Chapter 129

Li Xuewu took the list and hurriedly grabbed Master Shang.

"Uncle Shang, I can't take your list for nothing. This is some grain liquor I brought back from the Northeast; please, have a taste."

Master Shang didn't stand on ceremony either and said to Li Xuewu, "The Chinese medicine on the list is something you already have at home. Other precautions are written on the list. If there's anything you don't understand, ask Zhuzi; anyone who knows their stuff will understand it at a glance. I won't decline this liquor then. Don't forget to scold Sha Zhu for me, haha."

After saying this, he didn't stand on any more ceremony with Li Xuewu, picked up the jar of liquor, and walked into the courtyard.

Seeing Li Xuewu show up with a jar of liquor just for a menu, the two security guards both stared at Li Xuewu, sizing him up.

But seeing the pots and pans hanging on the back of Li Xuewu's bike, they didn't pay any more attention.

Li Xuewu didn't mind their gazes either; he got on his bicycle and hurried home. He would go to Wen San'er's place in a while to scrounge for ingredients; Zuo Sha Zhu said he had everything at his place.

Because it was near his own home, Li Xuewu rode along the edge of the lake.

By now, it was almost dark, and he saw a dozen or so young men, roughly sixteen or seventeen years old, wandering along the roadside wearing military overcoats, cotton hats, and their hands tucked into their sleeves.

These people were chatting and strolling aimlessly, and a few even turned around to gesture at their companions. Pedestrians on the road were all dodging them.

Because Li Xuewu was riding his bicycle and needed to pass by their side, he pressed the bell on his bike once.

Li Xuewu's intention was for the few people walking in a horizontal row to make way, so that those few who were jumping around wouldn't jump in front of his bicycle.

Who would have thought that these people would all turn their heads to look over in unison? The short one walking in the very middle stared fixedly at Li Xuewu's fur-collared leather jacket and manganese steel bicycle.

The dozen or so brats blocked the road directly. Li Xuewu saw at once that he had run into highwaymen.

He propped up the bike with his foot, lifted his leg to get off, propped the bike up, took off his mittens, and asked, "What's the meaning of this? A robbery?"

Standing beside the short one was a slouching young man with a crooked mouth, who pulled a dagger from his pocket and spun it in his hand, while saying, "Not bad, fur-collared leather jacket, Ta'er hat, suede leather shoes, manganese steel 28-inch bike. Which area do you hang out in? How come I've never seen you before?"

Li Xuewu smiled, touched his lower back, and asked, "Which area do you hang out in?"

This crooked-mouthed young man saw that this person was actually quite arrogant, grinned, raised his right thumb toward his shoulder, and said, "We're from Xinjiekou. You didn't even say hello when you came to our turf. Take off your jacket and leave the bicycle!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and the dozen or so people who were passing by surrounded him from this side.

Li Xuewu thought that now was exactly the time when the 'Wan Zhu' (local toughs) and the 'Da Yuan' (courtyard kids) were causing trouble. He reached back to his lower back, pulled out his Type 54 pistol, pulled the bolt, disengaged the safety, and pointed it directly at the forehead of a young man who had rushed in front of him.

As soon as they saw the Type 54, this group of people all stood still; no one dared to rush up again.

Li Xuewu pushed hard with the gun in his hand, and the young man being pointed at retreated. Li Xuewu walked forward with the gun, and this group of people followed the leader and retreated.

The passersby who had just seen this group looking for trouble stopped dodging and all stood far away to watch the excitement.

Li Xuewu pushed this group of people directly back to their original position. He looked at the short one, who was clearly the leader, staring with wide eyes and not speaking, while the slouching one who had been talking was also trembling with his lips quivering, and the crooked mouth was twitching even more.

Li Xuewu used his left hand to push the thug who was being pointed at by the Type 54. This little brat was clearly just a 'spirited youth'; he had rushed the fastest just now when his blood was up, but now that his blood had cooled, his legs were trembling, and he fell to the ground with one push from Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu carried the Type 54, walked to the front of the short one, and stood still. He looked sideways at the crooked-mouthed one who had spoken just now and asked with a smile, "What did you say you wanted to do just now? Strip off my clothes and rob my bicycle?"

Li Xuewu patted his face with the Type 54, watched his face twitch from being patted, and then said, "Come on, I've walked right up to you. Strip it off yourself. The bike is right there; go push it away."

This crooked-mouthed one was clearly scared; he mumbled with his lips, not daring to speak or hide.

"Smack!"

None of the people present or the onlookers expected that while Li Xuewu was looking at the crooked-mouthed one and talking, he would backhand the short one beside him with a loud slap. Even the passersby standing the furthest away heard the sound.

The short one was clearly stunned by the slap. When he looked up at Li Xuewu, the coldness and greed in his eyes were gone, leaving only astonishment and panic.

Li Xuewu turned his head to look at the short one, pointed at the short one's chest with the Type 54, and said, "I am the Deputy Director of the local police station here. My name is Shen Fang. Use whatever skills you have. What kind of look were you giving me just now? Why were you looking at me with that kind of look? What if you scared me? What if you scared me into shaking my hand?"

At this moment, the dozen or so young men were all dumbfounded. Their leader, who hadn't spoken or moved, had just been slapped hard after being looked at once. This was too ruthless.

Li Xuewu continued, "Aren't you from Xinjiekou? I don't care if you're a 'Wan Zhu' or a 'Fo Ye' (thief). Keep a firm grip on the 'fork' (knife) in your sleeve and go play on your side. Don't cross the lake while carrying a 'fork'. If I see you playing highwayman on this side again, I'll use this thing to 'open an eye' on your head. Do you hear me?"

When Li Xuewu got ruthless, the scar on his face twitched, as if a large centipede were crawling on his face. Combined with the ruthless words from his mouth, the dozen or so 'spirited youths' nodded repeatedly.

"One more thing, I've remembered what all of you look like. From now on, you are not allowed to walk in a horizontal row when there are more than three of you. Line up in a column for me. Two rows are not allowed to be within one meter of each other. If I see you bullying others again, I'll hit your 'third leg' first. Get lost!"

Hearing Li Xuewu's words, the dozen or so young men scrambled to run north.

It wasn't until Li Xuewu engaged the safety, put away the Type 54, and got on his bicycle that this group of passersby dispersed.

Nowadays, the problems with the public security environment are all concentrated on the young people in various schools waiting for employment allocation. A mess will happen once every few years, and another one happened when the country opened up in later generations. It's all trouble caused by hot-blooded, idle brats.

By now, it was completely dark, and the road wasn't easy to walk on. He turned on the front light. Among the workers commuting in the alleys, only Li Xuewu was willing to install a dynamo light on his bicycle.

Returning to the courtyard, just as he was about to enter the gate, he saw Liu Guangtian flying out without his feet touching the ground. Li Xuewu hurriedly grabbed his bike and dodged, which was the only reason he didn't delay his landing.

Good heavens, a figure like a hero of the green woods who can fly over grass. He saw Liu Guangtian fly out of the gate, kick the ground with both feet, and change direction to keep running, without wasting any effort on turning.

Li Xuewu was still wondering what kind of skill this kid was practicing, why he looked like he was being chased by a dog. Just as he was about to push his bike inside, the Second Master chased him out, panting and carrying fire tongs. He understood; this was the daily routine of beating his child!

What a scene of a kind father and filial son!