Chapter 25

"Without asking, how would you know I won't speak?"

The old man looked at Qin Feng with a mix of amusement and frustration, but a competitive spirit arose in his heart. Waving his hand, he said, "Alright, it's time for the break. Go back to sleep!"

"Okay!" Qin Feng nodded without hesitation, turned around, and left without a word.

It was unclear whether it was his nature or the hardships he had endured, but Qin Feng was always very patient. Although he was anxious about his sister's whereabouts, he knew that as long as the old man did not agree, he would not be able to leave the prison.

Moreover, Qin Feng did not know what the old man was planning. Instead of asking, he thought it better to let the old man speak on his own. Sometimes, being too curious was not a good thing.

After returning to the cell, the other inmates envied Qin Feng's treatment. Everyone knew that Qin Feng's work allowed him to go outside occasionally, a privilege usually reserved for short-term inmates. No one expected it to fall to a new inmate like him.

Of course, given that Li Lao Da, who was still in solitary confinement, seemed to have a good relationship with Qin Feng, and considering Qin Feng's tall and strong build, no one in the cell dared to express their dissatisfaction.

The next morning during the exercise, Qin Feng was called by the old farmer again. Since there was no water pipe in the vegetable field, Qin Feng's morning task was to carry water to irrigate the field, which kept him busy all morning.

Although standing in formation was tiring, it was much less strenuous than physical labor. Watching Qin Feng sweat profusely behind the barbed wire, the other young inmates felt more balanced.

This kind of work was far less comfortable than helping in the kitchen. Some were even relieved they hadn't been chosen, and their envy and admiration for Qin Feng diminished.

---

"Director, I can't understand."

The inmates had calmed down, but there was a different opinion in the office. Li Fan was in the director's office, and the usually intellectual-looking man was almost about to argue with Hu Baoguo.

"What's there to not understand? Old Xia is getting old. What's wrong with finding someone to help him?"

The usually hot-tempered Hu Baoguo was now smiling and handed a cigarette to Captain Li, saying, "Qin Feng is too aggressive. Letting an old man wear him down might not be a bad thing. Little Li, I know psychology too!"

"Director... Director, what kind of logic is this?"

Li Fan was at a loss, pushing away the cigarette. He said irritably, "Qin Feng is in prison for murder. I suspect his psychology is severely distorted, and he has a tendency to escape! Director, I request to replace him with a short-term inmate whose sentence is almost over."

"You still remember I'm the director?"

Hu Baoguo put his feet up on the desk and rolled his eyes, saying, "No way. If Qin Feng has any problems, I'll take responsibility. Don't lecture me here, kid!"

"Director, you... you're being unreasonable." Li Fan said angrily, "I'll report to the higher-ups!"

Hu Baoguo waved his hand indifferently, saying, "Go ahead. I'm not even fifty yet. I'm thinking of a change. You can ask your teacher to find me a new position. I'll give up a month's salary to buy a bottle of Maotai to show my respect!"

Hu Baoguo knew that Li Fan's teacher was a former professor at the Public Security University, who later became the deputy director of the provincial prison administration bureau, his direct superior.

If not for this relationship, the hot-tempered Director Hu would not have bothered with Li Fan and would have slapped him long ago. In the military, he always dealt with disobedient veterans this way.

Of course, Hu Baoguo was not afraid of Li Fan's complaints. Many of the old leaders who had participated in the war over a decade ago were now in the upper echelons of the military. In terms of connections, he was not afraid of the deputy director.

"You... you..."

Faced with such a stubborn director, Li Fan was at a loss and could only slam the door and leave. As for reporting to higher-ups, he was just saying it. Otherwise, even if he got Hu Baoguo transferred, he would not be able to continue in the system.

In the early 1990s, personal rule still sometimes outweighed the rule of law. As the director, Hu Baoguo's decisions were not something Li Fan could change. After several arguments, Li Fan was left with no choice.

Qin Feng, of course, had no idea about the conflict between the director and the captain over him. Apart from sleeping, he spent most of his time working in the vegetable field.

The old farmer, Old Xia, had become a hands-off manager. All the farming tasks, such as plowing, sowing, and watering, were handed over to Qin Feng. When there was no work, he even had Qin Feng catch insects, saying he was afraid they would eat the crops.

Qin Feng always remained calm. If it weren't for the fact that he had tried to escape and was caught by the old man himself, the old man might have thought Qin Feng was a model inmate.

"Qin Feng, why don't you just beat up that old man and come back?"

Some people were amused by Qin Feng's situation, but others felt sorry for him. However, Li Tianyuan's suggestion was not reliable. Of course, if he didn't mind being put in solitary confinement and having his sentence extended, it could be considered.

"Beat him? I'd be lucky if he didn't beat me."

Qin Feng rolled his eyes. He had thought about making things difficult for the old man. Several times, he pretended to lose his balance while working, trying to bump into the old man. But the old man seemed to have eyes in the back of his head, and Qin Feng almost hurt himself instead.

"Li Lao Da, I'm going to sleep. I have to help in the kitchen at four in the morning. I can't keep up."

Qin Feng lazily waved his hand and lay down on the bed. Although he had some martial arts skills, he was still young. After a day of farm work, he just wanted to sleep when he returned to the cell, too tired to even talk.

"Hey, Qin Feng, here..."

Li Tianyuan approached Qin Feng's bed and handed him two boiled eggs.

"Li Lao Da, did you steal them again?"

Qin Feng didn't refuse, took the eggs, and ate them quickly. He was still growing and never had enough high-protein food.

"No, I saved them myself."

Li Tianyuan complained. He was telling the truth. After seeing Qin Feng's low profile, Li Tianyuan had started to follow his example and bullied others less.

"Hehe, Qin Feng, I've been squatting for half a month. Shouldn't you teach me something else?"

Seeing Qin Feng eat the eggs, Li Tianyuan smiled and said, in his mind, he was the only one in the prison who knew about Qin Feng's escape. The shared secret made him feel closer to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng shook his head and said, "Li Lao Da, when you can stand for an hour, I'll teach you something else..."

For Baguazhang,桩功 (zhuang gong,桩功) is a very important foundation. Striking is not just about the fists; the power comes from the legs.

When Qin Feng secretly learned Baguazhang, he spent the first two years practicing桩功. Once he had a solid foundation, he naturally felt that his previous movements, which were not well-practiced, became more fluid.

So he was not just brushing Li Tianyuan off. If Li Tianyuan could master桩功, his fighting ability might not improve much, but he would be able to escape unharmed if surrounded.

"Alright, I'll hold you to that!"

Hearing Qin Feng's words, Li Tianyuan smiled. He thought that if he could squat for five minutes in half a month, he could definitely hold for half an hour in two months.

However, Li Tianyuan did not realize that even if he was willing to endure the hardship, he still could not squat for an hour in the remaining year and a half in the juvenile detention center. He never learned any other skills from Qin Feng, but that's another story.

---

Before dawn, Qin Feng was taken to the general kitchen by the guard. After working in the vegetable field for half a month, he was finally promoted to help in the kitchen.

"Old Xia, didn't you say you needed to wash the vegetables?"

Since the guards called the old man Old Xia, Qin Feng always addressed him that way. He looked at the pile of vegetables in front of the sink and asked, "Is this it?"

The vegetables on the ground were partly grown in the field and partly bought from the local market. In those days, pesticides were not commonly used, so they were fresh, though a bit dirty.

"What vegetables? This is easy."

Old Xia waved his hand to stop Qin Feng, picked up the pile of vegetables, and put them in the sink. He rinsed them with water and then placed them in a basket.

"Old Xia, is this what we usually eat?"

Watching Old Xia, Qin Feng's eyes widened. He clearly saw the vegetables were covered in mud and even had a large green worm crawling on them.

"Clean or not, it won't make you sick. What's with all the fuss?"

The old man glared at Qin Feng, filled a basin with warm water, and threw a small piece of soap into it. "Kid, use your index and middle fingers to pick it up. If you can't, you don't eat breakfast!"

---

PS: First update. I need to pull out all the stops. If I get 10,000 weekly recommendation votes today, I'll add an extra update. If I get 15,000, I'll add two extra updates! Friends, please vote with your recommendation tickets!

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