Siheyuan: Starting from the driver

Chapter 750 My First Experience in the Juvenile Detention Center

That night.

The atmosphere in the Jia family was so oppressive it was almost palpable.

Enraged, Qin Huairu grabbed the broom handle and began whipping it repeatedly across the broom handle, crying and cursing with a desperate, piercing voice:

"I'll teach you to steal! I'll teach you to commit heinous acts! I'll beat you to death, you blind bastard!"

"You're trying to kill me! Are you going to ruin our whole family before you're satisfied?! How could I have given birth to such a bastard like you!"

Bang Geng rolled on the ground, clutching his head and howling, suffering more than ever before.

This time, he knew he couldn't escape.

"Mom! Mom! I won't do it again! I won't go to the juvenile detention center! They'll beat people to death there! Mom, save me! Mom—!"

Madam Jia lay paralyzed on the kang (a heated brick bed), listening to her grandson's screams. Heartbroken and terrified, she kept cursing Yi Zhonghai and everyone in the courtyard.

"You damned old bastard! You beast who deserves to die a horrible death! They just can't stand to see our family doing well! They want to kill off the Jia family line! My dear grandson, you've suffered so much."

She cursed, but her eyes kept darting around, as if afraid that Qin Huairu would beat her up too.

After hitting her for a long time, Qin Huairu was exhausted and had cried all her tears. She collapsed onto the cold brick floor.

Banggeng was curled up in the corner, covered in bruises, sobbing as he fell asleep, his face still wet with tears.

This time, Qin Huairu didn't indulge Bang Geng anymore and dealt with him severely. Xu Damao's words still resonated with her.

Bang Geng is getting on in years, about seven or eight years old. If we don't discipline him soon, it will be too late.

Jia Zhangshi, lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), pretended to groan a few times about leg pain, but no one paid attention to her, and she gradually quieted down.

The next morning.

Yi Zhonghai, along with Wang, the street office officer in charge of coordinating the management of teenagers, Xu Damao, who was always looking for trouble, and two other young men, arrived at Jia's house.

dong dong!

The knocking sounded like a death knell.

Qin Huairu opened the door blankly, her eyes swollen like walnuts.

Banggeng was awakened by the commotion at the door. Terrified, he turned and hid behind Jia Zhangshi.

"Grandma! Grandma! I don't want to go! I don't want to go! They'll beat me to death!"

Jia Zhangshi still tried to struggle: "You! What right do you have to arrest my grandson! This old woman will fight you to the death!"

He talked a lot, but he didn't actually move, since he was limping and couldn't get out of bed at all.

Her blustering yet cowardly demeanor appeared particularly ridiculous and laughable in front of the businesslike Officer Wang.

"Comrade Jia Zhangshi, please watch your words." Officer Wang said sternly, "Bang Geng's actions last night involved attempted burglary and intentional injury causing pain, with extremely negative consequences."

"The neighborhood committee and the old man in charge of your compound have reached a consensus and obtained approval from higher authorities to send him to a juvenile detention center for 10 days of compulsory education and reform."

"This is not only about being responsible to him personally and eliminating bad habits, but also about being responsible to society."

"Reform? My grandson is perfectly fine! It was all that jinx's deliberate framing!" Madam Jia Zhang resentfully slandered Jin Huainu.

"Shut up!" Yi Zhonghai shouted, his eyes sharp. "You know better than anyone how Bang Geng got to where he is today! If you keep making trouble like this, be careful you're dealt with too!"

"Besides, this is all for Bang Geng's own good. Bang Geng only stayed for 10 days, which is not a long time."

"Bang Geng, get up and come with us." Yi Zhonghai looked at Bang Geng, who was curled up like a frightened rabbit, and his tone left no room for doubt.

"I won't go! Mom! Save me, Mom!" Bang Geng clung tightly to Qin Huairu's leg, crying his heart out.

Qin Huairu's heart was bleeding, but for the sake of her child, she made up her mind.

"Let's go!" Xu Damao impatiently stepped forward and grabbed Banggeng's thin arm.

"Grandma! Mom!" Banggeng's wailing echoed far and wide in the quiet courtyard in the early morning.

Everyone in the courtyard came out to see what was going on.

"Should!"

"It should have been sent long ago. If it's not fixed soon, it'll serve it right!"

Mrs. Jia, pressed against the window, watched her grandson being taken away, tears streaming down her face, pounding on the glass and wailing.
"My dear grandson! They're not human! You're going to drive this old woman crazy!"

I don't know if it's for myself, for the sake of the joke, or just for show.

Qin Huairu leaned against the door frame, watching her son's small figure disappear at the gate of the courtyard.

Jia Zhangshi should have been sent back to the countryside, but thanks to her mobility issues and the fact that she had to take care of Xiao Dang and Kuihua at home, she was able to leave the courtyard today, just like Bang Geng.

The gray walls and iron gates of the juvenile detention center were even taller and colder than Banggeng had imagined, with the words "Juvenile Detention Center of a Certain City" on them exuding a chilling sense of authority.

The guards standing at the gate had eyes so sharp they could pierce through one's heart.

As soon as he arrived at the door, an indescribable odor assaulted his senses, making him dizzy.

Officer Wang went up and spoke with the guard. The guard glanced at the young boy, Bang Geng, with a serious expression, seemingly surprised that such a young child had committed a crime.

After some conversation, a guard led the three men into the juvenile detention center.

Bang Geng was led into a cold room, his clothes were roughly pulled off, and he was put in a baggy, rough, faded gray-blue "labor camp uniform".

A brand-new, cold white strip of cloth was sewn onto his chest, with three glaring numbers written on it in black ink: 147.

This is his name here.

The staff member, pen in hand, carried out the routine registration with a blank expression.

"Name."

"Jia Geng".

"age."

"Eight years old."

"Home address."

"No. 95, Nanluoguxiang."

"What offenses were committed?"

"Attempted burglary, intentional assault."

Officer Wang recounted Bang Geng's actions one by one, and as Bang Geng heard his "crimes" clearly stated, his cheeks instantly burned.

He kept his head down, refusing to look anyone in the eye. His body trembled uncontrollably with fear.

Xu Damao and the other two found this scene quite novel, as it was the first time they had witnessed the juvenile detention center operating.

"All right."

After registration, Bang Geng was led to his cell by a group of strict-looking correctional officers dressed in identical gray-blue uniforms.

Pushing open a heavy iron door, a wave of heat, a mixture of strong smells of sweat, foot odor, and disinfectant, hit me.

This is a large dormitory room with more than a dozen people, and the lighting is dim.

As soon as he entered, more than a dozen teenagers, some lying down and some sitting, immediately stood up and stood in front of their beds to be inspected by the correctional officer.

The correctional officer nodded, satisfied with the boys' behavior.

"Take a break!"

They all simultaneously extended one leg.

"stand at attention!"

He immediately pulled back, straightened his back, raised his head, and pulled in his stomach, the movement completed in one smooth motion. Yi Zhonghai, who was granted special permission to come in and see this scene, couldn't help but feel a little shocked; it was just like a prison.

The correctional officer pointed at the dog: "This is number 147, he's joining you from today onwards."

The correctional officer said a few words briefly, emphasizing, "Don't let me find out any of you dare to bully him 'maliciously.' If anything happens, see how I deal with you."

The people in this room are all teenagers aged 12 to 16, which is huge for a gangster. If they aren't warned, getting injured is a minor matter, but crippling is not out of the question.

The "banggeng" (a nickname for a group of people) is here to receive 10 days of compulsory education, while the others in the cell are here to "experience life," so it can't be taken too far.

After the introduction, the officer pointed to an empty bed, finished explaining the last few things, and then turned and left.

The heavy iron gate slammed shut behind me with a clang.

The mixed smell of sweat, foot odor, old grime, and pungent disinfectant, like a tangible object, blocked his nostrils, causing him to gag repeatedly.

A dozen or so tall and strong teenagers with complex expressions focused on him like they were watching prey, making his small body stiffen like a puppet.

A boy who looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old, with a stocky build and a short scar on his face, walked over from the middle of the dormitory.

His two henchmen, a tall, thin "bamboo pole" and a short, stocky "stump," slowly approached with equally hostile eyes.

The stalk instinctively stepped back, until its back finally hit the cold wall.

"Hey, new here?"

Scarface walked up to Banggeng, raised his hand and slapped his newly shaved, dog-chewed scalp with a loud "smack".

The stick shrank its neck in pain.

"147, right? What did you do? You look so skinny, did you steal something? Or did you fight someone? Do you know the rules here?"

Bang Geng's lips trembled, and he stammered, not daring to speak.

"I'm asking you a question! Are you mute?" A tall, lean man next to him kicked him in the shin. It wasn't a hard kick, but it was clearly meant to humiliate him.

"Stealing things and pushing people," Bang Geng's voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, tinged with sobs.

"You're something else! You look so timid, but you've got some nerve."

Scarface grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Here, dragons have to coil up, tigers have to lie low! Know the rules, and you'll get beaten less! Don't know the rules..."

He sneered, "We have plenty of ways to make you understand!"

He pointed to a latrine in the corner of the room that reeked of a strong stench: "First, learn how to serve people! Go! Clean that toilet, inside and out, until it's cleaner than my dining table!"

"Now! Immediately! Right now!"

Banggeng looked at the filthy toilet bowl covered in unidentified grime, and his stomach churned.

He has never done this before. He was never given a life of luxury at home, and he was never allowed to do any heavy work.

But under the piercing gaze of Scarface's wolf-like eyes, he could only tremble as he walked over and picked up the stiff-bristled brush that was almost taller than him.

Cleaning toilets is harder to endure than being beaten.

The pungent smell made it hard for him to open his eyes, and the rough brush handle hurt his palms.

Disgusting filth stuck to the brush and splattered on the trouser legs.

He brushed clumsily, his movements slow and his hands unsteady.

"What are you dawdling for! Haven't you eaten yet?" a foreman yelled, giving him a light kick to the shin.

"Ah—!" Bang Geng screamed in pain, the burning pain bringing tears to his eyes instantly.

It looks pitiful, but actually the underling didn't do much; he didn't forget what the discipline officer said.

"Swipe faster!" came another sharp shout.

Despite the pain and nausea, Banggeng, with his eyes almost closed, used all his strength to scrub.

He dared not stop, gritting his teeth, like a numb machine, his arm mechanically swinging back and forth.

The stench made him dizzy, and the dirty water splashed up by the brush inevitably splattered onto his gray-blue uniform, his face, and even the corners of his mouth.

This is not just physical punishment, but also a complete crushing of the spirit.

Although he was beaten at home in the past, Qin Huairu beat him because she was disappointed in him and had the "mother disciplining her son" mentality. He felt wronged and resentful, but he did not feel this kind of pure humiliation of being treated as the lowest of trash.

Pasting matchboxes was a chore in the Jia family, but it was something you could do to get away with it from your grandmother.

There is no room for laziness here.

"Scarface, is that enough? That smell is fucking pungent!" Dunzi said in a muffled voice, pinching his nose. He couldn't go too far since the correctional officer had given the order.

Otherwise, they'll all be in deep trouble.

Scarface walked over, frowned, and glanced at him: "Pah! Just trying to fool people! Fine, 147, you've seen the light today."

"You remember this, from now on, this job, including washing the floor and emptying the chamber pots, is yours! Every single day! Understand?"

"I...I understand." Banggeng's voice was hoarse and tearful.

"Speak louder! Haven't you eaten yet?" Bamboo Pole shouted again.

"I understand!" Bang Geng shouted with all his might, then shuddered at the sound of his own voice.

"You're smart to know what's good for you." Scarface snorted and ignored him.

The other people in the cell seemed to be used to this "baptism of fire," and they dispersed, some lying down in a daze, others talking in hushed tones.

Banggeng lay sprawled on the wet, dirty ground, his whole body aching, his fingers throbbing from the brush handle.

Looking at the number '147' marked on his prison uniform, Bang Geng realized for the first time the meaning of this number.

He wasn't Jia Geng, nor Bang Geng; he was just an insignificant number in the juvenile detention center who had made a mistake.

"Mom! Grandma! I want to go home," Banggeng cried softly. It was only the first day.

The words "for your own good" that Yi Zhonghai said before leaving sounded incredibly ironic to him now, and he felt as if the whole world had abandoned him.

Resentment grows wildly like poisonous weeds:
He resented Xu Damao for meddling in other people's business.

I hate Yi Zhonghai for his hypocritical and sanctimonious manner.

He hated Jin Huainu for causing him to take action.

He even began to hate his mother, Qin Huairu, who only knew how to cry, scold, and beat him, and then cruelly sent him here.

After finally finishing up, Bang Geng wanted to go back to his bed and get some rest.

He noticed that the blankets on his bed had been changed, but he didn't dare to say anything.

Banggeng didn't care about anything else, covered himself with the blanket, but almost fainted from the stench.

The blanket was stiff and smelled strongly of the previous child's body odor.

Kebang was too tired to care about anything else, so he curled up as small as possible inside the blanket.

"Hehe, this kid still wants to sleep!"

Suddenly, a very faint rustling sound came from behind.

A cold, rough hand suddenly reached into his blanket from the bunk next to him and pinched the tenderest flesh on the inside of his thigh hard!
"Ah—!" Bang Geng gasped in pain, almost letting out a scream.

"Hahaha!"

Instantly, laughter erupted in the cell.

"147! Remember Scarface's rules! You'd better bring out one of your cornbread buns for Scarface at noon, understand? If you dare not, believe me, I'll kill you!"

Bang Geng was so frightened that he nodded repeatedly, not daring to say anything.

(End of this chapter)