CH 279

It was a river meandering through the green hills.

During the rainy season, the river surged and roared, but between the narrow green mountains on both sides, it appeared as a turbid and narrow stream.

Like an old man’s runny nose, it exuded decay and a pungent smell.

This was the initial impression of the Min River, not because of the river itself, but due to the surrounding buildings.

Looking up, one could see the crisscrossing power lines spanning the sky and the towering concrete walls. Approaching the prison, the only thought that filled one’s mind was awe. This was the Min River No. 1 Prison, where over 95 percent of the province’s serious offenders were incarcerated. Most of them would never breathe the air of freedom again.

However, Yan Guiqiu was different from those people; he was among the fortunate five percent. He was a thief, to be precise—a habitual thief, and being in and out of detention centers was nothing new to him. But being locked up in the Ming River No. 1 Prison was a first for him.

To be honest, he was skilled at his craft, and he never got too greedy while stealing. Getting caught this time was purely due to bad luck. While trying to evade the owner of the house he was robbing, he had the sudden idea to jump onto the outdoor air-conditioning unit. Unfortunately, he slipped and fell from the fifth floor, only breaking his leg.

The judge probably thought that if he could survive such a fall, they might as well give him the maximum sentence and let him “recuperate” in prison.

Today marked Yan Guiqiu’s 350th day in No. 1 Prison, which meant that in less than a week, he would be released after completing his sentence. Perhaps due to excitement, he ate a bit too much for lunch and couldn’t fall asleep during nap time. In the afternoon, during outdoor time, he limped around the playground.

The most formidable troublemakers in the entire prison were at the parallel bars in the northeast corner, while the second most difficult character, the black boss, was at the base of the southwest wall. Yan Guiqiu took one glance and decided on his walking route. Prisoners of his rank needed to be discreet and cautious during their outdoor time, trying their best to go unnoticed, much like black mice.

Around the tenth minute of his walk, a commotion appeared at the parallel bars in the northeast corner. Two prison guards were talking to a troublemaker there. Yan Guiqiu watched for a moment, then changed his direction.

He lowered his head and massaged his leg, but when he looked up again, he suddenly realized that the black boss was nowhere to be seen from the southwest corner.

Yan Guiqiu had a bad feeling about this; two big shots being taken away without any apparent reason wasn’t a good sign. Just then, someone tapped his shoulder.

He turned around and saw someone standing behind him—smartly dressed, with cold and stern eyes.

It was a face he had never seen before.

……

The more people there were, sometimes, the quieter it got.

The subway carriage was packed with commuters and students returning from school, crammed together with the distinct smell of egg waffles, leather, and resin seats. The air was stifling, and the atmosphere in the carriage seemed to have been crushed by some earth-shattering news, leaving it in absolute silence. No one was talking, and everyone was glued to their phones.

The sound of the television mounted on the wall was turned extremely low, leaving only the suppressed noise of the train wheels rolling on the tracks.

A girl wearing a Fengjing school uniform was squeezed into the corner by a group of commuters. She tried to make herself smaller between the door and the seats.

Although they all took the same subway, her classmates kept their distance from her. After all, no one wanted to commute with a “criminal” like her.

Her face was pressed against the closed subway door, and outside the window was a dark tunnel. She closed her eyes and seemed to doze off. With her short black hair trimmed thinly, she looked more like a cool young boy, but she was indeed a girl.

The silence and oppressiveness continued.

After passing through a dark and gloomy tunnel, shiny billboards appeared on both sides. The girl’s fair face was illuminated with various colors.

Perhaps it was the sudden appearance of bright lights, or maybe because the train had finally stopped, bringing a trace of flowing air into the stuffy subway carriage.

The silent carriage started to stir again. The commotion had no specific reason; it arose from the restlessness of each individual.

The high school students, squeezed into the aisle, began to talk, whispering and exchanging messages on their phone screens.

You didn’t even need to listen; just by looking at their expressions, you could tell what they were talking about.

“Do you really have to vote? Where would you choose to go?” The girl with a ponytail finally finished scrolling through her Weibo and pulled the handrail while asking the person next to her.

“Fuck me, why are you so loud? And why are you asking me before telling me your own answer?”

“I’m just asking, but I think the most correct way is to abstain from voting.” With the gradually noisy atmosphere in the train compartment, the girl’s voice grew louder. “If everyone abstains from voting, then everything would be fine.”

The other person lowered their voice and said, “If you don’t vote, you’re giving the decision-making power to the psychopaths. That’s what he said.”

“Do you just believe everything he says? Do you really want to vote? Making a choice means indirectly killing someone. No one has the right to decide on someone else’s life.” The girl’s voice grew louder again, impassioned.

As if someone pulled the emergency brake on the noisy atmosphere, the surroundings suddenly quieted down. The passengers pretended to be busy with their own things, but it seemed like they were all stealing glances at the girl who was speaking. Perhaps sensing the attention of those around her, the girl became even more courageous, and she continued her advocacy. “This is a moral game; he wants us to kill each other. It’s impossible to solve, so the best choice is to do nothing and avoid making mistakes!”

In the stuffy and oppressive subway space, the girl’s words resonated.

Every person who heard her words on the subway had their own thoughts, but nobody would discuss morality and law with a young girl on the subway, as it didn’t concern them. So, the only one who would challenge the girl was another girl—a confident and sharp young girl.

In the next moment, someone in the corner between the seat and the train door spoke up.

She said, “That’s not right.”

Her voice was calm yet refreshing, and the passengers instinctively turned to look, only to see a slim girl pressed in the corner.

Her hair was very short, and her eyes were amber-colored. When she slightly narrowed her eyes and lifted the corners of her lips, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of warmth.

The girl with the ponytail who was criticizing pursed her lips, as if she felt insulted. “Fang Aizi!”

“Uh, that’s me,” Fang Aizi said while straightening her posture and adjusting her backpack hanging lazily on her arm.

The girl with the ponytail shivered, as if feeling some kind of conspiracy or something else in the air. She mixed her words, saying coldly, “What were you saying just now? I didn’t hear clearly!”

“I said you’re wrong,” Fang Aizi repeated.

“Why am I wrong?”

“You don’t have the qualifications.”

“Why do you say I don’t have the qualifications?!” The girl with the ponytail was still angry. “Everyone has the freedom to express their opinions. Why don’t you let me speak?”

“Because not everyone has the qualifications to make others stop and listen to what they have to say,” Fang Aizi paused and said calmly, “at least you don’t.”

“You sound like you have the qualifications. Who do you think you are, a bad girl who has been in a juvenile detention center?”

“I certainly don’t.” Fang Aizi felt bored quarreling with this girl. “But I believe that if she makes a choice, it’s her choice. You can’t criticize others for indirectly killing someone just because it doesn’t align with your views. Killing is a serious accusation.”

“You make such a good point. Then what do you suggest we do in the current situation?” The girl with the ponytail gritted her teeth and asked again.

The train announcement sounded, indicating that the train was about to arrive at the station, knocking on everyone’s stifling and suppressed hearts.

All eyes turned to the girl again, but this time, it wasn’t out of gossip or curiosity. They genuinely wanted to hear something useful from her.

However, they were disappointed.

The girl furrowed her brows in thought, and in the end, she shook her head earnestly and said, “I don’t know.”

“You still don’t know!” The girl with the ponytail retorted, raising an eyebrow.

Fang Aizi didn’t say anything further.

Their hope of getting an answer was shattered, and the passengers’ moods became somber and gloomy once again.

They were just ordinary people.

As ordinary people, they had ordinary loved ones, friends, and mentors. They had various ordinary concerns and ties to this city or that city. Therefore, when faced with the need to make a decision, they truly didn’t know how to choose, not even as resolutely as a high school girl.

The dilemma of indecision tormented everyone; the air grew tense again, but the areas outside the train windows finally started to brighten.

The train came to a stop, the guardrail opened, and the doors opened. The girl with short hair, carrying her backpack, slowly walked off the train, following the somber crowd.

But suddenly, as if realizing something, she didn’t look back, nor did she look at anyone else. She just gazed up at the old-fashioned lights on the old subway platform and said, “But I think there will always be someone who knows what to do.”

The girl’s voice was as clear as water, and in the dim underground space, the television screens slowly lit up.

On Yongchuan TV, the female anchor sat quietly at the news desk and slowly pulled out a piece of ordinary stationery from an old leather envelope, bearing the header of the Hongjing Municipal Bureau.

She lowered her head to look at the stationery, then raised her head, and with slightly parted lips, she calmly said, “Hello, I hope this letter finds you well.”