Chapter 2: Yanyu Township, District Thirteen

“Hey, young man! Wake up!”

Xu Lin felt something slapping his face, the impact a bit painful.

He struggled to open his eyes. Everything in his vision was blurry and doubled, as if a layer of gauze had been draped over his eyes, making it impossible to see clearly.

While still groggy, he heard someone exclaim, “Hey, he’s awake, he’s awake! Honey, bring the stuff over.”

“Coming, coming.”

Xu Lin was helped into a sitting position, and some hot, pungent liquid was fed into his mouth. His tongue tasted the spiciness, and he instinctively pressed his lips together, refusing to drink this unknown substance.

A gentle female voice urged him, “It’s brown sugar ginger tea. Drinking it will ward off the cold.”

It wasn’t the voice in his memory.

Xu Lin’s guard slipped, and he was fed quite a bit in quick succession.

After drinking about half a small bowl, Xu Lin’s eyes adjusted to the light in the environment and gradually cleared.

He was in a swaying cabin of a small fishing boat.

The sounds of waves and night wind reached his ears; he was still at sea.

Beneath him was an old, shabby wooden plank bed. A middle-aged couple, around fifty years old, stood by the bed. Their skin was tanned dark by the sun, and they were dressed like fishermen.

The man asked, “How are you feeling? Feeling any better?”

Xu Lin’s throat was sore. He tried to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he was choked by the cold air he inhaled and coughed incessantly.

The woman patted his back. “Don’t rush. Don’t rush to talk. Catch your breath first.”

Xu Lin lowered his head. The waiter’s uniform he had been wearing had been changed into a very dated-looking old man’s undershirt.

The woman explained, “Your clothes were completely soaked. It would have made you sick if you kept them on. I washed them and hung them outside to dry. This is my husband’s shirt. It’s not as nice as yours, but please make do with it for now.”

Xu Lin’s head ached a little. He pressed his hand to his forehead and sorted through the events before he lost consciousness.

He remembered that after jumping into the sea, he had been dazed for a few seconds from the violent impact. Once he regained his senses, he swam desperately downward, diving into the endless deep sea.

He had stayed submerged the entire time, holding his breath through sheer willpower.

He had barely escaped to this place. He couldn’t be dragged back to that suffocating, disgusting cage that only made him feel trapped.

During that time, he could hear the commotion from the surface—speedboats humming and circling, and the beams of several high-powered flashlights cutting through the water from above.

Only after swimming far away did Xu Lin dare to look back. The Alphas on those speedboats were diving into the water one after another, like dumplings dropping into a pot.

It seemed they would not give up until they found Xu Lin.

Ji Jixuan still refused to let go.

Xu Lin gritted his teeth and continued swimming. Only when he couldn’t hold on any longer did he secretly surface to catch his breath under the cover of night, then quickly dive back down again, like a nimble fish finally escaping its glass tank, heading towards the home in his memory.

He had no idea how long he swam; he had lost all sense of time. The surroundings suddenly became very, very quiet—so quiet that the world felt like it held only him. The people he despised, hated, and grieved over had all vanished. He was immersed in the pitch-black ink of the sea. His swimming motions became mechanical and heavy, accompanied only by his own exhausted, ragged breathing and the muffled sounds of his limbs churning the water.

He resented his current body with its extremely poor stamina. The faint ache in the back of his neck served as a reminder that he was no longer what he used to be.

The night sea was freezing cold. The warmth of his exhaled breath instantly condensed into white mist. His limbs were so stiff that it was difficult even to lift them, but he refused to stop. He thought to himself, Even if I die, I want to die closer to home.

Just as he was about to give out, a piece of driftwood appeared on the sea surface, seemingly out of nowhere. Clinging to that log, he finally managed to rest for a moment.

And then… somehow, he had blacked out.

Xu Lin had to exert tremendous effort just to speak. “Was it… you two who saved me?” His voice was hoarse and raspy, as if dozens of razor blades were lodged in his throat.

“Yeah,” the man said. “We were heading back from a fishing trip and saw you floating alone on the water, completely still. We thought you were dead. What happened to you?”

He licked his dry lips and fabricated a lie. “…I was out on the water with my friends for fun. I accidentally fell overboard, and they didn’t notice.”

“Oh my, how can they be so careless? What kind of friends are those?”

“Hey.” The woman nudged her husband, signaling him not to speak so recklessly.

“Do your friends have a phone number? I can help you contact them,” she suggested. “We live in District Ten. How about having your friends pick you up at the District Ten dock?”

District Ten.

Xu Lin’s heart stirred. “No need. That’s very close to my home. I can get back on my own.”

“Where do you live?”

“District Thirteen.”

The couple was both startled. “District Thirteen? Isn’t that—”

Xu Lin knew what they were thinking just by looking at their expressions. He smiled and admitted, “Yes, it’s the slums.”

---

Four hours later, Xu Lin stood at the bow of the boat, spotting the District Ten dock in the distance.

Many fishing boats were moored along the shore. Fishermen unloaded their catch, smoked, laughed, and cursed at each other. On land, groups of tawny little dogs bounced around. This kind of ordinary, mundane life was a dream Xu Lin had missed for a very, very long time.

The joy of nearing home made him forget even the pain in his body.

He asked the woman behind him, “Excuse me, do you have a pair of pliers?”

“Yes.” The woman, who had been squatting on the ground sorting nets, stood up, rummaged through a toolbox, and handed him an iron pair of pliers. “What do you need these for?”

Xu Lin rolled up his pant leg. On his left ankle was a gold anklet. It fit perfectly around his ankle bone, a piece that could not be removed without external force.

Fortunately, he had lost a lot of weight recently. The anklet had loosened, creating a small gap. Xu Lin inserted the pliers into the gap and applied force. With a soft click, the anklet snapped open.

He handed the anklet to the woman.

“I don’t have much on me to thank you with. Take this. You can melt it down for a good amount of money. Consider it my token of gratitude.”

Actually, the woman had already noticed the anklet when she changed his clothes. The craftsmanship was exquisite, it had considerable weight, and the inner ring was inlaid with more than a dozen dark red gemstones—clearly something of great value. That was why she had found it so hard to believe when Xu Lin said he was from District Thirteen.

The woman quickly declined. “No, no, we can’t possibly accept this! This is far too valuable!”

“Please take it. Think of it as payment for this shirt.” Xu Lin tugged at the old man’s undershirt he was wearing.

The woman looked embarrassed. “These are just old clothes. They’re worthless.”

“Then… give me fifty dollars.”

“Fifty… fifty dollars?”

“Yes. Consider it me selling it to you.” Xu Lin’s eyes curved into a smile. “Fifty dollars is exactly the fare I need to get home.”

As soon as the boat docked, Xu Lin eagerly jumped off and ran towards the District Ten dock ticket booth.

After running only a short distance, the woman called out urgently, “Hey, young man! Your clothes!”

She was holding the washed waiter’s uniform, trying to chase after him. Xu Lin shouted from afar, “I don’t need them anymore! Please throw them away for me!”

Then he ran off without looking back.

The woman stood there stunned, unsure what to do with the clothes in her hands. She didn’t recognize the cruise ship service uniform. Touching it, she could tell it was made of good material and was expensive. Hearing him casually tell her to throw it away, she actually felt a pang of reluctance.

She returned to the cabin to ask her husband for advice. He was examining the broken gold anklet under the light.

The woman felt uneasy. “Honey, is it really okay for us to keep this?”

“It’s fine. How much could a broken thing be worth? Besides, that kid is from District Thirteen. People in District Thirteen are all poor. What valuable things could they have? This is probably some kind of imitation. That kid was stubborn about it, so just accept it.”

“Goodness, this counterfeit really is well-made. The gems are so shiny… I’ll take it to a shop later to get it fixed and give it to our daughter as a gift. She’ll definitely love something this pretty.”

But the woman thought of how earnest Xu Lin had been when he told her to exchange the anklet for money. It didn’t seem like he was lying. Feeling unsettled, she put down the clothes, took out her phone, and started searching. After a few searches, her hands began to tremble.

Her husband saw her shaking while staring at her phone and leaned over to look. “What’s wrong with you?”

He took one look and was also stunned.

The gold anklet in their hands was identical to one that had been sold for an astronomical price at an auction in the main city, Danshi, many years ago.

The man counted the zeros after the final sale price. Both their hands started trembling together.

“So… this counterfeit was modeled after that one? It looks just like the real thing…”

“…”

“…”

“Could this be the real one?” The man was so panicked he could barely hold the item. “That kid… could he have stolen it from somewhere?”

“That anklet clearly had been on his ankle for a while. Who would be crazy enough to wear stolen goods on their foot where they can’t take it off?”

“Then… what do we do with this thing?”

The two of them stumbled out to chase after Xu Lin, but he had already bought a ticket to District Thirteen and boarded the boat heading home.

Leaning against the bow railing, he used the remaining five dollars to buy a grilled sausage. Facing the sea breeze, he ate it, grease smeared all over his mouth.

Two hours later, he finally set foot on District Thirteen soil again.

The District Thirteen dock was very small. In the crevices of the rocks along the shore, discarded trash and foam that hadn’t been cleaned for ages were piled up. The air was thick with a heavy, fishy stench and a lingering, damp musty smell.

After six years, nothing had changed.

Yanyu Township was named Yanyu Township because it was plagued by continuous rain all year round. The sky was perpetually gray and foggy.

The most common sight here was narrow, oppressive streets where thugs might jump out at any moment to rob you. They chewed on gum that had long lost its flavor, held beer bottles or clubs in their hands, and yelled at you to hand over your money by the trash cans swarming with flies.

After the rain, the muddy ground was covered in puddles of varying depths. The short residential buildings lining the streets had poor soundproofing; the quarrels from one household and the mahjong games from another could be heard clearly throughout the alleys.

The environment of District Thirteen had eroded everyone here. They all breathed in poor-quality air and emanated a similarly worm-eaten aura. They looked at their futures—which held no promise—with dull, murky eyes. Their decaying limbs, numbed by alcohol, moved stiffly as they lived their lives desperately seeking immediate pleasure.

Xu Lin had grown up in this environment. He had tried countless times to escape. But after wandering in circles for so many years and experiencing so many things, he realized that ultimately, this was the only place where he could find his sense of belonging.

The roads of Yanyu Township were slippery. Xu Lin walked forward, following the direction in his memory.

Weaving through narrow alleyways and crossing several stone bridges, he spotted the spire of a building in the distance.

The corners of Xu Lin’s mouth lifted. He went from walking to a light jog, heading towards that building.

It was a three-story school.

It was class time; the clear sound of students reading aloud drifted from inside.

At the guard booth by the school gate, two men were standing and squatting.

The squatting one was very fat, a cigarette dangling from his lips. The standing one was all muscles, as if countless bees had taken up residence in his bones and blood, swelling him into a human meat bun.

The two of them were laughing heartily, apparently sharing a joke.

Xu Lin was infected by their laughter and smiled too.

He walked over and called out, “Little Fatty, Shitou.”

“Who dares address your Big Fatty bro so casually… Xiao Lin-ge?!”

Little Fatty and Shitou were initially annoyed at being called by their childhood nicknames. But when they saw the newcomer was Xu Lin, the cigarette dropped from Little Fatty’s mouth, and Shitou froze as well.

“Xiao Lin-ge?”

“Is it really you? Oh my god, am I seeing things?!”

The two big guys came charging over with earth-shaking steps and pulled Xu Lin into a bear hug. Xu Lin, squeezed hard between these two human buns, almost turned into a pile of meat filling on the spot. He struggled to poke his head out from the sandwich and gasped for air. “You two… loosen up… you’re crushing me…”

The two “buns” wouldn’t let go. Little Fatty’s eyes were red, his laugh sounding more like a sob. “Why did you only come back now?! I missed you so much!”

“Six years! Do you know how long six years is? Do you know how much Teacher, how much we all missed you! You didn’t even come home all these years. How could you be so heartless?!”

At these words, Xu Lin’s nose stung. He said softly, “I’m sorry. It was my fault…”

Little Fatty sniffled, leaned his head back to look at Xu Lin, and suddenly his voice broke. “Why have you lost so much weight? Haven’t you been eating properly?”

Xu Lin blinked his burning eyes, took a deep breath, and shook his head. “Not at all.”

The two buns finally let him go. Xu Lin asked, “Where’s Teacher?”

Shitou wiped his eyes with his arm. “Oh, he’s inside. I’ll go get him!”

Little Fatty and Xu Lin waited at the school gate.

Xu Lin looked over the school’s full appearance with deep appreciation and said, “This place is really well-built.”

Little Fatty said, “Of course. Teacher put all his heart and soul into this. How could it not be good? I was watching the workers the entire time they were building it. Nobody was gonna cut corners on Big Fatty’s watch!”

“Are you and Shitou both working here now?”

Little Fatty said, “Yeah. The school doesn’t have many teachers right now. Teacher has to take on several roles at once. Sometimes he can’t manage it all and ends up skipping meals from exhaustion. Plus, some bastards saw Teacher build a school and got jealous, always looking for chances to bully him. Shitou and I are here to keep an eye on things. One, to take care of him, and two, to guard against those people. With us around, let’s see who dares to cause him trouble!”

They were no longer the little chubby kid and the skinny kid who used to follow him around as children.

“You guys are amazing,” Xu Lin praised.

Little Fatty blushed. “That’s nothing compared to how amazing you are, Xiao Lin-ge. If it weren’t for the stuff you sent back six years ago, this school could never have been built.”

Little Fatty offered Xu Lin a cigarette. Xu Lin took it and placed it between his lips.

Little Fatty cupped his hands around Xu Lin’s mouth to light it for him. After the flame flickered and died, he asked casually, “By the way, what have you been doing for the past six years? Teacher said you found a job in the main city. Was your work busy? Are you on vacation now?”

“…” Xu Lin paused for a couple of seconds, slowly exhaling a puff of white smoke from the cheap tobacco, and said vaguely, “I quit.”

“You quit?” Little Fatty believed him, delighted. “Does that mean you’re never leaving again?!”

“Yes,” Xu Lin lowered his eyes, flicked the ash from his cigarette, and said, “Never leaving again.”

“Xu Lin!”

A gentle, clear voice came from behind them.

The sound of hurried, disorderly footsteps grew closer. Xu Lin turned around and was tightly embraced by someone who rushed into him.

He was pushed back a small step. When he caught the familiar scent of soapberry on the other person, Xu Lin could no longer hold back. His eyes grew hot and wet. He didn’t dare blink, afraid that with the motion, tears would spill.

He hugged the person before him in return and buried his face in the curve of the other’s neck.

“Teacher, I’m home.”