Chapter 6: A Highly Artistic Element

“This girl has her eye on you. She’s not bad looking,” Chen Jianjun said enviously.

“Brother, let’s hurry and leave. The driver was right; those people will definitely come back for revenge. A hero doesn’t take a loss like this,” I replied.

“What’s there to be afraid of? They’re just a bunch of petty thieves,” Chen Jianjun said. Though he sounded tough, he quickly hailed a motorcycle, struck a deal, and for one yuan fifty cents, he took the two of us to our destination.

This was a village within the city.

Because it might involve certain matters, I won’t reveal the village’s real name; let’s call it Kumquat Village for now.

It was a gathering place for migrant workers.

Countless people like me had come here and eventually chose to settle in such places.

Some locals remodeled their homes into cheap rentals. Riding the wave of reform, these original residents became quite prosperous. Many were reluctant to face the outsiders directly, so after renovating their houses, they would rent them out to other migrants. These farsighted people became the earliest sublandlords, and many thus established their lives here.

Chen Jianjun’s rented room was about fifteen square meters, with an independent bathroom for showering. He entered first, put away the few magazines with flashy covers featuring glamorous women and some socks and underwear on the bed, then said to me, “Cousin, you can squeeze in here for now. It’s just a place to sleep, nothing fancy.”

I nodded. Before leaving, my mother had told me that although Chen Jianjun was my cousin, I shouldn’t take advantage of him.

I took out some cured meat and pickled vegetables from my bag—gifts my mother had prepared to express gratitude to Chen Jianjun—and said, “Cousin, how much is the rent? I’ll pay half.”

“Seventy yuan, small change. Just stay here for now. After you get paid, if you still want, we can rent a slightly bigger place together. This one’s a bit cramped. By the way, I’ll go greet the boss and buy some iodine to disinfect your hands. Stay here and don’t wander around; they’re checking residence permits very strictly outside,” Chen Jianjun said.

After greeting the boss, he left.

I spread out bedding on the floor.

Then I began tidying up the room where I would be staying.

I cleaned up the trash on the floor, washed the few clothes Chen Jianjun had, and hung them on the balcony. I was still grateful to this cousin who was willing to bring me out. I even washed his socks and underwear together.

Finally, while arranging the bedding, my eyes fell on the covers of those magazines. The alluring women on the covers held my gaze, and the exaggerated headlines stirred my restless heart.

“Neighbor’s wife.”

“The charming stepmother.”

“My seventeen-year-old cousin.”

These titles seemed like a spell, continuously tempting me to open them and examine the author’s writing and imagination.

To see how much artistic merit the content held.

My mind even drifted to the sensation of that girl with peach-blossom eyes pressing close to me on the bus.

A boy of this age is like that—wildly curious about such things. Even a beautiful woman printed on a lighter can ignite a burning desire. But I restrained myself from opening those magazines because I knew lighting a fire was easy, but putting it out was much harder.

To divert my attention, I lay on a small sofa with a broken leg and took out a notebook Liu Qingshan had left me. Throughout my life, besides my parents thinking I was smart, the teachers always said, “You’re very clever but don’t study hard. If you focused, you’d surely succeed.”

Liu Qingshan was the first person to comment on my future.

He was also the most remarkable person I had ever met.

Thinking of how he spoke about my “three-yuan peak” facial features...

I even wanted to look in the mirror—could it be that I was truly destined for greatness? As the saying goes, fine horses are common, but good riders are rare.

This book had naturally become my secret manual for success.

I had barely skimmed it when Chen Jianjun returned. Seeing me so engrossed, he glanced at the book and asked, “Are those strange things you’re saying all from this book?”

I closed the book and nodded.

Chen Jianjun then asked, “I don’t get it—why did those guys playing cards listen to you and show respect, but the thieves on the bus didn’t? Did you say something wrong? Or do con artists accept this but thieves don’t?”

I shook my head. “No. The card players are old-timers who know the traditions and rules of the underworld, but the bus thieves are rookies without a master to teach them. They don’t understand what I said and don’t care about any codes. I met some seasoned thieves on the train—a man and a woman—and they showed respect.”

Chen Jianjun shook his head. “Old-timers, rookies—aren’t they all just thieves? Why so many rules? You make it sound like martial arts sects. They’re thieves—what rules? Who can control them?”

Seeing he didn’t understand,

I didn’t bother explaining further.

There was a line in the book:

“Underworld rules are not a form of restraint but a way to last longer and go further.”

Those at the bottom of society live by underworld codes and use illegal means and despicable tricks. You may win ten times, but if you lose once, you end up in prison or worse.

Following the rules lowers risk; breaking them only brings temporary arrogance.

I wanted to tell Chen Jianjun more about the thieves’ code, but he grew impatient and waved his hand, saying, “We’re just workers. What use is knowing all this?”

Then he tossed me a bottle of iodine and a roll of gauze. “Fix up your hand, and come with me to see the boss. Usually, they’re not taking new people, but luckily I have a good relationship with the boss. Let’s go see him. Remember, don’t talk too much.”

After dressing my wound, Chen Jianjun led me out.

When we reached the corner room on the first floor, Chen Jianjun peeked inside through the door crack with a rather lecherous look. Two pairs of shoes stood before the door—pink slippers and a pair of tall boots—and a clean doormat. It was obvious the occupant was a woman who was very particular about cleanliness.

“There’s a fine-looking woman living in there! One night with her would be worth losing three years off my life!” Chen Jianjun said.

“She’s single, why don’t you chase after her?” I asked.

Chen Jianjun was surprised. “How do you know she’s single?”

“I not only know she’s single, I also know she’s recently been targeted. She might get robbed or even assaulted,” I said.

“When did you become some kind of seer?!” Chen Jianjun rolled his eyes at me.