Chapter 11#
Chapter 11#
Back in the dorm, Luo Mingshan was washing clothes in the bathroom, while Zhao Xing lounged in his chair, idly carving a piece of wood with a small knife as he pondered his grand plans.
His movements were casual, but in no time at all, the piece of wood began to take on an aesthetic form.
Zhao Xing had once played around with jade carving when he had nothing better to do, but this was his first time carving wood. To his surprise, it felt rather easy.
He blew off the wood shavings, and the rough outline of a motorcycle emerged.
The wood was scrap from the lumber mill; Zhao Xing was just messing around out of boredom.
Maybe because he hadn’t touched his beloved motorcycle in a while, looking at the wooden carving made his heart itch with longing.
He sat up straight, his expression turning more serious, and continued to work on the details with the carving knife.
About an hour later, a lifelike wooden motorcycle ornament sat in Zhao Xing’s hand.
This was Zhao Xing’s first wood carving, and it had many flaws—imperfections born of inexperience. The wood was ordinary and too hard, the knife wasn’t a proper carving tool, making it difficult to work with. The motorcycle’s details needed refinement, and upon closer inspection, it was rather crude…
But just as Zhao Xing blew off the shavings, two cries of “Wow!” suddenly sounded behind him.
Zhao Xing turned around and saw Luo Mingshan and the kid from Bed 6, Lü Xiaofeng. Both of their eyes were sparkling, filled with the same undisguised admiration. Luo Mingshan, however, was more reserved; the moment he noticed Zhao Xing looking, he immediately shut his mouth.
Lü Xiaofeng was naturally bold. Though his father had told him that Zhao Xing was fierce and vicious in a fight, Lü Xiaofeng had never actually seen him fight. Seeing this display of skill now, he quickly cast aside any fear he had.
He came closer and praised without reservation, “Brother Zhao! You’re amazing!”
Zhao Xing toyed with the carving in his hand but said nothing.
Lü Xiaofeng’s gaze seemed glued to the carving, his eyes burning with unconcealed fervor. “Brother Zhao! This motorcycle is so cool! I’ve never seen a motorcycle this cool!”
Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow, his tone aloof but barely hiding his pride. “This model is the Chi’an A500. There are only five hundred in the entire world.”
“Wow!” Lü Xiaofeng leaned in even closer, tilting his head to look. “That’s so awesome, so cool! Brother Zhao, do you have one? How else could you carve it so well?!”
Zhao Xing nodded. “Mm.”
“Oh my god! That’s insane!”
This motorcycle was Zhao Xing’s first, and also his favorite. Because the Zhao family had smashed it, it had now become the unattainable love of his life.
Zhao Xing stroked the wooden carving, a hint of nostalgia in his expression.
Lü Xiaofeng timidly raised his hand. “Brother Zhao, can I touch it? Just once?”
Zhao Xing generously tossed the carving to him. “Go ahead and play with it.”
“Thanks, Brother Zhao!”
Luo Mingshan’s eyes widened slightly. He glanced at the carving in Lü Xiaofeng’s hand, then at Zhao Xing, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
Zhao Xing went to the bathroom to wash his hands, but before leaving, he told Luo Mingshan to clean up the wood shavings on the table.
Luo Mingshan nodded and quietly began tidying up, but his eyes kept darting toward Lü Xiaofeng’s hand.
His cleaning movements grew slower and slower, and his gaze lingered on the wooden carving longer and longer.
When Zhao Xing came out of the bathroom, he caught sight of this little act and found it amusing.
When Zhao Xing was little, he used to play in the mud with other kids. While the others could only shape little tables or mud figurines, Zhao Xing would follow pictures from books and create little cars, little planes, and little tigers that no one had ever seen before.
Many kids wanted the things he made, but Zhao Xing only gave them to Luo Mingshan.
Luo Mingshan had always been clean and hated getting dirty. He would receive those little trinkets, set them aside to look at, and only occasionally touch them—washing his hands immediately afterward.
Zhao Xing had always thought he didn’t really like those things. But one day, when another kid snatched away one of Luo Mingshan’s mud tigers, Luo Mingshan ran over crying to tattle.
Little Zhao Xing didn’t understand why he was crying so hard. “You never even play with it. Why are you so upset that someone took it?”
Luo Mingshan buried his head in Zhao Xing’s arms, sobbing between hiccups. “Wah… Brother Zhao made that. Everything Brother Zhao makes belongs to Luo Luo. No one can take it away…”
Zhao Xing laughed at him, calling him “such a possessive little Luo Luo,” but then he went and beat up the kid who had taken it, getting the mud tiger back.
Zhao Xing never expected that Luo Mingshan, now all grown up, would still have the exact same nature.
Watching him stare at Lü Xiaofeng, it was as if the kid had stolen something that belonged to him.
But this carving was his first attempt, too rough. He’d make a better one for Luo Mingshan in a couple of days. This time it was wood, not mud. Luo Luo wouldn’t complain about getting his hands dirty this time—
Suddenly, the smile on Zhao Xing’s lips froze, and his wandering thoughts came to an abrupt halt.
No.
Why the hell should he make toys for Luo Mingshan?
Did this ungrateful, treacherous, selfish, despicable piece of trash even deserve it?!
Zhao Xing’s face darkened.
Just then, Lü Xiaofeng obediently handed the carving back with both hands, obvious reluctance in his eyes. “Brother Zhao, I’m done playing. Thank you.”
Luo Mingshan also stepped closer, not daring to speak first, just looking down at the carving in Zhao Xing’s hand.
Zhao Xing’s gaze was heavy. “Did you want to say something?”
Luo Mingshan still kept his head down, his face hidden, but his pale ears gradually turned pink. He said in a small voice, “…Brother Zhao, you’re really amazing.”
Seeming a little embarrassed, he paused for a moment, then continued haltingly, “This motorcycle is so cool. I’ve never seen… never seen a motorcycle this cool.”
Huh?
Lü Xiaofeng blinked in confusion beside him.
Did Brother Xiaoshan just steal his lines?
Luo Mingshan finally lifted his head. His cheeks were also red, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and his eyes were filled with sparkling light.
He pleaded softly, “…Brother Zhao, can I touch it? Just once?”
Zhao Xing inexplicably felt his throat go dry. He even tightened his grip on the carving.
Then, a wave of irritation washed over him.
Damn it.
A grown man pretending to be cute?!
Does he have no shame?!
Zhao Xing shot him a glance and said coldly, “No. Get lost.”
Luo Mingshan’s eyes instantly turned red.
Zhao Xing felt a little satisfied, but also a little unsettled.
He looked down at the carving in his hand and casually tossed it to Lü Xiaofeng beside him. “It’s yours!”
Lü Xiaofeng was overjoyed, thrilled beyond belief. “Wow! Thanks, Brother Zhao! You’re really a great guy—totally different from what my dad said!”
“Oh?” Zhao Xing sat down beside Lü Xiaofeng with interest. “What did your dad say about me?”
Lü Xiaofeng realized he had misspoken. He nervously covered his mouth, his big eyes darting around.
Seeing that he couldn’t hide it, he blushed, hung his head, and told the truth. “…He said you’re really fierce and scary. He told me to stay away from you when he’s not around, and not to talk to you.”
He quickly added, “But that’s just because he doesn’t know you yet. I think Brother Zhao is great! Brother Zhao even gives me little toys!”
Zhao Xing smiled and ruffled his hair. “…By the way, where’s your dad?”
For the past couple of days, Lü Xiaofeng and his father had been inseparable.
Lü Xiaofeng picked at the wooden motorcycle, his voice a little downcast. “…My mom is sick. The medicine is expensive, so Dad went to work overtime to earn repentance points.”
Buying medicine and getting treatment here was indeed expensive. Zhao Xing had gone for a brain checkup and had his neck wound treated a couple of days ago, costing him 20 repentance points.
Come to think of it, he was pretty broke now—only 58.8 left on his e-card.
He needed to figure out a way to earn repentance points.
As he thought, he casually asked Lü Xiaofeng, “Your mom is here too? Your whole family got locked up?”
“…Mm.” Lü Xiaofeng glanced at Zhao Xing and said quietly, “My… my sister was clean. She was a good person. She didn’t commit any crime.”
Zhao Xing: “Then what happened to your sister?”
Lü Xiaofeng: “…My… my sister was bullied to death by bad people. My mom killed the bad people. My dad chopped them up. And then our whole family came here.”
Zhao Xing was taken aback.
But then he thought about it and found it understandable. After all, Earth had abolished the death penalty long ago.
If you really wanted revenge for your daughter, killing them yourself was the way to go.
Still, it surprised him that the skinny, bespectacled, withered middle-aged man could actually dismember someone.
Lü Xiaofeng slumped listlessly over the table, sliding the carving across the surface. He whispered, “…I miss my mom. I haven’t seen her in two years.”
Normally, everyone here got one free visitation every six months. But if both parties were in prison, they couldn’t see each other.
The most they could do was exchange letters every two months.
Zhao Xing turned to look at Luo Mingshan, who happened to be looking back at him.
Zhao Xing raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to come with me?”
Luo Mingshan understood what Zhao Xing meant. He lowered his eyes. “Brother Zhao, I won’t go. That place is still there. You can take him. I haven’t finished cleaning your shoes yet.”
With that, he silently glanced again at the little motorcycle in Lü Xiaofeng’s hand.
Zhao Xing was almost amused.
Damn, throwing a little tantrum.
Spoiled brat!
Lü Xiaofeng was confused. “Brother Zhao, what are you two talking about? Where are you taking me?”
Zhao Xing couldn’t be bothered with Luo Mingshan anymore. He patted Lü Xiaofeng’s head and said, “Taking you to see your mom. By the way, do you know where she’s staying?”
Lü Xiaofeng froze, momentarily speechless.
Then his eyes reddened, his mouth stretched wide, and tears streamed down uncontrollably. He stammered, “I… I know! In… Women’s Building 9, Room 0214!”
That was pretty close.
Zhao Xing patted the back of his head. “Alright, wipe your nose. Get your stuff and let’s go.”
“Mm! Okay!”
Lü Xiaofeng cheerfully dried his tears, first left a note for his dad, then eagerly pulled out the candy he had saved in his treasure box, the portrait he had drawn for his mom… everything.
Finally, he carefully placed his newly acquired little motorcycle into the treasure box.
“Brother Zhao! I’m ready!” Lü Xiaofeng wasn’t afraid of Zhao Xing at all now; in fact, he really liked him. He reached out, grabbed Zhao Xing’s hand, and shook it. “Let’s go!”
Just as Lü Xiaofeng was about to leave, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
He turned around and saw Luo Mingshan’s pitch-black pupils, emotionless like inorganic matter, staring at him blankly.
Lü Xiaofeng shivered from the cold.
.
Zhao Xing found the old gap in the electric fence with ease.
Just as Luo Mingshan had said, the place was still broken, just like it had been over a decade ago. It was covered in a thick layer of dust and even more tightly concealed by piles of messy rocks and Abandoned iron sheet .
Zhao Xing stepped back and said to Lü Xiaofeng, “Go on your own. Be back within an hour.”
Lü Xiaofeng’s eyes lit up at the sight of the magical gap. Hearing Zhao Xing’s words, he blinked and cautiously bargained, “Only an hour?”
Zhao Xing glanced at him. “If you think it’s too short, you can come again by yourself tomorrow. If you dare to stay out all night, your dad will probably chop me up in the middle of the night.”
Lü Xiaofeng stuck out his tongue and said with a grin, “Got it. Thanks, Brother Zhao. I’ll be back on time!”
Lü Xiaofeng slipped through the gap like a little eel. On the other side, he waved at Zhao Xing and then ran off like the wind.
Zhao Xing wandered around near the electric fence to kill time.
As he walked, he suddenly noticed some crumpled paper balls near the fence.
He picked one up and saw some crookedly written words: “Wang Daliang! I like you!”
So this paper ball had been thrown over from the other side.
He picked up another one closer to the fence. In bold, unrestrained handwriting: “Any pretty girls over there?!”
Zhao Xing: “…”
This one was clearly from a male prisoner on this side trying—and failing—to chuck it over.
Zhao Xing looked at the paper balls expressing beautiful hopes and longings, then at the gap in the electric fence that could only fit a child. His eyes lit up, and a brilliant money-making idea popped into his head.
But before he could put this plan into action, he needed a helper.
After all, this task was too low-class for him; it would tarnish his fearsome reputation.
Luo Mingshan was out of the question—too introverted.
He needed someone outgoing, lively, good with people, talkative, and noisy…
Zhao Xing’s mind slowly pieced together the most suitable person for the job.
Twenty minutes later, Zhou Ming, who had been aimlessly wandering Sun Square, was caught by Zhao Xing.
The moment Zhou Ming saw Zhao Xing, he started trembling. “Brother Zhao… Brother Zhao, please don’t hit me. I know I was wrong. I talk too much, I annoy you, I’m an eyesore—I know all that. I’ve already moved dorms. I worry about the dorm fee every day now. I promise I won’t bother you anymore—”
Zhou Ming had moved dorms, but switching dorms cost 10 repentance points a month. Although Zhang Sheng had paid for his first month, he’d have to pay the next one himself. He’d been working overtime every day just to scrape together enough repentance points. Today was his first day off, and then Zhao Xing caught him…
Zhao Xing cut off his incessant rambling. “Move back.”
Zhou Ming froze.
Zhao Xing glanced at him, his tone cold. “I have a job for you. You’ll get a cut.”
Zhou Ming’s lips trembled.
One voice told him to run now, without hesitation.
Another voice told him this guy was a mad dog who even beat his own wife.
But his mouth moved on its own. “What do you need, boss? I’m listening.”
Ten minutes later, Zhou Ming shouted in shock—
“What?! You want to set up a mixer in Sector K13?”