The Rental Shop Owner

Chapter 3

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Ding Hongmei looked afraid with her aged face scrunched up while she cowered on an ink-black bench. It seemed like she was really delighted to see me but did not know what to say.

There was a woman in the house, all right, but the place could not even compare to a pig sty. Aside from the disgusting, sour and rotten smell in the air, the table was coated with dust and on top of it was half a bowl of instant noodles from who-knows-when, manifested with a green film of mould. The original red brick floor simply could not be seen. It was plushy beneath my feet—a carpet woven from peanut sh.e.l.ls, sunflower seed sh.e.l.ls, cigarette b.u.t.ts and some unknown substance.

I kind of understood why Shen Bin had reminded me of trash. It is hard not to become trash when you live in trash.

The old woman looked shamefaced and grabbed something from the kitchen that might be called a washcloth of sorts and started wiping the table and chair.

“Comrade Qian, sit, sit! How ‘bout a gla.s.s of water?”

Comrade again, ugh. And where could I possibly sit in this tiny place?

“It’s all right. I’m just dropping by. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be out in a jiffy.”

She stopped wiping and faltered before stuttering with her grey lips, “In a jiffy? Oh, but…”

Now she looked more like how she usually does, a sorry, pathetic face. I sighed. Why had I punched him again? With a mom like this, he didn’t even need me to teach him a lesson.

“You know, Comrade Qian, our lil’ ‘un always talks about you!” Her smile was awkward: it was more like a frown. “He said you’re a good man. Lets him watch films for free. He learned a lot, I tell you, even wanted to give you something for New Year’s. I don’t know why he’d hit you though. He couldn’t have. Must’ve been sick or something. It wasn’t on purpose. Could you find it in your heart to forgive him?”

I suppose she didn’t even know that her son had a.s.saulted another person.

The rascal said I was a good man and let him watch films for free as if it were actually the case. But it must have been a waste of my world-cla.s.s films watching them in this pig sty.

I didn’t feel too comfortable and left fairly soon.

A while later, I heard the hulk that Shen Bin had beaten up died.

I really regretted it. I mean, why had I stooped to the level of a kid? My old man kept sighing, saying that we had collected bad karma. My old lady might have said one thing but she was more or less uneasy inside as well. Especially after knowing that the big fellow was a b.a.s.t.a.r.d who trafficked children, she became even more worried that they would take revenge. However, we didn’t hear anything from Shen Bin’s lackeys and Shen Bin’s mom never showed up again.

Some time later, it was the court hearing.

I sneaked in to listen.

When the rascal was brought out, I was astounded. He was healthy as a buck, as if nothing had happened. And there I was, prepared for the worst case scenario—say insanity or disability, or at least depression or despair—but he looked to be in even better shape than he had before. Better looking, too. I think steam was coming out of my ears.

Afterwards I realised, no matter how bad prison food was, it was better than the pig sty trash; no matter how uncomfortable prison was, it was better than the pig sty. It was no wonder that he gained some weight and livelihood. Also, his hair was shaved short, his clothes were cleaner and sharper and he had a more proper expression, too. He actually looked like a human being for once.

Surprisingly, he became a man only after being locked up. I wondered what his ma, Ding Hongmei, had to say about that.

I spotted her sitting in the gallery with her shoulders curved inwards, sobbing, and I started feeling bad again. Yet that d.a.m.n jerk did not look one bit remorseful. He totally deserves the punishment, I thought.

But I was still shocked when the judge found him guilty of manslaughter and sentenced him to ten years in prison.

Shouldn’t it be justifiable homicide out of self-defense?

The big fellow was…

It should be justifiable homicide!

Ding Hongmei bawled her eyes out, crying for mercy to the judge, and lunged forth to hug her son. Then, I finally saw him do something. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes and then he was brought out by the police.

He did not look at me once from beginning to end.

As if I wasn’t the one who did this to him.

The second brother actually came over afterwards to explain this to my old man. He said that the security bureau, the control yuan and the court were all managed by the Party and they were just, but the fellow had acted up and insisted that the two of them were fighting and it had only gotten out of hand. There was no way for the judge to say it was self-defense!

My heart skipped a beat for some strange reason.

Shen Bin’s lackeys came once after that. They didn’t wreck my shop or steal anything and only said, “Shen Bin’s the real deal. Busted Ol’ Wu up with three punches. His name’s big on the streets now!”

f.u.c.k. Who did they think he was? Flowery Monk, Lu Zhishen? On the streets, my a.s.s. Obviously someone had been watching too much Young and Dangerous.

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