Fists can't cross Tianjin

Chapter 13 Meal Tickets

The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, and snowflakes danced wildly.

Amidst the interplay of light and shadow, those shady-looking figures appeared particularly menacing.

"I won't drink it! Let me go!"

Lin Xiaoman clutched the military green canvas satchel to her chest tightly, her two braids swinging wildly as she struggled, her voice trembling with sobs.

"What are you pretending to be so prim and proper for? You're the most beautiful girl in Factory Three, always looking down on people like you're a chimney. Now that you've fallen into my hands, you think you can run away?"

The leader was a man wearing a military overcoat and with a buzz cut. He had a fierce face, a scar on the corner of his right eye, was carrying an empty liquor bottle, and reeked of alcohol.

"This fruit platter is so shiny, the brothers have been eyeing it for ages. Come with me to dance in the dark, and I'll take you home. It's so late, isn't it dangerous for you to walk alone at night? Don't you think so?"

As he spoke, he put his grotesque hand on Lin Xiaoman's shoulder.

Several of his underlings joined in the commotion, emitting lewd and strange laughs.

Lin Xiaoman turned pale with fright and tried desperately to shrink back, but there was only a cold wall behind her, leaving her nowhere to retreat.

despair.

Just when she thought she was doomed tonight, a deep, hoarse voice suddenly pierced through the wind and snow.

"Let her go."

The voice was neither loud nor high-pitched.

But it exudes a chilling aura, like two pieces of pig iron rubbing against each other.

The laughter of the thugs stopped abruptly.

The man with the buzz cut paused, then turned around impatiently: "Whose pants weren't zipped up properly? They exposed you..."

The words got stuck in his throat before he could finish speaking.

A tall figure could be seen standing a few meters away in the wind and snow.

The man was wearing a tattered black cotton-padded coat, covered in mud and unidentified stains. His hair was a mess, and his face was deathly pale, devoid of any color.

What's most frightening is his mouth.

There was still a trace of grease and dark red blood left on the corner of his mouth, making him look like a wicked ghost who had just eaten a dead child.

"Brother Chen...?"

Lin Xiaoman was stunned for a moment, and then tears welled up in her eyes.

Chen Zhuo didn't look at her.

His green eyes were fixed on the hand that the buzz-cut man had placed on Lin Xiaoman's shoulder.

That look in his eyes was like looking at a pig's trotter that should be chopped off.

"I said."

Chen Zhuo took a step forward, and the snow under his feet made a crisp "crunch" sound.

"Let her go."

The man with the buzz cut felt uneasy under that gaze, and the effects of the alcohol sobered him up a bit.

But he was, after all, a "playboy" who made a name for himself in this area, and his reputation remained intact even after his career ended.

"Hey buddy, what gang are you from? Give me your name. I'm with Gangzi, this area's under Cat Boss's control. If you want to show off, you'd better see if you can handle it!"

Tsk.

Did I offend someone?

Chen Zhuo completely ignored his江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and江湖义气, a code of honor among江湖

Looking up, there's just one word.

"roll!"

"Damn it! You have a path to heaven but choose not to, you've chosen the path to hell!"

Although the man with the buzz cut was a little nervous, he took advantage of the fact that there were many of them and that the alcohol emboldened him, so he immediately smashed the bottle in his hand on the ground.

"Snapped!"

Glass shards were scattered all over the floor.

"Brothers! Charge!"

"Kill him!"

The three young men had been itching to get started for a long time.

Taking advantage of their numbers, they surrounded them, throwing wild punches.

They didn't pull out any weapons. These days, fights, especially street brawls like this, mostly involve fists and feet. If a knife is used, that's a serious case, and nobody wants to get into trouble.

Chen Zhuo looked at the three people rushing towards him.

In his eyes, all three men's movements were flawed. Their footing was unsteady, their power was scattered, and it was as if they were moving in slow motion.

Compared to that fat guy who was practicing wrestling earlier, these guys are complete rotten potatoes and stinky eggs.

"act recklessly."

Chen Zhuo snorted coldly.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, his movements as swift as lightning, instantly cutting into the inner circle of the first person.

It was just a simple "hand chop".

The edge of his palm was like a knife, precisely cutting into the person's carotid artery.

"Well……"

The man's eyes rolled back, and before he could even scream, his body went limp and collapsed.

Knock one out.

Then came the second one.

Chen Zhuo sidestepped the chaotic fist, and with a swift movement of his right hand, grabbed the other's wrist. He pulled the other man into his arms, while simultaneously tripping him forward with his right foot.

Xingyi·Banzi.

"Thump!"

The man was thrown face-first into the ground and couldn't get up for a long time.

The third person was terrified.

He held his fist, unsure whether to advance or retreat, his legs trembling.

"You...you stay away..."

Chen Zhuo ignored him completely and kicked him in the butt.

"roll!"

The man was kicked and stumbled, plunging headfirst into a nearby snowdrift. He scrambled to his feet and tried to run away.

In the blink of an eye, all three henchmen were dealt with.

They didn't lose any hands or feet, but they were all rendered unable to fight.

Only the man with the buzz cut remained, still holding the hand gesture, frozen in place, his expression incredibly interesting.

"You...you..."

The man with the buzz cut swallowed hard, the effects of the alcohol completely turning into cold sweat.

He'd heard that tricycle drivers were ruthless, but he never imagined they were this ruthless. This wasn't a fight; it was adults beating children—a massacre!

Chen Zhuo turned around and faced the man with the buzz cut.

He slowly raised his hand and pointed at the man with the buzz cut.

"Which hand touched her just now?"

The man with the buzz cut shuddered and instinctively hid the groping hand behind his back.

"No...I didn't touch you...It's a misunderstanding...It's all a misunderstanding..."

"That's the one."

Chen Zhuo nodded.

The next second, he moved.

Five meters was covered in just two steps.

The man with the buzz cut wanted to run, but his legs were too weak to move.

He could only watch helplessly as the large hand, stained with oil and blood, rapidly magnified in his vision and then grabbed his hair.

"what!"

My scalp is in excruciating pain.

Chen Zhuo grabbed his hair and pressed him down sharply.

"Bang!"

The man with the buzz cut slammed his face hard into his knee.

"Ouch--!"

The man with the buzz cut screamed in pain.

My nose was bleeding profusely, and I was seeing stars.

But it's not over yet.

Chen Zhuo loosened his hair and grabbed his right hand—the same hand that had been on Lin Xiaoman's shoulder just now.

Twist the joint in reverse.

The power is contained and not released.

"It hurts! It's broken! It's broken! Big brother, spare me! Spare me!"

The man with the buzz cut let out a pig-like scream, and his whole body twisted into a pretzel as he was forced to his knees, unable to muster any strength.

It wasn't broken, but the excruciating pain of the ligament being stretched to its limit was even worse than if it had been broken.

"From now on, keep your eyes peeled and your position clear."

Chen Zhuo said coldly, releasing his grip and letting him collapse to the ground like a rag doll.

"roll."

"Yes, yes, yes... I'll leave... I'll leave..."

The man with the buzz cut felt like he'd been granted a pardon. Ignoring the blood on his face, he scrambled to his henchmen and fled into the snowstorm in a disheveled state.

The alleyway fell silent again.

Lin Xiaoman stood at the base of the wall, her hands tightly covering her mouth, her eyes wide open, staring at the man in front of her who looked like a demon.

She should be afraid.

After all, Chen Zhuo at this moment exuded a menacing aura that kept strangers at bay, making him a hundred times more terrifying than those thugs.

But strangely enough, looking at that towering figure, her heart, which had been in her throat, suddenly settled down.

Chen Zhuo turned around, and the fierce aura on his body vanished completely the moment he faced Lin Xiaoman.

He reverted to being the taciturn, honest tricycle driver.

"Are you alright?"

He asked a question, his voice a little hoarse.

Lin Xiaoman shook her head, tears still welling up in her eyes.

"No...it's nothing."

She glanced at the people on the ground, then at Chen Zhuo.

"Brother Chen, you...you injured the people who killed the tabby cat, they won't let you get away with this..."

"We wouldn't have let them go anyway."

Chen Zhuo said calmly. He bent down to pick up the net bag that Lin Xiaoman had dropped on the ground, patted the dirt off it, and handed it to her.

"Let's go home."

……

It was already past 10 p.m. when I got back to the courtyard.

The courtyard was quiet; everyone was asleep.

At Lin Xiaoman's doorstep.

"Thank you, Brother Chen."

Lin Xiaoman lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands. "If it weren't for you, I would have..."

"It's on the way." Chen Zhuo said succinctly.

He didn't say much, and turned to go back to his little house.

"Brother Chen, wait a minute!"

Lin Xiaoman suddenly called out to him.

Chen Zhuo stopped and turned around.

Lin Xiaoman bit her lip, took out a handkerchief from her pocket, and opened it layer by layer.

Inside was a stack of colorful tickets and certificates.

She counted out two bills, walked quickly to Chen Zhuo, and shoved them into his hand.

"This..." Chen Zhuo was stunned.

"These are meal tickets issued by the factory, but I can't possibly use them all."

Lin Xiaoman didn't dare look Chen Zhuo in the eye, and quickly said with her head down, "You...you're strong and eat a lot. Don't go hungry."

They were two meal tickets stamped with a red seal. The paper was somewhat soft, and the edges were frayed. The words "Workers' Canteen of the Third State-Owned Cotton Mill" were printed on them.

There were two hostages.

It wasn't much, but for an apprentice like Lin Xiaoman, it was something she had saved up from the smallest of her resources.

Chen Zhuo held the meal tickets, still warm from his body, and his fingers stiffened for a moment.

He wanted to refuse.

But his physical instincts made him hold onto the money tightly.

"OK."

Chen Zhuo did not refuse, grabbed the stack of meal tickets, and stuffed them into his pocket.

People from the martial arts world don't bother with those fancy things.

Since he had given it, it was a favor. Chen Zhuo remembered this favor.

Lin Xiaoman looked up and smiled at him.

"Go to sleep early, Brother Chen."

After saying that, she blushed and went into the house, slamming the door shut.