Chapter 41: The Unscrupulous Merchant

  The fourth part of the main body

  The scorching sunlight at noon was especially dazzling... On the bustling streets, amidst the throngs of people rushing to and fro, I trudged along with a heavy heart, carrying an urn of ashes. My upper body wore only a white vest stained with bloodstains; my lower body wore a pair of dark blue trousers given by Chen Yida, which were muddy at the legs. My short hair was covered in dust, now slightly curled up. The shoulder pierced by bullets hurt badly, and the gauze wrapped around it was about to be soaked through by the fresh blood seeping out. People passing by me on the street either cast sidelong glances or ignored me. I looked like a vagrant or a beggar - this was my state at the moment. But I didn't care how others saw me; I just kept walking, as if strolling down an empty street that belonged only to me.

  "Where to go?" I asked myself. "Ah! First, escape the enemy's pursuit and keep my own life safe, then think of a way to contact Jason and headquarters for help, so that I can continue my fight." I said to myself.

  I rubbed my belly, feeling the pangs of hunger; then I rubbed my pockets, not a single cent was left. "What to do, can't just go rob or steal?" I looked around - the four bold handwritten characters "Bai Ji Mian Guan" caught my eye. "Every time I meet a kind person, let's try my luck again!" I wiped my face with my hands a few times to make myself look slightly more spirited, then stepped into the noodle shop.

  The decoration of the noodle shop is simple and elegant, looking like a hundred-year-old store. Every table, chair, pot and bowl shows traditional Chinese culture. "Old man, can I discuss something with you?" I bowed deeply to an old man at the counter and said politely.

  The old man heard the familiar Chinese and smiled, lifting his head, but when he saw me standing in front of him, dirty and disheveled, his face immediately turned stern. A thick, heavy Hakka-accented Mandarin scolding burst out of his mouth. "Hey, where did this beggar come from? Get out quickly!" "Old sir, don't misunderstand, I'm not here to beg for food..." I hastily explained.

  The old man looked me up and down carefully, his mouth slightly curled as he said: "You're still saying you're not begging for food? Your whole body is dirty and tattered, if you're not begging for food then you must be a ghost! I'm asking you, what was it that you wanted to discuss with me earlier? Was it about not giving you anything to eat? And another thing, do you have any money on you?" "This..." I was speechless for a moment, finally managing to squeeze out a few words: "Yes, I don't have any money, I did want to ask you for something to eat, but please don't insult me, I really am not begging for food."

  When I said that, the old man waved his hand impatiently and said: "Alright, alright... don't say any more. There's no extra food here, go ask somewhere else. We can barely eat our fill here." "Okay!" I didn't want to argue with him either, so I turned around to leave. "Hey, young fellow, wait a minute..." Just as I was about to leave, someone called out to me. I looked up and saw a middle-aged man standing up from behind the counter and walking towards me.

  "Hey there, young man. Looks like you're in a bit of trouble and need some help?" The middle-aged man, who appeared to be in his forties or fifties, was of average height, very thin, with some gray hair, and had a smile plastered on his face as he spoke. "Hello!" I replied politely: "To be honest, I'm from inland China and came here to find my relatives, but who would have thought that instead of finding them, I'd run into thieves? Now I'm left with nothing and nowhere to turn." "Oh?" the middle-aged man asked: "If that's the case, then why didn't you go to the police for help?"

  "It's hard to put into words! Things are a bit complicated." I sighed and said. The middle-aged man seemed to have seen something from my expression, he smiled and said: "Well, you and I are both Chinese, being able to meet in this foreign land is also a kind of fate. At home we rely on our parents, outside we rely on friends. As fellow countrymen, seeing that you're having a hard time, I have no reason not to help. Come! Follow me to the inner room." "Okay, thank you!" Seeing the middle-aged man willing to lend me a helping hand, I quickly thanked him.

  The old man saw the middle-aged man intending to help me and hastily stopped him, saying: "Fei Zai, what are you doing? There are many beggars like this on the streets, don't bother with him, let him go quickly!" The middle-aged man smiled and said: "Ah Fa, everyone is out 'on the road', who can avoid encountering some difficulties? We're all fellow countrymen, helping him is only right." "This..." The old man was about to say something when the middle-aged man immediately interrupted him, saying: "Alright, Ah Fa, don't say anything else, I have a sense of propriety in what I do. You quickly go prepare some food for this young fellow, he looks like he's starving!" The old man looked at the middle-aged man and then at me, snorted through his nose, and turned to head towards the kitchen. The middle-aged man loudly said to the old man's back: "Ah Fa, add more beef!"

  I followed the middle-aged man into the inner office. He let me sit on the sofa and poured a glass of water, handing it to my hand. "How old are you this year, where is your hometown?" The middle-aged man asked with concern. I took a sip of water and used the brief interval to quickly recall and think about the middle-aged man's words and actions, feeling that he was not simple, but couldn't judge what for the time being, so I decided to act according to the situation and replied: "27, my hometown is... Northeast!" The middle-aged man asked: "Northeast, which province?" "Heilongjiang! And you, sir?" I replied and then asked the middle-aged man back. The middle-aged man smiled and said: "Haha... don't call me Mr., just call me Uncle Fei, it's more intimate. My ancestral home is Meizhou, Guangdong, but I followed my father to immigrate to New Delhi when I was young!" I said: "Oh! So many years have passed and you still haven't changed your accent, it's really rare." The middle-aged man smiled and said: "Yes, who let us be Chinese? Wherever we go, our roots are rooted in the land of China!"

  "Boss, this is the noodles you wanted." Just as we were speaking, a waiter from the noodle shop brought in two large bowls of noodles. Fei Shu waved his hand and said: "Okay, put it on the tea table." "Uh-huh!" The young waiter responded by placing the noodles on the tea table next to me. The hot steam rose from the noodles, which were obviously freshly cooked. The smooth noodles were plump and full, with a clear broth that was refreshing and appetizing, topped with a few green vegetables that looked fresh and inviting. Thick slices of beef were neatly arranged on top, making it look very tempting. As I gazed at the delicious food, I involuntarily swallowed two mouthfuls of saliva.

  Fei Shu looked at me and smiled: "You must be starving, don't be polite, eat quickly!" "Oh!" At this moment, I was so hungry that I couldn't care about etiquette anymore. I put down my reserve, picked up the bowl and started eating voraciously. Fei Shu just smiled and watched me eat without saying a word. Soon, two big bowls of noodles were completely devoured by me, not even leaving a drop of soup behind.

  Fei Shu looked at me after I finished eating and asked with concern: "Are you full? If not, there's more!" My hungry stomach was finally filled, and it was only then that I realized the beauty of life could be obtained so simply. I gently wiped my mouth with a napkin and said to Fei Shu: "I'm full! Thank you, Fei Shu, I was really starving, sorry to have made you laugh!" Fei Shu smiled and said: "No need to thank me, no need at all! It's nothing, just one meal! What's there to laugh about? Young people should be like this, vigorous and full of energy when doing things."

  I stood up, picked up the empty bowl from the tea table and said to Uncle Fei: "Uncle Fei, you sit down first, I'll go wash this bowl!" Uncle Fei hurriedly stopped me saying: "No need, no need, just put it there, someone will come collect it, you sit back down, let's chat some more." "Okay." I put the bowl down and sat back on the sofa. "Uncle Fei, I don't have any money on me right now, but rest assured, I absolutely won't eat or drink for free, otherwise I'll go work in the kitchen for a few days to offset my meal expenses."

  Fei laughed loudly and said, "No need, no need, my kitchen has plenty of people, doesn't need you." I thought for a moment and said, "Then is there anything else in your house that needs to be moved or carried? I can do it all. If not, I have plenty of strength." Fei Shu said, "No need, no need, that's also not necessary for you. Don't be so polite with me, or you'll hurt the feelings of our fellow villagers!" I said, "Okay... but I can't just eat and drink for free. You have to let me do something to repay your kindness to me."

  Fei Shu said: "What's this nonsense about gratitude? It's just a meal, and besides, even if there was something to do, you couldn't do it with that injury of yours! Look at you, you're still hurt! By the way, what happened to your shoulder?" I subconsciously put my hand on my injured left shoulder, thinking, finally we're getting to the point! "Nothing... nothing... just got hit by a car on the road." I said casually. Fei Shu clearly wasn't satisfied with my answer, he stood up and walked over to me, saying: "I've also learned some basic first aid skills before, come on, let me take a look at your wound, apply some medicine. New Delhi's weather is hot and humid, if it gets infected, it won't be good!" He said, and actually started unwrapping the bandage on my shoulder.

  I had wanted to stop him, but then I thought: forget it, let him go, maybe he's kind-hearted after all, no need to be on high alert, besides the wound really does need a change of dressing.

  Uncle Fei opened the gauze and took a look at the wound, saying: "Hmm, it's not lightly injured, but fortunately, the medicine used earlier was good, and the wound did not get infected." Uncle Fei said, then took out a first-aid kit from the office cabinet. He took out some medicine from the first-aid kit and applied it to me, then re-bandaged my wound with new gauze. Finally, he handed me two anti-inflammatory pills. "Here, take these!"

  I took the medicine and swallowed it with water.

  As I finished taking the medicine, Fei Shu suddenly changed his expression and asked: "Young man, your injury is not simple, it seems like a gunshot wound? Tell me the truth, what do you do?" As soon as I heard Fei Shu's question, I immediately became vigilant and jumped up from the sofa, my fists clenched instinctively. "Fei Shu, what do you mean by this? I'm a stranger in a strange land, with injuries on my body, please don't make things difficult for me." Fei Shu saw my reaction and quickly patted my shoulder with a forced smile: "Don't be tense, don't be tense, I was just asking casually, if it's inconvenient to say then forget it. Ah! What's this behind your back?" Fei Shu suddenly reached out his hand towards the cloth bag on my back.

  "Don't touch, sorry Uncle Fei. Honestly, I'm a special task executor and this is my friend's ashes. It's better if you don't ask any more questions. I'll leave now. Thanks for your help! Goodbye..." I bowed deeply to Uncle Fei. "Wait!" Uncle Fei stopped me: "Don't go, you haven't paid me for the meal yet."

  "This..." I thought for a moment and said, "Sorry, I really don't have any money on me right now. After I meet up with my partner, I'll send the money over to you." Hehe... Hearing me say this, Fei Shu's expression changed as he smiled and said, "Alright, I was just joking with you. Why so serious? Come, sit down..." Fei Shu once again had me sit on the sofa.

  Fei Shu said: "Actually, I don't care what you do at all. Just now, I was just joking with you!" "Oh! I guess I'm a bit too sensitive," I replied, trying to calm down my tense emotions. Fei Shu said: "Young man, let me tell you the truth, besides running this noodle shop, I also have another business venture with someone else. You know how hard it is to make a living now? Just relying on this one noodle shop, can't feed a whole family. When I saw you today, I knew you had skills. If you think I'm still okay, would you be willing to come to my place and help me out with a couple of fights?" "A couple of fights? What do you mean by a couple of fights?" I asked in confusion.

  Fei Shu said: "The scene I opened is a black boxing match, you just need to help set up the stage! Just two games will do, not only don't you have to pay for the face money, but I'll also give you 5000 rupees per game. How about that?" "Setting up the stage" should be slang, although I don't know its specific meaning, I can still guess roughly. I patted my thigh and thought to myself, how did I end up in such a shady store? Now it's gotten me into a dilemma. I couldn't use battlefield methods, like killing enemies, to kill Fei Shu and escape. What to do? Never mind, I changed my mind, since I've already boarded the pirate ship, I'll just pretend to agree for now. It's also good that I'm currently short on money, so I'll think of a way to get through this difficult time first.

  Fei Shu looked at me with a dazed expression and asked again, "Hey! Young man, what do you think?" I slowed down my tone and said, "Alright Fei Shu, I'll agree to your terms. If you want me to win, I'll win; if you want me to lose, I'll lose. After all, you saved me from danger, so I owe you a debt of gratitude. However, you must agree to one condition!" Fei Shu hastily asked, "What's the condition? Tell me!"

  I said, "Fei Shu, to be honest, I'm not someone who executes special tasks, but an escaped prisoner. I also need money badly now, if you give me 10,000 rupees per match, I'll agree to be a boxer in your arena." Fei Shu thought for a moment and said, "Alright, whether or not you're an escaped prisoner doesn't matter to me, as long as you put on a good show. However, let's make one thing clear from the start: raising it from 5,000 to 10,000 is no problem, but if you get killed in the match, don't blame me!"

  "You scoundrel, watch how I'll deal with you!" I sneered: "This is only natural, originally I was already left with half a life. 'Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are in heaven' If I were to be beaten to death, it would be my good fortune, nothing to do with you. I'm an escaped convict, my only brother is dead, no one will come looking for trouble with you. When the time comes, just wrap me up in a straw mat and bury me." "Alright!" Fei Shu patted my shoulder: "Young man, you have guts, we're settled then." Fei Shu said, extending his hand to me. "Like this, I'll arrange a place for you to stay first, rest and recover from your injuries, three days later go on stage, no problem?"

  "No problem, no need to wait three days, it's okay tonight!" I stood up and shook Fei Shu's hand. Fei Shu asked: "What about your injury, can you make it?" I patted my left shoulder and said: "No problem, this little injury doesn't count." Fei Shu said: "Alright, you go rest upstairs first, at 7:00 tonight I'll drive you there." "Okay!" I nodded.