Restricted Area

It was utterly vexing.

Expressionless, Jiang Chijing returned to tail behind the group, viciously pummelling that evil little minion in his heart countless times over.

He knew full well how important rationality was, but every single time, it chose just the moment to go offline. Fortunately, he had astutely noticed that the warden was looking around for him and hurriedly pushed Zheng Mingyi, head buried in hard work, away; else, he dare not imagine the consequences.

Zheng Mingyi, on the other hand, had contentedly admired his own masterpiece, without the slightest self-awareness of having done anything wrong.

“Officer Jiang, is your neck okay?” Ms Li, who was walking next to him, asked. The two had chatted for some time before coming to the strawberry shed and had already made introductions.

Ever since rejoining the group of visitors, Jiang Chijing held a hand over his nape. Those unsuspecting assumed that his neck was acting up, but in actuality, he was using his wrist to block the hickey on his neck.

No, scratch that. This wasn’t a hickey or any sort of love bite, it was a dog mauling.

“No.” Jiang Chijing turned his head to the left and right to show that his neck was fine. “The air conditioning is just a bit strong.”

This excuse was a bit flimsy, actually. The summer uniform for the prison staff was short-sleeved. If Jiang Chijing really did feel cold, he would logically be hugging himself, not holding his nape.

However, it was convenient that Ms Li didn’t notice this detail. She echoed that it was a bit chilly, then asked, “By the way, is there a washroom here?”

There weren’t female washrooms in a male prison. When the occasional female came to prison for work or other reasons and needed to use the washroom, they would clear out a whole washroom for their use.

“I’ll take you there, don’t run off by yourself.”

Jiang Chijing notified the warden and brought the lady to the washroom next to the strawberry shed.

Anyone who worked in the factory area had access to this washroom. Jiang Chijing needed to check that no one was inside, especially if they were inmates.

“Is there anyone inside?”

Jiang Chijing called out from the door. But before he received any reply, he first sniffed the barely perceptible scent of smoke. Some inmates would come here to smoke under the pretext of going to the washroom. As the washroom was right next to the shed, the prison guards wouldn’t specially follow them over, which was why they wouldn’t usually be caught.

“Who is smoking inside?”

Jiang Chijing’s voice turned several degrees colder. He strode over and checked each cubicle. When he was midway through them, a flushing sound came from the innermost cubicle. He briskly walked over, knocking on the door. “Come out.”

A short while later, the cubicle door opened from the inside. Old Nine was sitting on the toilet as if up to nothing, a long-time-no-see look on his face. “Officer Jiang, did you come to use the washroom?”

If Jiang Chijing wasn’t mistaken, Old Nine should have been assigned to the paint factory not far away. As he still had a brace on his right hand, the factory shouldn’t have given him heavy work to do, and he was relatively idle.

“Get out.” Jiang Chijing didn’t have the time nor patience to take up Old Nine’s smoking with him. After all, Ms Li was still waiting outside.

But it was apparent that Old Nine had misunderstood what Jiang Chijing was after. He remained seated on the toilet without budging, saying, “Did you see me smoking with your own eyes? What, I can’t even shit in peace now?”

It was difficult to dole punishment without catching someone in the act of smoking. Old Nine must know this too, which was why he was sure that Jiang Chijing couldn’t do anything to him. But Jiang Chijing had never intended to take it up with him in the first place. He impatiently said, “I don’t care that you’re smoking. Just get out first.”

“Don’t care?” Old Nine was caught off-guard. He was visibly perplexed. “Then what do I have to get out for?”

Although asking this, he still pulled up his pants, walking out of the cubicle.

“There are others who need to use the toilet. If you’re done, hurry up and leave.” Jiang Chijing paused, afraid that Old Nine wouldn’t cooperate, he added, “Don’t force me to call the patrol team over.”

“I’m going, sheesh. What are you calling them over for,” Old Nine complained then walked towards the door of the washroom.

However, right after he walked out, he abruptly halted when he saw that a woman was standing by the door. He leaned over with considerable interest. “Heh, and this is?”

Most inmates were horny bastards. Even if Ms Li, waiting outside, was in her forties, Jiang Chijing objectively felt that she looked didn’t look to be beyond her early thirties.

“Stay away.” Jiang Chijing blocked Old Nine, turning his head over to say to Ms Li, “Go quickly.”

Frightened, Ms Li nodded and hurriedly entered the washroom.

“Officer Jiang.” Old Nine didn’t lean forward anymore, seeming to have just noticed the mark on Jiang Chijing’s neck. He jeered, “Looks like you’ve had quite the sex life recently, eh? I’m jealous.”

Jiang Chijing inclined his body away slightly before immediately realising that this wouldn’t be able to hide the mark on his neck. So he simply looked straight at Old Nine and said, “Hurry up and go back to your work station.”

“That young miss just now was pretty. Now that I’m back at this monastery, even my weiner can’t get its interest up.”

Old Nine yattered on. Jiang Chijing frowned, saying coldly, “Don’t get me to repeat myself.”

“Tch.” Old Nine seemed to have his mood spoiled, listlessly pursing his lips and turning away, about to leave.

But right at this time, an unexpected situation arose.

Aside from the dull rattling of air conditioning in this broad space, there was a little noise. Ms Li had likely gone into the cubicle nearest the washroom door and the noise carried over from inside, breaking the stillness.

The look in Old Nine’s eyes immediately changed, his listless expression suddenly teeming with interest in the blink of an eye. He walked in the direction of the washroom, eyes blazing. “Officer Jiang, I’m not done using the toilet yet.”

Men would often lose control of themselves to two vices; alcohol and lust.

Jiang Chijing got an ominous premonition. He put a hand on Old Nine’s shoulder, saying sternly, “Back off right now.”

“Back off? Where to?” Old Nine licked his chops. “This is our prison washroom, why should I let others use it?”

Jiang Chijing didn’t expect that Old Nine would be so perverse as to actually get turned on just from hearing someone use the toilet.

“I’m warning you,” Jiang Chijing raised his voice, the rebuke more forceful than before. “There are visitors today; if you don’t want time in the confinement cell, you’d better not mess around.”

“Mess around? Can looking at a woman even count as that?” Old Nine snorted. “Is prison a place for women to visit? Since she’s come, you can’t blame me for looking.”

It was then that Ms Li cautiously walked out. She should have heard them arguing and kept close to the wall in fear, unsure of what to do.

“Don’t be afraid,” Jiang Chijing turned his head and said to Ms Li. “Go back to the shed, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

The strawberry shed was only twenty or so metres away. It wouldn’t take more than a few moments to jog over.

Ms Li nodded and immediately ran off. At the same time, Old Nine could no longer hold himself back, lurching forwards suddenly, “What are you running for? Let this old man cop a feel!”

Ms Li seemed unable to handle the fright, screaming loudly.

However, Jiang Chijing didn’t let Old Nine advance a step. He caught hold of Old Nine’s uninjured arm, unceremoniously pulling him into a shoulder throw.

Old Nine’s back hit the ground with a thud and he cursed, making to get up and get even. But Jiang Chijing never gave him the chance. He pressed him down to the ground with his knee, rolled him over, and took out a pair of silver handcuffs from the small pouch hanging next to his waist.

That pouch carried handcuffs, a torch, rope, and other items. In the past, Jiang Chijing had simply used the baton to knock them down and had never used the handcuffs. But the circumstances were special today. Since Old Nine was restrained before he could act out, naturally then, it wouldn’t be appropriate for Jiang Chijing to use the baton.

Even so, Jiang Chijing didn’t pay heed to Old Nine’s hand injury, locking both hands together.

“Fuck! Your daddy’s wrist is still broken!”

“You can have my apologies.”

Jiang Chijing caught Old Nine’s arm, pulling him up from the ground. As Old Nine’s wrist sported an injury, he didn’t dare to struggle after being cuffed, behaving himself somewhat.

Jiang Chijing informed the supervisor of the paint factory to come over and retrieve his guy through the walkie-talkie. But when he put it down, he discovered that several people have crowded around the entrance of the strawberry shed not far off. Among the visitors who were watching the fuss, Zheng Mingyi was looking straight at him.

“You’re just a librarian, do you think you’re all that fucking great?”

“If I weren’t injured, I can off you in a second!”

Old Nine cursed and glared at Jiang Chijing, direly itching to screw him over. But as he went on and on, his voice suddenly wilted, and he even back-pedalled a little.

Jiang Chijing was a bit confused at first. But when he followed Old Nine’s gaze and looked over, he immediately understood why. Zheng Mingyi was walking over impassively, flexing his wrists with his fingers crossed, in the clichéd manner of getting ready to beat someone up.

“Damn it, what the hell are you looking at me for? What’s it to do with you?”

Old Nine should have realised that his actions appeared a bit wimpy and forcibly put on airs, walking up to Zheng Mingyi with his chest puffed.

Zheng Mingyi seized Old Nine’s collar, asking in a deep voice, “Why, do you want to lose your other hand too?”

Old Nine talked back, “Go at it if you fucking have the guts.”

Jiang Chijing couldn’t understand why Zheng Mingyi insisted on joining the fray. He strode over and blocked Zheng Mingyi, saying to him in a low voice, “Don’t involve yourself. Go plant your strawberries.”

Zheng Mingyi glanced at Jiang Chijing’s neck and said with a straight face, “I’m done planting my strawberries.”

Under normal circumstances, when Comrade Zheng Mingyi, an inmate assigned to the strawberry shed, said that he was done planting strawberries, it shouldn’t evoke the imagination. But combine it with the look in his eyes and the mark on Jiang Chijing’s neck, this matter instantly became less innocent.

Old Nine catcalled. He was in front of them and could naturally hear the implicit meaning in Zheng Mingyi’s words. “I knew it. You two are banging. Where do you do it, the recreation room?”

This was giving Jiang Chijing a headache. He shouldn’t have mocked Zheng Mingyi for not knowing how to plant strawberries just now, in the end, he was the one without the good face to see anyone.

Further, Old Nine was sure to spread the word. It was hard to say if even the warden would misunderstand that there was something going on between him and Zheng Mingyi.

At this time, the supervisor of the paint factory came over. Jiang Chijing held Old Nine’s arm and escorted him over, saying irately, “Hurry up and get lost.”

“Sure, I’ll remember this, Officer Jiang.” Old Nine lifted his chin, looking menacingly at Jiang Chijing. “Just you wait.”

Jiang Chijing was never cowed by intimidation from any inmate and didn’t take this seriously at all. But Zheng Mingyi came over to ask, “Do you want me to help?”

Jiang Chijing was baffled. “How can you help?”

Zheng Mingyi said, “I can cover you as well.”

Amazing. This guy really took himself as a kingpin already, playing the big bad boss in the underbelly of prison.

“I’d say, Zheng Mingyi.” Jiang Chijing jabbed Zheng Mingyi’s chest. “Can’t you at least have the sensibility to realise that you’re now sitting in prison?”

Zheng Mingyi lowered his gaze, looking at the finger that Jiang Chijing jabbed his chest with, then came with a question that came out of nowhere. “Will you be getting your handcuffs back?”

“I can just go get another set.” Jiang Chijing unconsciously replied before finding that there was something wrong with the question. “What are you asking this for?”

“It’s nothing,” Zheng Mingyi brushed over. “Just in case.”