Shen Weimin felt terribly wronged. It wasn't like he handed out a cigarette to every single person he met. When men were out and about, the social currency was either cigarettes or liquor.
Besides, people were politely congratulating him. Could he really just give a dry "thank you" in return? If he did, everyone would end up saying that Shen San had gotten arrogant and now looked down on his old friends.
Although the "old friends" part might have been a bit of an exaggeration, they were showing him respect. How could he act all high and mighty? That went completely against the proper way of dealing with people.
Everyone has their ups and downs in life. All it took was a single cigarette to return the respect and express thanks. You're happy, I'm happy, everyone's happy. It was great to keep things friendly and harmonious.
