Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

After calming Cheng Dong down, Master Ding went directly to Geng Dacheng, the mastermind behind the conflict. With his silver tongue, he meticulously analyzed the pros and cons for Cheng Dong. Under his textbook-level mediation, Geng Dacheng stopped pressing Cheng Dong and instead took the initiative to shake hands and make peace with him.

"Brother Chengdong, what happened just now was all a misunderstanding. If I had known you and Master Ding were from the same hometown, we would never have gotten into this." Geng Dacheng was a cunning old fox, and following the principle of "if you can't beat them, try to win them over," he began to extend goodwill to Chengdong. "This time, we can be considered friends through a fight. From now on, we brothers will share both good times and bad!"

"Don't rush to call me brother yet. Tell me first, who stole my cigarettes?" Cheng Dong asked coldly.

Upon hearing this, Geng Dacheng turned his gaze to the "small-faced" girl in the corner without thinking.

When "Headboard" gave him that look, "Palm-Faced" trembled like a leaf. He knew that this time, he was in grave danger.

"You little brat! Get the hell over here!" Geng Dacheng roared, and then several of his underlings decisively dragged the man to his side.

"Tell me! Did you steal Brother Cheng Dong's cigarettes?" In front of everyone, Geng Dacheng posed this probing question.

"Boss... no... it wasn't me, it was 'Big Wart'..."

Before "Slap-Face" could finish his sentence, Geng Dacheng slapped him across the face. With a scream, "Slap-Face's" legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud. Sobbing and crying, he pleaded, "It really wasn't me! I only smoked one... just one!"

"Still dare to talk back!" Before the words were even finished, Geng Dacheng kicked the "small-faced" man in the mouth.

In an instant, the "palm-sized" front teeth shattered, and needless to say, the face was in a terrible state.

These two heavy blows completely subdued the little man. He looked up at the fierce-looking cell leader, then, on a sudden impulse, he turned around and crawled to Cheng Dong's side. "Brother Dong, this...this time it's all my fault. I took your cigarettes and then shared them with Brother Monkey. I'm...I'm sorry, please forgive me. I really won't do it again next time. You...please plead with the boss for me, otherwise, I'll really be beaten to death...Waaah..."

With his front teeth gone and a small face that slurred his words, Cheng Dong found his pathetic appearance both amusing and infuriating. He knew in his heart that this unfortunate fellow had likely been tortured into confessing. However, since he had already agreed to negotiate with Master Ding, he didn't want to pursue who was responsible anymore. So, he turned to Geng Dacheng and said, "Now that the person has been caught and taught a lesson, let's put this matter behind us."

Geng Dacheng nodded to Cheng Dong, then suddenly glared at the "palm-sized face" on the ground and said, "Did you hear that! Your brother Dong is magnanimous and said he's letting this go! If I see you stirring up trouble in the cell again, I'll fucking deal with you!"

Seeing Geng Dacheng raise his fist to strike again, "Slap-faced" scrambled to the side, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Geng Dacheng and Cheng Dong. Then, he patted his chest and promised, "Yes, yes, I remember everything the boss taught me: 'Act according to the situation, deal with things properly, and never complain.' I will definitely change in the future, I definitely will..."

Hearing the other party recite the three ironclad rules he had summarized in their entirety, Geng Dacheng's expression slowly improved. This time, he hadn't lost too completely. Although his trusted aide had been beaten, the blame for stealing the cigarettes had been shifted onto "Slap-faced," thus saving "Headboard's" face.

Seeing that the situation had eased, Master Ding pressed his advantage, trying to smooth things over again, "Brother Geng, Brother Chengdong, the fight's over, and the snitch's been dealt with. From now on, we all have to get along well. If anyone tries to overturn the table again, things won't be good, hehehe..."

Upon hearing this, everyone gave an awkward smile, and the prison turmoil came to an end.

After this incident, Master Ding became incredibly popular and influential, while "Slap-faced," who desperately wanted to join the "Headboard" team, ended up with nothing but disappointment and was despised by everyone. He was beaten and had to kneel down to apologize. He felt incredibly aggrieved by this outcome. However, this wicked man was still determined to cause trouble.

A day later, Cheng Dong and "Big Wart" were put in solitary confinement by their superiors for fighting. The person who reported them was the despicable and tasteless "Slap Face".

No secrets stay hidden forever. Within half a day, Geng Dacheng had exposed the informant, "Slap Face."

In the corner of the toilet, "Small Face" was crying and screaming as he was beaten. It seems that this time it was not just a matter of losing two front teeth. According to Geng Dacheng, "Small Face" broke the cell rules and had to accept the most severe punishment.

What exactly are the rules? They are: observe the situation, act accordingly, accept problems as they arise, and never reveal anything, no matter what.

Geng Dacheng's outburst wasn't solely due to upholding his so-called "three ironclad rules," but rather because he was taking his anger out on "Slap-Face." Because of "Slap-Face's" betrayal, "Big Wart" was transferred to another cell. Although "Big Wart's" fighting skills were inferior to Cheng Dong's, he was still a formidable opponent. Now that his trusted henchman was gone, his men could no longer effectively control Cheng Dong.

Thinking about this, Geng Dacheng was furious! He hadn't done anything else these past few days but discipline "Slap-Faced Boy" with "family discipline." To be fair, "Slap-Faced Boy" had only himself to blame; no one would stop him. Unfortunately, the boy would scream and yell when he was beaten, making it sound like a pig being slaughtered. Therefore, at the strong urging of Master Ding and others, "Slap-Faced Boy" was exempted from "family discipline" and instead punished with cleaning the toilet for six months.

As a writer once said, a petty person is shrewd but lacks foresight. Although he is diligent and not afraid of trouble, he ultimately cannot control the situation. He cannot escape the revenge of the victims, nor can he integrate into the mainstream team. Therefore, his end is often very tragic.

The "palm-sized face" is probably the best example. He was sentenced to eight months in prison, and spent seven of those months sleeping in the back bunk and cleaning toilets. If you want to talk about misery, he really did have a miserable time.

With the matter settled, Master Ding joined the "top spot" camp and rose to second place on the bed. However, he had no intention of putting all his eggs in one basket with Geng Dacheng. Compared to this old fox, he had more faith in his fellow villager. If he could join forces with Cheng Dong, it would be only a matter of time before Geng Dacheng was sidelined.