A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1533 I Have a Dream! (Please Subscribe!)
Inside the cell, Fu Guosheng massaged Hua Shier's feet while asking with a forced smile:
"I forgot to ask earlier, what is this gentleman's name?"

Hua Twelve clicked his tongue twice:
"No wonder you're a teacher, you speak with such sophistication. Speaking of my name, it's quite impressive—my surname is Yu, and my given name is Tianlong, just like the Tianlong in the novel 'Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils'."

This was the identity Xu Pingqiu arranged for him, and it's said that no matter how you investigate, you can't find any fault with it.

Fu Guosheng smiled and praised, "What a great name!"

Hua Shier kicked him: "Stop talking and use your strength!"

Jiao Tao, sitting opposite "you," was filled with resentment and wanted to lash out on the spot, but Fu Guosheng silenced him with a single glance.

Hua Shier saw this and chuckled inwardly, but on his face, he wore a nonchalant and contented expression, even feigning innocence as if he had gotten the better deal:

"I'm the easiest person to get along with. If you feel you can't get along with me, then look for the reasons within yourselves, reflect on them, and see if there's anything you haven't done well or adequately."

After saying that, he turned to Fu Guosheng and asked, "Isn't that the truth, Lao Fu?"

Fu Guosheng smiled apologetically, "That makes sense."

Hua Shier saw that he could tolerate this and thought to himself that he was really a cunning old fox.

He immediately stopped, saying, "Alright, I haven't been sleeping well these past two days, I'll take a nap first. Old Fu, you can go back over there. That rat of a man!"

The mouse quickly came over: "Brother, please speak."

Hua Shier yawned:

"Keep an eye on these bastards while I'm sleeping, don't let them sneak up on me. Also, remember to call me when it's time to eat, and save me the portion with the most meat."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room turned pale.

There's hardly any meat in the food in the cell to begin with, and you still pick out the portion with more meat? That's really something.

The mouse, however, scurried about happily and said, "Alright, I'll handle it, big brother, don't worry!"

At this moment, Fu Guosheng suggested, "Brother Tianlong, I'm not feeling well and can't stand being squeezed. Could I sleep next to you?"

Each cell had two shared beds, and Hua Shier occupied one side by himself, while the remaining seven or eight people squeezed onto one bed, making it so crowded that even turning over was difficult.

Hua Twelve pondered for a moment:

"Alright, you're not getting any younger, and your gray hair isn't easy to look at. I'll make do. But stay away from me, don't run into me, I'm the kind of person who kills in my dreams."

Fu Guosheng chuckled and chimed in, "Alright, I'll definitely stay far away from the Prime Minister."

Hua Shier smiled and tapped him: "Not bad, Lao Fu, you've even read Shui Xu Zhuan."

The whole room of people almost choked.

Mouse awkwardly corrected, "Brother, even though I haven't read many books, I know it's called 'Water Margin,' right? Besides, that line of yours sounds like it was said by Cao Cao in the TV series 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms.'"

Hua Shier kicked him: "I was just joking with Lao Fu, you actually took it seriously!"

Fu Guosheng laughed and said, "Brother, you're really funny."

Hua Shier lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and waved his hand.

The mouse immediately gestured to the crowd: "Quiet down, everyone be quiet!"

Jiao Tao swung his fist fiercely at Haozi, but ultimately didn't dare to make a sound.

The mouse first shrank its neck, glanced back at Hua Twelve, then regained its courage and lowered its voice to say to Jiao Tao:
"If you dare touch me, my older brother will beat you to death."

The detention center is different from the prison; meals are eaten in the cells. Hua Shier was asleep when Haozi came over and whispered, "Big brother, it's time to eat. Get up quickly."

Hua Shier opened her eyes and kicked him, saying, "Can't you see I'm sleeping?!"

The mouse dared not utter a sound, and Fu Guosheng smiled and smoothed things over:
"Brother, you might not know this, but there are rules for meals in the cell. You have to sit properly. If the guards see you not getting up, they'll definitely criticize you, but it's not worth it. Just get up and deal with it."

Mouse nodded repeatedly, looking aggrieved: "Yes, brother."

Hua Shier sat up and saw that Jiao Tao and the others across from him were all sitting upright, with their rice bowls and spoons laid out in front of them. Only then did he reluctantly sit up.

The mouse quickly brought over Hua Shier's rice bowl and spoon.

A short while later, staff members pushed a food cart over to serve the food.

Dinner consisted of rice with potatoes and chicken. There was nothing much to say about the process. Once each inmate had received their food, the staff pushed the cart to the next cell.

Hua Shier looked down at the bowl and saw only one or two pieces of chicken, the rest being potatoes. He immediately frowned.

"Don't move, I'll eat first."

After saying that, he picked up his bowl and walked over, taking a piece of meat from each person's bowl.

Although the others were unwilling, they all kept quiet and didn't dare to say a word, except for Jiao Tao, who glared at Hua Shier with red eyes.

Hua Twelve slapped him hard across the face:
"Look at your dad! If you don't eat, you'll go hungry!"

He snatched Jiao Tao's rice bowl and put it directly into his own bowl.

Jiao Tao suddenly stood up: "I'll fight you to the death!"

Just as he was about to make a move, Fu Guosheng stepped in front of him: "No need, no need. I don't have much of an appetite anyway, Xiao Tao, let's share my portion."

Hua Shier chuckled: "Kid, I'll give Old Fu some face. Otherwise, I'll let you know what it means to have three eyes like Erlang Shen."

Mouse whispered a reminder: "Brother, isn't that the Three-Eyed Horse King?"

Hua Shier kicked again: "Isn't Erlang Shen a three-eyed god?"

".yes."

"So, did I say something wrong? You idiot!"

Hua Shier sat back down and began to eat and drink heartily. The food itself was bland and tasteless, but he ate twice the amount of what others ate, and in comparison, he felt a sense of happiness, and the food seemed to taste much better.

Silent all night.

The next morning, Haozi came over to wake Hua Shier up and even laid out his toiletries.

Hua Shier rubbed his eyes and said irritably:
"You're my underling, not my lackey. From now on, let others handle these kinds of things; you just need to keep an eye on them. Don't you even understand this basic rule?"

Even Jiao Tao remained silent this time, clearly unwilling to provoke him.

Breakfast was extremely bland, consisting of a steamed bun for each person, served with shredded radish and pickled vegetables. I heard that eggs were sometimes given out, but not every day.

Since they were all pickled vegetables, Hua Shier didn't take advantage of anyone else.

After breakfast, the guards took attendance, followed by morning exercises, singing two revolutionary songs, and then a sit-in to study laws and regulations.

Three days later, Hua Shier had become the local tyrant in this cell, his position as secure as Mount Tai.

Old Fu, relying on his eloquence, careful flattery, and the help of Jiao Tao, ranked second only to Hua Shier here.

The third brother was a rat protected by Hua Shier, while the fourth brother was the henchman Jiao Tao.

Hua Shier had someone to take care of his every need, from eating and drinking to using the toilet. When he was squatting in the toilet, there had to be a little brother standing in front of him to help him get the toilet paper.

If it weren't for his own discomfort, others would have been willing to help him even when he needed to urinate.

During the break that day, Lao Fu, who had become quite familiar with Hua Shier, came over for a chat and asked him with a smile:

"Brother Tianlong, how have you been adjusting to life here these past few days?"

Hua Shier leaned against the wall, crossed his legs, and said nonchalantly, "What can I do if I can't adapt? But I'm different from you guys. My case isn't serious. There's not enough evidence against him. He'll only be locked up for half a month before he's released."

Old Fu asked with a smile, "So confident?"

Hua Shier laughed and said, "That's for sure. My crimes were all committed overseas, where would they find evidence? Even if they know I did it, so what? Without evidence, they'll still have to release me!"

Fu Guosheng gave a thumbs up:

"It seems you are a steady person, brother. You consider defeat before victory and have made clear arrangements for your retreat."

Hua Shier scoffed, "Oh, it's just a lucky break, a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse!"

Fu Guosheng became interested: "What do you mean by that?"

Hua Shier smiled and said, "Since I'm just killing time anyway, I might as well chat with you. I've been a very patriotic person since I was a child. Do you know who I admire the most?"

"Who?"

"Liu Zhaohua, ever heard of him?"

Fu Guosheng's eyes narrowed slightly, but his face remained nonchalant: "This name seems somewhat familiar."

"You've never even heard of him? Looks like you're really not from that world, or if you are, you're not much of a player!"

Hua Shier became interested and sat cross-legged:

"Let me tell you, that guy's into ice. He makes it himself, you know, and then he takes it overseas."

"After he was arrested, they said that he only sold to foreigners, saying it was to avenge the Opium War."

Hua Shier gave a thumbs up: "What is this? Integrity! This is what it means for Chinese people not to cheat other Chinese people; this is honor even among thieves!!!"

Old Fu smiled and nodded: "This man is a hero!"

Hua Shier said smugly, "Of course! I'm just like him. Don't look down on me for selling weapons and running pyramid schemes. I'm only out there causing trouble for those foreign devils, not my fellow countrymen."

Old Fu laughed and said, "Then you're a good man too, brother."

Jiao Tao, on the other end, listened with some disdain: "What's done is done. A bad person is a bad person. What difference does it make who they cheat? Why talk about 'honor among thieves'?"

Hua Twelve said disdainfully:

"You don't know anything. I already said that's called 'honor among thieves.' Bad deeds know no borders, but don't bad people have a country?"

Old Fu glared at Jiao Tao, then turned to Hua Shier and smiled, "Brother, you're patriotic. Patriotism is good."

"That would be great."

Old Fu tentatively asked, "Brother, you said you'll be out in half a month. What are you planning to do after you get out? Are you still going to do your arms business?"

Hua Shier waved his hand: "Let's not do it anymore. The online version is gone, and the inventory is cleared out. We'll see. Anyway, there's always a way out. God won't let a blind sparrow starve. We'll just take it one step at a time."

Old Fu was dumbfounded. What kind of words were these? He felt like all those years of schooling had been for nothing.

Hua Shierchao and his entourage said:
"Since you're bored, let me give you a lesson. Even a bad guy has to love his country!"

"Take the days when we fought the Japanese invaders, for example. How many outlaws joined the army and risked their lives against the Japanese?"

"You know the three tycoons of Shanghai, right? Huang, Du, and Zhang, they were sworn brothers. Later, Zhang defected to the Japanese, and the other two, although they were rotten to the core, stopped associating with him. They were guys even bad people despise!"

Fu Guosheng nodded repeatedly:
"That makes sense. On another note, brother, once you leave and can't continue your previous business, do you have any other plans?"

Hua Shier tilted his head back at a 45-degree angle and said in a deep voice, "I have a dream."

Old Fu felt a headache talking to this person, but he had no choice but to respond:
"What dream?"

Hua Shier cleared his throat: "As Lu Xun once said, 'If the youth are wise, the nation is wise; if the youth are strong, the nation is strong.'"

Fu Guosheng really wanted to pretend he hadn't heard, but as a former teacher with obsessive-compulsive disorder, he felt uneasy if he didn't point it out.

So he quickly stopped him, saying, "Brother, Mr. Zhou didn't say that."

Hua Shier glared at him: "I said it was Mr. Lu Xun, not Mr. Zhou. What nonsense are you spouting, Lao Fu?"

Fu Guosheng explained with a sense of frustration: "Lu Xun's original name was Zhou Shuren, he was Mr. Zhou."

"Haha, I was just kidding. So tell me, if Mr. Zhou didn't say that, who did?"

"It was Mr. Liang Qichao who said it."

Hua Shier chuckled again: "I know, I know!"

Fu Guosheng's face darkened. "What do you know? That's Tan Sitong!"

Hua Twelve waved his hand:
"None of that matters. What matters is the logic behind those words. I feel that we still have a long way to go to catch up with the United States. My dream is to catch up and make up for those gaps through my own efforts."

Although the prisoners were all bad people, they still had a sense of national pride.

Someone chimed in, "Brother, I think our country is developing quite well now, not much worse than other countries, right?"

Hua Shier waved his hand:

“That’s all superficial. I’ve noticed since I was a child that there’s one aspect in which we haven’t made much progress, and the gap between us and the U.S. is widening. This time when I go abroad, I plan to work on that aspect.”

Everyone asked in unison, "In what aspects is there such a big difference?"

Hua Shier uttered two words calmly: "US dollars."

“I’ve noticed since I was a child that only Americans can print US dollars, while our country can’t. So I plan to work on this area and strive to one day be able to print our own US dollars.”

Everyone was speechless. So your dream is to print counterfeit US dollars?

Fu Guosheng was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter: "Brother, you're really funny."

He then changed the subject, saying, "Brother, I think you're definitely a talent. If you don't have any other plans for the time being, why not come and help out at my company? We can build our empire together, and we'll share the profits."

Hua Shier directly refused: "Forget it, Lao Fu, your company is not suitable for me, and I can't do legitimate work."

Old Fu smiled and nodded: "We'll talk about that later."

The next day, the guard brought in a new inmate, who was said to have been brought in for stealing. He looked timid and submissive.

As soon as the man entered, Jiao Tao, Haozi, and the others gave him a beating according to the rules, leaving him with a bruised and swollen face.

After giving in, the mouse helped him recognize people.

First, I paid my respects to my eldest brother, Hua Shier, then to my second brother, Fu Guosheng, and then I was forced to squat next to the toilet all night.

Hua Shier noticed that the man's gaze towards Fu Guosheng was somewhat strange, and a faint trace of killing intent emanated from him.

As everyone slept at night, Hua Shier heard a very faint rubbing sound coming from the toilet. The sound was so quiet that it only made a sound every now and then, as if something was being secretly rubbed.

Unless one has exceptional hearing, they would not be able to detect it at all.

The next morning, following the usual order, Hua Shier went to wash up first, then went to the toilet to relieve himself. The newcomer, holding toilet paper, stood with his back to Hua Shier, waiting obediently.

After Hua Twelve's job is done, it will be Fu Guosheng's turn to take the toilet.

Just then, the newlywed suddenly pulled a sharpened toothbrush from his waistband and stabbed it straight at Fu Guosheng.

It happened so suddenly that no one had time to react. It looked like Fu Guosheng was about to be stabbed squarely.
Hua Shier was washing his hands when he grabbed a wet towel and flung it at the man. With a "bang," it hit the man's wrist, and the sharp toothbrush fell to the ground.

Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!