A small stall on the street sells white porridge and multigrain pancakes. The small stall occupies a corner of the street and has two small tables. Business is good. You can smell the pancake aroma from a long way away.
The stalls are open from morning until afternoon. The customers who come and go are all the clerks or businessmen who open shops nearby. The picture shows this multi-grain pancake which is cheap and good. Paired with a bowl of white porridge, it is a good choice for breakfast or lunch.
The stall is a husband and wife team. Men are in charge of the inside and women are in charge of the outside. Both of them are in their fifties and work diligently to make their meals with their craftsmanship.
It was mid-afternoon, and the business at the stalls had basically stopped. The husband's family is packing up their belongings and preparing to close the stall. I have to prepare ingredients for tomorrow when I go back, time is very tight.
But standing in front of the stall was a short, fat middle-aged man with a fierce face, and a young man of about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a medium build, thin body, and baggy clothes. The two of them didn't look like they were here to buy pancakes. Especially the middle-aged man standing in front, with a half-smiling expression on his face.
On the other hand, both the stall owners looked bad. The girl's eyes were filled with anger, but also with fear.
"Aunt Zhang, it's time for you to pay the cleaning fee this month, right? We've been here three times. If you don't pay it, we'll go back and get beaten up. Your stall is also in trouble and everyone is having a hard time, so why bother?"
As the middle-aged man spoke, he scooped out a bowl of white porridge for himself. He also picked up a piece of multi-grain pancake that had not been sold out and started eating by himself.
The young man next to him held a green fruit in his hand. After saying a few words, he took a bite.
The woman whom the fat man called Aunt Zhang clenched her apron so hard that her knuckles were turning white, but her words were trembling as she said, "Brother Dong, your cleaning fee is getting higher and higher. Last month... Sixty cents, this month it will be eighty cents, which is nearly one or two cents! My aunt’s family relies entirely on this stall for all their expenses, and I really can’t afford it!”
"If you can't afford it, then don't open a stall here. This is the price of this seat. It's eighty cents today, but it might be just one or two cents at some point. If you don't want to do it, there are people who want to do it."
The hostess looked at the young man behind the fat man again and said, "Xiao Bai, your aunt hugged you when you were a child, so I will help my aunt and go back to talk to Tang Zuodao and ask for mercy, okay?"
Although the words are soft and the words can convey grief, anger and helplessness, the meaning is not that I don't want to give money. Because this cleaning fee is not for cleaning the garbage on the ground. Instead, spend money to buy your own purity, otherwise business will not be done and people will suffer misfortune.
The man next to him also added after his mother-in-law finished speaking: "Yes, Bailang, we are all old neighbors. Please do me a favor and help me."
Patting the green juice on his hands, the young man was about to talk to him, but the fat man snorted coldly and said with a smile: "Let Xiaobai go and ask for the Tang Zuo knife for you? Are you out of your mind? Xiaobai and I will just How can you two street wanderers have the ability to see Tang Zuodao? Will you plead for mercy? Are you telling jokes?
Okay, I understand what you mean, you just don’t want to pay. According to the rules, I have notified you three times, and it has been a little half a month. I won’t be an eyesore to you, so I’ll leave now. "
As he spoke, he waved the young people behind him to leave.
This made the couple anxious. They knew the rules. If the other party really left like this and brought this matter up, they would really not want to do business. Tang Zuodao was watching over Banqiao Street. He was a cruel and ruthless person who was definitely not someone ordinary people like them would dare to provoke.
"No, no, no, don't go!"
But the fat man kept walking. He had long disliked the couple. This time I thought I would teach the other party some lessons. Ignore the exclamations behind you.
At this time, the young man following the fat man moved. He first blocked the fat man's path, then turned slightly sideways and whispered: "Brother Dong, this month is the end of the year. Although we are not the most supportive group in all the blocks, But it's better than most. If you poke someone who is unruly at this juncture, the reward in this year is small, but Brother Dong will have a big face. If you want to deal with them, you won't have to deal with them now. Brother Dong, please calm down. "
The fat man first glared at the young man, then laughed and patted the other man's arm.
"Tsk, your reaction is so quick, I almost forgot that this month is the year-end season."
The fat man didn't leave either. He paused and stretched his hand forward. His meaning was very clear. He didn't want to talk nonsense to the stall owner and his wife anymore.
"Here!" he said as he dropped a bunch of copper coins into the fat man's hand. I was reluctant and heartbroken, because the eighty yuan was enough for the couple to work for five or six days.
The fat man weighed the copper coins in his hand twice, and after confirming that the number was correct, he threw it back and fell into the hands of the young man who was following him. Then he turned around and said: "Xiao Bai, if you count these eighty cents, we can cover all the errands for this month. You can take it to the knife shop to make a clear payment later. I won't go with you if I have something else to do."
"Okay, Brother Dong." The young man took the money and put it into a thick leather bag tied around his waist, making a clattering sound.
After the fat man left, the stall owner and his wife looked very unhappy and stopped talking to the young man who was still standing in front of the stall. But it can be seen that they must have cursed this young man in their hearts.
"Aunt Zhang, Uncle Wang, you two have a rest. If Brother Dong and I don't come, someone else will come. Shouldn't life continue? It's difficult for you, and it's not easy for me either.
Okay, you guys are busy, I'm leaving. By the way, after this price increase, it should not increase again in the coming year. Your location is good. If you can hold it, don't move. Many people are staring at it. Other places may not be as good as this. "
Watching the young man leave, the stall owner and his wife sighed.
Yes, it’s not easy for anyone.
It was still early, and Bailang didn't want to carry so much money with him. Although no one on this street dared to touch Tang Zuo Dao's wallet, what if there was a passing thief? By then, even if he doesn't die, he will have to shed his skin. Not worth it.
All the way out of Banqiao Street, we turned into the cold and remote back streets and alleys. Along the way, there were people squatting or standing at the entrances of various alleys. When they saw Bai Lang, they either nodded slightly or said hello.
They are all acquaintances, this alley is called Ma Sheng Alley, and Tang Zuo Dao's sword shop is here.
Street wanderers like Bailang at Zhengtangkou are not qualified to enter. He went to the Piankou hut, where he settled his accounts for this month, paid the money, and then got his share. At the same time, he signed off on the errands, so he passed the month successfully.
It was already evening after I finished my errands. Bailang turned around and went to the knife restaurant canteen on Ma Sheng Alley. Street wanderers who have paid a job are rewarded with a feast of food and wine here. Bailang was in a tight situation, so naturally he would not waste it.
"Xiaobai, have you done your errands this month?"
"Hello, Brother Zeng, the errand is done. Why don't you come and get some wine and meat? Are you drinking?"
"Yeah, why don't we have a drink together?"
"No, no, just drink slowly and I won't disturb your mood."
The dining hall is arranged like a restaurant, with many tables and chairs, and the food and drinks inside are of the highest quality. In the knife shop, streetwalkers like Bailang and others can come here. It's just that Bai Lang is self-aware, so it's better for him to eat elsewhere so as not to be an eyesore. So every time he comes, he packs wine, meat, vegetables and rice and puts them in two big boxes to take away. Even if a few acquaintances invited him to drink, he never took it seriously.
When someone asks you to sit down together, it's polite, but if you really agree, you don't understand the rules.
Bailang is very aware of these things in the knife shop. It is precisely because he is so cautious and understands the rules that he is more kind in the knife shop and is not often treated coldly. As the lowest street kid in the knife shop, Bailang was actually doing well.
Picking up the lunch box, Bai Lang left the Ma Sheng Alley with a reserved smile and walked towards the east end of the city. After twists and turns, he finally stopped in front of a row of dilapidated row houses and pushed open the innermost one. A faint musty smell and a bit of fresh aroma came to my face. The smell is weird but better than just mildew.
There are three rooms inside the gate, the larger one is the main room, stove room and firewood room. There are two rooms inside.
"Brother, are you back?"
Welcoming Bailang were two children, one older and one younger. The elder sister was just twelve years old and the younger brother was nine years old. The two of them are blood relatives to Bailang.
There were supposed to be adults in the family, but they all died from the distemper two years ago. Bai Lang originally died, but he was half dead and came back to life. Later, because he was protecting his sister, he got into a fight with some gangsters on the street, and his skills were noticed by people from the knife shop passing by, and he was treated as a street wanderer until now.
