"Still so precise! Alas, having your skill would save so much trouble!" the butcher exclaimed, full of praise.
"Just a small skill, it still needs to be weighed," Lin Xiao shook his head. He picked up the pork tenderloin he had packed and walked to Big Sister's stall, reaching for the shiitake mushrooms he had packed earlier.
Just as he was about to buy more vegetables to take home, he heard a commotion outside.
"The city management is here!"
Upon hearing these words, several old women carrying vegetables hurriedly prepared to flee, and some small stalls selling fried goods nearby busily got ready to run.
Terrifying.
These four words represented whether they could make enough income that afternoon.
However, it seemed now that this income would likely not be enough.
Lin Xiao frowned. Seeing the slow-moving elderly women, he immediately walked over. "Let me help you."
"No, no... Oh my, young man, you really don't need to."
Lin Xiao, without waiting for their reply, took the burdens from the old ladies and quickly left the area.
Soon, they saw several city management officers arriving on motorcycles.
They didn't act immediately. After letting those with goods on carts leave, one of the officers asked, somewhat confused,
"Captain, why do you always come slowly and deliberately let them see you? Isn't that achieving nothing?"
This officer wasn't old, appearing to be in his early twenties.
"It's fine, they have to leave," the captain said. "These are all neighbors from the vicinity, and this place was originally a no-man's land. Cars occasionally pass by, it's not important. Normally, as long as they don't go too far, I won't say anything."
"Then why are we here?" the young officer was even more puzzled.
"The higher-ups want to see, and this place is a bit dirty. If they don't leave, it definitely can't be cleaned," the captain said, looking at the alley. Everyone inside had mostly left, and the small stalls were gone.
This area was a villa district. If someone hadn't complained to the property management, they wouldn't have come here.
These were all old residents from the neighborhood.
"Alright... you mean someone will come to clean this place later?"
"Who knows?"
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao helped the old ladies carry their vegetables a considerable distance before stopping. After he put them down, he bid farewell to the two old ladies and returned to the alley.
Everyone was gone.
He carried his vegetables, feeling a bit helpless. He hadn't finished choosing his groceries yet. He decided to check out the nearby fresh market.
He hadn't walked far when he saw the captain of the city management squad squatting nearby, smoking a cigarette. He held a phone in his hand, his brow furrowed. "Okay... okay, I'll see if I can manage it... I can't do anything about it, they run so fast, I can't chase them on the bike and force them to come back, can I? They aren't thieves or robbers."
"Yes, yes... I'll do my best..."
"Don't worry, I promise, it won't happen again!"
After speaking a few more words, he frowned and stomped out his cigarette butt on the ground, clearly troubled.
Then, he looked up and met Lin Xiao's gaze.
"Mr. Lin, buying groceries?" he greeted.