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Chapter 76: Chapter 74 Gentle Leg Techniques
Wen Xin lay on the rim of the trash can.
Her eyes wide open, she stared at the beer can amidst a pile of plastic bags.
Her heart fluttered slightly, but she was too short and her hands too small. After several attempts, she still couldn’t reach it.
The weather was gloomy and changeable.
Though the sun had peeked out for a bit, it was still chilly.
Passersby hurried by, rushing to work, paying no attention to her actions.
"Almost..."
"Just a bit more..."
She bit her lip, stood on her tiptoes, and stretched her fingers downward again.
At that moment,
A large hand reached in and directly grabbed the beer can.
Wen Xin was startled and quickly straightened up, looking over in confusion.
Her eyes fixed on the can worth two dimes, feeling a pang in her heart.
She looked up at the person who took her treasure, but was instantly stunned.
"If you encounter this situation again, just knock over the trash can and grab what you need first."
A tall, thin young man with short, choppy hair spoke.
He then bent down, picked up a torn hemp sack on the ground, and helped her put the can back into the sack.
Treasure reclaimed.
But Wen Xin hardly cared.
Her gaze locked fixedly on the young man who had appeared out of nowhere.
Her little face was slightly tense, nervous, yet inexplicably happy.
That day at the police station when she gave her statement, she had learned the man’s name.
His name was Fang Cheng, Fang as in upright, Cheng as in honest.
Fang Cheng weighed the sack in his hand.
It was light, clearly, the spoils of scavenging were meager today.
He then turned to look at the little girl standing beside him.
"Haven’t had breakfast yet?"
Wen Xin froze for a moment, then hastily shook her head.
Afraid of being misunderstood, she quickly nodded.
Fang Cheng cracked a smile:
"I haven’t eaten either, how about we eat together?"
He said, shaking the heavily packed takeout bag in his hand.
"No need, I’ve already eaten..."
Wen Xin still insisted, shaking her head.
Her hands, suffering from chilblains, clutched at her clothes, her head bowed, her gaze not daring to linger a second longer.
"Let’s go, I bought too much, I can’t finish it all."
Seeing her discomfort, Fang Cheng decisively picked up the torn hemp sack from the ground and walked ahead.
Wen Xin had no choice but to follow, twisting her little hands.
Fang Cheng got another plastic bag from a nearby shop, packed four beef buns, and a bag of soy milk together.
Then, without allowing any refusal, he stuffed them into her hands.
The two sat beside the flowerbed next to the tubular building.
Golden sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, casting a warm glow on them.
Fang Cheng took a bite of the juicy, meaty bun, continuously chewing and exhaling a satisfied breath through his nostrils.
To vigorously exercise daily and wholeheartedly indulge in food, what a fulfilling life!
Seemingly influenced by his way of eating.
The uncomfortable Wen Xin beside him finally couldn’t resist and reached her dirty little hands into the bag for a beef bun.
Fang Cheng, seeing this, smiled.
It was evident she was very hungry, yet she still nibbled bit by bit, as if fearful of drawing the attention of others.
"You’re Wen Xin, right?"
"Yeah."
Hearing Fang Cheng’s inquiry, Wen Xin immediately raised her head, stopping the chewing motion, and timidly looked at him.
Then as if remembering something, she quickly explained,
"Wen as in the Wen of gentle, Xin as in the Xin of Happy Xin, not the Xin of happiness."
Fang Cheng smiled:
"I know, it all means being happy anyway."
Wen Xin, however, had a serious expression on her face:
"I know your name too."
Fang Cheng was not surprised.
The girl in front of him had moved to Old Factory Street with her mother, renting a room in the same building as him.
It could be said that from now on, they would be neighbors who see each other often.
Thinking of this, Fang Cheng glanced at her thin and tattered clothes and her little face smeared with dust.
At this innocent age, she should be in school, not scavenging to make a living on her own.
"Other than your mom, is there anyone else in your family?"
Fang Cheng couldn’t help but ask.
Wen Xin continued eating cautiously.
Upon hearing this, her shoulders trembled slightly, and her body seemed to stiffen.
She lowered her eyelids, her gaze falling on the worn leather shoes that showed her toes, and long eyelashes vaguely touched with tear drops.
Knowing he had spoken carelessly, Fang Cheng asked no further.
Instead, he gently pushed the soy milk with a straw inserted towards her.
Wen Xin quickly thanked him, but she didn’t drink.
She only ate one bun and then claimed she was full.
Looking at Fang Cheng with a hopeful expression, she hoped to take the leftovers home for lunch.
Fang Cheng, of course, could not refuse, so he stood up and walked with her toward the tubular building.
Wen Xin’s rented room was in the basement.
Standing at the entrance of the stairwell and looking down, it was pitch black and hard for sunlight to reach.
Fang Cheng was about to say goodbye and continue upstairs.
But he heard a commotion coming from below and the banging sound of kicking a metal door.
Hearing this, Wen Xin showed a frightened face and froze in place.
Fang Cheng also frowned and stopped in his tracks.
"Open the door! Open the door!"
"Damn cop, you think by seeking refuge with the Three Wolves Gang and hiding in this kind of place you’ll be safe?"
"Sang Biao said, either pay a defection fee of one hundred thousand or we’ll take your daughter to cover your debts!"
The yelling was very arrogant; the voice was so loud it nearly reached the top floor.
Snap!
The incandescent light in the basement corridor turned on.
The dim yellow light clearly illuminated the appearance of three men kicking and shouting at the door.
It also lit up the figures of a young man and a little girl at the entrance.
"What are you guys doing?"
The young man spoke, his eyes sharply fixating on them.
The three men, resembling gangsters, immediately stopped their disturbance and turned their gaze over.
"Damn, I haven’t even asked you guys yet, and you’re asking us?"
A burly man who was overweight swung his fist and walked over.
"This guy looks pretty cocky, is he from the Three Wolves Gang?"
Another one, with a cigarette in his mouth and squinting his eyes, appeared very laid-back and carefree.
"By the looks of it, probably. Let Dashao try out his mettle."
The last man, wearing a tank top in the dead of winter, his arms tattooed, was also shaking a Dagger in his hand.
It seemed the weapon in hand added an arrogant confidence to him.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the dim corridor, as if a flash of lightning had appeared.
The burly man, swinging his fist, fell asleep facing the wind with a "thud" sound.
The carefree guy’s cigarette was directly snuffed out by the wind.
The floral-arm man’s Dagger instantly disappeared, instead held by another hand against his own neck.
Both men shivered, and upon closer inspection,
they saw that the young man who was clearly standing in front of them in the corridor had astonishingly appeared beside them.
His movements were incredibly fast, beyond human reaction.
"Big brother, please don’t be impulsive, be careful not to hurt your little brother..."
The floral-arm man, regaining his senses, couldn’t help but stutter, his attitude turning extremely subservient.
The carefree guy’s cigarette fell to the ground, and he also struggled to swallow his spit.
Knowing they had encountered an unrivaled master today!
