Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

The day after Hu Xiaozhen entered the first cell, the unlucky "palm-faced" girl went to Cheng Dong with a bitter face and complained, "Boss, please have mercy! I'll even sleep on the floor! I just can't sleep next to that guy surnamed Hu anymore..."

"Change beds? Why should I? If you're so capable, win the physical competition. You're a coward and you still want to nitpick. I think you're asking for trouble again." Cheng Dong was furious just looking at this shifty-eyed guy.

"No...no, I've always slept next to the toilet, I'm almost used to it! Boss, you don't know, that new guy doesn't sleep all night, he lies in bed muttering nonsense like 'fight, kill,' it's terrifying! If this keeps up, I'm going to go crazy..." Her small face and eyes trembled, it didn't seem like she was faking it.

Cheng Dong didn't reply, but turned to look at Hu Xiaozhen in the corner. The guy with the small face was right, this guy really wasn't normal. He was staring at the ground with his head drooping, his mouth twitching as if he had some kind of mental illness.

"Tonight, Master Ding and I will take turns on duty." Cheng Dong patted the man's shoulder. "You, go listen to what that bastard is babbling about."

The girl with the small face was still trying to dawdle when she looked up and bumped into Cheng Dong's glaring eyes. Startled, she quickly moved closer to Hu Xiaozhen.

A few minutes later, "Small Face" shamelessly ran up to Cheng Dong again.

"Boss, I know what this guy is muttering now, he's singing!"

"What song?"

"It's...it's that song 'Tears Behind Bars'! Boss, you haven't heard it, that guy sings it even more miserably than...that guy surnamed Chi on TV!" After saying that, "Slap-faced" even started imitating it himself. The voice and the image were simply chilling.

"Stop, stop, stop whining in front of me. Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd pooped in your pants!"

Cheng Dong waved his hand, but the "small-faced" guy was still a little unconvinced and muttered under his breath, "That guy doesn't sing as well as me."

Cheng Dong was left speechless, both amused and exasperated by Cheng Dong's words. The next second, he kicked the "small-faced" boy in the butt, and only then did the boy leave reluctantly.

Having dealt with the "small-faced girl," Cheng Dong refocused his attention on Hu Xiaozhen. He knew that she was far more complex than she appeared.

If you try to be forceful, they'll go on a hunger strike and harm themselves; if you try to be gentle, it's like tickling an itch—it has no effect whatsoever. With someone as unyielding as this, forget about completing the tasks assigned by Warden Lu; just keeping them from causing trouble would be a feat in itself.

Thinking of this, Cheng Dong shook his head helplessly.

Just as Cheng Dong was at his wit's end, the shrewd and calculating Taoist priest Ding quietly approached him. "Young man, you're a cell leader now, what are you sighing about? You've been staring at that new guy for so long, what? Do you know him?"

"I saw him once before in the temporary detention cell." Cheng Dong didn't explain much more to the other party. He glanced at the feng shui book in Master Ding's hand, a glint of light in his eyes. "Master, aren't you good at reading faces? Come on, help me see what kind of fate this kid has?"

"Hmm, revealing too many heavenly secrets will shorten one's lifespan," Master Ding refused outright. "When Geng Dacheng was around, I was at least second-in-command. Now that you're in charge, you treat me like a donkey all day long. If you don't give me alms this time, don't expect me to help you!"

"You old scoundrel! You're quite greedy! Last time I taught you that acupoint striking technique of yours, I gave you so much information, but you only taught me half and hid the other half, so I still haven't mastered it! Now you want to trick me out of something again? No way!"

After some time, Cheng Dong and Master Ding developed a certain understanding. If Cheng Dong was the team leader, then Master Ding was the strategist and advisor. Without the assistance of Master Ding, this highly capable "charlatan," it would be difficult for him to maintain his position as leader. Therefore, Cheng Dong would generally fulfill any requests made by the other party.

People from the same hometown should value friendship and mutual benefit. How can they work together without any shared interests?

"Well, out of consideration for us being from the same hometown, I'll make an exception and take a look. It's a promise, just this once, and never again." Having said that...

Master Ding stroked a tuft of beard on his chin, stared intently at Hu Xiaozhen, and after several seconds, frowned and slowly said, "This man's face is dark; he doesn't have long to live. If he's determined to die, even a god couldn't save him."

Could the old Taoist priest really be a prophet? Absolutely not!

He had only overheard some stories about Hu Xiaozhen's suicide during his exercise time, and after analysis and judgment, he came to a logical conclusion. If he didn't verify the facts and insisted on attributing these things to metaphysics, he would most likely be misled by the old Taoist priest.

"Hey, Old Ding, you've got pretty comprehensive information! You must have been getting a massage from some guard again, right? Otherwise, how did you find out all this information?" Cheng Dong chuckled and teased.

"You little brat, don't bite the hand that feeds you! I was worried this guy might cause trouble in the cell, so I gave you a heads-up, and you're backing down my dirty laundry!"

After saying that, Master Ding pretended to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Cheng Dong. "Haha! You Taoists can get angry? For the sake of being from the same hometown, how about we take turns on duty tonight?"

"Stop talking nonsense, bring the food over first!" In front of his fellow villagers, Master Ding no longer needed to put on airs and decisively proposed the terms of the exchange.

"Alright, alright! You'll get your share!"

Cheng Dong readily agreed, then took out a box of candied fruit from his package. The two ate and chatted, coming up with several contingency plans to prevent Hu Xiaozhen from "losing her temper".

At midnight, the snoring in the cell was deafening. Cheng Dong huddled on a stool against the wall, clutching a copy of "Reference News." He would look up any unfamiliar words in the dictionary, just like a primary school student doing his homework.

The man with the small face at the back of the room wasn't as calm and collected as Cheng Dong. He huddled under the covers, too afraid to close his eyes—lest the person next to him stab him in his dreams.

Before long, Hu Xiaozhen started grinding his teeth again, the sound as eerie as a mouse gnawing on a bone. Suddenly, he raised his hands sharply, and the shackles on his hands clanged together.

Sensing something amiss, "Small Face" quickly got up and ran to Cheng Dong, tugging at his sleeve and pleading, "Boss, look! That guy's up to his old tricks again! I'm scared..."

"What are you afraid of! The light's still on, he's not going to eat you up..."

Before Cheng Dong could finish speaking, Hu Xiaozhen sat up abruptly as if she had risen from the dead. If she had just sat up, that would have been fine, but she suddenly started crying and laughing, her voice so shrill that it gave Cheng Dong goosebumps.

"Brother! Don't shoot!" Hu Xiaozhen yelled, her face filled with terror.

The shout woke up all the prisoners. Several hot-tempered inmates immediately started cursing:

"Damn it! You spineless bastard! You're scared like this even by a dream!"

"If you disturb my sleep again, I'll break your legs!"

……

Seeing everyone attacking Hu Xiaozhen, Cheng Dong roared, "What's all this fuss about? Lie down! If you call the discipline officers, they'll be in trouble!"

If it weren't for Cheng Dong's protection, Hu Xiaozhen would have been beaten up long ago. These guys in prison don't care if you're a murderer or a drug dealer; if you piss them off, they'll beat you up without hesitation. However, with Cheng Dong's protection, things are different; after all, everyone has to give face to the "head of the gang."

Everyone grumbled and lay back down. Less than a quarter of an hour later, Hu Xiaozhen, her buttocks sticking out, lay face down on the bed and began banging her head against the bed frame with tremendous force, a sound that chilled everyone to the bone.

Waking up again, the prisoners erupted in chaos. Sensing things were getting out of hand, Cheng Dong quickly went to Hu Xiaozhen, pulled her out of bed, and said, "Don't sleep! Come keep watch with me!"

Hu Xiaozhen was obedient and squatted in the corner with Cheng Dong. The two of them didn't sleep or talk, just staring at each other until dawn...