8 - I'll have to trouble Mr. Zhou to lend me a hand and help me take this off

TN: Minor foot kink in this chapter. I will post a tw before and after that section.

“RongRong, I am very happy to have met you.”

Wu Fengrong turned his head unnaturally 1 : “Asking me to wholeheartedly trust you is nonsense. But, I will help you. I didn’t deliberately want to doubt you. You also…..need to think about my situation.” He had hesitated over and over before making that telephone call. In the end, he’d finally convinced himself to make that call out of his sense of duty to his job, not because he hadn’t wanted to trust him. It was too much to ask of an adult to meet, then to become acquaintances and then to trust completely all within a timespan of less than a day. Moreover, Zhou Yanling was not some sincere man. He couldn’t impose this sort of request on others.

Zhou Yanling smiled slightly with his hands behind his back, not offended in the least: “Just speak clearly. It’s alright.”

Unhurriedly, he pulled on his clothes, leisurely cleaning the injury. The wound had again been pried open, collapsing miserably. Wu Fengrong watched with a guilty conscience, again searching for and returning with some hydrogen peroxide to clean and disinfect. At first, he was only binding the wound, covering and wrapping it. He wasn’t sure when Zhou Yanling had unobtrusively tugged his hand to a stop between his middle ribs and his pectoral muscles. Wu Fengrong’s hands resembled the bottom of a burnt-dry ashy pot, both coarse and hard. These hands were from years of manual labor. However, Zhou Yanling didn’t mind.

“Look, my head’s been shaved and I’m being interrogated. Even more, I’ve been forced to strip myself to prove my innocence. Isn’t this considered an extrajudicial 2 forced confession?”

Wu Fengrong glanced at him, displeased and annoyed, and pinched his nipple. Zhou Yanling pinched him back, hissing. Not complaining about the pain, he glared at him greedily 3 looking as though he wanted to eat him.

Wu Fengrong wasn’t afraid of him. He took off his military coat, put it on the chair and smiled saying: “Zhou Yanling wants to be compensated, a?”

Zhou Yanling donned a respectful appearance: “That wasn’t my intention. I was merely venting my displeasure. Also, because we still don’t know each other yet, if the conductor wants to allow this opportunity to talk a bit, then maybe later misunderstandings won’t be as likely to develop into ruminations.”

This man, posing as a person of high morals, was both hypocritical and lustful. Wu Fengrong secretly scolded this hypocrite, disinclined to put on an act. If Zhou Yanling wanted to play, he was willing to keep him go along with him.

“Fine, a. I, Wu Fengrong, am extremely unreasonable. There’s no reason to allow passengers to be unsatisfied. Today, I will accompany Mr. Zhou so that he can have some fun. How about a finger-guessing game[ 划拳 : I’m guessing it’s like morra [/efn_note]? If I lose, then I’ll take off a piece of clothing, you can take my underwear and I’ll go along with any punishment. If it’s a draw, I will then tell you a secret about this train.” And yet another sentence: “If I win…..” Drawing Zhou Yanling’s hand, he put it on the buttons of his own clothes, undid two buttons on the collar of his uniform and, in a low voice, said: “I’ll have to trouble Mr. Zhou to lend me a hand and help me take this off.”

At this moment, Zhou Yanling itched to just immediately strip him. This rotten train was completely full of low-lives. If they weren’t trying to kill him, then they were molesting him! He, Zhou Yanling, also boasted about visiting brothels, however he figured that he’d been beaten. But in the end, he was still an expert among the non-government folk. What heroic train conductor? What public servant? Who had ever seen a man made to undress a conductor? As a matter of fact, wasn’t this the sort of immoral behavior of a gangster?

He took hold of Wu Fengrong’s face, lifting it up to drop a kiss on his adam’s apple, then focused his attention on leaving a clear bite mark. He saw clearly that underneath the coat there was also a woolen sweater, a shirt, perhaps another shirt underneath a vest, all in addition to his pants. It probably wouldn’t be easy to strip Wu Fengrong even within the span of ten games.

The finger-guessing game, drinking alcohol, undressing: this kind of thing Zhou Yanling had done often. In his early years, customers had to be entertained regardless of the time of day or night. He used to drink so much that his mouth would be entirely clumsy and he wouldn’t even be able to clearly count aloud on his ten fingers. But in this way, his alcohol tolerance was strengthened. He shook his wrists twice, completely confident. Two grown men sat on a bed, throwing fists. First, it was a tie as each called out six, then it was an overwhelming victory. In the first round, Wu Fengrong’s loss was especially obvious. His mouth shouted ‘eight’, then he lifted his hand and gestured with only a single finger. He confidently shed his coat and loosened the collar of his sweater.

“Because it was such a bad throw, I’ll tell you a small secret as a little present.” He laughed happily saying: “You may not be familiar with a train’s specifications, but there are quite a lot of things that could easily kill someone. For instance, the windshield where two cars connect. That area resembles an accordion. It’s a box capable of lengthening and retracting. When the train turns or changes lanes, the windshield acts as a cushion so that the connection between the cars doesn’t come apart. Nowadays, the windshields on the new trains usually have an additional buffer so that the connection is not subject to as many jolts and so the windshield won’t receive as much wear and tear. Now, our train is old and there are two areas that don’t have those buffers. One is between cars 2 and 3, and the other is between cars 9 and 10. At the moment, you can’t sense it, but if we go up a hill or navigate a portion of the track that’s winding you’ll notice it immediately. No matter what you do, don’t stand in these two places otherwise I can’t be held responsible.”

Zhou Yanling frowned: “What would happen?”

Wu Fengrong said: “When I was still a new member of the service crew, in the evening I would run there to make phone calls. When the train suddenly made a turn, it abruptly narrowed by 2/3’s and I was terrified. There was only enough space left for one person standing sideways. Fortunately, I wasn’t standing in the middle or I wouldn’t be here today.” Wu Fengrong stated: “Near the top of the mountain, the narrow winding roads curve so sharply that sometimes the windshield on one side ends up opening and part of the connection ends up exposed. A person standing there would immediately fall right out of the car. Underneath would be an abyss, thousands of feet deep. For the person who fell, their body would be torn and their bones crushed until not even dregs remained. And that’s the reason why, all day long, we broadcast ‘Please do not stand in the middle of the carriage connection’. So, don’t joke about it and listen.”

Entering the next round, they fought vigorously. Zhou Yanling’s mind lingered on what he’d learned about the windshield and did not return in time. Without thinking it through, he shouted ‘five’ and then looked down to see five of his fingers to Wu Fengrong’s two. Wu Fengrong smiled happily as he withdrew his hands. This time he had won.

Zhou Yanling’s gaze grew hot and he returned to Wu Fengrong. He leaned forward to pull at the hem of his sweater and slipped his hand inside. The sweater bunched up around his arms. Through his shirt, he caressed Wu Fengrong’s upper body. Aside from his waist, there wasn’t much flesh to spare. Compared to a woman he was quite lean. He splayed his hands against Wu Fengrong’s ribs, then smoothed his hands up and down –

“Because of the damage that night, I almost didn’t make it to the hospital. I was bleeding so much that I had no strength, and I was in so much pain that I couldn’t think clearly. Never had I experienced such pain before. The doctor told me that, comparatively, the abdomen is a body part that’s densely packed with nerves. If you’re cut by someone who knows what they’re doing, then you’re not likely to die but the pain will make you wish you were dead. I thought, ‘That’s right. I’ve destroyed people’s livelihoods. Why shouldn’t I be in pain?’.”

The sides of their faces were pressed together. Zhou Yanling’s nose lightly rubbed against Wu Fengrong’s ear, causing it to itch a little. One of his hands pressed against his abdomen as though able to transfer the pain to Wu Fengrong, causing his breath to constrict and chills to travel through his body. He clasped his hand over the back of Zhou Yanling’s hand.

“Stop ruminating over this. How can you think that you deserve such a large injury? It’s most important to live.”

“The day that you demand my life, I’ll offer it to you with both hands.”

A soft laugh issued from Wu Fengrong’s throat. Lifting his arm to make it easier to remove his sweater, the collar caused his bangs to stick up. In passing, Zhou Yanling flattened his hair. Wu Fengrong threw his head back a little as though he didn’t want to be touched like this. Because of this refusal, Zhou Yanling slapped the sweater against the bed, producing a soft noise. He couldn’t say whether or not this was making him irritable.

Incomparably close and yet so distant.

The finger-guessing game’s next outcome was a draw. Wu Fengrong’s biggest secret was revealed. Talking about the organization of the crew members into teams, he said: “I spoke about your circumstances with the deputy conductor. Xintao is on our side. I trust him and I also often need to cooperate with him for work. Your luck is quite good. Right now on this trip, we don’t have any undercover officers and there are few transit police. When the seats aren’t full there are also relatively fewer police officers.”

He stripped off his own shirt and vest. His skin broke out in a thin layer of goosebumps. Zhou Yanling saw that near his navel was a dark red birthmark, about the size of a thumb and not very prominent, resembling a wet halo of tears.

After, they spoke of about an issue with the lighting. Wu Fengrong said: “Inside the dining car is an antique coal gas lamp from around the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Quite a few crew members have complained that it’s too dangerous for a gas lamp to hang near a stove. The previous conductor had been determined to remove it. But it was hard to remove, and he was too lazy to move the stove, so it has just remained there until the present. The lamp still works. I’ve even used it, and at night it lights up beautifully.”

TW starts

The trousers were also removed, leaving only a pair of boxers and a pair of snow-white socks. Wu Fengrong tugged at the edge of his underwear, snapping the elastic against his stomach. Zhou Yanling caught both of his cotton-covered feet and dragged them into his embrace, playing with his shapely ankles. Wu Fengrong gasped out in surprise as he saw Zhou Yanling lower his head to suck his toes through the cloth, engulfing them in a warm damp heat. The pit of his stomach trembled as Zhou Yanling removed a sock with his teeth.

Although Wu Fengrong saw a man with one of his socks in his mouth, he also couldn’t help but blush. He sat up straight, his back so stiff one could almost hear his vertebrae clacking against each other. His other foot extended to tap against his lips, unhurriedly stroking the corner of his mouth and tracing the shape of his lips. Wu Fengrong heard his own breathing speed up, and he didn’t dare look Zhou Yanling in the face for fear of forgetting even his own name.

TW ends

Finally, all that was left was his underwear. It went without saying that the temperature in the car was low. The conductor’s seat had its own electric heater, the tubes of which crackled red and black with heat. Biu Wu Fengrong didn’t feel the cold. He was so warm that he felt that he was probably sweating, and his neck was already moist. Zhou Yanling’s hand gently caressed his calf and stomach, pressing warm moist kisses to the back of his foot.

“RongRong, I really regret not having met you earlier.” Zhou Yanling said.

Wu Fengrong lightly tread on his face and pushed him away with a laugh: “Stand down! I only said undress. I never said that you could touch, a. Touching will cost extra.”

Zhou Yanling liked his wild spirit. Men crave what they can’t have. Wu Fengrong knew this and wanted to raise the price 4 , but he was happy just to savor the aftertaste in his mouth. Nevertheless, he still draped the military coat over his shoulders, worried that Wu Fengrong might fall ill from the cold wind.

Next, there was another tie. Wu Fengrong thought for a bit then opened his mouth: “This train is slow. It’s possible that, while on route, another vehicle could pull alongside while we’re moving, and someone could possibly climb up the back of a car or even board where two cars connect just because they want to steal train parts and then sell it as scrap metal. Some are career thieves, others are novices. As a result, the transit police pay special attention to the outside of the cars and to any sounds of activity from outside. I encountered one once. He’d already gotten into the electrical room inside and he was caught red-handed by the squad on duty. The young man was 20 years old and hadn’t even completed primary school. When he was caught, he pretended like nothing had happened and was very slippery, running away when no one was paying attention. The next time he came around, I tried to turn him over to the police and he tried to kill himself by jumping off the train, but he didn’t succeed.”

Zhou Yanling had also seen this type of thing. An elder had come to demand compensation. He lay in the middle of the company’s doorway with a banner, weeping and making an unreasonable scene, causing one’s scalp to go numb. The elder became like a permanent fixture in the front near the company’s doorway. When Zhou Yanling had been a new employee, he had been patient and soothing, but later he became numb. He had believed that it was most important to conduct oneself with dignity and integrity, but others weren’t of that same opinion. Face could be disregarded. Honor 5 could be trampled underfoot. As long as it was profitable, dignity could be liquidated.

It was a twisted way of looking at things, Zhou Yanling thought. But now this sort of perspective had become widespread and it came out naturally in “social interactions”, reflecting people’s true natures. In a nutshell, when all was said and done, “social interactions” were quite intimidating.

“In a situation where the train is damaged, shouldn’t you also take responsibility?”

“Why should I? Deducting the repair costs from the reward money yields small returns, and it’s inconvenient if you somehow end up getting a demerit for it. And then there’s both the inspection report and the arrest report that needs to be filled out, which means that then the rest of your work ends up not being done. So, what’s the point? You can’t spend the entire day guarding against thieves.”

In the last round, Wu Fengrong lost. But as he went to take off his underwear, Zhou Yanling stopped his hand.

“Don’t take it off. Change the terms. I’d like to learn more about you.”

“What do you want to know?” Wu Fengrong crossed his legs and turned to face him: “I’m not telling you the PIN to my bank account.”

Zhou Yanling laughed: “I’d like to know, why is it that you decided to become a conductor on a train this deep in the deserted mountains?”

Wu Fengrong didn’t expect for him to ask this. He instinctively wanted to take out his cigarette case. Yet when he touched it, he remembered that Zhao Xintao had said that he’d already had too many this morning. Awkwardly, he withdrew his hand.

It wasn’t a difficult question to answer; where it anyone else, he would simply say that he was “obeying the company’s assignment” and be done with it. That answer wasn’t a lie. The crew really was assigned to different trains by the railroad’s administration. But they weren’t unreasonable. Unless there were some peculiar circumstances, they would make allowances and adjust as needed.

However, it was unlikely that Zhou Yanling would be satisfied with this answer and would ask again. And then if Wu Fengrong hesitated, Zhou Yanling would wonder why he was lying. It went without saying that the relationship between the two of them was already very complicated.

“I requested this assignment.” He didn’t intend to keep Zhou Yanling in the dark: “I started to work early. I was fine by myself 6 . Later, a coworker got married and had a child, but his wife wasn’t healthy and had to be looked after so he couldn’t keep running around in this remote area. I immediately said that I would fill in for him. In any case, I was single and didn’t have anyone to take care of. Since I could help, I helped.”

“Then you were only willing to help because you were already good friends, ba?” Zhou Yanling said, sourly.

“Don’t worry. The two of us graduated together. We’re not terribly close, and this task already brought you and I together. I helped him once and he’s helped me numerous times.”

“You’re not so foolish as to stay in this sort of place. If you go to the south, your prospects will be even greater.”

“I’m from the south. Why didn’t I know that?”

“You’re from the south? I can’t see that.”

“You can’t see much.”

Outside, someone knocked on the door. Wu Fengrong wasn’t in a hurry. He picked up his trousers and put them on, wrapped himself up in his coat and then opened the door as though he were an imperial consort welcoming a guest.

Zhao Xintao came in and first saw two people sitting on a bed surrounded by scattered clothes. He blinked, unsure what had happened and how to respond. Wu Fengrong casually glanced at his feet, one clothed and one bare, and pointed his finger at the computer: “You came just in time. We were just talking about the dishonest list. It’s unlikely that it hasn’t been updated, ba? We looked for a long time and only found one person. However, we have several suspicious characters. You can help look.”

Zhou Yanling came over and shook hands with Zhao Xintao. The Mickey Mouse on his stomach also followed along and bowed its head. Zhao Xintao shot him a quick glance: “This person…..is Mr. Zhou, ba? RongRong, what were the two of you doing just now, ne?”

Zhou Yanling calmly explained: “Hello, I’m Zhou Yanling. Just a moment ago, the conductor changed my dressing since I was wounded.”

Zhao Xintao remembered this and went to over to make a report and to check on Wu Fengrong. The other party sent him a meaningful glance. Without any other option, he turned his attention to the computer. This was definitely the newest version of the dishonest list. In other words, on Wu Fengrong’s list of names only the one surnamed Huang was a subject of the dishonest list.

“There isn’t any other evidence and there’s no motive.” Zhao Xintao was scanning the list row by row: “It can only be said that he’s the main suspect and that he’s not necessarily the murderer. If you ask me, it seems like, oddly enough, it’s most likely to be that female teacher.”

Wu Fengrong asked: “Why?”

Zhao Xintao clapped his hands: “You believe that Xiao Quan was killed at the internet cafe, ba? The internet cafe is near a school and who here is most likely to pass by that internet cafe, ne? Only this teacher. She’s also correcting a student essay, so she’s definitely not a university professor. She’s probably teaches middle school, which is exactly what Tongzhou No. 1 is. The same night that she passed the internet cafe, she stopped the student, Xiao Quan. Under an irrational set of circumstances, the two people, this female teacher and this male student, started to fight. The woman might be a little weaker which is why she sprained her ankle. Of course, I believe that she used the water pipe to defend herself but then impulsively hit the student in the head, thus leading to this tragedy. How about it? Logical, ma?”

Wu Fengrong sneered: “What nonsense!”

The author has something to say.

I wanted to explain because maybe some students didn’t understand the previous chapter.

First, Mr. Zhou investigated Wu Fengrong, who is really, quite well-known. In the first few chapters, right away he was written as the heroic conductor of a whole province, with the newspapers continuously publishing a lot of promotional material. China’s Central Television (CCTV) even lead the news with an exclusive interview. Since he’s a little famous, it’s not difficult for someone who wants to investigate him. Additionally, routes usually have set teams of crew members for each train. Therefore, when Mr. Zhou researched his train, he became aware of Wu Fengrong.

Mr. Zhou figured that, if he were going to take Wu Fengrong’s train, there was a good chance that someone would realize that he was a nationally wanted fugitive. Rather than allowing people to find out and report this to Wu Fengrong, he decided to let Wu Fengrong directly decide his fate. It would be better to take the initiative and first attract Wu Fengrong’s attention and then come clean on his own in order to persuade Wu Fengrong to come to his own decision to help.

T/N:

不自然 : artificial; uncoordinated; contrived/not from the heart; or embarrassed; see here 私刑 the definition provided on zdic says lynching, but that refers to a premeditated murders committed by a group as a form of cultural control and racism, and unsanctioned by the government (at least where I’m from; maybe it’s different outside of the USA?), so I’m going with extrajudicial 虎 视 : literally ‘like a tiger’ 吊起来 卖 : something like price gouging; see here 羽毛 : literally means plumage 男孩子就算不在父母身 边也没什么 : Thank you @Daed for the translation!