(1)
Zhao Erye was a loafer.
Although he had learned many skills, he never applied himself seriously and was always looking for quick money.
He could drive, but he gave up after only half a month of driving a taxi.
He could do food prep, but after working three days in the kitchen, he just went straight home.
Later, he tried working in a factory, but after just an hour on the job, he walked out on the spot…
After that, he never held a proper job again, spending his days stealing petty things.
He had been to the Public Security Bureau more than once or twice, but it was always for trivial matters that weren’t worth much.
Even when detained, he was never locked up for long, which made him feel like a failure.
That was right — he felt he couldn’t even be a good bad guy, which was worse than not making big money. He was the failure of all failures!
So, he decided to pull off a big score.
As for how, he hadn’t figured that out yet — so today, he just got a little drunk and went out driving.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t seen the news about the crackdown on drunk driving leading to criminal detention.
In reality, the law wasn’t officially in effect yet — it was just a draft.
So, even when he snorted at the traffic cops along the way, none of them even glanced his way.
“Damn it!” Zhao Erye felt like the word ‘failure’ was written across his face.
Until he drove to the airport entrance and saw that tall man, considered tall by southern rural standards.
The man carried a strange aura that made Zhao Erye’s eyes light up the moment he saw him.
Zhao Erye had a dream — one day, he wanted everyone to call him Zhao Erye respectfully, instead of mockingly pointing at their own crotches and yelling “Erye” a few times.
“Damn it, I’m not some damn dick,” Zhao Erye muttered, slamming on the brakes.
The Santana’s brakes screeched as the car, overdue for inspection by two years with fake inspection stickers plastered on the windshield, finally came to a stop.
The seatbelt snapped in response.
But no matter — Zhao Erye thought not wearing a seatbelt made him look more wild and unrestrained.
Zhao Erye never thought of himself as a fool. He even believed he was good at reading people, like the man before him — he could tell at a glance that he was a little Japanese.
The briefcase in his hand looked valuable; it could very well be some kind of spy equipment.
Those years of talk hadn’t been wrong — Japanese people still liked sending spies here, and their disguises were getting more sophisticated.
Zhao Erye smiled smugly, gripping the steering wheel as if it were a woman’s bare body: “Hey, the fat sheep has arrived…”
He pressed the accelerator and sped away, laughing as he looked through the rearview mirror at the little Japanese man’s dumbfounded face.
“I, Zhao Erye, have done something good for the country! Who the hell says street thugs don’t love their nation!”
He felt proud and gently patted the passenger seat, as if touching the briefcase in the trunk.
“I’ll sell this to Wang Laotou later. That old bastard loves weird gadgets — I bet I can get a good price for it!”
Zhao Erye was in high spirits, and so was his ‘Erye.’
Because once he got the money, he could go deep into the alley of Hongfen Street and pick the prettiest girl.
“She has to be eighteen — like that girl from last time. Damn, those big eyes were so damn bright!”
Actually, there were underage girls too, but Zhao Erye and his ‘Erye’ weren’t interested.
Zhao Erye was never a man of principles, but he had strict rules.
For example, he would never mess with underage girls, and he absolutely wouldn’t hit an eighty-year-old.
Once, he tried stealing cucumbers from a local girl’s garden to make a salad for himself but was caught red-handed.
Her eighty-year-old grandfather chased him with a kitchen knife, nearly turning Zhao Erye into an old man himself.
Later, that old man even went to the Public Security Bureau accusing him of sexual assault.
Unfortunately for him, without any bodily fluid evidence, the case was dropped after a short detention.
Everyone said the small-town Public Security Bureau was corrupt and unfair, but to Zhao Erye, those cops seemed rather friendly.
Except for the big-bellied Director — probably invisible to anyone but ‘Erye.’
“Bang!!”
Lost in thought, he was suddenly brought back to reality.
He had crashed.
Not into a person, but he had been hit.
“Goddamn it!”
Zhao Erye stormed out of his car.
“In this place, no one dares to crash the car of Zhao Erye!!”
Behind him was a Toyota Corolla with a dented hood, while his Santana had only lost a tail light.
But Zhao Erye was even angrier because he had bought that car just to install a flashy green tail light, which cost him quite a bit.
Now it was broken — how could he flash that green glow at other drivers when signaling a right turn?
“You bastard! How do you even drive?!”
Zhao Erye stomped over to the Toyota and just then heard a furious shout from inside.
He froze, preparing for a fight, only to realize the man inside was yelling at his own driver, not at him.
“Damn, I thought that was a green traffic light. Who knew it was a car’s green light? I couldn’t see clearly from this far…”
“You bastard!”
“Eight-grid road!”
Zhao Erye took a few sideways steps like a crab and then said in fairly standard Japanese, “You guys, you broke my car’s light, die die die!”
“What’s he saying?”
“Maybe it’s a dialect.”
“Doesn’t sound like Mandarin.”
“Damn, haven’t you watched any anti-Japanese dramas?”
Zhao Erye deflated, thinking these guys had no sense of humor.
The man sitting in the passenger seat pushed open the door, smiling broadly as he walked over.
“Shimi masu!”
“What the hell did you say? You dare say my mother’s dead?”
Zhao Erye’s eyes widened, nostrils flaring.
Though ridiculed in his village, everyone knew better than to say bad things about his mother — otherwise, Zhao Erye really would pull a knife.
“Speak Chinese, damn it!” a voice from the backseat barked.
“Oh, oh, sorry, I forgot. Hello, I’m very sorry for damaging your car. How much compensation do you want? As long as it’s not too much, we can settle it privately.”
Of course it had to be settled privately because Zhao Erye didn’t even have insurance on the car.
“Private settlement, fine.”
Zhao Erye grinned and decided to ask for a big sum, raising one finger.
“Ten thousand yuan, right?”
“Yes!”
“Alright, ten thousand it is!”
Within seconds, an opaque black bag was handed over.
Zhao Erye proudly took it, opened it, and glanced inside: “Damn it — fake bills right in front of me? You’re looking for death?”
“You don’t recognize US dollars?”
“Oh? US dollars? Fine, US dollars are okay. No wonder they’re green. Do Americans all like wearing green hats?”
Zhao Erye teased.
“Alright, you can leave now!”
“Thank you, sir. You’re the easiest person I’ve ever dealt with!”
Zhao Erye watched the Toyota with the dented hood back away, then floored it and sped off, suddenly laughing dryly.
“Easiest person? Me? Haha, those little Japanese devils are really something.”
“Bang!!!”
The wooden door was kicked open by Zhao Erye.
The old man sitting behind the rosewood counter twitched his eyelids immediately.
“Zhao Erye, you bastard, did a dog mount you today? My door’s broken, even pawning your ‘Erye’ wouldn’t cover it!”
“My nineteen centimeters isn’t enough for your wine soaking?”
“I spit on that nineteen centimeters of yours — whether it’s even nine centimeters is questionable!”
“Don’t want to waste words on you old geezer, hurry up. How much for this briefcase? After you exchange it for cash, your Second Master is going out to have fun!”
“What briefcase? Let me see!”
“It’s a little Japanese gadget. I think it’s spy equipment. There might be some good stuff inside that you old bastard would like.”
“Let me take a look.”
Wang Laotou watched as Zhao Erye placed the briefcase on the counter, his shrewd eyes narrowing immediately.
“Hey… this is interesting.”
“Open it quickly and check.”
“Nonsense, how can I open it without a password?”
“So, you’re not planning to pay?”
“I’ll give you eight hundred! Whatever’s inside, take it or leave it!”
“No way, it has to be fifteen hundred. I’m too lazy to exchange US dollars right now.”
“US dollars? What US dollars?”
“None of your business.”
“Cheat!”
“Twelve hundred is not enough!”
“How is it not enough? Which hair salon girl around here charges more than twelve hundred?”
“The new big girl is very lively.”
“Fine, fine, fifteen hundred it is. Keep your mouth shut, don’t say you sold me out.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve been locked up so many times in the detention center, who’s ever gotten me to talk?”
“They didn’t pry your mouth open, but your ass isn’t so sure.”
“What did you say?”
“Take the money and get lost!”
Wang Laotou grumbled as he pulled fifteen one-hundred-yuan bills from the drawer.
He also threw a box of one-yuan latex condoms — always sold in front of public restrooms — right in Zhao Erye’s face.
“Pay attention to hygiene. Don’t go infecting yourself with diseases!”
“They’re uncomfortable to wear.”
“They help you last longer. Your few minutes— you think this old man doesn’t know?”
Zhao Erye raised his middle finger but honestly stuffed the condoms into his pocket.
He whistled happily: “Zhao, oh Zhao Erye, hero and gallant, galloping under peonies. Zhao, oh Zhao Erye, handsome man of the world, hearts secretly pledged to Zhao Erye, Zhao, oh Zhao Erye.”
“Zhao Erye, you forgot your money!?”
“Damn, I forgot to take it!”
***
(2)
Anjing, piecing together the scattered fragments in her mind, suddenly paused and gently tapped Yu Minghui, who was reading a novel beside her.
She handed over the whiteboard with writing on it: “The three dead people, are they all foreigners?”
“Yes.”
“But I remember one scoundrel-like man was injured too.”
“Write it down.”
Anjing nodded softly.
Yu Minghui pushed over another slip of paper: “Hungry?”
Anjing shook her head slightly.
Her thoughts were fully focused on recalling those events; she didn’t feel hungry at all.
If anything, she was a little thirsty.
So, Yu Minghui handed her another note: “Thirsty?”
Anjing hesitated a bit. Her pen hovered over the whiteboard for a long time before sheepishly writing the four characters: ‘Want to drink milk tea.’
“Milk tea, huh? I’ll go ask if they have any. Xiaojing, you wait in the room, okay?”
Anjing gave a faint sound, feeling that she should have said yes, even though she hadn’t heard any voice.
In the dead silence, she picked up the marker and continued jotting down scattered fragments in the notebook…