Chapter 14: When people are poor and of low status, they deceive each other; such is human nature.

  Add one more chapter, make it nineteen thousand words.

  This is a middle-aged man in his 40s, who was tempered in the great melting pot of proletarian dictatorship in the 1970s, with the same crime as this time. Ye Haodong has always believed that Lin Xuedong was born in the wrong place or era. This guy is a born critic, dissatisfied with the rule of Taizu in the 1970s; when Deng Taizong came to power in the 1980s and 1990s, he was still dissatisfied; there is a kind of angry and impulsive shouting blood flowing through his body. If this person were born in France, which worships passion and romance and is rich in critical spirit, he would also become an underclass prisoner, but at the same time, he would be revered as a great man by some people. If he were born in the Republic of China, he would still become an underclass prisoner, but at the same time, he would be called a democratic fighter by the nation. Unfortunately, he was born under the red flag of the new society, so now he is just Lin Xuedong, an underclass prisoner. His imprisonment has nothing to do with right or wrong, it's just that he doesn't harmonize with the needs of the state and the era. Ye Haodong is the only one in the prison who can understand him but does not recognize him. In Ye Haodong's view, for this kind of person, there is admiration and contempt. Admiring their courage to pursue truth and shout at power, contemptuous of their empty talk, living in a fantasy world, and avoiding reality.

  On the third day, in the morning, prisoners were gathered on the farm team's square to listen to a speech by 56-year-old old team leader Wang Qing-shan. The real fiery life of prisoners in Xinjiang was about to unfold.

  "Welcome to the fifth district of the eighth brigade of Shiweizi Agricultural Reformatory, you two hundred and sixty people will be divided into two platoons, namely Cotton Mill First Platoon and Brick Factory Second Platoon. You are going to reform and learn through labor here. This place is different from big cities and large prisons, it's definitely tough, but I believe that with your hard work, you will reap a rich harvest."

  Everyone applauded warmly in unison.

  The old squad leader suppressed the applause with a gesture, his face turned serious, and his tone changed: "I also want to tell you that this is not a paradise, but an organ of proletarian dictatorship. It's where you confess your crimes, reform, and accept legal punishment. Absolutely no phenomena that harm or disrupt the order of reform will be allowed; if one is found, it will be eliminated, if a group is found, it will be eradicated, absolutely no mercy will be shown. Of course, since you're new here, this is just a warning. I hope you'll take care of yourselves, clearly understand the situation, and actively draw close to the government, repent and start anew. Remember the slogans on the wall: What kind of person are you? Why did you come here? What kind of place is this? How should you behave? I hope you'll make a contribution with a brand new face for the brick factory, the cotton mill, and the squad! Now, I announce the order: Comrade Lin Xiangwu will be the instructor of the first squadron, Comrade He Ruqiu will be the squadron leader, Comrade Zhao Erjie will be the deputy squadron leader, Comrade Li Delu will be the prison administration squadron leader, and Comrade Liao Minghui will be the logistics officer. I hope you'll create a brilliant record for the cotton mill squadron under the guidance of the new squadron leadership team. That's all I have to say. Does the political commissar have anything to add?"

  Young and handsome Political Commissar Bao Guoping stepped forward, speaking steadily without haste: "I'll just say two sentences. Your parents, wives, children, and the elderly are all expecting you to return home early. All of this depends on your performance. That's all I have to say, nothing else. Listen to my orders, attention, at ease, stand up straight, and march back in formation."

  Someone in the team let out a strange and awkward cough. Bao Guoping's amiable expression vanished instantly, his gaze accurately locating the source of the sound, he pointed with his hand: "You, step forward!"

  He was a young prisoner with a pale face and a rebellious look. He stood up lazily, his mouth open: "My dad is Huo Zhenmin, I'm here to reduce my sentence!"

  A loud slap, a big mouthful of sound. Squad leader He Ruqiu's hand slowly fell, and he coldly hummed: "Listen to the order, run around the playground for ten laps, and then come back and tell us who your dad is."

  "Alright, everyone! Squad leader shouted loudly: "Divide into groups by each room, select a group leader for each group, and attend the meeting at the squad department this afternoon."

  The crowd of people lined up and went back inside, as soon as they entered the house, they started discussing.

  Wang Yijun, with his big horse knife, sat on Ye Haodong's bed: "You've all seen it now, this is just the beginning. Later on, you'll have to endure even more. Don't think that what the cadres say is all there is to it. When it really counts, you won't be able to rely on them to help you out."

  Ye Haodong walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Let's go back to your stall."

  Wang Yijun said proudly: "That old man doesn't like the place, this one is good, it has sunlight and is far from the toilet. From today on, let's swap places."

  Ye Haodong's booth was occupied by Ji Chenggang and Jin Rongzhe for him, originally he didn't take this matter seriously, now it seems that Wang Yijun is going to declare himself as the first group leader of this group through this.

  Ji Chenggang walked over, looking at Wang Yijun with a hint of disdain. Wang Yijun didn't move from his spot, but his eyes shifted to look at others. These past few days, he had often been whispering with the other people in the room. Ji Chenggang had already warned Ye Haodong to be careful, but Ye Haodong wasn't concerned - after all, the prisoners here weren't the ones making the rules. With Wang Yijun's dog brain, Ye Haodong was confident he wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.

  Led by Lin Xudong, several non-violent offenders chose to remain neutral, with eight people silently standing behind Wang Yijun. The ratio was 9:3, and Wang Yijun's advantage was obvious. Ye Haodong bent down to pick up his quilt, seemingly willing to concede the bed space to Wang Yijun. Wang Yijun looked at Ye Haodong with a mixture of disdain and provocation in his eyes. As Ye Haodong picked up his quilt, preparing to switch beds, Wang Yijun said with a smirk: "You little brat, you should have given this bed to your uncle long ago; don't even get me started on how many pubic hairs you've grown."

  Ye Haodong put down the quilt and straightened up: "Originally, I thought your gangster rank was placed there, let you do whatever you want as the team leader. Now, I just realized that my decision earlier was terribly wrong. Today, looking at the cadres' attitude here, it's not a good place either. I didn't want to cause trouble originally, but with this kind of person who doesn't know how to give face and takes advantage of others, if you become the team leader, will these few people have a good life? Not to mention that they won't be able to reduce their sentence, what's most feared is not understanding the situation. You've taken the upper hand but still talk so much, clearly not enough to be a decent person. So I've decided to take care of you first, lest you become a scourge in the future."

  Wang Yijun narrowed his eyes, staring fiercely at Ye Haodong: "This is what you said, kid. I'm sending it back to you verbatim. And by the way, if anyone sees blood and gets scared later, don't come crying to the cadres."

  Ye Haodong nodded and beckoned him with both hands: "Come on, you can start now."

  Wang Yijun suddenly jumped from the bed to the ground and rushed towards Ye Haodong. Ye Haodong seized the opportunity and charged at Wang Yijun, head-on, and the two of them collided with a loud crash. Seasoned thief Lu Dabao, who was following Wang Yijun, grabbed a large bamboo board and struck Ye Haodong's face with it. However, Ye Haodong's right hand was stretched out flat, and his fingers landed squarely on the center of the board, shattering it into several pieces. His hand then shot forward unimpeded and stopped just short of Lu Dabao's face, causing him to turn pale with fear and freeze in place.

  "You think you can also stand up and take charge? Old Jin and I can handle all of you, from now on listen to some orders, don't provoke Brother Hao Dong's anger, got it?" Ji Chenggang looked at the stunned expressions of those people with disdain, his tone light and floating as he set the tone for who was in charge of this group.

  Ye Haodong took a look at several prisoners who were at a loss, and directed: "Help Wang Yijun up, I'll tell you a few words."

  Several people suddenly enlightened, quickly and skillfully did as instructed.

  "We're all here for different reasons, some were forced to come, others came voluntarily, but we all share one thought: hoping to get a reduced sentence. I, Ye Haodong, am here voluntarily. There are friends from my original cellblock here who know me well, and you can ask them about what kind of person I was in the old cellblock when you have time. It's not bragging, but if I didn't come here, I could still get a significant reduction in sentence, but that wouldn't be because of my own abilities. So I signed up to come here voluntarily. From today on, I'm the leader of this group. I only have one rule: anything that aligns with our goal of getting a reduced sentence, you can do; anything that doesn't align with that goal, you absolutely cannot do. If there's anyone who can't keep up, I'll find ways to make them do it, but that's plan B - I still hope everyone will voluntarily do their best."

  Ji Cheng added in a low voice, "Hao Dong is not arrogant, as long as everyone doesn't violate his rules, we can still be casual with him. It was the same when he was at Gangcheng Sifang Store Prison. But if someone forces him to take action against anyone, no one will be able to protect you, not even cadres."