Chapter 13: Discipline Through Firmness

Liu Xing smiled. “As long as you haven’t shortchanged me. If you have, I seem to recall the Donghe Police Station is just ahead, left into that little alley, isn’t it?”

“What do you mean by that?” The tall butcher shivered.

“Nothing much.” Liu Xing tossed the pork belly into the bamboo basket strapped to Heiduzi’s back, then looked at Melon Seed. “Little sister, do you think if I go file a report, Chief Wu would invite me to dinner?”

“Huh?” Melon Seed blinked her big eyes in confusion, not quite understanding what Liu Xing meant. In her mind, her brother didn’t know any Chief Wu! Was he just trying to scare the butcher?

“Heh…” Liu Xing didn’t answer Melon Seed’s question. Instead, he turned to the butcher. “Why are you shaking? Where are the spare ribs I asked for? Hurry up and cut me two pounds!”

“Brother, my good brother!” The tall butcher hastily pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offering them to Liu Xing with a stammer, “I didn’t recognize who I was dealing with, didn’t know you were connected to Chief Wu. For the sake of our first meeting, please let me off this once!”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” Liu Xing pushed away the cigarettes, his eyes flashing with wisdom far beyond his years.

“Please, don’t torment me anymore. I admit it… that piece of pork belly just now wasn’t six pounds and one ounce, it was… it was five pounds and one ounce.” The butcher wiped the cold sweat from his brow, stammering out the truth.

He knew that if he didn’t confess, Liu Xing wouldn’t let him off easily. If things escalated and he ended up at the police station, paying compensation would be the least of his worries. What he really feared was being locked up—his life would be over. If he ever wanted to make easy money selling pork again, he could forget about it.

“You really don’t learn unless someone knocks some sense into you,” Liu Xing said, not wanting to make a scene or stoop to the level of a meat seller. After putting all the pork bones from the counter into the bamboo basket, he said, “Count up the money. Don’t try any more tricks.”

“Alright! Alright!” The tall butcher understood Liu Xing’s meaning and breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped his greasy hands with a rag. “Five pounds of pork belly, just give me five yuan. I sell to regulars for one yuan a pound. As for the pork bones, consider them a bonus, free of charge.”

“Now you’re finally speaking sense.” Liu Xing handed over five yuan. “Run your business with honesty. Don’t try to be clever or you might not even realize how you ended up inside.”

“Yes! Yes!” The butcher nodded repeatedly.

To prevent Liu Xing from changing his mind, he quickly chopped a large piece of spare ribs and, right in front of Melon Seed, placed it in the bamboo basket.

“What’s this about?” Liu Xing chuckled.

“The ribs aren’t worth much. Call it an apology from a brother,” the butcher explained with a sheepish smile.

“You have good taste,” Liu Xing said, and, taking hold of Heiduzi, walked calmly eastward down the street, the butcher watching him go.

“Whose kid is that? How can he be so formidable?” The butcher muttered to himself, watching Liu Xing disappear. On this street, he was always the one taking advantage of others. Who would’ve thought that today he’d be taught a lesson by a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old farm boy? It felt almost unreal.

But he knew this boy was no ordinary youth—after all, the chief of Donghe Police Station really was surnamed Wu. Normally, only those familiar with the area would know such details.

“Lucky he didn’t want to make a big fuss. Otherwise, I’d be in serious trouble.” The butcher hurried back to his counter as more customers arrived, swinging his cleaver to cut meat. This time, he wouldn’t dare play any tricks. For some reason, he felt as if a pair of big eyes were watching him from behind—maybe the boy leading the black calf, or maybe the little girl sitting on its back. Either way, the whole thing felt uncanny.

—

On the street, Liu Xing had planned to visit the nearest supply and marketing cooperative, since he had oil coupons that would be useful for his family. But when he reached the entrance, he was startled by the long line at the door. If he waited to exchange for bean oil or vegetable oil, it might take one or two hours.

For the sake of his father’s injured leg, Liu Xing didn’t linger at the cooperative. Instead, he turned back with Heiduzi. As they were about to leave the main city area, a crisp call caught his attention—and Melon Seed’s, too. She reached out, calling, “Brother, look! Someone’s selling fried dough twists!”

“I see them. Do you want some?” Liu Xing asked gently.

“Yes!” Melon Seed nodded eagerly.

Liu Xing smiled, leading Heiduzi toward the hawker selling fried dough twists. “Big brother, how much for the twists?” he asked as they approached.

“Thirty cents a pound. How much do you want?” The hawker, with dark skin and bright white teeth, smiled shyly.

“Give me a yuan’s worth,” Liu Xing replied.

“Alright.” The hawker quickly took out paper boxes and began packing the twists. Since it was quite a lot, he used two boxes—clearly, he’d been selling twists for years.

But what surprised Liu Xing was that, beneath the twists, he saw White Rabbit milk candies—many of them. Curious, he asked, “Big brother, do you sell milk candies on the side as well?”

“Yes. One has to find ways to make more money. But it’s not allowed to sell White Rabbit candies in the city, so I hide them,” the hawker whispered, revealing the inside story.

“Huh? Who doesn’t allow it?” Liu Xing was puzzled.

In his memory, after the reform and opening up, as long as it was a proper product, there were no such restrictions.

The hawker glanced around cautiously. “Kid, I know you’re not from the city, so I’ll tell you. It’s the people at the supply and marketing cooperative—they say I’m stealing their business, since they sell White Rabbit candies too.”

“So that’s it.” Liu Xing suddenly understood.

With this reminder, he recalled how things worked in the 1980s. The supply and marketing cooperatives did have the authority to do this, and could even report those selling candies, cookies, or daily goods without permits to the police. The reason was simple: only the cooperative had legal business licenses, while others were considered illegal.

But this situation wouldn’t last long. The cooperative’s monopolistic practices would soon become obsolete, as they hindered progress and were doomed to disappear with history. Moreover, he knew that the cooperative could only prohibit small vendors from selling controlled goods like daily necessities; for things like vegetables, grain, or meat—basic necessities—they had no authority. The fact that pork was still being sold at the Donghe market was proof enough.

With this realization, Liu Xing smiled; he now understood what to avoid when making money in the future.

“Kid, it’s three and a half pounds in total. Just give me one yuan,” the hawker’s hoarse voice broke Liu Xing’s thoughts as he handed over the bagged twists.

“How much for the White Rabbit candies?” Liu Xing asked casually.

“If you buy them, eighty cents a pound.” The hawker put down his scales, his eyes filled with resignation. If he could sell openly in the city, he’d never price them this low—at the cooperative, White Rabbit candies sold for a yuan and a half a pound, and sometimes money alone wasn’t enough to get them.

Liu Xing knew the inside story well. Smiling, he said, “Then give me a yuan’s worth of White Rabbit candies too. Not too much—eating too many is bad for your teeth.”

“Alright.” The hawker quickly packed the candies into a box.

Liu Xing handed the fried twists to Melon Seed. “We’ll eat these when we get home, alright?”

“Yes, yes!” Melon Seed nodded obediently. “What about the White Rabbit candies?”

“You can only have two a day. If you sneak more at night, don’t expect me to buy you snacks again,” Liu Xing warned, then took two yuan from his pocket and gave them to the hawker.

“Thanks!” The hawker, noticing uniformed officers approaching on the distant road, grabbed the money, hoisted his pole, and dashed off in a flash.

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