Chapter 92: Brother Dong, Don’t Worry, I Know What I’m Doing!

Hou San brandished a kitchen knife, while Ah Zhe and Wang Erkui’s father held wooden sticks. They spotted Li Xiangdong and his companion from a distance and quickly ran over.

“Brother Dong, are you alright?”

“Dongzi, we looked everywhere for you two. You scared me to death!”

“Erkui, let Dad take a look.”

Hou San, Ah Zhe, and Wang Erkui’s father circled Li Xiangdong and his companion. Seeing that their clothes were just a little dirty and they were otherwise unharmed, they finally relaxed.

“Hou San, keep that kitchen knife away from me!”

Li Xiangdong stood still, watching Hou San circle him with the knife. He was afraid of being accidentally injured by this guy.

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“Brother Dong, don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

“You know your ass! Put the knife away!”

Hou San brandished the knife, his shoulders askew and his hips swaying. He looked more like a ruffian than the ruffian Qin Liu.

Passersby saw this and kept their distance. Li Xiangdong was worried that they would attract the police.

Hou San obediently put the knife in the cloth bag he was carrying, then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a steamed bun. “Brother Dong, are you hungry? This steamed bun has pickles in it. I saved it for you. You should eat it.”

“Thank you, Hou San.”

Seeing his own people, Li Xiangdong relaxed and did feel hungry.

But when he saw the black fingerprints on the steamed bun, and then thought about how it had been pulled out of Hou San’s back pocket, he lost his appetite.

He was puzzled. He could have put it in the cloth bag, why did he have to stuff it in his pants pocket!

Li Xiangdong took the steamed bun and handed it to Wang Erkui. “Brother Erkui, you eat it. I can hold on for a while longer.”

Wang Erkui didn’t think much of it. A farmer who worked the land wouldn’t be so picky. A white flour steamed bun was a good thing for him. He didn’t get to eat it many times a year.

He swallowed his saliva, took the steamed bun, and took a big bite. As he ate, he said, “Thank you, Brother Dong. This white flour steamed bun is so fragrant!”

“What’s there to thank? If you hadn’t led the way, I wouldn’t have been able to escape Qin Liu’s gang.”

After doing a good deed, Li Xiangdong turned to Wang Erkui’s father and asked, “Uncle Wang, is there a restaurant nearby?”

“There is, but why are we going to a restaurant?”

“To eat, of course, Uncle Wang. It’s not enough to just let my brother Erkui eat one steamed bun. Besides, you two helped us so much, I can’t let you go home hungry.”

Li Xiangdong rubbed his stomach and handed the cricket box to Ah Zhe to carry. He was feeling a little weak and needed to eat something quickly.

Wang Erkui’s father walked ahead with a smile, leading the way. He looked back at Li Xiangdong and his two companions, thinking that people from the big city were indeed generous.

Not only did they pay double for his four crickets, but now they were also taking them to a state-run restaurant to eat.

The reason was that his son couldn’t get full on one white flour steamed bun. This wasn’t a second-hand dealer who came to buy crickets, this was a living Bodhisattva from out of town!

Ah Zhe, walking behind, was carrying a cricket box for Wang Erkui. Hearing the chirping of the insects inside, he asked, “Dongzi, where did you get the box? It’s not all crickets in there, is it?”

“I picked it up. We’ll talk about it later.”

Li Xiangdong thought to himself, Qin Liu’s gang was quite capable. The cricket box was exquisitely made, like a miniature version of a medicine cabinet in a traditional Chinese medicine shop. It was much more convenient than the bamboo tubes he had made.

The state-run restaurant was on the main road of the county town.

Wang Erkui’s father stood at the entrance, not daring to step inside. It was only after Li Xiangdong went in first that he followed.

Li Xiangdong looked at Hou San and Ah Zhe who came in after him. “Are you two hungry?”

“Hungry, Brother Dong. Ah Zhe and I didn’t have time to eat either. We put the crickets back and then ran out to find you.”

Hearing Hou San’s words, Ah Zhe nodded. He looked at the small wooden sign hanging on the wall. “Dongzi, let’s each have a bowl of noodles. We have to hurry back after we eat.”

“Alright.”

Li Xiangdong walked to the counter and said to the clerk who was sewing a shoe sole, “We want 7 bowls of noodles.”

He turned to Wang Erkui and his father and asked, “Is two bowls of noodles each enough for you and Erkui?”

Wang Erkui smiled foolishly and nodded. His father, however, said with a pained expression, “We can’t eat that much, we can’t eat that much. How can we order so much? One bowl each is enough for us.”

Li Xiangdong waved his hand, “It’s fine, Uncle Wang. We’ll eat until we’re full.”

“Oh my, we really can’t eat that much.”

At this moment, the clerk said impatiently, “How many bowls of noodles do you want? Can you be a little quicker!”

“7 bowls.”

Li Xiangdong made the final decision and turned to leave.

“You haven’t paid the money and tickets yet!”

“Hou San, pay the money and tickets.”

Damn it, look at you being so arrogant. In two years, you’ll all be laid off!

The noodles were ready quickly, and they had to get them themselves.

Li Xiangdong and his group were all starving. No one spoke, they all just lowered their heads and slurped their noodles.

After finishing a large bowl of noodles, Li Xiangdong burped, wiped his mouth, and walked to the counter. He looked at the clerk and asked, “Do you have a pen and paper?”

The clerk didn’t move, just looked up at him and spat out two words, “No.”

*Smack*

Li Xiangdong took out a small bill, slapped it on the counter, and asked again, “Do you have a pen and paper?”

“I just remembered, I have both a pen and paper.”

The clerk smiled and stood up, grabbed the bill from the counter, put it in his pocket, and then turned around to get a pen and tear a blank sheet of paper from the account book.

Li Xiangdong took the pen and paper, leaned over the counter, and scribbled a few lines.

“I’ll use the ink pad too.”

“Sure, I’ll get it for you right now.”

Money really made a difference.

Li Xiangdong turned to look at Wang Erkui, who was still drinking his noodle soup, and asked, “Brother Erkui, are you full?”

Wang Erkui finished the last sip of his noodle soup, looked up, and replied, “I’m full, Brother Dong.”

“As long as you’re full.”

Li Xiangdong nodded, beckoned to Wang Erkui, and motioned for him to come over.

Wang Erkui stood up, walked over to Li Xiangdong, and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong, Brother Dong?”

Li Xiangdong smiled and said in a low voice, “Brother Erkui, I want to ask you for a favor. I need you to prove that you gave me that watch.”

Hearing this, Wang Erkui patted his chest loudly, “I can prove it. Brother Dong, if anyone asks you, tell them to come find me.”

Li Xiangdong pointed to the paper on the counter, “It’s not that troublesome. This is a note I just wrote. You just need to put your fingerprint on it.”

He had managed to get a watch after being out for just a few days. He needed an excuse to deal with his family’s questions.

Wang Erkui knew how to cover his tracks. He certainly couldn’t be any worse