Fists can't cross Tianjin

Chapter 30 Buying Medicine

The sky outside was overcast.

The leaden-gray clouds hung low, and the wind carried snow particles that stung my face.

Chen Zhuo also lowered his head and hunched his neck, blending into the bustling crowd.

But he soon realized something was wrong.

The atmosphere on the street has changed.

The once bustling and lively Xiguan Street was now shrouded in a somber atmosphere.

There were many more middle-aged women wearing red armbands on the streets, staring warily at passersby as if they were guarding against thieves.

Not far away, two members of the joint defense team, wearing dark blue coats, were patrolling with bicycles, stopping people every now and then to ask them a few questions.

"Comrade, can we take a look at your letter of introduction?"

"Where are you from? What brings you to Tianjin?"

Chen Zhuo's heart skipped a beat.

here we go?

No, the 83 match hadn't even started yet.

Is this some sudden, big move, or... did Hua Mao contact the authorities to search for him? After all, Xie Cheng, whom he summoned last time, was sent back by him...

A thought flashed through Chen Zhuo's mind.

In any case, it seems unlikely that it will be safe to go out on the streets for the foreseeable future.

Chen Zhuo turned into an alley without making a sound.

He wandered through the alleys, deliberately choosing the paths without red armbands.

After walking for about twenty minutes, he arrived at a state-run pharmacy located on a street corner.

"People's Pharmacy".

The white sign with black lettering is somewhat faded, and the glass door is decorated with red paper-cuts that read "Serve the People".

Chen Zhuo stood across the street and observed for a while.

There were no police officers at the entrance of the pharmacy, only a clerk in a white coat leaning against the counter eating sunflower seeds.

But he keenly noticed that under an old locust tree diagonally opposite the pharmacy, two young men were squatting and smoking.

The two men were wearing bell-bottoms, had long hair, and their eyes darted around, glancing at the pharmacy entrance every now and then.

Is that the person with the tabby cat?

Or is he just a simple-minded hoodlum?

Chen Zhuo narrowed his eyes. No matter how powerful Hua Mao was, he couldn't possibly have his eyes on every pharmacy in Tianjin, could he? It was probably just a coincidence, or perhaps there just happened to be some thugs "patrolling" this area.

He tightened his collar, and taking advantage of a gap when a truck drove by, he quickly crossed the road, pushed open the door, and went into the pharmacy.

"Welcome..."

The female shop assistant, who was eating sunflower seeds, didn't even look up. She lazily responded and spat out a sunflower seed shell.

The counter was an old-fashioned glass counter, filled with various medicine bottles and boxes. A faint smell of Chinese medicine and Lysol filled the air.

Chen Zhuo walked to the counter and said in a low voice, "Big sister, give me two bottles of safflower oil."

The female shop assistant was cracking sunflower seeds when she heard this. She slowly raised her head and glanced at Chen Zhuo.

"Safflower oil is 25 cents a bottle."

She casually quoted a price, turned around and took two bottles of safflower oil from the shelf behind her, slamming them onto the counter with a "thud," and said, "Five cents."

Chen Zhuo took out a handful of crumpled coins from his pocket, counted out four one-mao notes and a few coins, making up fifty mao, and carefully placed them on the counter.

He looked at the two bottles of safflower oil and made a decision in his mind.

This thing is like water being poured on you when you practice martial arts; two bottles probably won't last more than a few days.

"Sister, could you please get me another bottle?"

Chen Zhuo gritted his teeth, counted out 25 cents from the pile of change in his hand, and pushed it over. "My neighbor also asked me to bring a bottle, so I don't have to make another trip."

He needs to stock up more; this stuff gets used up too quickly.

The female shop assistant, however, looked Chen Zhuo up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

A tattered cotton-padded jacket, messy hair, a face weathered by time, and bloodshot eyes. Especially striking were his hands, with large knuckles covered in grime and scabs.

Why would someone who does manual labor buy so much safflower oil?

For the past few days, there's been a lot of talk in the streets about a roving criminal who specifically operates in this area, and his distinguishing features are...

Which organization do you work for?

The female shop assistant's hand remained pressed against the two bottles of safflower oil, showing no sign of letting go. Her tone suddenly became wary. "Show me your work ID or letter of introduction."

Chen Zhuo's heart skipped a beat.

"Ma'am, I just want to buy some safflower oil, do I really need a letter of introduction?" He forced a simple, honest smile. "I'm the one who pulls the cart up front, and I accidentally twisted my back while I wasn't working, and the neighbors also..."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

The shop assistant not only didn't believe her, but became even more suspicious. She pushed the few small bills back, her voice instantly rising eight octaves:

"No letter of introduction means you're a vagrant! The higher-ups are cracking down hard these days, who knows if you're a criminal? Want to buy medicine? Show me the proof first!"

This shout startled several other customers in the pharmacy, who all turned to look at it.

Even the old pharmacist who was dispensing medicine at the back of the pharmacy peeked out.

broken.

This woman is too wary.

Chen Zhuo keenly sensed that the two young men who were squatting under the tree outside the door had stood up after hearing the noise, and were throwing their cigarette butts on the ground and walking over.

If we continue to entangle ourselves with this, something bad will definitely happen.

"Fine, two bottles it is then."

Although Chen Zhuo reacted quickly, the female shop assistant was also a feisty character.

With lightning speed, she slammed the two bottles of safflower oil onto the counter, and with her other hand, she rang the bell next to them.

"No letter of introduction means he's a vagrant! Trying to run away? Stop him!"

Her voice instantly rose eight octaves.

"Take it or leave it!"

Chen Zhuo flipped his wrist and grabbed all the money on the counter, then turned and left without any further entanglement.

"Hey! Don't go! Which unit are you from? Stop right there!"

Behind me came the relentless shouts of the female shop assistant.

Chen Zhuo ignored her and pushed open the door, a gust of cold wind hitting him.

The two young men had already reached the bottom of the steps.

"Hey buddy, wanna chat?"

One of the young men, sporting a small mustache, reached out to stop Chen Zhuo, a forced smile on his face. "Judging from your accent, you're not from around here, are you? Which part are you from?"

His hands were in his pockets, and judging by their shape, he was holding either a knife or a scraper.

Chen Zhuo didn't stop walking.

As the two brushed past each other, he casually swayed his shoulder.

"collapse!"

A burst of inch-force erupted instantly.

"Ouch!"

The bearded man felt as if a bull had crashed into his shoulder; half of his body went numb instantly, and he staggered backward uncontrollably, landing hard on his backside in the snow.

When he finally got up, grimacing, and pulled out the switchblade from his pocket, ready to settle scores...

The street corner was deserted; there was no sign of that kid anywhere.

……

A few minutes later.

Chen Zhuo stood at the entrance of a sheltered alley, watching the streetlights gradually come on in the distance.

He didn't go too far; he simply took advantage of the complex terrain in the area, wandered into a few alleys, and got rid of any potential trouble.

I can no longer go to this pharmacy.

There were only one or two pharmacies in this area of ​​Tianjin, but he didn't go looking for another one.

Some of them are not worth it.

This area is Catman's territory; it's full of informants and idlers.

If we take action, it could easily attract the attention of the authorities, escalate the situation, and result in more harm than good.

Instead, it's better to just go to the pigeon market and exchange some points.

Perfect timing! I still have that gold coin I took from Gangzi in my hand. We can wait until dark and see if we can sell it in Pigeon City.