"Hey! Song Hao!" Another surprised voice rang out. It was a man who had gotten out of another car, who had also become quite overweight, with a protruding beer belly, looking like a pregnant woman carrying twins.
"Zhang Baolun!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise.
"These two are amazing!" Tang Yu covered her mouth from behind, unable to suppress her laughter.
The corporal stood there grinning foolishly.
"It's only been a few years, but you two have changed so much!" Song Hao exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the two men's appearance.
"I have too many social engagements and can't control my eating. What can I do? It's good that you're back. Get us some diet pills." Zhang Baolun said with a wry smile.
"Hey! Song Hao, who's that pretty girl?" Liu Tian's eyes turned to Tang Yu again.
“My friend,” Song Hao said, turning around and beckoning Tang Yu over. “Her name is Tang Yu, and these are my two classmates, Liu Tian and Zhang Baolun.”
"Miss Tang, it's an honor to meet you!" Liu Tian then put away his lecherous look and became polite.
"Hello!" Tang Yu replied with a smile.
“I have another friend, his name is Corporal,” Song Hao then said.
The sergeant chuckled and nodded at the two men. Liu Tian and Zhang Baolun glanced at the sergeant's simple clothes and gave him a rather strange smile.
"Don't stand here. Let's talk about this at Fu Restaurant. Get in the car," Liu Tianrang said.
"Thank you for spending so much!" Song Hao said with a smile.
“Laifu Restaurant is owned by him, so who else would we eat at if not him?” Zhang Baolun laughed.
"With a belly like yours, you still dare to eat? If you eat any more, you'll end up with triplets!" Liu Tian laughed.
Tang Yu couldn't help but laugh, so she secretly pinched Song Hao's hand hard to stop herself from laughing out loud.
Despite the pain, Song Hao pulled Tang Yu into the car.
In a luxurious private room on the third floor of Laifu Restaurant, Liu Tian, Zhang Baolun, Song Hao, Tang Yu, Wu Chang, and others sat around a table laden with food and wine.