It is better to be shattered jade than to submit to the humiliation of being a worthless bird!

  In the northern prison, the prisoner who was called "Big Shot" here is called a miscellaneous worker, that is, the prisoner with a red armband on his sleeve. The miscellaneous worker in the first squadron was named Lu Tianming, from Yanjing, speaking Beijing dialect fluently. As soon as he entered the room, he asked haughtily: "Has the team leader been elected?"

  Ye Haodong stepped forward and raised his hand: "Present!"

  Lu Tianming took a look at Ye Haodong and was slightly surprised by his youth. He asked, "What's your name? How old are you?"

  Ye Haodong: "I am Ye Haodong, nineteen years old."

  Lu Tianming walked over and sat down on the bed, gesturing for everyone to relax: "It's okay, we're all buddies, it's not easy being out in the world, we've all been through it, if I can help you guys with anything, I definitely won't stand by and watch, let's just chat casually."

  Everyone was silent, their eyes fixed on Ye Haodong.

  Ye Haodong took out the Red Pagoda Mountain cigarette that Gao Wei had bought for him when he got off the bus, pulled out a pack from inside and threw it at Lu Tianming: "I was just about to ask you for advice, the cigarettes are not good, take them and smoke them."

  Lu Tianming was somewhat surprised by the prestige and generosity of this young man in this room. Cigarettes were not absolutely prohibited in the dormitory, but Hongtashan cigarettes of this level were extremely rare. Lu Tianming turned it over in his hand, looked around, and said casually: "Heh, little brother, your place is quite impressive, and the cigarettes are generous too. But listen to big brother's words, don't show off your wealth carelessly. The people here haven't seen any big shots before, and if you keep spoiling those troublemakers with your generosity, it'll be hard for others to get ahead. In the end, you'll only attract resentment."

  Ye Haodong smiled: "Thanks for the reminder, big brother, I'll pay attention."

  Lu Tianming had already looked up to Ye Haodong at this time, thinking that this young man was not simple. The old cannon Wang Yijun in this house was heard of, and he thought that the leader of this group must be Wang Yijun. Unexpectedly, when he came in, Wang Yijun had been dealt with by this young man and was obedient.

  Lu Tianming clasped his fists, stood up and bid farewell: "That's it then, brother. I'll take my leave first, I still have to go ask around in other groups. If nothing comes up tonight, we can chat again, buddies."

  Ye Haodong also stood up: "I'll see you off." The others followed behind. Lu Tianming turned back and shouted: "Wait, wait!" He walked away with a smile all over his face.

  Lu Tianming suddenly whispered to Ye Haodong, who was seeing him off at the door: "Be careful of Gu Mingchen here, he's a ruthless man who doesn't leave any bones behind."

  At noon, Ye Haodong met this big miscellaneous thing Gu Mingchen who eats people without spitting out bones. A handsome guy in his thirties with a face that seems to be written with arrogance and madness. Standing there, loudly scolding the crowd of prisoners eating: "Listen up, today we're acquainted, my name is Gu Mingchen, the big miscellaneous thing here, from now on, eat as much as you want, no pushing in line, clean up the table after eating, don't leave any food behind, no talking during meals, all these messy things are under my control. To you fools, I just have one sentence: don't make it difficult for me, if the squad finds trouble with me, I guarantee none of you will be able to relax."

  Ji Cheng said in a low voice: "This son of a bitch is quite arrogant."

  Ye Haodong glanced at Gu Mingchen, shook his head and didn't speak. The most complicated thing in this world is human beings, it's not easy to make a judgment about someone you haven't been in contact with.

  Ye Haodong did not intentionally provoke Gu Mingchen, but this big trouble soon found its way onto his head.

  Although the team led by Ye Haodong was called the Cotton Mill Team, they actually did a lot of work on the brick factory side as well. Both sides had certain seasonal tasks, when there were no cotton harvests, everyone was busy with the brick factory, and when the cotton was harvested, everyone went to work in the cotton fields again.

  Here is the translation:

  On this side of the brick factory, they dug the foundation for a week and built the workshop for over half a month. The cotton harvest season arrived quickly, and currently, sowing is mechanized, but weeding, field management, watering, and harvesting are all done manually. The manual labor of picking cotton is exhausting beyond description. Wang Yijun and Ye Haodong have become familiar with each other, and Ye Haodong is generous with his spending, never being stingy in daily life, and has a big heart. He even has a way with work, and can finish the workload of others in half a day. Since arriving here less than two months ago, their group's work points have already far surpassed those of other groups. Just for this reason, Wang Yijun is willing to listen to Ye Haodong wholeheartedly. When they have free time, Wang Yijun will chat with Ye Haodong and try to get closer to him. He says that picking cotton is one of the four most exhausting tasks, and Ye Haodong curiously asks him what the other three are. What he says is quite interesting: raising children, carrying a heavy load, fetching water from the mountain, and picking cotton.

  Ye Haodong's team leader was a second-generation military officer named Luo Sibao, a very kind and gentle young man who spoke straightforwardly and got along well with others. He was just particularly afraid of the logistics administrator Wang Fang, that little tiger tooth.

  The team leader is under the jurisdiction of the miscellaneous affairs masters, among whom the most overbearing one is naturally Gu Mingchen.

  After work that day, Ye Haodong chatted with his fellow inmates in the room. Everyone was tired from a long day and relaxed by lying on their beds, straightening their waists, and bowing their heads after a day of hard labor in the cotton fields. At this moment, being able to lie down for a while was the greatest happiness. Normally, the management personnel would not disturb everyone at this time. The door opened, and Gu Mingchen walked in from outside with a steady pace. As soon as he entered, without saying a word, he rushed straight to Jin Rongzhe and gave him a big slap.

  Jin Rongzhe fell to the ground, and without saying a word, he started fighting with Gu Mingchen. Jin Rongzhe was a Korean man who didn't talk much but had a strong sense of justice and was willing to fight to the death. He and his sister had snuck into China from North Korea, but were later cheated by a relative and separated. After going through great difficulties to find the relative who had cheated them, Jin Rongzhe discovered that he had sold his sister. In a fit of rage, Jin Rongzhe stabbed the man more than ten times, thinking he had killed him and would surely be sentenced to death for murder. He then joined a robbery gang and during a bank heist, he encountered his long-lost sister. To protect her, he stopped his accomplices from taking hostages, an act that later earned him a lighter sentence in court. He was originally sentenced to death with reprieve, but has since been resentenced to life imprisonment. From his past experiences, it's clear that Jin Rongzhe is a man who dares to risk his life, and Gu Mingchen's casual slap on the face would be enough to make him fight back with his life.

  Ye Haodong rushed over, not to pull the frame. He kicked Gu Mingchen, who was pressing on Jin Rongzhe's side, and scolded: "Damn it, you dare to run here and be wild, usually don't love to deal with you, but you really think you're a big shot, don't even ask and dare to move my person."

  Facing Ye Haodong, Gu Mingchen wisely chose to retreat temporarily. He glared at Ye Haodong with a fierce gaze and retreated. It was clear that his temporary withdrawal was for the purpose of making greater progress later. Before dinner, this matter had already shocked the small team cadres. Luo Sibao walked into the cotton factory's fifth squad cell with an official expression, followed by Gu Mingchen.

  "Hey, why are you picking on Ming Chen? Don't you know he's the one chosen by the squad to assist the cadres in managing all of you?"

  Yeh Hao Dong smiled: "Who hit him? Us? I was just about to find you to report the case, this Gu Ming Chen as soon as he entered the door and hit our Jin Rong Zhe, we were just trying to stop him."

  Luo Sibao took a glance at Gu Mingchen and asked: "Is what he said true?"

  "Report to Captain Luo, Ye Haodong is lying! Just now he clearly kicked me as soon as he came up. I thought about not breaking the reform discipline, so I didn't fight back and reported it to you in time."

  Luo Sibao looked at Ye Haodong again and didn't speak, meaning how are you going to explain this?

  Ye Haodong asked Gu Mingchen calmly: "Tell me how I kicked you. What was the situation at that time?"

  Gu Mingchen: "I've already got Jin Rongzhe pinned down, and you little brat comes up and kicks me right in the back."

  Ye Haodong burst out laughing: "Still, you're suppressing Jin Rongzhe to engage in illegal assault. As the leader of the fifth group, shouldn't I stop you in time?"

  Luo Sibao was impatient with their quarrel and asked Gu Mingchen: "Why did you hit Jin Rongzhe?"

  Gu Mingchen said with a scowl: "That little brat stole a string of chili peppers from the kitchen during dinner yesterday, and when I asked him this morning, he still dared to lie to me. This afternoon, I found them under the table where their group of five was eating."

  Luo Sibao hadn't said anything, but Ye Haodong's mind was already racing as he listened. He hastily chimed in: "That chili pepper was something I asked him to bring, and the squad leader nodded in agreement."

  One sentence out, Gu Mingchen's expression changed, and Luo Sibao looked at Ye Haodong with a suspicious gaze: "Are you telling the truth? Don't talk nonsense for the sake of brotherhood. If it involves the squadron leader, if nothing happens, your previous two months will be in vain."

  Ye Haodong nodded very affirmatively: "Of course, how dare I cheat you? Cheating you is no different from cheating the government."

  He Ruoxia's first reaction to hearing this was anger, but she quickly suppressed it. She still had an impression of Ye Haodong, remembering that he was a very smart and steady young man. He worked hard, his abilities stood out, and he was very polite and considerate. When faced with Luo Sibao, she didn't immediately expose him, instead instructing Luo to have Ye come to the company headquarters for a moment.

  This was a conversation that would have a profound impact on the next three years of Ye Haodong and He Ruoxi's lives. Three years later, Ye Haodong was released from prison, while He Ruoxi was promoted to political commissar of the fifth district of Shiwuzi Prison. At this moment, neither of them could have imagined how significant this conversation would be for each other.

  He Ruò Qiú sat behind the office desk, smoking a cigarette. Yè Hào Dōng stood in front of the desk, and the two locked eyes, with Yè Hào Dōng gazing calmly at He Ruò Qiú.

  "What the...! Ye Haodong! How dare you! Do you know where this is? You're actually using me as a shield, are you planning on staying here for the rest of your life?"

  "Hehao Dong's attitude was sincere and evasive: 'He Qiu, I've been here for a while now, how do you think my reformed attitude is?'"

  He Ruqiu rolled her eyes at him and snorted, "If it weren't for your improved attitude and the fact that you've actually done a lot of work, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."