Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 112 Old Stubborn

Blind Qu threw down the bottle he was holding and said to Old Wu, "Old Wu, I'm sorry about today. I'll make it up to you. And that table and those guys, it's on me today. Don't blame me, Old Wu, it's all on me, Blind Qu."

Xiao Wei picked up a dumpling, popped it into his mouth, took a sip of soup, and said, "No need, we'll pay for it ourselves. You should go to the hospital right away; your head is bleeding again."

Xia Maosheng, holding his wine glass, said to Li Xing, "This reversal is pretty amazing, something I didn't expect."

Li Xing clinked glasses with Liu Huasheng, took a sip of his drink, and said, "A bunch of scoundrels, that's all they are. They're all useless, no good at anything."

Xia Maosheng pointed at Lao Jue and said, "Damn, I thought he was someone important, but all he does is brag. He plays dead when things get complicated, and he acts all profound while trying to save face. He's a complete idiot, still acting all high and mighty. He wants someone to give him a way out. What a weirdo."

Li Xing turned his head and glanced at Lao Jue, then shook his head and said, "This kind of person won't get anywhere. In society, you either have to be tough and fight to the death. What's the big deal? Getting hit will only hurt for a while, so what's there to be afraid of? If you're going to be a coward, be a coward to the end. There's nothing shameful about this kind of person. Even if you're cowardly and don't dare to fight, no one really looks down on you. What people look down on is this kind of person who can stir up trouble but can't settle it, and still has to put on a big face."

Old Jue turned to Li Xing and asked, "Who are you talking about?"

Li Xing slammed his hand on the table and stood up: "Hey, what's wrong with you? I've been bothering you for ages, are you getting too big for your britches?"

Old Jue clenched his fist again, glared at Li Xing, and said, "Try saying that again."

Li Xing raised his hand and slapped the old stubborn man hard across the face. The sound of the slap sent the old man spinning halfway around, almost falling over. He said, "What? Come on, pick up a bottle and smash it against me. With your pathetic appearance, instead of staying at home all day, what the hell can you do? You're a disgrace to others, you know that?"

There's an art to slapping someone. A strong slap doesn't necessarily mean a hard one, and a loud slap doesn't necessarily mean it hurts. Police officers are definitely professionals in this area; they're certified. Their slaps are both loud and hard. With just one slap, Old Jue's face was swollen up on one side of his mouth.

There's also a psychological factor involved. He has no worries about the future, so he doesn't need to hold back. He usually deals with enemy agents, and his powerful backing gives him great confidence, believing that his iron fist can crush all evil and ugliness.

Uh, in layman's terms, it means they've gotten used to hitting people.

Back then, the police in Northeast China were purely a force of violence. They had no choice but to be. If they were as lenient as the police in the South, these thugs would probably have smashed up the police stations. They had to be ruthless to keep them in check, because these officers also had families. They had to instill fear. Besides, Northeasterners are naturally inclined to fight, and if no one intervened, well...

As soon as Li Xing made his move, Liu Huasheng also stood up. Before getting up, he took a sip of meat soup and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

Xia Maosheng smiled and said to Xiao Wei, "Want to go up and have some fun?"

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "It's boring. If it were a fight, it would be one, but this is nothing. Are you full? I'm not drinking anymore, but I'll eat some more. Their dumpling filling is really good. The owner really puts a lot of thought into it; the food is delicious."

Xia Maosheng picked up a dumpling, took a bite out of it, looked inside, and nodded, saying, "The meat is all hand-chopped into small pieces and stir-fried. It's bouncy and not oily, really delicious. These green peppers weren't blanched in water; they were rubbed with salt. That must have taken a lot of effort."

Xiao Wei said, "To do things well and make money, you definitely have to put in the effort and make it a habit. This sauerkraut filling is also delicious. The sauerkraut is stir-fried, and the meat is pork belly. It seems to have been diced and then briefly fried in oil. This aroma is the first time I've ever tasted it."

Just then, An Laowu walked over and said, half-laughing and half-crying, "You two are really carefree. They're fighting like dogs over there, and you're still here studying my dumpling filling. Is it delicious?"

Xiao Wei picked up a dumpling, dipped it in minced garlic, and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, he said, "Boss, we don't make those bones, but we definitely have to learn how to make these dumplings from you. Let me tell you, we run a dumpling restaurant, and this filling is so delicious. Anyway, you don't usually make these."

An Laowu nodded and said, "I didn't make this myself. I stole it from Laobian Dumplings. I ate it a few times and came back to try and recreate it. It tastes alright. I can teach you guys when you open. I'm not bragging, but as long as it's food, I can make it after eating it a few times."

Li Xing turned to look at them and said, "Damn it, you two bastards, you're really brave! How can you even eat that? What are we going to do?"

One was lying on the ground, another was leaning on a stool, and there was another one with half a swollen face who was starting to let his mind wander. Two soldiers in cotton-padded coats stood at the door, not knowing whether to go in or not. The one in the cotton-padded coat, who was the lightest, was standing there drinking a bowl of soup.

Xia Maosheng pointed to the boss, An Laowu, and said, "Listen to Fifth Brother, this is his shop."

Li Xing turned to An Laowu and asked, "Fifth Brother, what do we do?"

An Laowu took a drag of his cigarette, looked over there, and said, "Ugh, headache. Look at the mess this place is in. My wife's going to fight me again tonight. What kind of mess is this? Hey, Wei Hong, if you want to get a cleaver and chop me up, you guys can do whatever you want. Forget about the blind guy. Blind guy, you should leave now and get yourself to the hospital to get it treated. It's so cold outside, don't catch tetanus. Old Stubborn, pay for both tables and get out of here. Don't ever hang around here again."

Old Jue glanced at An Laowu and said, "Why should I give it? Wei Hong smashed it, and I even got beaten up."

An Laowu looked at him and said, "The money for the meal, the money for the drinks, and the money for smashing my shop—not a penny less, understand?"

Li Xing waved his hand and said, "Forget it, Fifth Brother, don't bother arguing with this idiot. I'll take him back; you won't be shortchanged. Was the baby in handcuffs?"

Liu Huasheng nodded, put down his bowl, and reached into his waistband. The guy stood there without saying a word and started eating again.

Liu Huasheng took out the handcuffs, walked over and handcuffed Wei Hong, who was lying on the ground, then pulled him up and kicked him in the leg: "Stand up straight, what are you pretending to be dead for? Isn't it cool to chop people with a knife?" The front of the police hook was made of steel plate, and Wei Hong's face twitched and he limped, his whole lower leg shaking.

Ignoring Wei Hong's reaction, Liu Huasheng pulled him a couple of steps, handcuffed the other end of the old man's handcuffs, and then said to An Laowu, "You have a phone here, right? I'd like to use it."

An Laowu pointed to the counter and said, "It's inside, in the middle of the partition."

Liu Huasheng went to make a phone call, and Xiao Wei asked, "Can you really arrest people like this? Isn't this thing supposed to be divided into districts?"

Li Xing sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "This is the police station that's arresting people for childbirth. It's legal for them to do it. We've known each other before, and we were just training classmates, not colleagues."

Old Jue finally realized what was happening and turned to Li Xing, asking, "What are you doing, handcuffing me? What did I do?"

Li Xing pulled out his police ID and slammed it on the table, saying, "Have you seen this before? Do you recognize me? What did I do with you? You've made such a mess, and you're all done for?"

Old Jue said, "I didn't do anything, I didn't smash it."