Chapter 77: Delighted by the Sudden Hunt, Qi Displays His Exceptional Skills (Seeking Bookmarks)

  Jiang Daya didn't want to get involved in this mess again, after all that little brat had a gun and might be a cop. This cat-and-mouse game wasn't worth playing. But then Bai Keshu said, "I've checked out the kid's identity, he's an orphan, just a stinking soldier." Jiang Daya slammed his fist on the table, "Damn it! I thought he was a cop, but it turns out he's just a brainless soldier. What's there to be afraid of? Soldiers dare to fire their guns randomly?" Jiang Daya immediately offered to take only half the payment for this job, as compensation for losing face last time and as an apology to Bai Ge.

  After Jiang Daya took over the task of dealing with Xue Xiang, he began to arrange for his younger brothers to follow and spy on him. Today, after finally finding out that Xue Xiang and Liu Yuaner were having dinner together again, and confirming the location, a group of people followed Bai Keshu in a hurry to catch them in the act, but still arrived one step late.

  "Hei Pi, you said you can still do something? You can't even keep an eye on someone. " Jiang Da Ya scolded from afar, his bare upper body exposed, revealing a torso full of muscles, his chest hair black and dense, the intense sunlight making his entire body shine with oil, looking ferocious and abnormal.

  "Big Tooth, this really can't be blamed on me. I told Old Three to go back and report the news. It's just that you guys came too slowly, and that little guy was riding a motorcycle, in a moment he was gone without a trace. Even if my two legs were faster, I couldn't catch up with wheels, could I? This thing is really..." Hei Pi's face was full of grievance, his words only half spoken, his complaints not fully expressed, when he was interrupted.

  "You're still complaining? Tell me, how many times have I let you get away with it, and which time did I ever miss the mark? This bowl of rice, I think you've had your fill." Jiang Datou sneered, shaking his massive pectorals.

  "Big Brother Da Ya, I......"

  "Alright, Heipi, this isn't your fault. I know that kid has a motorcycle and can come and go like the wind, so it's not easy to keep an eye on him." Bai Keshu wore a white shirt and western-style pants, and added a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and cultured, but also somewhat deceitful. After comforting Heipi, he turned to Jiang Daya and said: "Daya brother, I think just tailing her isn't going to work. This little woman, Liu Yinger, has made up her mind to be unfaithful, so today we'll go knock on their door and let her mother teach her a lesson. It's also good for the neighbors to see, to shame her a bit, and make her know who she is now."

  "Bai Dashao, let me interrupt, I think this isn't a good idea. As the saying goes, 'catch the thief and catch the stolen goods', 'catch the adulterer and catch them in the act'. We don't have any evidence, if we just barge in like this, it'll be embarrassing for them, and who knows, we might even scare them off." Hei Pi was comforted by Bai Keshu's words and felt deeply grateful. He immediately started brainstorming strategies with him.

  Gang Daya was about to drink, but Bai Keshu rushed in front of him and said: "Hei Pi is right, we don't have any evidence in our hands. The neighbors might take her side, and if this continues, it will be hard to avoid public anger."

  Gang Daya glared at Bai Keshu and said, "I told you it's troublesome. He already has a marriage contract with you, doesn't he? With a marriage contract, she is your woman. What kind of big man can't control his little wife? Let's go directly and teach her a lesson, make her confess who her lover is, then we'll go deal with that stinky soldier, and make sure that kid loses his military uniform."

  Bai Keshu was stunned, but Hei Pi clapped his hands in approval: "Great! Big Brother Daxia is indeed far-sighted. Let's do it this way - we'll bring the gifts and go to give them as betrothal presents. We'll force her to get married right away. This is a perfectly legitimate thing, who can say anything against it? Once she enters the White family's gate, isn't she still under your control, Young Master Bai?" As soon as he finished speaking, Hei Pi burst out laughing lewdly, and suddenly everyone else followed suit, their laughter licentious and startling countless sparrows into flight.

  Jiang Daya was flattered by Hei Pi's praise and thought he was clever, so he decided to go with Bai Keshu to deliver the betrothal gifts. Bai Keshu had no objections, as the gifts were already prepared at home, and immediately led everyone there.

  ………….

  Xue Xiang left Lao Mo and decided to visit Liu Ying'er's home, which he had never been to since they met. Although he had secretly inquired about Liu Ying'er's address and family situation, even finding out that Bai Keshu was her fiancé, she didn't tell him, and he didn't dare ask. He knew Liu Ying'er was extremely sensitive and delicate inside, and one misstep could easily upset her. This time, visiting Liu Ying'er's family was a decision he made after mustering up his courage; he couldn't just hang around like this forever. Since she wouldn't talk about it, going to visit in person was a gentle and polite way. Xue Xiang didn't go directly to the door but instead prepared to buy some gifts; after all, he had to show respect to his future mother-in-law (he had already made up his mind).

  Xue Xiang turned towards Jianmin Food Store, which was a branch of the state-run vegetable market and located right next to it. Since he had made a fortune, Xue Xiang went to the black market to exchange various scarce goods for ration coupons, along with a large pile of other coupons and a lot of cash, which he left at Ding Weidong's place. Whenever he or Lei Xiaotian needed any food or non-staple items, they would directly go to Ding Weidong's place to pick them up, which was very convenient. This time, when visiting his future mother-in-law, Xue Xiang went all out and brought half a pig, three large cans of milk powder, a radio produced by Jinling Wireless Factory, as well as chocolates, candies, and cookies that were too numerous to count.

  Ding Weidong was busy running back and forth, packing two large bundles of hemp. Although he was exhausted and panting, he felt extremely pleased with himself. As soon as he heard it was for Third Brother's affairs, he shouted loudly and brought over seventeen or eighteen sturdy young men, shouting orders at one and directing another, making him feel so proud that his nose started to sweat.

  Xue Xiang wouldn't let everyone down, so he invited Ding Weidong to buy two pieces of jade, which were then divided among the crowd. The onlookers all declined repeatedly before finally accepting them. Only after Xue Xiang drove his motorcycle far away did the crowd gather around Ding Weidong again, asking him to tell a story.

  Ever since Ding Weidong attended that gathering of rascals in 49 City, his status had suddenly risen. All the local rascals who hadn't been able to attend were envious and often came to visit him. They would frequently hang around him, trying to get close to Xue Xiang. Ding Weidong didn't exaggerate; he really did meet up with Xue Xiang every now and then, but that was just because Xue Xiang would come to this place to shop.

  Apart from bragging about his relationship with Xue Xiang, Ding Weidong loved to tell stories about Xue Xiang's legendary exploits. Unexpectedly, these stories were incredibly engaging, attracting more and more listeners. His status in the local rascal circle continued to rise, with people thinking that Xue Xiang took him along wherever he went, which was why he knew so much.

  Ding Weidong didn't know the real reason behind this, but he was happy to continue telling stories. He moved a large bluestone and sat down, beginning to recount the incredible origins of Xue Xiang's one-of-a-kind motorcycle in Beijing.

  ……

  Liu Ying'er's family lived in a four-sided courtyard house on Lingjing Hutong, which was a standard old Beijing quadrangle. Although it only had one entrance, it didn't have the name of a quadrangle like Songzhuzhai, but rather had houses built on all four sides, with a central pavilion. However, when people referred to Liu Ying'er's home as a quadrangle, they were being polite, because although its shape and structure were well-made, the residents' social status was far from matching the name of the quadrangle. In reality, this was just a large mixed courtyard, where over ten households lived in close quarters.

  Xue Xiang arrived after twelve o'clock, just at mealtime. He parked his motorcycle by the old locust tree in front of the main gate and picked up two hemp sacks, climbing up the steps. Before entering the door, he saw smoke rising from the courtyard and smelled the strong aroma of food wafting through the air. He pushed open the two large doors with peeling paint and stepped inside, only to find the courtyard filled with clotheslines, hanging red, white, yellow, and green bedding, clothing, and other items that obstructed his view. There were almost no buildings in the courtyard except for a few washing basins, not even a single flower pool like the one at his home. Instead, various wooden racks had been set up, holding winnowing baskets filled with all sorts of grains.

  Xue Xiangyu crossed one blockade line after another, until he reached the end, where he saw two girls in their teens playing shuttlecock. As soon as he stepped out of the blockade line, the girls were startled and didn't hit the shuttlecock accurately, and it flew towards him at an angle. Just as it was about to fall to the ground, he lifted his left foot lightly, and the shuttlecock landed steadily on his toes. The two girls were just about to applaud when he didn't stop, but instead used the tip of his foot to flick the shuttlecock from behind his neck to the front, and then kicked it up again with the sole of his foot. He repeated this several times, and the shuttlecock flew back and forth around him like a butterfly. Seeing this familiar toy, Xue Xiangyu's heart was filled with joy, and he became more energetic and showed off his skills. The two packages in his hands didn't hinder his movements as he danced and kicked the shuttlecock with his feet, spinning it around his body. As he kicked faster and faster, the shuttlecock flew up and down around him like a flower. After a while, the speed of the shuttlecock's flight gradually slowed down, and then Xue Xiangyu suddenly used force to kick it high into the air, where it disappeared from sight. Four or five seconds later, it fell rapidly back down, and he caught it with a hook kick, stabilizing it in mid-air. At that moment, thunderous applause erupted from within the courtyard.

  Xue Xiang stopped in his tracks, only to find the courtyard packed with people of all ages, enthusiastically applauding and cheering. Suddenly, even Xue Xiang's thick-skinned face turned red as he hastily put down his bundle and greeted the crowd with a bow. This gesture only intensified the applause. It turned out that everyone had mistaken him for a street performer, curious about this "foreign" performer wearing black leather shoes and a white dress shirt - what a show-off!

  The applause had just stopped when several elderly men came forward, surrounding him in a circle and bombarding him with questions about which acrobatic troupe he was from, where the performance would be held, and what time it would start. As they asked, they eagerly pulled him to their homes for dinner. The enthusiasm was almost frightening, scaring Xue Xiang into waving his hands repeatedly and saying "misunderstanding, misunderstanding". It's worth noting that at this time, ordinary people's leisure life was really dull, with hardly any entertainment activities, watching a Peking Opera performance was already a great enjoyment, let alone a more spectacular acrobatic show. Therefore, the enthusiasm of these old men could be understood.

  Just as Xue Xiang was about to be surrounded and captured, Liu Ying'er stepped forward and loudly explained the situation to everyone. As she was a child from the village, her words were trusted by the old masters, who immediately dispersed. Thanks to her explanation, Xue Xiang was finally able to escape his predicament.

  The old masters are filled with disappointment, but the aunties and young wives' gossiping souls are burning fiercely.

  PS: This book is well-received but has low collections and votes, yet it's highly recommended. To all the readers, in the past I didn't ask for votes, thinking that everyone would voluntarily collect and vote, now I know I was wrong. Your consistent stance is "dare not to beg, but want us to give you votes, thinking you're a big shot."