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Chapter 22: Gangster City
"Wuyou Audio and Video Store".

Located near Cuiyuan New Village, it is only two blocks away from Jiuchang Street.

Fang Cheng got off the bus two stops early, left the bus stop, and then walked a few more steps.

You can find an inconspicuous sign with red background and white letters sandwiched between a row of restaurants.

It's around 9: now and the video store hasn't closed yet.

Through the glass sliding door, you can see the boss chatting and laughing with two young men with dyed blond hair.

Fang Cheng walked into the store and looked around.

On the rows of audio and video racks, there are neatly stacked numerous discs with beautifully crafted covers that are dazzling.

The decoration style of this store is very simple, or it can be said that there is no design at all.

However, the content and style of the merchandise on display are extremely special.

At a glance, all you see are action-packed and violent movies and TV shows.

"Drunken Master", "SPL", "Way of the Dragon", "A Man's Martial Arts"...

There are traditional kung fu films, modern police and gangster films, old movies, and the latest works.

In addition, there are various teaching and competition documentaries about martial arts fighting.

It is obvious that the boss is an extremely experienced "Kung Fu fan".

"Brother Long Wei, do you know that before he became famous, he learned the White Crane Kung Fu..."

"Li Chenglong, a martial arts saint of his generation, learned from a famous Wing Chun master and is a legitimate disciple..."

The boss, who was relatively old, about fifty years old, chatted with the two young men about various kung fu styles, and he was still very knowledgeable and talked nonstop.

"Traditional martial arts are not bad either. The key is to find the right way, and the most important thing is to be sincere."

"I have seen your faces and felt your bones. I can say that you are not martial arts geniuses, but at least you are above average."

"As the saying goes, real kung fu is priceless. Look, these ten discs have been carefully selected by me. Once you learn them, not only can you be the protagonist in a kung fu movie, but even if you join the underworld in the future, it will be a piece of cake to fight ten people at once."

“Is it so magical?”

The two skinny yellow-haired young men couldn't help but be stunned when they heard it.

“No fuss, absolutely worth the money.”

Seeing that they didn't believe him, the boss immediately swore an oath and pointed at Fang Cheng, who was looking for a movie nearby.

"Look at this young man. He often comes to me to buy discs. He watches and studies diligently every day. After watching, he not only looks more handsome, but also has a stronger body."

"Okay, it's only 500 yuan, buy it!"

The two young men looked at Fang Cheng, who was tall and handsome.

Then he happily paid for a dozen hardcover discs.

Looking at the covers, they are all traditional martial arts teaching documentaries such as "Detailed Explanation of the Thirteen Forms of Five Animal Play" and "One Hundred Questions on the Essentials of Wing Chun".

“Thank you for your patronage!”

"I wish you good luck in martial arts, and hope you will dominate the underworld of Dongdu soon..."

As he watched the two big customers leave, the boss kept saying auspicious words, and his smile was as blooming as a chrysanthemum.

Fang Cheng saw this and walked forward.

"Uncle Wu, I want to find some discs about karate. Is there anything worth recommending?"

Hearing the question, the boss' smile instantly disappeared and he turned to look at Fang Cheng:
"Yes, yes. Are you planning to rent or buy today?"

"rent."

Fang Cheng answered simply and concisely.

The boss immediately shook his head and sighed, then limped towards the audio-visual stand at the innermost part.

In a moment, he returned to the counter, took out two karate teaching films with dusty covers, and handed them to Fang Cheng.

"how much is it?"

"10 yuan, thanks."

"Didn't you say that it's 5 dollars to rent a disc for a week, and if you rent two discs, you get % off?"

The boss couldn't help but glared and complained:

"You are smarter than a monkey. When you are more generous, I can make more money from you!"

Fang Cheng smiled, paid the deposit, put the two discs into his bag, and walked out of the store.

The owner of this video store is called Wu Datong. Although he has a sharp tongue, he is actually a nice person.

It is said that he participated in boxing competitions when he was young, and later retired due to serious injuries. He has run a video store here for more than ten years.

The name of the store is taken from the beginning of his surname, and also has the meaning of "making friends through martial arts".

Fang Cheng was walking on the dimly lit street with his bag on his back.

As we walked along, the number of pedestrians did not decrease, but instead showed signs of increasing.

The reason why it is so abnormal.

Simply because there is a very popular open-air night market nearby – North Point Night Market.

It has been raining for the past few days, and many nearby residents and college students are feeling bored. Now that they have some free time, they all choose to go out shopping and relax.

A burst of dynamic music floated from not far away.

Fang Cheng looked up.

Under the night sky, colorful neon signs are everywhere.

On both sides of the street ahead, there are stalls selling various items, and a faint, tempting aroma wafts over.

The streets, which are deserted during the day, become lively after nightfall as the flow of people increases and all kinds of people come together.

Although Jiangbei's economic level ranks last, its nightlife ranks among the top among the fifteen districts in the city.

If you had to choose a place that best represents the "Xialibaren" culture of Dongdu, it would definitely be here.

There are even many foreign tourists who come here specifically to experience the hustle and bustle of the city.

Seeing the bright lights and bustling crowd ahead, Fang Cheng's heart moved.

I remembered that Zhou Xiumei was also doing business here, so I took a step forward and walked into the night market.

"Clearance sale, don't miss it if you pass by, it's a rare opportunity..."

"Sale price, brand sports shoes on sale, more than 300 yuan for only more than 100 yuan..."

"Bobo chicken, ah, ah, Bobo chicken, one yuan a skewer of Bobo chicken..."

The cries of hawkers filled my ears one after another.

The iron pots in the food stalls were making a loud bang, and the smell of oil smoke mixed with the aroma of onions and garlic filled the air.

In winter, when the temperature drops to around zero degrees at night, it is still a bustling scene here.

Fang Cheng strolled among the crowd, looking around, and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure.

Among the vendors setting up stalls along the street, a woman wearing a white down jacket and with her mouth wrapped with a scarf stood out particularly.

In the cold wind, she sat on the steps with her hair hanging down to her shoulders, her knees together, and a red blanket spread in front of her.

There are various small and exquisite cartoon-shaped handicrafts placed on it.

I guess it’s because the workmanship and appearance are really good, which attracted a group of uncles and young men to come over and ask the price.

Looking at her face with a faint blush and her busy appearance of wiping the sweat from her forehead, Fang Cheng smiled slightly.

It seems that Xiumei’s business is pretty good today.

I was just about to walk over to say hello to her and help her.

But I saw a few scoundrelly men squatting in front of the stall, laughing.

"A-Dai is right, she has fair skin, big eyes, and is really pretty!"

"Sister, why do you have to work so hard to set up a stall to support the family? It would be much better to follow Brother Fei and enjoy the good life."

"Oh, you're shy. Such pure girls are rare nowadays. I like them..."

This group of people behaved frivolously and talked dirty, and they were obviously thugs from the surrounding area.

Seeing this, several other customers who were selecting items nearby quickly moved away from them to avoid getting into trouble.

Zhou Xiumei frowned and lowered her head, responding in a muffled voice:

"I don't want your business, please go away..."

However, this pitiful look made those thugs stare at him in amazement.

The thug called "Brother Fei" couldn't help but reach out and try to tear off the scarf covering her mouth to see her real appearance.

Zhou Xiumei was startled and quickly stood up and dodged.

But the thick sleeves of his down jacket were still held by the other party, making it difficult to break free.

She couldn't help but frown, waved her arms vigorously, and said with a hint of anger:

"Let go, let go now! I'm calling the police!"

"Haha, the police may not be effective here..."

Just when a few hooligans were grinning and teasing the harmless girl who looked like a little white rabbit.

Suddenly, a hand reached out and grabbed Fei Ge's wrist.

"You...ah!"

Brother Fei was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to scold the other person, he suddenly felt a piercing pain coming from his wrist.

Then, he started screaming:
"Hurry, hurry, hurry, let go!"

Everyone looked in surprise and saw a young and handsome man standing in front of Fei Ge.

The seemingly slender fingers were like iron clamps, tightly gripping his wrists.

"Brother Cheng——"

Zhou Xiumei let out a cry of surprise.

His eyes sparkled, then revealed a look of worry.

(End of this chapter)