Early in the morning, Chen Guanlou reported for duty at Tian Prison.
After paying his respects to the various senior officers, he was assigned to Jailer Xu.
"Greetings, Jailer Xu!" He gave a slight bow, perfectly adopting the posture of a subordinate and a junior.
"Call me Uncle Xu. Your father and I were like brothers. You've finally grown up, kid." Xu Fugui clapped Chen Guanlou on the shoulder, appearing very enthusiastic.
Chen Guanlou put on a look of extreme, pleasant surprise mixed with a bit of shyness, and brazenly called out, "Uncle Xu." In his heart, however, he didn't believe a single word Xu Fugui had said.
He had heard from his eldest sister that back when his father passed away, this Uncle Xu Fugui was nowhere to be seen among those who came to pay their condolences.
"Ai, I heard about your situation. When you wanted to take over your father's post, I truly wanted to help, but alas, my words carry little weight. The position your father left behind was snatched up long ago, and I was powerless to do anything. Fortunately, you had your own connections and managed to sort it out yourself."
"Thank you for your concern, Uncle Xu. This junior will engrave your kindness in his heart. For now, my pockets are a bit empty. Once I receive my salary, I will treat Uncle Xu to drinks at the Guanmei Building."
"No need for you to treat me! When the time comes, Uncle Xu will treat you." Xu Fugui laughed heartily, appearing exceptionally cheerful. After his laughter died down, he asked, "You went to see the senior officers. Did they say anything to you?"
"The senior officers said my father's position is gone, and there are currently no vacancies for a jailer. I'll be starting as a prison guard."
"Those bast—... forget it. A guard is a guard. My dear nephew, don't hold any resentment. Don't look down on the position of a prison guard; it has its own perks. I'll show you the ropes, and you'll understand in time. Come, I'll take you to get your waist saber and uniform, and to register your name in the kitchen..."
"I'll listen to Uncle Xu and work diligently as a prison guard from now on. Thank you for looking out for me, Uncle Xu."
"What's there to thank me for? Don't be so polite in the future."
Chen Guanlou smiled without a word. Those were just words to be heard, not taken to heart. If he really stopped being polite, he'd be the one to suffer for it.
Dressed in the dark red prison guard uniform, equipped with a standard-issue waist saber, with his belt tightened and collar straightened, Chen Guanlou touched the hilt of the blade at his waist and took a deep breath. From this day forward, he was also a public servant with an iron rice bowl, and he felt exceptionally proud.
"Heh, that uniform looks pretty sharp on you."
Seeing him changed, Xu Fugui gestured for him to follow.
"Stick with me. From now on, you'll be on duty in the Bing-shaped Large Cell. The Bing-Character Block..."
One man spoke, the other listened. Chen Guanlou followed closely behind Xu Fugui, passing through corridors and moon gates. After crossing a sluice gate and two more doors, they finally entered the Bing-shaped Large Cell of Tian Prison.
Dark and murky. A musty odor mixed with a strange, indescribable smell assaulted his nostrils. Chen Guanlou held his breath, taking a long moment to acclimate to the stench. A few steps forward and around a corner, a long, dimly lit corridor stretched out before them, seemingly without end, lined with cells on both sides.
"You'll be on duty here from now on, in charge of patrols. You'll be with... Datou, Lu Datou, get over here. This is the newcomer, Little Chen, Chen Guanlou. From now on, you'll take him on patrol with you. Little Chen, do a good job. I have high hopes for you."
"I'll be sure to do a good job."
"If there's anything you don't understand, just ask Lu Datou."
After settling Chen Guanlou in, Xu Fugui left the prison proper and went to the public affairs office outside to drink tea.
Lu Datou lived up to his name—his head was huge. Chen Guanlou wondered if the man had hydrocephalus. He wasn't tall, about half a head shorter than him, but had a sturdy build.
"That... Chen..."
"My name is Chen Guanlou. Brother Datou can just call me Little Chen."
"You'll be on duty with me from now on."
"I'll follow your lead, Brother Datou. If there's anything, please don't hesitate to give me orders."
Seeing his respectful attitude, Lu Datou was quite pleased. "I'll take you on a patrol round first."
Cell Block C housed master bandits and the scum of the martial world. Chen Guanlou was thrilled; it was like someone handing him a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.
Brimming with curiosity, he followed Lu Datou and began the patrol, starting from Cell C-1.
"On patrol, the most important thing is to check the head count. If the numbers are off, we'll all be in for it. This is the absolute top priority, got it?"
Chen Guanlou quickly nodded and said he understood.
"Next is to see if anyone is plotting trouble. The people locked up in Cell Block C are a restless bunch. You have to watch out for them colluding with people on the outside. You can't let your guard down. Also, you need to be able to tell if they're dead or alive in a timely manner."
"May I ask, Brother Datou, how do you tell if they're dead or alive?" Chen Guanlou asked humbly.
Lu Datou glanced at him and pointed to Cell 13 ahead. There was only one person in Cell 13, his feet shackled with iron chains. He was lying face down on the filthy ground, his state of life or death unknown.
"You tell me, is he dead or alive?"
Chen Guanlou went to the front of Cell 13 to inspect closely. The prisoner lay motionless, without even the slightest rise and fall of his chest, making it impossible to tell at a glance. However, he reasoned that if the man were dead, Lu Datou wouldn't be so relaxed.
Still, he said, "I really can't tell. Please teach me, Brother Datou."
Lu Datou gave a sly chuckle and struck the cell bars with his baton. The clang echoed down the dark corridor, startlingly loud.
"Hey, he's up."
The prisoner on the ground twitched twice, like a maggot, then fell still again.
Lu Datou grinned smugly. "See? That's alive. It's normal for people to die in Tian Prison, but they can't just die inexplicably. You have to let the higher-ups know first that the person is *about* to die, understand?"
"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Datou. This little brother understands now."
Chen Guanlou deeply agreed. Reporting that a prisoner was about to die was called fulfilling one's duty. Whether to save them or treat them was up to the senior officers. That way, when the person actually died, the preliminary report made it easy for everyone to answer for it.
They continued the patrol. Cell Block C had over a hundred cells, and almost all of them were occupied. Fuck, for Tian Prison to hold this many master bandits, just how bad must the public order be in the provinces?
The last ten or so cells were empty. Chen Guanlou thought they wouldn't need to be inspected, but to his surprise, Lu Datou led him toward the very end of the corridor. He whispered, "The others don't matter as much, but the one at the very end—remember this—you must check it carefully every day. Don't slack off. If something happens, we'll all be in deep shit."
The deepest part of Cell Block C was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The air was damp, and the ground felt as if it were covered in a layer of water. In the gloom, he thought he heard a coarse breathing sound, not one that a human would make.
The deeper they went, the more it felt like a horror film. It was as if a man-eating monster was lurking there, ready to pounce and devour them at any moment.
Following behind Lu Datou, Chen Guanlou felt a rare sense of nervousness. What kind of monstrously evil figure was imprisoned in this sunless depth of Tian Prison?
They were there.
In a pile of straw sat a man—middle-aged? old?—with his limbs and neck firmly bound by heavy iron chains. His hair and beard were a tangled mess, just like the straw around him. By a sliver of faint light, Chen Guanlou could see the prisoner's eyes were shut. His face seemed to be tattooed with characters, but they were obscured by his beard. His head was perpetually bowed as he sat leaning against the wall. With a heaving chest and coarse breaths, it was clear that even imprisoned in the depths of Tian Prison, the man's body was still powerful.
"Nothing's wrong. Let's go!"
Lu Datou seemed terrified of the prisoner inside. After confirming nothing was amiss, he hurriedly led Chen Guanlou away.
Proofreader: Peter Pan