Chapter 7: Dumplings, Alcohol, Old Qian and Wrestling Match

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  Ye Haodong returned to the seventeenth group, where dumplings were already being wrapped. He quickly washed his hands and came forward to help. Only after he started working did he discover that he actually had a talent for rolling out dough. After trying several procedures, he found that he was most skilled at rolling out dough, so he took on the task voluntarily. One person rolled out the dough, while five people wrapped it, and surprisingly, they were able to keep up with the demand.

  After the dumplings were cooked, everyone gathered around excitedly and Ye Haodong also joined in, holding a bowl and rushing to eat. His bowl had some old vinegar and garlic sauce that Guo Dabao had just brought over, and before eating, he specially gave some to others. The prison had a service company, but it didn't sell bottled products, so the old vinegar was a rare commodity here. Just as Ye Haodong was thinking there wasn't enough, Instructor Wang Shaolin pushed open the door and came in. Everyone hurriedly made way for him, but Wang Shaolin waved his hand repeatedly, refusing to join them, leaving behind two plastic bottles with unknown contents, specifically stating that they were a gift for Ye Haodong. In fact, even if he hadn't said so, others wouldn't have assumed that the instructor would bring things over for himself.

  Fang Hualong rushed over to open the bottle after Ye Haodong nodded, and first opened the small bottle. He smelled it with great joy: "It's a mixture of garlic and old vinegar." Ji Chenggang also went over to open the large bottle, and as soon as he smelled it, his face changed color. The others saw him change color and were curious, rushing to ask: "Dagang, what is inside?"

  Ji Chenggang held the bottle as if he was holding his own one-month-old son, and carefully asked Ye Haodong: "Haodong brother, do you drink?"

  Ye Haodong smiled: "Drink, but not too much." When Ye Haodong said to drink, Ji Cheng's face suddenly showed a hint of disappointment. After Ye Haodong added that sentence, he immediately turned his worry into joy.

  Everyone saw through it early and excitedly gathered around.

  Yehao Dong smiled and said: "This is what I asked him to bring in, the wine is not good, 60 degrees of old scattered, that plastic bottle can hold more than three kilograms of wine, everyone has a share, you just drink with peace of mind, but there's one thing, don't drink too much and make trouble, after drinking, go to sleep."

  Six people, sixty degrees of liquor, half a catty per person, can be considered sufficient. That night, everyone got drunk, Ye Haodong and Ji Chenggang had the largest capacity for liquor, Zhong Maoxiang only drank a bottle of cover, looking like it was a bit difficult to drink, others didn't even finish half a catty, the rest were all taken care of by these two. Seasoned veteran Ji Chenggang, who claimed that two catties of white wine was nothing, this time however, got drunk after drinking less than one catty of liquor, Ye Haodong on the other hand, single-handedly finished off a whole catty of liquor.

  The second day, the New Year's atmosphere continued, and according to the old-timers, this enthusiasm would last until the seventh day when work resumed. Today was the first day of the new year, and the main event was the leaders coming to offer condolences, both to the prison guards working on the front lines and to the inmates serving their sentences. The arrival of the leaders meant two things: cleaning up the place and improving the food. Everyone started bustling around early in the morning. From inside to outside, from top to bottom, the entire prison was cleaned up by the inmates without leaving any dead corners. Ye Haodong took the opportunity to tour the entire prison, and finally he concluded that those "prison break legends" were all about extremely talented people. The high walls of the prison, the big guns in the hands of the armed police, the electrified wire mesh on top of the wall that not even birds could land on, and the strict 24-hour shift system - escaping from here? It was simply a miracle!

  However, there is a saying that nothing is absolute in the world. According to the old prisoners, there was indeed a heroic figure who accomplished this feat. It happened about eleven years ago, during the Spring Festival period. A highly skilled prisoner, missing his pregnant wife at home, decided to escape from prison. He managed to break out by relying on his exceptional physical abilities and taking advantage of the guards' negligence. According to legend, he climbed over the wall using only a bed board that was over two meters long. When he jumped up, his feet didn't even touch the edge of the electric fence, which means he had to clear at least a height of two meters when he jumped over the wall. Ye Haodong curiously asked Ji Chenggang what happened to the man afterwards. Ji Chenggang gave him a profound answer: after returning home, the man was caught and sent back, and his sentence was changed to life imprisonment in Xinjiang! Damn it, isn't he good at running? Once he's there, he can run as much as he wants, but within three days of walking distance from the prison, it's all Gobi Desert. Escaping is no different from suicide.

  The leader who came to comfort was actually a familiar person of Ye Haodong, Deputy Director Song Fang. When comforting Ye Haodong and his family, Song Fang even shook hands with Ye Haodong and instructed him to cooperate well with the reform and strive to win a reduction in sentence with outstanding performance. He Kui, who was listening on the side, was stunned. Never heard of leaders speaking like this when comforting, even those who spent money to curry favor would not dare to be so blatant.

  After the leader who came to offer condolences left, there was no organization of the Women's Federation of the Street Residents' Committee to send warmth this year. The next program is the main event, the characteristic program of Sifangtian Prison, which has a positive significance for the reform work and is well received by the higher authorities and prisoners - "Grand Gathering".

  Here is the translation:

  Over the next two days, under the careful organization of the prison guards, various competitive activities unfolded among the inmates. By the fifth day, champions had emerged in all events, including chess and poker. The first prize in chess was won by Zhong Mao Xiang without any suspense, while the first prize in poker went to Da Dingzi from the Sixth Ward and his old partner, Crab Leg. These two old thieves, who made a living by stealing and pulling donkeys, were so skilled that no one in the entire prison could match them. Da Dingzi was known as the "King of Thieves" in the Steel City Old Town clothing wholesale market, famous for his clever tricks and scams, and had been dubbed the "Fastest Hand in Northeast China". Crab Leg, on the other hand, was a notorious thief who had traveled extensively throughout the country, earning him the nickname that implied he had eight hands to prevent anyone from catching him. The combination of these two old thieves was too strong in the poker competition, and they swept through all the other contestants with ease. Even Zhang Tianpeng and Ye Haodong, who had personally participated in the competition, protested and accused the two old thieves of cheating. As a result, another round was added, this time with Ye Haodong and Zhang Tianpeng teaming up against the two old thieves. The intense atmosphere and serious attitude of the two young men effectively intimidated the old thieves, who did not cheat this time. However, the outcome was still one-sided, with the other players not even getting a chance to touch their cards, as the two old thieves took turns drawing cards and playing them out.

  The poker game has ended, and everyone is shocked by the strong card skills of the two older brothers and the good winning streak of the two younger brothers. What's more, they are looking forward to it. The wrestling match is about to begin, which is similar to the plot in the movie "Undisputed". In the prison, the inmates organize a competition, and the management officials secretly set up a gambling den. However, the rules of this competition are much stricter than those in the movie, and there is no live broadcast of the match like in the movie.

  Yang Junhu often saw Ye Haodong in the past two months, but he never had a chance to meet him formally. Firstly, Zhang Tianpeng intentionally blocked their way, and secondly, Ye Haodong deliberately avoided meeting him. The two most powerful people in prison did not want them to meet each other, so Yang Junhu naturally had no opportunity to contact Ye Haodong. Zhang Tianpeng didn't want them to meet because he was worried that Ye Haodong would poach his men, while Ye Haodong didn't want to meet him because he thought Yang Junhu would pester him about the enemy's name and identity.

  Ye Haodong has never forgotten his promise to Yang Junhu. Now, Yang Junhu's sister, Fan Xue, has been sent to a renowned neurosurgery hospital in Shen City with Ye Haodong's help. Before Yang Junhu arrived, he had already heard about it, and as for who his enemy was, Ye Haodong had also figured it out, but never told him.

  The middle of the wind field was surrounded by a circular arena with thick, soft and hard sponge mats. Yang Junhu and Bao Ligang, who were more likely to be favored than Ye Haodong, stood out among the six people. Yang Junhu had the lowest odds, followed closely by Bao Ligang, while Ye Haodong, despite his earlier claim that he would not rely on brute force, still ranked third in terms of winning odds due to his good reputation.

  Six people were divided into two groups, with the draw deciding their affiliation. As a result, Bao Li Gang and Yang Jun Hu ended up together. Ye Hao Dong was grouped with two people from building 3 and 4, and won easily.

  Baoli Gang and Yang Junhu had another intense battle, Baoli Gang was clever and well-trained, while Yang Junhu was silly but incredibly talented. Intelligence vs foolishness, talent vs training.

  Ye Haodong and Zhang Tianpeng walked up to He Kui and asked with a smile, "He Tou'er, who do you think is more powerful between the two of them?"

  In the arena, Bao Li's fists and feet were added together, not leaving any room for mercy! Yang Junhu held up his arms to protect his face, head, and torso, slightly arching his back as he steadily advanced forward. Although it was a wrestling match, neither of them dared to grab each other, both being cautious and careful.

  He Kuai shook his head, unusually modest: "It's hard to say, we've never had this before in our prison, can't tell who's more powerful, what do you think, Old Lian?"

  This guy is old and worldly, naturally thinking that Bao Ligang is Ye Haodong's man, and Yang Junhu is Zhang Tianpeng's man. It's a battle between gods, and as an ordinary person, it's not easy to get involved. Lin Yuntuo understood his old partner's thoughts, and his specialty was to muddy the waters. After a moment of contemplation, he said: "Bao Ligang is well-trained, has strong fists and legs, and rich competition experience. Now it seems that he wants to take the upper hand." He stole a glance at Zhang Tianpeng's expressionless face, and expressionlessness meant dissatisfaction. He quickly pulled the conversation back: "But Yang Junhu is a born fighting talent. Don't look at his foolishness in daily life, but on the field, he's very wise. Plus his physical condition, this match result is really hard to say."

  Ye Haodong smiled and said: "I think your wisdom is even more formidable."

  The scene in the arena was intense as Bao Li Gang launched a frenzied attack, but Yang Jun Hu's defensive stance suddenly changed after more than ten minutes. In this kind of wild street fight, there were no breaks or rest periods to speak of. Bao Li Gang had been continuously attacking for over ten minutes, and in a sanda match, each round lasts only three minutes with breaks in between. The athletes need to conserve their energy and adopt defensive strategies accordingly. By the end of the match, most athletes would be drenched in sweat and exhausted. Bao Li Gang had been attacking non-stop for over ten minutes, but he hadn't undergone systematic training in years. His endurance was waning, and his attacks were weakening. That's when Yang Jun Hu saw his chance to counterattack. He sensed that Bao Li Gang's punches and kicks were losing power and no longer posed a crushing threat. Yang Jun Hu launched a simple yet effective counterattack, grabbing Bao Li Gang's waistband and holding on tight. The two men grappled with each other, but Bao Li Gang struggled to keep up due to his inferior endurance. Eventually, he was overpowered by Yang Jun Hu, who lifted him overhead. Fearing that Yang Jun Hu might drop him, Bao Li Gang conceded defeat in a rather awkward manner.