The detention center's lunch break is from 12:00 to 14:00. Xiao Ning vaguely remembered that she had traveled through time in her sleep, so it was really hard to compare the passage of time between the two worlds.
He then glanced at it casually, turned off the tablet screen, and returned to his bunk number 3.
Taking off his coat, Xiao Ning crawled into bed. Seeing that Zhang Zhiping, who was in seat number 4 next to him, was still awake, Xiao Ning chuckled and said, "We have to get up in fifteen minutes. Old Zhang, do you still want to sleep?"
Zhang Zhiping groped around in the cabinet under the dragon board and found his glasses. After putting them on, he could finally see Xiao Ning's face clearly. He sighed and said, "It's almost time. I can't sleep anyway, so I might as well not sleep!"
Seeing his melancholy expression, Xiao Ning immediately knew the reason and comforted him, "Don't think too much about it. The government won't wrong you. Since you say you're innocent, they'll release you sooner or later!"
Zhang Zhiping curled his lip, his anger rising: "My case is clearly a miscarriage of justice, yet the government still arrested me and made me spend time in jail for nothing. It's outrageous!"
Xiao Ning laughed and said, "You came in on the 9th of last month, right? If it's a 30-day detention, we'll have the results tomorrow. Otherwise, add the seven days the prosecution will take, and it'll only be a little over a week. It'll be over quickly!"
Just as a king has his laws, a family has its rules.
According to national law, criminal detention shall not exceed 37 days, which is why Xiao Ning said that.
Zhang Zhiping forced a smile and said, "I hope I can get out. I'm about to collapse if I don't get out soon. I don't know how my family is doing!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ning fell silent.
Zhang Zhiping then remembered something and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I brought up something that upset you!"
Once you arrive in this place, there's nothing else to do but have plenty of time. When you're bored, a group of people will tell each other about their experiences.
Therefore, Zhang Zhiping had known about Xiao Ning's parents' divorce since she was a child.
Xiao Ning forced a smile: "It's okay, I'm used to it!"
Zhang Zhiping quickly changed the subject: "Brother Ning, you're leaving soon, what are your plans for the future?"
Xiao Ning stared blankly at the white light above her head, her eyes filled with confusion: "I don't know either. People with criminal records can't find a decent job, and I haven't studied much, so I might only be able to do manual labor in the future!"
------------
Chapter 2 Bored
The two chatted for a while, and when it was 2 PM, the loudspeaker hanging on the wall rang out a shrill bell right on time.
Seeing that his roommates had all gotten up, Zhang Zhiping patted Xiao Ning on the shoulder and said, "Brother Ning, you're still young. You'll have plenty of opportunities in the future. You can learn a skill after you go out, and supporting yourself won't be a problem."
He paused, then said, "Alright, that's enough. Get up!"
Xiao Ning didn't say anything, silently got dressed, folded the quilt, and dragged the folded quilt to cell number 1 at the cell door.
A military blanket that is 1.5 meters wide and 2 meters long is really too thin. In the dead of winter in the south, if you only have one blanket, I'm afraid no one can stand it.
The cell was full of twenty people and had a total of eighty blankets. All of them had three blankets on top and one on the bottom. After getting up, all the blankets had to be folded neatly, stacked into squares, and covered with a blue cloth.
Folding quilts is commonly known as "making dragon buns".
It usually requires four people to work together to arrange all the blankets neatly in a very short time, like tofu blocks, with each edge and corner clearly defined.
At 2:10 PM, after watching her four roommates tidy up the dragon-shaped buns, Xiao Ning urged the prisoners to line up in two rows and wait for the supervisor to call their names.
Life in the detention center was simple and routine. Xiao Ning had been there for nearly half a year and had long since adapted to the environment.
After the supervisor took attendance, they began their fresh air period. The back gate opened, and the prisoners, carrying stools, lined up and walked out.
The small room, less than ten square meters in size, is surrounded by five-meter-high walls on all four sides, and the roof is a cage made of No. 8 steel bars. This is where many prisoners exercise for one hour each in the morning and afternoon.
Look at the blue sky, bask in the sun, feel the breeze, and brag a little.
At 3:30 PM, I returned to my cell and had dinner.
After resting for a while and reading a book, it quickly became 6 PM, and I started watching TV.
This is everyone's favorite time, when they can move around freely and do whatever they want as long as they don't cause trouble.
At this moment, Wang Chenglin, who was in position 1, turned around and said, "A-Ning, how about we take another gamble tonight?"
Xiao Ning laughed heartily: "Sure, what am I afraid to gamble on? Brother Lin, you tell me, how do you want to gamble? How much?"
Wang Chenglin scratched his bald head and said, "How about this? We'll bet on whether any new recruits will join the camp tonight. How many? The wager is five packs of instant noodles. What do you say? Are you in?"
Without hesitation, Xiao Ning replied, "I'll bet! I bet there will be new recruits tonight, at least two! What about you?"
Wang Chenglin blinked and muttered to himself, "Today is Thursday. No new recruits will be brought in over the weekend. There are only 12 people in 504. It should be full in the next two days, so we need to bring in at least four people a day."
Then he shouted, "Okay, I bet there are four!"
Xiao Ning nodded: "It's settled then. If there are only 2 or fewer, you lose. If there are 4 or more, I lose!"
Wang Hailong, who was in position 2, interjected, "What are you going to do if no new recruits come in tonight?"
Xiao Ning thought for a moment, then asked, "What, does Second Brother also want to take a gamble?"
The skinny Wang Hailong chuckled wickedly: "What's there to be afraid of? Aning, just tell me if you want to bet or not?"
Xiao Ning nodded: "Okay! If there are no new recruits, Lin Ge and I will each give you 5 packs of instant noodles. If there are, you give us 5 packs each, how about that?"
"That won't do, it's not worth it for me to gamble like that!"
Wang Hailong immediately shook his head: "I'm only willing to lose 5 packs, but I want to make 10 packs! Are you two willing?"
Wang Chenglin was not about to back down and immediately shouted, "You swindler, who would bet with you? No wonder you got arrested. You're a scoundrel who sells counterfeit and shoddy products. You're too bad. You should be sentenced to several more years. Two years is too little!"
Wang Hailong, who was in his forties, blushed and said, "Well, just tell me if you're going to gamble or not? If not, then forget it!"
Wang Chenglin refused no matter what, leaving Wang Hailong helpless. He then looked at Xiao Ning and asked, "Ning, what about you? Are you going to gamble?"