Chapter 001: Coercive Bargaining
Liu Shiqing woke up late. He had stayed up last night reviewing his schoolwork until late. He had clearly set his alarm clock for six in the morning before going to sleep, but to his surprise, the batteries in his alarm clock had run out. When he finally opened his eyes, it was seven in the morning, the exact time for morning self-study at school and when his class head shows up in the classroom.
Recalling how the Class Flower was lectured for half an hour for being late to the morning self-study, and how the whole situation moved her to tears, Liu Shiqing shivered. Despite being one of the top students in the class, the Class Flower got no mercy for being just one minute late that day.
Liu Shiqing considered skipping class, but the thought of the severe consequences made him hesitant. The class head's strictness was legendary at school. Even the Principal, a former student of the class head, would treat him with sincere respect, careful not to offend him and risk being scolded in public.
Hurriedly, he put on his clothes, didn't wash his face, didn't brush his teeth, grabbed his schoolbag, and left the house. He took his bicycle from the communal bike shed and started pedaling away furiously.
Around seven in the morning is typically the start of rush hour. Liu Shiqing, in his haste to reach school, took as many shortcuts through the local streets as possible. He managed to do the usual twenty-minute journey in less than a quarter of an hour. Seeing the school's gate across another small street, he let out a sigh of relief, and pedaled even harder.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed in front of Liu Shiqing's eyes. Before he could react, he heard a loud voice, "What's the matter with you, student? You hit my stall, and now you're trying to run away?" Then, Liu Shiqing felt someone pull at the back of his bike.
Turning around, Liu Shiqing saw a sturdy-looking man with a simple face tightly gripping the rear rack of his bike, glaring at him.
"Why are you grabbing my bicycle, sir?" Inwardly anxious but trying to remain calm, Liu Shiqing asked, aware that the people on this street were not to be messed with.
The street Liu Shiqing had taken was Youth Road, a local morning market in the suburbs of Wuling City. It started with laid-off workers setting up small stalls to make a living, but soon hooligans and thugs moved in. Some sold counterfeit goods while others blatantly collected protection money.
While the locals had the experience to identify these troublemakers, high school students like Liu Shiqing found it challenging. School authorities have repeatedly warned students to avoid Youth Road, especially during the morning market rush. Liu Shiqing would not have taken this shortcut if he hadn't been in a hurry.
The man pointed to a stall with a variety of old appliances like radios, CD players, tape recorders, etc. All were somewhat dated items, probably gathered from second-hand sellers.
These appliances had long been phased out and were of no value, even if given away for free. The stall was in a mess under the morning sun. They were like a group of old men and women enjoying the last sunshine of their lives, revealing a bit of their fatigue and longing for life.
"Did you see that, kid? You were cycling so fast without watching the road. You knocked over my electronics. Some are broken because of you," the man said, pointing at a radio that had fallen onto the street. "My stuff is expensive, and you've got to pay for it. If you don't, I'll go to your school and report you."
Liu Shiqing knew very well whether he had hit those vintage appliances or not. He was careful to steer clear of the pavement; there was no way he could have hit a stall so far away. Liu Shiqing scanned the people passing by—none were willing to stand up for him. Nearby stall owners watched with a mix of amusement and indifference despite the blatant extortion, refusing to interfere.
The man flexed his fingers menacingly, the bones cracking ominously. "There are plenty of witnesses around. They saw you breaking my stuff. If you don't make up for it today, it won't look good on you. If Brother Tiger loses face, he can do anything."
Realizing he was in a bind and still needed to rush to school, Liu Shiqing said directly: "Here's twenty yuan, and we're even."
A gleam of delight appeared in the man's eyes, but he quickly retorted: "Only twenty yuan? Are you taking me for a beggar? No less than fifty."
Liu Shiqing urgently replied: "Are you joking? I only get fifty yuan for a week's living expenses. If I give you all of it, how will I live? If you want the twenty, take it. If not, let's go see the school Principal."
The man stepped back, "Alright, thirty then. Choose an appliance from my stall."
Liu Shiqing glanced at a quartz watch stall nearby, realizing he had less than ten minutes before the morning self-study session ended. If he couldn't reach the classroom in time, his absence would be confirmed, and the class head would surely not let him off easily.
Not wanting to waste more time, Liu Shiqing rushed to hand over thirty yuan, picked up a random appliance from the man's stall, and quickly pedaled away.
Watching Liu Shiqing's retreating figure, the man said smugly to himself, "Students are so naive. I paid only one yuan for this piece, and he bought it for thirty yuan. What a profitable deal."
After dumping his bicycle in the school bike shed, Liu Shiqing started to run towards the classroom. In his hurry, he failed to notice a newly installed electricity pole in the campus. He bumped into it with a bang, and blood started flowing from his nose.
Liu Shiqing quickly opened his school bag. He saw the electrical appliance he had just bought lying on top. Using the hand stained with his blood, he pushed it aside and took out a roll of toilet paper. He tore off a piece to wipe the blood, then another to plug his nose, finally stemming the blood flow.
What Liu Shiqing didn't notice was that as his blood stained the small appliance, it absorbed his DNA. In the blink of an eye, the blood had vanished without a trace.