The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

"Xu Damao~!"

"Arrived~!"

Looking around and seeing the envious eyes around him, Xu Damao wiped the sweat from his forehead and subconsciously straightened his back.

When he saw the supervisor waving at him, he ran over happily, his steps were so brisk that he even slipped when crossing the ditch.

He didn't have time to brush the mud off his butt. He trotted over to Chief Niu and stood straight, but he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

Section Chief Niu took a look at Xu Damao, who he had been with day and night for more than ten years.

When Damao first came in, he was a disciplinarian, then a team leader, and he was in charge of the cells here all the way to the prison investigation department, where he was rarely seen.

Among the people who were released from prison this year, even Xu Damao finally made it to the time for release, and he felt quite complicated inside.

As we all know, prisoners will be released from prison one day, but for people in their line of work, they have to wait.

"Looks like you're counting the time?"

Seeing Xu Damao's excited and trembling appearance, Section Chief Niu smiled and asked calmly.

"Report to the supervisor. I have been waiting for this day until my hair has turned grey~!"

Hearing what Chief Niu said, Xu Damao burst into tears as he knew his sentence was finally over. He was in his twenties when he came in, and by this day he was almost forty.

His calloused hands are proof of his active participation in the transformation.

In his spare time, he obeyed instructions, played movies for the managers, enriched the spiritual life of the guards and prisoners, and worked hard for a reduction in his sentence. Isn't it just about getting out early?

"Time is like a wild donkey. It never stops running. Seventy-seven years have passed in the blink of an eye. I still remember how you looked when I brought you back to the second cell~!"

Xu Damao listened to Supervisor Niu recounting what happened in the past, and tears flowed out of his eyes like wildfire.

When he first entered the warehouse, he was still a young man, but today, he has become a middle-aged old man.

For a moment, I couldn't help feeling sad. I was happy to be released from prison, but I also regretted the youth that had been wasted for more than ten years. My heart alternated between cold and hot. Overall, I felt more sad than happy.

"Hey, hey, hey, why are you crying? You made the mistake yourself. If you make a mistake, you will be punished. I've taught you all this in politics class, so don't make me repeat it again."

"Generally speaking, being released from prison is a good thing. It means you can start your life over again. You should face the future with a smile~!"

Following Supervisor Niu all the way to the prison office building, Xu Damao's complicated emotions finally calmed down.

"Yes, discipline. I will face life well and stop doing things that hurt the country and the people. I will work hard to be a good person and never go back!"

"That's the right way to think. It's worth the ten years of teaching you so many ideological lessons. Your film projection skills are not bad. You are still capable of doing something decent."

"You are smart. Compared with others, you are the smartest. But if you are too smart, then you are just being clever. Do you understand what I mean?"

Section Chief Niu stopped and stared at Xu Damao with a pair of eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, his eyes full of warning.

Xu Damao lowered his head timidly. He understood what this look meant.

At that time, the prison management department asked him to take an apprentice. He was worried that if he taught the apprentice too much, he would starve to death, so he took the apprentice in to teach him. Unexpectedly, Section Chief Niu figured it out.

"I understand, Chief Niu, don't worry, I still have a few more decades to live. After learning this lesson, I will never dare to go down the wrong path again."

Xu Damao was only one step away from being released from prison. He didn't want to stay there even for a minute longer. He kept saying nice things, because anyway, they wouldn't see each other again in the future.

Section Chief Niu nodded, and did not ask whether Xu Damao was telling the truth or just trying to please him. He still had to walk his own path. After Xu Damao figured it out, he was no longer as timid as before. His spirit and energy changed, and when he looked at this place, he seemed to have become a passerby.

"You agreed to it yourself. Don't go back. Just leave the things in the warehouse. You don't have to go back~!"

"This is your travel expenses to return to your hometown. This is the certificate proving that you are a released prisoner. You can use this to buy a train ticket. When you return to your original place of residence, take all of this with you and re-register as soon as possible. Don't delay intentionally."

"Xu Damao, your sentence has been completed. I am officially notifying you that you can be released from prison~!"

Xu Damao took the envelope handed to him by Section Chief Niu and looked at the banknotes and release certificate inside. He held it tightly, and his heart was beating so fast that it seemed like it was going to jump out of his chest.

There wasn’t much money in the envelope, but it was a great feeling to touch banknotes again after more than ten years!

Holding the certificate, Xu Damao was brought to the prison gate by Section Chief Niu. After crossing the iron gate, he felt as if his whole body had become ten pounds lighter, as if he could fly.

"They all say that the air outside smells sweet. Xu Damao, do you have that feeling?"

Two people were separated by an iron gate. Xu Damao, who had regained his freedom, and the crying woman in front, smiled so much that their teeth almost reached their back teeth after they came out.

"Xiang, this is the scent of freedom. Thank you for taking care of me. When you are free...!"

"Come on, stop talking nonsense to me. Your family is in Beijing, so you can really come to see me~!"

Section Chief Niu waved his hand with a look of disgust. Ten out of ten people would say such things, and not a single one was really willing to come.

None of these are important. As long as one can remember the experience in there and doesn't want to come back, then it can be considered a successful transformation.

As the iron gate slowly closed, the inside and outside became two different worlds again. Xu Damao, who was standing outside the iron gate, walked towards the bus stop without looking back.

Come back, the old dog comes back. How painful it is to lose freedom? Just look at the calluses on your hands and you will know.

Beijing, he wants to go back to Beijing and take back everything that belongs to him.

This is a barren place in the northwest. I will never come back here again even if I die.

After getting on the bus, Xu Damao bought his ticket under the conductor's disgusted gaze. He didn't have any luggage, so he just sat down in front of the window.

Compared to more than ten years ago when I first arrived here, the city still looks the same, but there are more cars on the road.

People's clothes were still the same old three colors: blue, green and gray. Xu Damao opened the car window, eagerly observing and absorbing the changes in the outside world.

"I don't know, how is things at home now?"

After being away for more than ten years, Xu Damao now wishes he could grow a pair of wings and fly to Beijing immediately to see his house.

He touched his cheek and thought that if it was suitable, he could find another partner, get a job, and start his life over again.

I arrived at the train station, bought my ticket, entered the station, and looked at the turbulent crowd. For a moment, I felt a little at a loss. After more than ten years of transformation inside, I was still a little uncomfortable with the outside world.

Especially in a scene like this where there are a lot of people coming and going, I feel a little out of place with ordinary people wearing this outfit.

When I see police officers in uniform, I subconsciously lower my head, dare not look at them, and my body always subconsciously avoids this group of people.

"Train No. Z56 has arrived. Passengers taking this train please go to Gate to check in and enter the station~!"

Following the crowd carrying bags, Xu Damao held his ticket tightly and boarded the green train.

"Siheyuan, I'm back~!" (End of this chapter)