Chapter 6

Liu Ying'er and the old lady had finished buying the vegetables, and Xue Xiang was about to put down the little girl, but she clung tightly to his neck, refusing to let go.

"Bei Bei, be a good girl, come down and go home with Grandma. Let Uncle buy the vegetables," the old lady tugged at the little girl's hand.

"No, I want Big Brother to carry me. Big Brother's arms are so warm. I don't want to walk. No one will dare to bully Bei Bei when I'm with Big Brother," the little girl wrinkled her nose and pouted, speaking quickly with a childish, sweet voice that was pleasant to the ear.

"Call him Uncle," the old lady corrected.

"It's Big Brother, not Uncle," Bei Bei shook her little hand, making a gesture of refusal.

Xue Xiang also liked this little girl very much. He patted her little head and smiled, "Big Brother is fine. Go home with Grandma quickly. Next time, I'll come to your house to play, okay?"

"Big Brother is lying. You don't even know where I live."

"You can tell Big Brother now."

"I live at No. 15, Beiti Street, Dongcheng District. Big Brother, you must remember to come see Bei Bei."

"Okay, I'll remember. If anyone bullies you next time, just say Big Brother's name. Big Brother is Xue Xiang. Remember that."

"I remember. Next time when my deskmate Xiaoming pulls my braid, I'll say Big Brother's name. He'll be scared to death, hahaha. Big Brother, you must come see me. Let's pinky promise." Bei Bei was very happy to get Xue Xiang's name and extended her chubby little finger to make a pinky promise with him.

Xue Xiang was momentarily speechless, scratching his head, not knowing how to explain. His reputation probably wouldn't intimidate the little Bei Bei's Xiaoming. Liu Ying'er found it amusing, thinking, "There, you're boasting again, just talking big." She realized he was Xue Xiang, the notorious troublemaker in Dongcheng District. "Hmph, he's indeed a gang leader," Liu Ying'er felt a bit smug about her foresight.

Xue Xiang extended his little finger and made a pinky promise with Bei Bei, then bent down to put her down. With a "pop," his cheek was kissed by Bei Bei. The little girl smiled brightly, and Xue Xiang felt a warm glow in his heart. He took off the fox fur scarf from his neck and wrapped it around Bei Bei's neck, tying a small knot.

Liu Ying'er was momentarily lost in thought. "What kind of person is he? Sometimes he's shy and gentle, sometimes he's fierce and violent, and now he's so warm and affectionate. He's really complex!" She shook off the feeling, thinking, "It doesn't matter anyway, I won't see him again."

Xue Xiang spent some time saying goodbye to Bei Bei. The three salespeople and the crowd behind them didn't dare to urge him to hurry up.

Watching the three leave, Xue Xiang walked to the counter, placed the basket on it, and took out all the ration tickets from his pocket, handing them to the ticket checker. Then, he took out a shopping list, which contained non-rationed items that were not in short supply. He then took out his tiger-skin wallet and handed it to the cashier, letting her pick out the money. The ticket checker, using the tickets and the list, calculated the total: "One hundred pounds of rice, eighteen yuan and four jiao; five pounds and four liang of pork, four yuan and two jiao and three fen; three pounds of white wine, one yuan and two jiao; two pounds of fresh fish, nine jiao and three fen..."

The cashier took a while to calculate, counted out thirty-four yuan from the tiger-skin wallet, and handed it back to Xue Xiang. Just as she was about to give him the change, Xue Xiang waved his hand, saying he would buy her some candy, making her blush.

The salesperson responsible for supplying the goods was a long-faced man in his twenties, who used to be a troublemaker in Dongcheng District. He had been watching the fight from the window and was impressed by Xue Xiang's incredible fighting skills. Seeing the group of seven suddenly submit, he guessed that this was the legendary Third Brother. Now that this gentleman had come, he immediately put on a smile, no longer showing the cold and impatient attitude he usually had towards customers.

He picked the freshest vegetables and the largest bottles of wine, and when it came to cutting the meat, he used a long, thin knife to cut a large piece of fatty pork belly, not even weighing it, and put it directly into the basket. Xue Xiang looked at the piece of meat, finding it too fatty, and frowned but said nothing. He knew that in the market, you couldn't be picky. Meat was usually sold with a mix of good and "bad" pieces. In this era, most people lacked fat, and the good meat was the kind with thin skin and thick fat. Few people wanted lean meat, so having a relative who worked in the supply department was more valuable than having a relative in a government position.

Seeing Xue Xiang frown, the long-faced man thought he was dissatisfied with the amount and immediately cut another large, fatty piece of pork belly. Xue Xiang realized the misunderstanding and said to the long-faced man, "Do you have any pig's feet? I'll take one."

The little girl checking the tickets said softly, "You don't have enough meat tickets." She looked at Xue Xiang cautiously, afraid he would be angry, remembering how he had slapped someone and broken their finger. She regretted speaking up.

Xue Xiang was about to say he didn't need the meat if he didn't have enough tickets, but the long-faced man was angry: "What are you babbling about? Third Brother coming here is doing me a favor. Whether you have enough tickets or not is none of your business. I'll make up for it later." After scolding the little girl, he turned to Xue Xiang, adjusting his tone: "Third Brother, don't take it to heart. She's new and doesn't know the rules."

The little girl's eyes turned red, knowing that the long-faced man was protecting her. Xue Xiang felt a bit guilty and shook his head, "Do you know me? It's okay, she's just following the rules. I was the one who was careless. Forget it, I don't need the pig's foot."

"No, no, Third Brother, you must give me face. If this gets out, I won't be able to survive in Dongcheng." The long-faced man was very anxious and, without explaining how he knew Xue Xiang, quickly took out a large pig's foot from under the counter and put it in Xue Xiang's basket. The pig's foot weighed about seven or eight pounds, with a large piece of dark red, moist meat attached, clearly fresh. The basket was a bit small, so he took out the eggs wrapped in a flowered cloth and put the pig's foot in, but it still stuck out. The long-faced man was really worried that Xue Xiang wouldn't accept it. If the other troublemakers in Dongcheng found out he had refused to give face to Third Brother, he might have to move out of the city to avoid trouble.

Seeing the long-faced man's insistence, Xue Xiang didn't refuse and took out a large bill from his wallet, handing it to the long-faced man, "Thanks, brother. I don't even know your name yet."

"My name is Ding Weidong. You can call me Dongzi." The long-faced man was overjoyed that Xue Xiang had called him brother. With Third Brother backing him, he could walk around Dongcheng with confidence.

Ding Weidong didn't want to take Xue Xiang's money. He knew that when doing favors, you should do them fully. But Xue Xiang had already put the money in his hand, and he was afraid of angering Third Brother, who had just broken someone's finger with a smile. The money Xue Xiang gave was far more than the value of the pig's foot, even with the extra to buy meat tickets on the black market. Ding Weidong handed the money to the cashier and gestured for her to give the change. Xue Xiang said, "The extra is for your cigarettes. We're friends now. If you need anything, just let me know."

Ding Weidong was extremely excited and nodded repeatedly. He had finally made a connection with Third Brother, who was indeed as generous and open as rumored, but not as aloof.

He didn't know that Xue Xiang was a complex mix of personalities.

The small basket was already packed to the brim. Ding Weidong took out a large, gray-yellow jute bag from the counter and carefully packed all the rice, flour, meat, and vegetables Xue Xiang had bought. The bag was so full that the opening could barely be tied. The basket only had the eggs left, which couldn't be put in the bag as they might break. The three of them lifted the corners of the jute bag and used all their strength to put it on the counter.

"Third Brother, it's all packed. The rice and flour are at the bottom, and I've wrapped the pork and fish in oil paper to keep them from mixing. The bag is heavy, so it might be inconvenient for you to carry it alone. Why don't I send it to your place later?" Ding Weidong patted the bag and said, "The boys will fight to do it for Third Brother."

Plastic bags were not yet widely used in the markets, so people usually carried their groceries in baskets and wrapped them in oil paper. Xue Xiang stretched out his arm, grabbed the tied opening, and lifted the jute bag, holding it in one hand. He took the basket in his other hand and said to Ding Weidong, "Thanks, I can manage. See you later." Then he walked away.

The three salespeople watched in amazement as Xue Xiang carried the heavy jute bag as if it were a bundle of straw.

"He's so strong and good-looking. Dongzi, why do you call him Third Brother? It seems you don't even know him," the cashier shook Ding Weidong's arm and asked.

"Third Brother is a big shot in the troublemaker circle. The name 'Handsome Song Jiang' isn't just a title. It's fine that he didn't recognize me before, but now he does, and he called me brother. Next time I see Li Ergou and the others, I'll show off in front of them. They won't dare to mess with me anymore," Ding Weidong extended his thumb, shaking his head and boasting, as if he was proud of Xue Xiang.

"Handsome Song Jiang? What's the point of adding 'Handsome' before Song Jiang? Song Jiang is short and dark, but the man we just saw was tall and fair," the little girl checking the tickets asked, puzzled.

"You don't know. 'Handsome' refers to Third Brother's looks, and 'Song Jiang' refers to his sense of righteousness and the many brothers and friends he has. See, I'm his brother. Haven't you heard of 'Dongcheng's Timely Rain, Beihai's Protector of Justice'?" Ding Weidong looked down on them, as if they were out of the loop.

"Oh, I remember. My brother mentioned these two phrases. So, he's the one. It seems our little Fan'er has a crush. She's already defending him," the cashier said, shifting the focus to the little girl.

"Big Sister Xiaojuan, you're being unfair. He said the extra money was for your candy, and you blushed," the girl named Fan'er retorted, her face red.

"Little brat, you're talking back..."

"..."

The two of them started bickering, ignoring the customers who were waiting impatiently.

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