Wang Xu didn't find the copper pot in the supply and marketing cooperative. In order not to spoil Gu Xi's fun, he asked her to go to the post office to send letters and packages, and he went to the black market himself, where there were many things being resold. Sure enough, he found a copper pot.
I also bought the sesame paste and fermented bean curd sauce that Gu Xi mentioned. I saw someone selling mutton, so I bought some too. There was actually an old man selling beef. Beef was very difficult to buy at that time. Cows are laborers and can be used to pull carts and plow the fields.
Wang Xu walked over and said, "Old man, how did this cow die? It didn't die of illness, did it?"
The old man was reluctant to part with the old ox when he talked about it: "It's old and can't work anymore. I've eaten too much food, so I have no choice but to kill it for some money. I'm the same. I'm old and can't work anymore. I'm a burden to my children. The ox can be sold for some money, but I'm useless as a human."
Wang Xu is not a soft-hearted person, but he is also not a cold-blooded person. The price of beef is higher than pork now, and almost no one wants to buy it. Gu Xi happened to have mentioned beef before, so she helped the old man: "How much is this beef per pound?"
The old man saw that he wanted to buy but was afraid that the price was too high so he refused: "Beef brisket is 80 cents a pound, and beef ribs are 70 cents a pound, do you agree?"
Wang Xu did not bargain: "Ten pounds of beef brisket, ten pounds of beef ribs."
When the old man saw that he bought so much at once, he immediately stood up to help weigh the portions: "Look, 10 catties each, absolutely no shortage, young man, seeing how frankly you buy, I'll give you a beef tongue as a gift, don't despise it, it's delicious, even better than pig tongue."
Wang Xu paid the money, nodded, thanked him, put the food in the backpack and left. He happened to see Bai Tao, who was in disguise, selling kimchi. The kimchi business was very good in winter.
When she saw Wang Xu, Bai Tao's eyes lit up at first, but then quickly dimmed again. She didn't say hello, probably because she wanted to save Gu Xi's face.
Just then, an auntie came with two men to cause trouble. The auntie pointed at Bai Tao and said, "It's her. She sells this kind of pickled vegetables here. She made it impossible for me to sell pickled vegetables and took away all my business."
The two men walked over with unfriendly faces and kicked Bai Tao's stall, knocking over a jar of kimchi. "Who told you to steal business here? First come first served, you know?"
Bai Tao screamed, "My kimchi, why did you kick over my things? You are not the only one who can set up a stall here. Everyone should make money based on their own abilities."
The older thug slapped her and said, "How dare you yell at me, bitch."
Bai Tao was so scared that she closed her eyes, but the slap didn't land on her face. Wang Xu grabbed the gangster's wrist and said, "How dare you cause trouble here and use violence against a woman? Don't you want to give your superiors face?"
The thug quickly looked at Wang Xu. At first, he was a little scared and looked like someone who was not easy to mess with. But seeing how he was dressed and carrying a backpack, he didn't look like someone who was in charge here. "You little bastard, I'm Brother Chen's man. This woman didn't pay the protection fee and is stealing business here. She doesn't know the rules. I'm going to teach her a lesson. Who are you to her? If you don't care, get out of here immediately and don't meddle in other people's business. Otherwise, I'll beat you up too."
Wang Xu snorted, "You want to beat me up too? You can try."
The gangster immediately showed a fierce look on his face, and exchanged glances with the other man next to him, and the two of them attacked together.
Bai Tao screamed in fear, but Wang Xu was not panicked at all. He pulled the person behind him, quickly grabbed the swinging arm with his other hand, and kicked it hard, directly hitting the other person's lower abdomen. The gangster fell to the ground wailing in pain.
He dodged another thin man's attack by moving sideways and strangled the man's neck. The thin man immediately lost his ability to attack, his face turned red, and he didn't even have the strength to wail.
Seeing that the man was almost strangled to the point of rolling his eyes, he threw him to the ground and lay down with the man who was holding his stomach. Breathing in the fresh air, the thin man gasped for breath, still in shock, feeling that he almost died here.
The woman nearby immediately shouted for help: "Help! Someone is beating someone! Someone is causing trouble."
In the blink of an eye, five or six people came. The thugs on the ground saw them and immediately started to make exaggerated noises: "Brother Chen, this guy is causing trouble in your place. I called out your name but he still attacked me. He didn't take you seriously at all."
The man called Brother Chen did not respond. At most, he was the fourth in command here. The boss was here today, so he had no right to speak. He secretly glared at the gangster who had fallen to the ground and spoke, telling him to shut up.
The man standing next to Brother Chen laughed as if he heard a joke: "I didn't know that this place already belongs to you, Chen Nan. Should I also call you Brother Chen?"
There is no excitement in the tone throughout the whole process, but it gives people a sense of calm madness.
Chen immediately bowed his head and said, "Brother Hong, I... I don't know what this kid is talking about. I have no second thoughts. Even if you give me a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare to offend my superiors."
Hong Qin didn't even look at Chen Nan from beginning to end. He looked at Wang Xu and said, "Xiao Jia, why is it you? Can you tell me what's going on?"
Before Wang Xu could reply, the woman next to him took the initiative and pointed at Bai Tao and said, "This woman set up a stall here, didn't pay the protection fee, and stole the business. She is immoral. I asked my family to judge the case, and it happened to be Brother Chen's family. As a result, this man ran out to help this woman beat people and injured them. "
Bai Tao was trembling with fear, but she still controlled her trembling voice and retorted: "I have been here for a few months. I didn't know I had to pay protection fees. I paid every time I came in. It was this woman who saw that my business was good and thought I was stealing her business, so she brought two people here and kicked over my stall."
Hong Qin continued to look at Wang Xu the whole time, and seeing that he had no expression, he asked, "Is this your wife?"
Bai Tao's face flushed instantly, and Wang Xu denied it directly: "No, I just saw two men trying to hit a woman, and I couldn't stand it, so I tried to stop them. But the two men were arrogant, so we had a fight."
Bai Tao instantly revealed disappointment, as if she had been slapped in the face, and her face turned from red to white.
"Then this matter is not your business. Go away. These two women have been accusing us of collecting protection money. They should apologize and compensate us."
Bai Tao was afraid that she would be in trouble if Wang Xu left: "I didn't say you received protection money. I didn't know about this at all. She told me."
Wang Xu thought she was stupid when he first met her, and now he is more certain of this idea. However, after all, she has an intersection with Gu Xi, and she is also an educated youth from the same village, so he can't let her get into trouble under his nose: "Hurry up and apologize to Master Hong, and buy him a few packs of cigarettes."
Hong Qin smiled: "Xiao Jia, it seems that at least you two are familiar with each other. It will be easy to find you for a drink in the future. I am not afraid that you will hide away."
Wang Xu's face suddenly turned bad, but he couldn't get angry. He pursed his lips and looked at Hong Qin: "I often have to go into the mountains, and drinking will hinder my work, so I basically don't drink."
Hong Qin's smile gradually faded: "So if you don't drink the toast, you have to drink a penalty drink?"
Bai Tao's eyes turned red, tears fell, and she looked pitiful: "Master Hong, it's all my fault. I apologize and I will compensate you. Please have mercy on him and don't make things difficult for him."
Hong Qin was amused by Bai Tao: "You are a heartless boy. She asked me not to embarrass you, did I embarrass you? I just wanted to buy you a drink, why did she cry like her father had died? Am I so scary? Does she look down on me, Hong Qin?"
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