C1 Mutton Skewer Vendor
C1 Mutton Skewer Vendor
Perhaps in such an international metropolis, such an area was like a stain that people despised the most, and they only hoped that it would never appear.
There was a low wall near the crossroads, but there was a person who was leisurely and leisurely doing something that others would see as disgraceful.
He was a young man selling mutton skewers. He wore a white vest and was covered in grease and black. Beneath him was a pair of large brown underpants.
The young man's hair was a bit messy, but his handsome face looked slightly older than before. If one looked carefully, one would see that he had the appearance of a man. Unfortunately, no matter what he looked like, any girl who passed by wouldn't even look at him, because he was just a mutton skewer seller.
The young man set aside the freshly roasted skewers. It was a hot day, so it was easy to roast, but hard to sell. Although fifty cents was already quite cheap, he had only earned a little more than ten yuan throughout the day. It was enough for him to eat two meals.
However, the young man's face didn't show any signs of depression. Instead, there was a satisfied and relaxed expression on it. He sat down on a small stool and looked at the bustling and anxious scene before him. This scene was like the most beautiful scenery.
"Old Lee, it's time to hand in the money you promised two days ago!" A voice like a duck's neck suddenly appeared at the side.
The people who walked in were three boys who did not seem to be in their twenties. They dressed like gangsters. Their hair was stuck up on their heads and they wore silver metal chains. There were several holes in their jeans and their faces were thin. He still had a cigarette in his mouth.
Old Lee was a peddler that sold fried snacks, right next to the young people. Similarly, he didn't have much business on a hot day, so he was just sitting there worrying.
"This …" Old Lee looked bitter. "My lord, please be patient. It's a hot day. How can I pay without business …"
"I say, Old Lee, don't be so shameless. If it wasn't for our Big Brother Feng protecting you here, your stall would have been destroyed long ago." One of the subordinates threatened and flattered.
The hoodlum who was called Brother Feng seemed to be very proud, he grinned and patted the little fawning guy, then said to Old Lee: "Today's protection fee, whether you give it or not, I must get the money, otherwise, your stall will be ruined right now!" After he finished speaking, he picked up a bunch of ham sausages and took two big bites, throwing the other half onto the ground.
Old Lee was at a loss of what to do. He held that small stack of paper money in his pocket and planned to waste it like this. That was for buying medicine for his wife. How could he bear to be so 'filial' to these rascals!?
"I'll help him." The young man selling mutton skewers at the side suddenly walked over. He took out a few dry notes from his pants pocket, which added up to no more than a hundred yuan and handed them over. He said indifferently, "That's all. Since Old Lee is old and urgently needs money, you guys should also amass some merits. "
The little hoodlum squinted his eyes and laughed, then took the notes and handed it to his underling behind him, "Yang Chen, you still have to pretend to be a good person, you haven't paid your own protection fee!"
Yang Chen frowned and sighed in his heart, "These guys are still too young to be bullies if they don't study properly. But I'm not his father, so there's nothing I can say, and I don't want to cause more trouble."
"Alright, I'm not an unreasonable person. Work together and I'll protect your business. You can pay me. It's only right and proper that I come back tomorrow to collect it." With that, the little hoodlum brought his two lackeys to swagger around, bringing disaster upon the small vendors from other places.
At this moment, Old Lee's eyes were already red. He looked at Yang Chen bitterly, "Yang, why do you have to go through so much trouble? You always help me pay those lackeys. "How could my heart be okay …"
"Old Lee, don't say that. When I first came here, I wasn't familiar with anything. If it wasn't for you, I still wouldn't even have talked to you. You're my benefactor, so treat it as me repaying you."
"You little fellow …" Old Lee seemed to know that he couldn't beat Yang Chen, and could only sigh silently.
Yang Chen did not mind and smiled. It was a faint but sincere smile, as if the extortion just now did not affect his mood in the slightest. "Oh yeah, how is your wife's illness?"
Old Lee's eyes were filled with gratitude, "Thank you for lending my money to my wife to perform surgery a while ago, now you just need to check more and take some medicine."
"Oh, that's good. I wish her an early recovery." Yang Chen nodded in satisfaction.
Old Lee forced a smile, "Yang, if you lend me the money, I will definitely return it to you. If I don't return it to you when I die, I will let my daughter repay you." "Ai, if it wasn't for me, I'm sure you would have opened a good store with that hundred thousand yuan. How would you be able to sell mutton skewers here, and even suffer the wrath of those hooligans?"
Yang Chen twitched his mouth, "I rather like this kind of life. Selling mutton skewers is also not bad. It's simple, but also able to eat a few meals."
"I say, you …" Old Lee said with a bit of depression, "Yang, you're only 23 or 24 years old. The other young men were either in college or trying to climb up the ladder. You don't even have a girlfriend right now, are you planning to keep selling mutton skewers like this? You're not in a hurry. I'm getting anxious just looking at it. "
Seeing Old Lee's genuine worry for him, Yang Chen unconsciously revealed a bitter expression on the corner of his mouth. It wasn't that he wasn't anxious, but he wasn't thinking about that at all.
* *
After nightfall, Yang Chen packed up his stall and pushed the wheelbarrow back to his shabby rented apartment.
This was a small building that had been there for who knows how many years. It only required a rent of 100 yuan per month, and it was only because no one lived here that it was so cheap. He saw how cheap it was and he came in.
The furnishings in Yang Chen's room were very simple. They were basically all second-hand goods picked up from the outside: a bed, a cabinet, a chair, and a television that only Central TV could watch.
Yang Chen looked at the calendar on the wall after pushing the items into his house. He calculated the date and suddenly remembered something. Then, he immediately ran into the toilet.
In less than five minutes, he took a cold shower and walked out of the bathroom naked. His skin was the color of healthy wheat. But if one observed carefully, one would be able to sense a hidden sense of masculinity and beauty.
He looked at the messy clothes inside. After choosing a few, he finally put on a beige shirt, a pair of thin linen pants, and the same plastic slippers.
After exiting the door, Yang Chen headed straight for the West Region's most bustling commercial street. It was also the only street he could take out from the dilapidated West Region, and it was called "Bar Street".
A nightlife of red and green had already filled the air. There were colorful skirts and a myriad of scents. As soon as he entered Bar Street, the atmosphere of the city swept over him.
Yang Chen didn't spit on the thighs of those white women on the street like the other young people, but walked straight to a bar called 'ROSE'.
The bar's neon sign was not very dazzling. The bar that could only be considered medium-sized let out an ambiguous atmosphere, brightly colored rose-shaped lights adorned the billboard.
After entering the bar, Yang Chen walked to the bar with familiarity and sat down at the corner.
"Brother Chen, you're here." The young bartender, who wore a black suit and waistcoat, saw Yang Chen and gave him a warm smile. At the same time, he brought him a glass of water. "Sister Qiangwei has been waiting for you for a long time."
Yang Chen smiled at him, took the glass and drank some water, "Sister Qiangwei is not mad, right? I came home a little late, so I came late."
"Not angry, not angry." Little Zhao's round face had a few acne marks that seemed to be laughing along with it. He whispered to Yang Chen, "Brother Chen, when you have time, teach me. It has to be known that the men who are interested in our Lady Boss in the Zhonghai City can be ranked from West Region to the sea entrance. In all these years, I have never seen her being so concerned about a man. "But now, just by asking if you've come, she's asked me for no less than five times today …"
"Don't talk nonsense, Sister Qiangwei and I don't have as many things to discuss as you think …" Yang Chen replied helplessly.
Little Zhao had an expression of "I wouldn't believe it even if I were beaten to death". He then sighed, "Ai, Brother Chen, honestly, you are so cruel. Which man wouldn't stick to you every day if he could be bathed in the beauty of our boss? You are the only one who keeps beauties waiting for you. "Otherwise, how can I say that what I can't get is the best? This kind of words can even be applied to women …"
Just as Little Zhao was boasting like a sage in love, a charming yet dignified and gentle voice came from behind him, "Little Zhao, how many more times do you think your salary can be deducted by me?"
Little Zhao was stunned as if he was electrocuted. The moment he came back to his senses, he immediately dodged to the side and pretended to mix drinks. It was as if nothing had happened, but the cold sweat on his forehead showed the cowardice in his heart.
Dressed in a modern yet magnificent qipao, with a seductive allure from her underwear to her thighs, a full chest with a delicate waist, and a face as smooth as if it was meticulously carved out of porcelain, and a few strands of light purple hair on her shoulders, the young woman who looked like the person in the painting leisurely walked in front of Yang Chen.
Yang Chen had a smile at the corner of his eyes. He looked the woman in the eye without embarrassment and sincerely said, "Sister Qiangwei, you're so beautiful. Happy Birthday."