315: 315 315: 315 Wandering around, Ye Tian bought two packs of dried noodles and a bottle of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce.
He didn’t like stinky tofu; it was too pungent for his nose.
This food would do for the next couple of days.
He’d figure sothing else out later.
Carrying an electric rice cooker with the noodles and seasonings inside, Ye Tian started heading back ho.
The morning market was crowded, mostly with old n and won buying vegetables—this place was cheaper than the supermarket.
So were selling goods grown in their own small greenhouses, which weren’t expensive either.
Ye Tian got a bag of tomatoes for five yuan, although a few were frostbitten, hence the low price.
He paused at a stall selling tobacco leaves; nowadays, rolled cigarettes were a luxury, best to save where you could.
Suddenly, he felt a tug at his waist.
A thief!
Ye Tian was no ordinary man; his observational skills and vigilance were top-notch.
Petty thieves couldn’t escape his eyes.
With a quick flick of his wrist, sure enough, he caught a hand.
But the hand seed to be sared with sothing quite slippery and quickly pulled away, leaving Ye Tian grabbing at nothing.
He looked around—no sign of anyone.
Damn it, soone had the gall to try stealing from him!
Luckily, the money in his pocket was still there.
He rubbed his fingers together, sticky and slick, and sniffed them; there was no scent.
Ye Tian shook his head; he had no experience with such thieving techniques.
“Big brother, you got targeted by a thief, huh?” The old man selling tobacco leaves wore a black leather jacket, with both hands tucked into his sleeves, looking as bloated as his cotton trousers—sitting on a tiny stool, his body resembled an ancient tree root, tough and weathered.
In front of him were various white cloth bags with their mouths open, filled with different kinds of tobacco and neatly arranged rolls of cigarettes, all packed in plastic bags, big and small.
“Old man, how much for these tobacco leaves?”
Who knew if this old man was in cahoots with the thief from before?
But that thought quickly disappeared.
If he had ill intentions, he would have struck up a conversation earlier.
“It depends on what kind of tobacco leaf you want.
We’ve got better quality and lower quality.”
“As long as it’s smokable.”
The old man pointed to one of the cloth bags, filled with yellow tobacco leaves, “Try that one.”
Ye Tian walked over, making sure not to forget the box on the ground, his dining utensil.
“Old man, this one slls off; it’s not adulterated, is it?”
“No, it’s authentic tobacco from the banana and hemp fields.
It might be scratchy on the throat but it’s strong.
If you’re not a heavy smoker, you could try this one.” The old man pointed to another open bag.
That’s when Ye Tian noticed that the old man’s right pinky finger was missing, “But it’s a bit pricier.”
“I smoke for fun; can’t spend much on it.
I’ll take this one.”
Ye Tian didn’t know much about tobacco; he just pinched so, slled it, and thought it was fine.
As he was about to grab more, the old man stopped him.
A wooden spatula was extended onto his wrist, “You can’t grab tobacco with your bare hands; it ruins the flavor.
Use this—the tobacco spatula.”
Taking the wooden spatula, Ye Tian looked it over and asked with a smile, “Old man, is there a special reason for this?”
“There’s no special reason, just a tradition from the older generations.
Using a tobacco spatula keeps the flavor pure.”
He scooped up two spatulafuls and weighed them, “Five taels, three and a half yuan per tael, that’ll be fifteen yuan.”
“Alright,” Ye Tian reached for his money, “…”
A few pieces of blank paper, very similar to the feel of banknotes.
The money was stolen.
Damn it, the money was swiped.
The slippery sensation in his hand reminded Ye Tian that the thief must be an expert; otherwise, he wouldn’t have greased his hands.
“Did soone swap out your money?”
Ye Tian felt a little embarrassed, not sure what to say.
The tobacco was all packed, the cost calculated, and now he pulls out two blank papers.
Ye Tian was not to be trifled with; since he had ti on his hands and the thief had bumped right into the gun barrel, it was ti to catch a thief.
That was all the money he had left.
If he couldn’t get it back, smoking?
Smoke my ass!
The old man waved his hand, “Take the tobacco for now, give the money when you have it.”
Ye Tian thought about it, then set his eyes on the bag in his hand containing a pot and two packs of instant noodles.
“Alright, old man, you’re straightforward, so I won’t dilly-dally.
I’ll leave these knick-knacks with you; if you fancy them, keep them.
If not, sell them as junk or throw them away.”
“Hey, wait!” As Ye Tian turned to leave, the old man hurriedly got up and chased after him with Ye Tian’s belongings.
“It’s not much money.
Take your things first, and just co back to my business a few more tis.”
Ye Tian smiled, “Old man, aren’t you afraid I’ll just walk away and never return?”
“If you don’t co back, then so be it.
I’m not counting on your fifteen yuan to get rich.”
Seeing the old man’s determined look, Ye Tian no longer insisted.
Without those items, he really wouldn’t be able to get by.
Taking his things, he rged into the crowd.
He was going to find that brazen little pickpocket.
To think that soone would dare to steal from Ye Tian, are you seeking death or what!
Watching Ye Tian’s retreating figure, the tobacco-selling grandfather muttered to himself, the local rascals might be in for so trouble.
Lost in thought, he gently stroked the missing finger on his right hand, shook his head, eyes brimming with vicissitudes.
Ye Tian was determined to find the thief, but it wasn’t easy.
After wandering around the streets for half the day and not finding a single clue, and with half the morning gone, the rumbling in his belly from the soaked noodles couldn’t be ignored.
Hungry again, he mused that it wasn’t getting him anywhere and decided to head back and plan carefully; maybe the people back in the yard might know the locals and could offer so pointers.
Walking along, he suddenly couldn’t go any further.
The road ahead was blocked.
A surge of anger rose in Ye Tian’s heart; a street as narrow as a butthole was jamd with traffic!
What, is it constipated?
Approaching closer, Ye Tian realized sothing was off; it sounded like a fight occurring ahead.
The surrounding crowd ca to watch the excitent; from their discussions, it was indeed a brawl inside.
Ye Tian instantly lost interest, let them fight, the more ferociously the better, one less with each death.
“Motherfucker, damn it, not killing you is already letting you off easy, co on, every ti I see you, I’ll beat you, get lost!”
“Zheng Sanpao, you have to pay today!”
“Damn, you still dare to be tough with , beat him!
Beat him to death!”
…
That was He Biandan’s voice!
Ye Tian recognized it; squeezing through the crowd, sure enough, there he was, He Biandan with glasses being beaten by a group on the ground, a rich landlord-looking figure arrogantly cursing with a hand on his pole, probably in his fifties or sixties, well-kept, mouth tirelessly swearing and cursing.
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