Beiyang 1917

At the hot dog stand near Fifth Avenue in New York’s Central Park, all the remaining hot dogs and sausages cost less than six dollars, and the homeless people around each held a hot dog and two sausages, impatient A few who were very hungry were already squatting on the steps and munching heartily, and a few were obviously reluctant to eat. They wrapped hot dogs and a piece of sausage in newspapers. I don’t know whether to take them back to my companions or save them for breakfast tomorrow.

There were more than a dozen hot dogs left to be packed, and when Wang Geng handed over a twenty-dollar bill, the stall owner was in trouble. Tonight, meeting Wang Geng who did good deeds was the hot dog stall old man and The luck of these old folks around, but how can this twenty dollars be found?

Twenty dollars is almost the weekly salary of a white-collar employee in a large company in New York. Silves, a Mexican-American stall owner, sells hot dogs for a day, and his turnover is only nearly ten dollars. One to two dollars is a great income.

In fact, the twenty dollars was the salary that Charles Edison had just paid this week. Although he was the son of the boss, he was still only getting a salary as an intern engineer in General Electric Company at this time.

Silvester put together all the change that he received from the day's business, and it was only a little over five dollars. Wang Geng nodded, took the handful of five dollars that was mainly in change from the old man's trembling hand, and put his hand on it. Tucked the twenty dollars in it, and said with a smile,

"Your hot dog tastes good. If you don't have enough change, save it first. I'll eat it next time I pass by!"

Surrounded by homeless men chomping on hot dogs, someone whistled, "Old Xi, today you can meet kind-hearted people. I have never touched a twenty-dollar bill in my life!"

A smile finally broke out on Silvester's wrinkled face. While carefully putting the twenty-dollar bill into his arms, he clasped his hands together and turned to Wang Geng, muttering in Mexican dialect. , Then I found a piece of furoshiki and a few newspapers from under the stall.

The Mexican old man carefully wrapped more than a dozen hot dogs wrapped in oiled paper with several layers of newspapers, and tied them into a bundle with cloth. The knots were exquisite and beautiful.

Wang Geng's intention in his heart was to use these hot dogs as supper for the nurses in the convalescent ward. This kind of small trick was often used to win over the hearts of the waiters when he was on a business trip and staying in the guest house of the Northern Military Region in his previous life.

Steaming hot dogs and meat-intestines are small things, but as a late-night snack, they can also bring warmth to people on a cold New York winter night?

Nodding to the old stall owner, Wang Geng stood on the side of the street with his bag and looked around. There were people in even the few taxis that passed by, and there was no empty taxi in sight. This guy was full and full of energy. Then, he waved to the old man who was cleaning up the stalls and the homeless people around who were still making jokes about the old man, and walked back with big strides.

Before he took a few steps, he heard the roar of motorcycles and the screeching sound of tires rubbing against the ground when braking suddenly. The guy turned around and saw that two guys who were obviously New York street gangsters were riding a dilapidated car. The motorcycle stopped in front of the hot dog stand.

"Hey! Old guy! You haven't paid today's money! Think we won't come over tonight? Two dollars is still so dawdling! Hurry up and get it for us brothers! Make four more hot dogs and roast six sausages Hurry up! Boss is still waiting!"

The curly-haired bastard sitting in the back seat was chewing gum and yelling at Silvester!

This guy yelled at the homeless people around the stall, "What are you looking at? Get the hell out of here!"

A few homeless people over there scattered away in fright, leaving only the hot dog stand and the old man at the huge gate!

As soon as Wang Geng heard that it was not that simple, the two gangsters were obviously here to collect protection fees. If this is an objective fact of New York's lower society, Wang Geng did not intend to become a heroic Batman. The Mexican stall owner had the two dollar change by his side, so of course it was all right, the gangsters just patted their buttocks and left with the stolen hot dogs and sausages for the protection fee.

The problem is, the Mexican stall owner's hot dogs and meat-intestines are all in the bag in his hand, and the old man only has a twenty-dollar bill with him. I'm afraid this matter can't be good, so Wang Geng stopped in his tracks.

The old man Silvis spread his hands with a sad face and spoke a series of broken English, with a heavy Mexican accent, but he could hear the meaning, "The hot dogs are sold out, and there is no change with me. I hope you will be tolerant. I will pay when I have change tomorrow." !"

The gangster on the back seat of the motorcycle obviously has a slow mind. Hearing what the old man said, he shouted at the gangster driving the motorcycle,

"Second, what should I do? The hot dogs are all sold out, and now the boss is going to scold me when I go back. The old man has no money around today, so why don't we come back tomorrow! This wind blowing man is so cold!"

The gangster driving the car in front made a loud noise while banging the accelerator pedal of the motorcycle, while turning his head and yelling at the gangster behind him,

"Third, what kind of brains do you have, will you have no money after the hot dogs are sold out? He should have a lot of money in his pocket after the hot dogs are sold out! Why are you so stupid!"

"You old fellow! Are you tired of living? How can you have no money when the hot dogs are sold out! Are you kidding me?"

The curly-haired gangster riding on the back seat of the motorcycle came back to his senses after being scolded by his second son, and couldn't help being furious. The guy jumped off the back seat, rushed to the old Mexican man aggressively, and kicked him over He touched the charcoal basket next to him, and the guy rolled all over the ground.

The old man murmured and didn't know what he was muttering in his mouth. He obviously wanted him to hand over the brand new twenty-dollar bills that Wang Geng had given him. It is easy to meet big customers like Wang Geng, and the twenty dollars is more than just money to the old man.

In fact, the old man had already thought about how to surprise his little granddaughter and his wife on the sick bed when he went back. If his wife hadn’t been sick and anxiously waiting for the money, the Mexican old man Silves would not have been out of the stall until so late and hadn’t returned home.

"Two dollars, I'll give it for him! Don't embarrass him." Wang Geng had appeared next to the two gangsters at some point, with a package in one hand and two crumpled one-dollar bills in the other!

The sudden appearance of Wang Geng startled the two hooligans who were single-mindedly stalking the old man. The reason why Wang Geng calmed down was because the New York underworld collects protection fees as an unspoken rule of this era. If the old man wants to live here, he must pay protection fees. fee.

Wang Geng has no intention of intervening in things that the New York City government can't control. Isn't it just two dollars? If the old man can go home happily, I'll pay for it!

Elder Silvez's lips trembled, he hesitated to speak, and looked at Wang Geng with shame and gratitude in his eyes.

Although the two gangsters were surprised, no one would refuse the dollar handed to them. The second child on the bike snatched the two dollars from Wang Geng's hand, and each of them identified the authenticity under the dim light.

While the two gangsters were researching the authenticity, Wang Geng signaled to the Mexican old man to pack up the stall and go home.

"Hehe! You're not a small man. Why do you pay him for him? Central Park is our buddy's land, and it's only natural to charge him protection fees. Where did you come from such a heroic hero? Yoha , or a yellow-skinned monkey!"

The youngest of the curly-haired gangster stuffed a dollar into the old second hand on the bicycle, and the two exchanged glances. The third eldest swaggered up to Wang Geng with his chest out, obviously aiming at this man in a windbreaker. On the guy with the package, two dollars was given away as soon as he said he would give it away. He must be a rich fool!If you don't eat him, who will you eat? !

Wang Geng shook his head and said, "It's reasonable to say that existence is reasonable. You want to collect protection fees. I happened to pass by and was willing to pay for him, so you can't make things difficult for him anymore. I'm not doing chivalry, but I just don't want to spoil the good mood tonight. That's all!"

This guy just swindled a $[-] check from Edison and General Electric, ate a steaming hot dog from the Mexican vendor in the cold wind, ate a few fragrant and oily barbecue sausages, and did another good deed to help Tramp, it's only natural to be in a good mood.

The old man Silves over there had already packed up the stall. Although he was worried that Wang Geng would face two gangsters alone, Wang Geng waved him indifferently and told him to go quickly. The old man hesitated for a moment, and finally pushed His own car disappeared around the corner.