Chapter 5

The Unlucky Trio saw Xue Xiang walking towards them and immediately felt bitter inside: "Bro, you've already messed with us, why don't you go mess with those who haven't experienced your 'dictatorial' iron fist? Why do you keep targeting the injured?" Fortunately, their thoughts couldn't be heard by others, or the remaining members of the motorcycle gang would have torn them apart.

Xue Xiang walked up to the three and patted the fatty's oily face: "Why were you riding so fast? Didn't you see the elderly and children ahead? You even pulled a girl's scarf. How do you flirt with women? Can you sing the 'Three Main Rules and Eight Points for Attention'? What's the seventh rule?" Xue Xiang always spoke in a gentle and refined manner, but you never knew when he would suddenly get angry and launch a fierce attack. The stark contrast between these two images made the motorcycle gang fear him while also admiring him: "Only when you reach the level of Third Brother do you truly reach the realm of a true tough guy."

"Third Brother, my bike's brakes were broken, and I couldn't stop in time. I can sing that song, and the seventh rule is... oh, it's about not flirting with women." The fatty, being patted on the face by Xue Xiang, didn't dare to move, trying to lower his voice to sound calm and harmless. He made up an excuse about the brakes being broken, feeling quite clever about it. After all, the brakes were definitely broken after Xue Xiang kicked the bike.

Xue Xiang's revolutionary song was a popular tune at the time, and the fatty really could sing it. However, being suddenly asked about the seventh rule caught him off guard. He mentally hummed the lyrics and finally remembered.

"Since you know, why were you still pulling girls' scarves all over the street? If you can sing it, sing it for everyone to hear."

"That's not good, Third Brother. If you want to listen, I can bring my phonograph to your place. The records are absolutely genuine and original..."

"Sing it if I tell you to, no more nonsense."

Seeing Xue Xiang's unfriendly expression, the fatty didn't dare to be cheeky anymore. However, he couldn't bring himself to sing in front of so many people and was at a loss.

"It seems you don't like singing revolutionary songs. That's not good. The great leader taught us that excellent revolutionary songs are valuable assets of the party and the army, and young revolutionaries should inherit and promote them. Well, I'll leave a mark on you to remind you." Xue Xiang's tone was calm, and his face was serene. He then slowly grabbed the fatty's left middle finger and bent it upwards with force. There was a crack, and the fatty's middle finger bent at an odd angle, broken. The fatty knew it was going to be bad as soon as Xue Xiang grabbed his hand and tried to pull it back, but his finger was like being clamped in an iron vise, unable to move.

"Ah!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A piercing scream made everyone's jaws ache. The fatty's face turned pale, and large sweat drops rolled down his forehead. His teeth chattered in pain. "Picking up girls" was something the tough guys often did, and Xue Xiang didn't think it was wrong. However, these guys bullying the elderly and harming children made him hate them from the bottom of his heart. Everyone has elderly and young in their families, especially Xue Xiang's current family, where his uncle was sent down and his younger siblings were still young. The fatty's behavior had touched his sore spot, and Xue Xiang dealt with him harshly.

After letting the fatty go, Xue Xiang grabbed the guy who had been playing with the dagger and coldly said, "Where's that pretty dagger you had? Show it to me."

The dagger guy, seeing how Xue Xiang had dealt with the fatty, was already scared stiff. When Xue Xiang targeted him, he was completely paralyzed. If Xue Xiang hadn't been holding him, he would have collapsed on the ground. The dagger he had thrown earlier was already in his satchel. Seeing Xue Xiang's question, he was terrified but dared not refuse. The dagger guy took out the dagger from his satchel and shakily handed it to Xue Xiang.

Xue Xiang didn't take it, but smiled coldly, "You wanted to be my grandpa and bleed me, right? I won't make it hard for you. Just use this dagger to leave a mark on yourself so you don't lose your life in the future."

Hearing Xue Xiang's words, the dagger guy stopped trembling. The unknown was the source of fear. He bit his lip, gripped the dagger, and was about to cut his left hand.

"Stop!" A clear voice interrupted.

Xue Xiang turned and saw Liu Ying'er walking over from the old lady, standing in front of him.

"How can you be so cruel? They are despicable, but they have already been punished. Why do you have to hurt their bodies?" Liu Ying'er pointed at Xue Xiang, her finger trembling slightly, showing her agitation. As a nurse at the central hospital in the capital, Liu Ying'er couldn't stand seeing people hurt others, even if Xue Xiang was punishing bad guys.

Xue Xiang, without paying attention to her slender fingers, sneered and said, "Move!"

"No!"

"Say it again, move."

"I won't move. If you have the guts, hit me."

"You!"

The scene was at an impasse. Xue Xiang was at a loss, unable to hit a woman. He had no such hobby. There was no point in reasoning with this silly girl, and he couldn't hit her. He decided to ignore her and walked towards the Water Snake and his gang.

The dagger guy, seeing Xue Xiang leave, knew he had escaped and was instantly in tears, feeling saved. In his mind, Liu Ying'er's image was on par with a famous Buddhist goddess.

The fatty, holding his right hand, looked up at the sky with a melancholic and profound gaze, like a wandering poet searching for inspiration. Gradually, his eyes moistened, and a tear rolled down his cheek and splashed on the ground.

"Why didn't you come to save me when he was marking me? Why do you play the good guy now? Why do you discriminate? Why! Why!! Why!!!..." The fatty had countless questions, his resentment reaching the sky.

"Still standing there? Don't you remember to compensate for the damage?" Xue Xiang patted Water Snake's head.

"Yes, yes, yes, we'll pay, get the money out, what are you standing there for? Do as Third Brother says." Water Snake, seeing a glimmer of hope, was overjoyed and urged his gang to pay up.

Water Snake took out a wallet from his inner pocket. It was about a palm long and three inches wide, with a yellow and white animal pattern. On closer inspection, it was made of tiger skin, a rare sight in those days. Water Snake was thinking about how much to pay when Xue Xiang snatched the wallet and opened it. There were quite a few bills inside: three large notes, a few fives and ones, and very few coins. In the wallet's inner pocket was a photo. Xue Xiang didn't look at it closely, just took it out and gave it back to Water Snake, saying, "This wallet is nice, I like it. I'll keep it. You won't mind, right?"

"Not at all, not at all, if Third Brother likes it, that's great. This high-end item only matches Third Brother's style. It's a waste for me to have it." Water Snake's face was bitter, but his words were smooth and flattering.

"Good, you have a good eye. Go collect the compensation and bring it over." Xue Xiang smiled.

Water Snake, following the order, turned to collect the money. He, who had been stripped by Xue Xiang, didn't want others to be better off. He didn't spare the Unlucky Trio either. Soon, a pile of various wallets was presented to Xue Xiang. They were all high-end, indicating that the motorcycle gang had robbed many people. Xue Xiang didn't hesitate, gathered all the bills, a thick stack of about 130 to 140 yuan, removed the coins, and put them all in the tiger skin wallet along with his own money. He threw the other wallets back to them.

Xue Xiang handed the coins to Water Snake, saying, "This money isn't enough to compensate for the eggs and my mental distress. I'll take a loss and won't make it hard for you. Keep this for lunch. By the way, don't forget to get the fatty's finger set. Old Zhang at the crossroads is good at setting bones."

Water Snake, torn between laughing and crying, knew this money could buy a cart of eggs. He put on a grateful face.

At that time, each egg cost only three to four cents, and a regular worker's salary was only 20 to 30 yuan. In some rural areas, a day's labor was worth only 50 cents. This 100-plus yuan was indeed a large sum.

The motorcycle gang, seeing Xue Xiang wave them off, didn't waste time on thoughts like Water Snake. They picked up their bikes and fled, creating a cloud of dust. They rode even faster than when they arrived. The bald fatty was the most aggressive, ignoring the broken "Big Phoenix" bike, and pedaled furiously, his legs moving like wheels, as if a rocket booster was attached to his back. Despite his weight, he left the other motorcycle gang members behind.

After dealing with the motorcycle gang, Xue Xiang walked to the old lady and handed her three large notes: "Old lady, did you hurt your leg? This is the money for the eggs and your nutrition. Please take it."

The old lady, wearing a gray cotton jacket, had white hair and a purple and blue long skirt stained with egg yolk and dust. She had lost most of the eggs she had saved for a month, which she planned to sell to buy a schoolbag for her granddaughter. Seeing the young man who had just punished the bad guys, she was at a loss. His tone was gentle, and his expression was kind, unlike his earlier harsh actions. She pushed the money away with her thin hands, saying, "It's too much, too much. Only 18 eggs were broken. You can give me 72 cents. I'm fine, just my clothes are dirty. I can wash them. No need for nutrition. Thank you, young man. I appreciate your help."

The old lady insisted on not taking so much money. Xue Xiang had to take out two one-yuan notes, and she finally accepted them. She then wrapped the remaining dozen or so intact eggs in a flowered cloth and forced them on Xue Xiang. By now, the people in front of Liu Ying'er had finished buying their groceries and had dispersed, leaving the sales window empty. Xue Xiang picked up his fallen bike, picked up the basket, and, without acknowledging Liu Ying'er, picked up the little girl. He was about to help the old lady when Liu Ying'er got there first. They walked to the window. The little girl, with her red, tear-stained face, had a round, rosy-cheeked face. Xue Xiang, unnoticed, slipped the three large notes into the little girl's inner pocket.

PS: "Picking up girls" refers to pursuing girls or flirting. This term originated from the large courtyards where the children of officials in the western suburbs gathered. Compared to the "circle" used by street kids, it was considered more advanced and quickly became a common term among the youth in the capital. The term first appeared in the Jinbei base area, where many female students who had come to Yan'an were intercepted and the old Red Army soldiers actively pursued them, leading to this term with a Sichuan dialect flavor.

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