The sunlight filtered through the iron bars, and the morning air washed away some of the musty smell that had lingered in the prison cell overnight. The humid air brought more moisture to the prison walls covered with mottled moss. Although the sunlight was not very strong, the moss on the walls grew quite well.
The prison cell was always filled with various sounds in the morning.
Prisoners who had slept all day impatiently banged on the iron bars. The guards were already accustomed to this situation. Except for two who were in good spirits, they shouted at the prisoners causing the most commotion inside the cell, using their long batons to strike the iron bars a few times. The other guards continued chatting among themselves.
The guards who had worked the night shift were waiting for the relieving guards to take over their posts.
They had no time to bother with the prisoners.
The prisoners assigned to menial labor were called out one by one.
The guards put light shackles on them and had them start working.
These prisoners had committed relatively minor crimes, were timid, and were easy to command.
Many of these laborers were not yet adults; they were the youngest group in the prison, and if they were any younger, they would not have been imprisoned here.
In the most remote and darkest cell in the prison, Fa Yingge was the only prisoner still asleep.
He had no interest in the prison food, which was as bad as dog food. Today was the day he was supposed to be released.
Fayingge, with his fiery red hair, was the only minor in the prison who did not have to perform menial labor.
"Clang, clang, clang" The prison guard struck the iron bars of Fayingge's cell, producing a deafening sound.
"Kid, get up. Pack your things. You're free to go," the guard said.
As he spoke, the guard removed the keyring from his waist and opened the cell door.
"See you later, kid," said a disheveled prisoner.
"Next time I come in, don't take my bed," Fa Yingge said.
"Hey, don't forget to bring me a blanket next time you come in," another old prisoner shouted.
"Alright, but give me the money for the blanket first."
"You're so cheap."
Seeing that Fa Yingge was still chatting idly with the prisoners, the jailer grew impatient.
He poked Fa Yingge's shoulder with a long iron-tipped wooden pole and said, "Hurry up, what are you blabbering about? You'll be back in a few months anyway, so save your words for next time."
Fa Yingge left the blanket and quilt for the other prisoners and walked out of the cell.
Along the way, the prisoners in the adjacent cells greeted Fa Yingge.
"See you next time."
"How long will you be gone?"
"Please send a message home for me…"
"Go quickly and come back soon."
...
Hearing the prisoners' chatter, the guard was thoroughly annoyed. He hated these long-term prisoners, these rotten scum.
Thinking this, he pushed Fa Yingge again with the iron-headed wooden pole in his hand and said, "Hurry up, hurry up."
Upon arriving at the warden's office, the warden glanced at Fa Yingge. This was a man who treated the prison like a hotel, coming and going as he pleased. There was nothing to discuss with him, and the warden had no intention of wasting his breath. He swiftly signed Fa Yingge's release papers.
"You can go now, but I know you'll be back soon, won't you?" the warden said casually.
"Yes, yes, I hope the food here will be a little better next time I come in," Fa Yingge replied with a smirk.
Hearing this, the warden was not pleased. He turned to the guard and ordered, "Take him out."
Upon hearing the warden's order, the guard immediately kicked Fa Yingge out of the prison gates.
The heavy iron gate slammed shut behind Fa Yingge with a loud clang.
Fa Yingge shrugged his shoulders, brushed the dust off his clothes, and walked straight toward the city center.
Fa Yingge knew every street in the city like the back of his hand, but he was in no hurry to return home.
Fa Yingge wandered around the streets for a while, then casually turned into a hat shop at the south end of the street.
There was no one else in the hat shop, so Fa Yingge tapped the bell on the counter.
With a series of crisp bells ringing, the small door at the counter opened, and the shop owner emerged from the low doorway.
Upon seeing Fa Yingge, he exclaimed joyfully, "Ah, you're out! Today is the day you're supposed to come out, and I completely forgot."
"Give me a new set of clothes. Tell the old man I'm out. I'll go take a walk on the street first," Fa Yingge said.
"Oh, unfortunately, I don't have your size on hand. There's one that's a bit too big, but you can wear it for now." Saying this, the shop owner went through the small door behind him and soon brought out a set of clothes that were about 70% new.
"Not bad, not bad. It'll do," Fa Ying Ge nodded and said.
Taking the clothes, Fa Ying Ge walked into the fitting room and soon came out dressed neatly.
Fa Ying Ge, dressed in a new outfit, looked extremely lively.
Walking through the streets and alleys, Fa Ying Ge looked at the people around him. After spending three months in prison, everyone had already taken off their thick winter clothes and put on light, form-fitting spring clothes.
"Fa Ying Ge, is that you?" A voice rang out from behind him.
Fa Ying Ge turned around and saw it was Jian, the quick-handed man under Beta from South Street.
"You've been away for three months, haven't you?" " Jian said with a smile.
"Yes, I'm almost unrecognizable now that I'm back." Fa Yingge was worried about the current situation.
"Oh, a new shop has opened in the south of the city. I hear the goods are good, all silk and leather." Jian said.
"Thanks, I'll go take a look."
"Have a good time."
Fa Ying received the information and immediately headed south. He knew this city like the back of his hand. Just as most shops knew who he was, Fa Ying knew what each shop sold, what kind of people the shopkeepers were, how vigilant the clerks were, and what kind of customers frequented each shop.
Therefore, without Jian's guidance, Fa Ying quickly found the new shop.
The shopkeeper of the new store did not recognize him, but there were two clerks who were locals.
Fa Yingge knew he had to act quickly, taking advantage of the fact that the two clerks hadn't seen him to find his target as soon as possible.
This store sold high-end goods like perfume and jewelry, just as Jian had said. The customers who came and went were all wealthy people dressed in silk or precious furs.
Their carriages were parked right outside the store, with servants nearby, making it quite difficult to act.
However, this didn't faze Fa Yingge. Taking advantage of the lack of attention, he slipped into the store and took a quick look around. By the time he came out, his pockets were already holding two money bags.
Fa Yingge was quite satisfied with his haul. He slipped into an alley by the street, checked that no one was around, and pulled out the money bags to count his earnings for the day.
As for the two empty money bags, Fa Yingge would never keep them on him. He casually tossed them into the alley.
He patted the coins in his pockets and walked back to his hideout with a satisfied smile.
As soon as he stepped into the alley leading to his hideout, someone noticed him.
"Fa Ying Ge, it's really you."
"Welcome back."
"Jian said you were back, but I didn't believe it…"
"How was your luck today? Jian said you went to the south city."
Hearing this, Fa Ying Ge slapped his pocket hard. The crisp, loud clinking of the coins was more convincing than anything else.
"You've got skills. You hit the jackpot on your first day back."
"Fa Ying Ge, you've got skills."
...
Amidst the commotion, Fa Ying Ge was surrounded by the crowd and escorted back to the den.