Chapter 6 Snack Street

  Ren Xiao Tian stood on the snack street, indulging in self-admiration for a while, and didn't feel that there was anything to be afraid of. Since there was nothing that could trouble him, he didn't need to scare himself either. He might as well end his patrol early and go home to drink. Hehe, getting drunk can solve all worries.

  "Clang, clang——" After figuring things out, Ren Xiao Tian continued to patrol the 500-meter-long bluestone road in a slow and steady pace. It's not like he'd die from running, but who made his life so bitter?

  Several young people wearing plaid shirts and with hair that looked like a bird's nest came walking towards him. Those people were running around and playing on the street, completely looking like they had nothing to do. After seeing Ren Xiaotian, they ran over from far away, their buttocks shaking back and forth.

  "Brother Tian, hello." "Brother Tian, what do you want to eat? I'll help you order." "Brother Tian, let's have a couple of beers, my treat." ...As soon as he arrived, everyone was vying to greet him and curry favor with Ren Xiao Tian. This group of people were obviously small-time hoods, all trying to suck up to Ren Xiao Tian. "Everyone is good, everyone is good." As a police officer, Ren Xiao Tian didn't put on airs, but instead responded to everyone's greetings with a smile, and even accepted a cigarette from one of them.

  In Xiaotian's mind, people are neither good nor bad, near nor far. As long as they haven't committed a crime, they should all be treated equally. This isn't about being buddies with the police, but rather for work considerations. Building relationships can be beneficial in helping and educating these individuals. Of course, it also allows us to grasp some social information and dynamics in a timely manner. It's not an exaggeration to say that if you want to understand what's going on in the underworld, such as who's gambling or whose family has suspicious visitors, there's no better way than asking these people for information. Generally speaking, if something new happens on the streets, asking them will guarantee getting first-hand news the fastest.

  A few people stood by the roadside, puffing and blowing for a while, before Ren Xiatian smiled and instructed: "Xiao Xiang, you guys don't have to be polite with me anymore. If there's anything going on, just take care of your own business." "Heavenly Brother, rest assured, we won't cause any trouble." "Alright, Heavenly Brother, you go ahead and take care of things. We'll find a place to play cards."

  A few young people with floral hair and shirts quickly disappeared into the crowd. Passersby on the side of the road saw this situation and didn't think it was strange at all. The police and hoodlums are originally inseparable entities. If a place's hoodlums have nothing to do with the police, that would be an inexplicable thing. The common people of China are really good, they don't take anything seriously. Being a policeman in this country is truly a happy thing.

  "Just out of the pot, steamed buns!"" Zhang Er Fang's stinky tofu, you'll want to eat more after eating it!" "Secretly made pork head meat, smells great!" The stalls on both sides of the road had already been set up in battle formation. By 5 o'clock, various vendors' cries had risen and fallen one after another. With this unique calling sound, the business on Snack Street also started to get lively.

  Everyone does their own business, and no one interferes with anyone else. This can also be considered Ren Xiaotian's virtuous politics. Before he was assigned to this road section, there were big fights every three, six, and nine days, and small quarrels every day. In order to grab customers and compete for business, all kinds of conflicts had arisen.

  Since he came, all the stalls have been reasonably arranged according to their business content. All merchants with the same business projects are uniformly spaced apart. The benefits are obvious, that is, it avoids the phenomenon of scrambling for business in the past. As for the quarrels between each other, even the fights and brawls, they have long become a thing of the past. Of course, the original city management, industry and commerce, and small hooligans who were arrogant here also lost their market.

  We set up our stalls according to the rules, what business is it of yours, city management? The fees we should pay, we've already paid. Want to come and eat for free again? Sorry, no way. You want to collect protection fees, huh? Go find someone else to bother. He said let you guys collect, you can still come later if you want.

  He did so many good things, but also offended a lot of people who used to make money here. However, Ren Xiao Tian didn't care. I'm just a "cup trouble" Mr., what can you do to me? Whenever mentioning the things Ren Xiao Tian did, all the vendors on this street would praise him. But, will good people always be rewarded? There are many things in life that will disappoint people.

  "Zhao Lao San, why is your voice so soft today? Did you do something bad last night?" Ren Xiao Tian teased a robust duck vendor. "Hehe, Ren Gan Shi, you don't understand this," Zhao Lao San said with a sly smile: "Men who aren't bad, women won't love. Only men who often do bad things will have charm for women."

  "Let me tell you a secret. Zhao Lao San has his own special skill, they say his hawking voice is the most charming, it easily attracts big girls and young wives to rush over and buy his ducks." A nearby vendor selling wine and rice balls chimed in.

  Even the hawkers' cries were imbued with sex appeal, and Ren Xiao Tian couldn't help but laugh when he heard them. He teased, "Zhao Lao San, be careful not to sell yourself as a duck too, haha!" Ren Xiao Tian's joke triggered a burst of laughter.

  After walking for a while, Ren Xiaotian greeted the owner of a tofu brain and liangfen shop again, saying: "Sister, business is good today. Oh, Xiaojuan has also come to help her mother with things, not bad, not bad. Has the summer homework been done?"

  The owner of the stall was a woman in her 40s, with a plump and round waist. She didn't have any signs of being worn out from taking care of children or household chores on her face, and her skin had a healthy wheat color. Perhaps due to the busy business, her chest heaved up and down. Before she could even open her mouth, her daughter beside her hastily replied: "Uncle Xiaotian, I've already finished my homework. Mom wouldn't let me help out if I didn't finish my schoolwork."

  "Good, good, this is a good child. You must remember, no matter what time it is, you can't drop your studies." "I know, thank you Uncle Xiaotian." The 15 or 16 year old girl was already as lovely as a lotus flower emerging from the water, showing signs of becoming a beautiful woman. Her voice was also as clear and pleasant to listen to as an oriole's song.

  As soon as the daughter's words fell, her mother, who had been standing by with a smile but not speaking, took over and asked anxiously: "Xiao Tian, your complexion doesn't look very good, why is it a bit dark?" "Nothing, maybe I'm just a bit tired." Ren Xiao Tian was somewhat dismissive. It's probably because he got a bit too much sun when helping that old special agent with the cleaning this morning. Women are always making a fuss over nothing, seeing wind as rain.

  "On such a hot day, don't you know to find a cool place? Police officers are all smooth talkers, how can there be someone as silly as you doing things?" The middle-aged woman scolded without reserve, possibly due to their familial relationship. "Sister, people living in this world must do something worthwhile. Otherwise, it's also not worthy of wearing this uniform," Ren Xiao Tian explained.

  "Uniform, uniform, you're the only police officer doing silly things. Where are the others? They've all gone to hide and take a break somewhere." The woman called "Big Sister" pointed at Ren Xiao Tian with her hand, her tone not too good but still showing concern for him. She pointed at the uniform on Ren Xiao Tian's body: "Look at your clothes, they're soaked like this. Go home early and rest, change your clothes. If you don't have time to wash them, just send them to Big Sister to wash, got it?"

  "It's okay, big sister. After I finish this round, I can go off work." Renshao Tian explained and then turned his head to smile at the stall next door: "Li Ge, your braised meat is selling really fast today! It's not even this time yet, but half of your goods are already gone!" "Renshao Tian, it's all thanks to you. How about it? Come have a piece and take some back home to try. I'm not bragging, my family's braised meat is the best match for wine." The speaker was a cripple. When he was sent to the countryside as an educated youth, he was beaten and became crippled while fighting over supplies. After returning to the city, no unit would accept a disabled person, so he had to pick up his ancestral cooking skills again.

  "No, no, thank you, Brother Li." Ren Xiao Tian shook his head repeatedly and said: "If I ate your braised meat, it would mean you'd sell less and make less money. Be careful, your wife won't let you sleep on the bed tonight! At that time, it would be my fault, haha!" "Ren Gan Shi, you've spoken wrongly this time. If others eat my free food, your wife will definitely scold me for not giving enough. But if I say it's for you to eat, Ren Gan Shi, she'll just say I didn't give enough." Li Cuo Zi was somewhat pleased with himself as he flattered his own wife.

  "Thank you, brother and sister-in-law. If I have the chance, I will definitely come to taste it specially." Seeing Ren Xiaotian turn around to leave, Lisi hurriedly reminded him: "Ren, your sister is right. Your face does look a bit dark, so go home and rest early, be careful not to get heatstroke."

  Ren Xiaotian's interpersonal relationships are not bad, and he ran past with a smile. With this small episode, Ren Xiaotian also felt that his mood had improved a lot. Hmm, this method is not bad. In the future, if I encounter a situation like this morning where my mood is not good and I feel depressed, I will go out for a walk, guaranteed to be effective immediately.

  Alas, my requirements are not high, let me just say that I want to spend a day laughing and joking, without doing anything against my will, and that would be enough to make me happy. Why do some people insist on not letting me be happy? Is it because children from rural families should suffer such bullying? Thinking of these unhappy things, Ren Xiao Tian couldn't help but shake his head, trying to shake off all the troubles in his mind. Just then, someone brought him more unhappiness.

  "Save me, save me!" A woman's mournful cry for help came from the other end of the bluestone road. What? Someone was blocking the way and insulting a woman, or raping her! Upon hearing the cry for help, Ren Xiao Tian's eyebrows furrowed tightly.