Yang Yi, in his prison garb, followed eight guards through a door, where they each verified their identity and signed in before passing through the second door.
This was a small world completely isolated by barbed wire, a prison within the prison.
There were thirty solitary cells, but only twelve were occupied by inmates. These twelve inmates were overseen by eight guards—an alarmingly high ratio compared to the one guard per hundred inmates outside.
Among these guards, six held positions of considerable advantage, armed with rifles and shotguns loaded with live ammunition. They were authorized to shoot at any time they deemed it necessary, without asking for permission or issuing a warning.
Yang Yi’s duty was to clean this very small prison block, and in addition, he was the only person allowed to clean up the dining utensils used by both the guards and the prisoners after meals.
Once inside the high-security area, the guards each had their posts to assume, so they quickly scattered in their respective directions. Only one guard led Yang Yi to acquaint him with his new duties.
"Everything you need is in this room. Clean all the places thoroughly, put the trash in bags and take it out when you leave, and take the utensils out with you, too. There’s not a lot of work, but you need to clean this place spotless, or I will replace you, got it?"
"Understood, thank you."
Yang Yi smiled sincerely. The guard nodded, adjusted his belt habitually, and then said, "It’s quite boring and relaxed here. You can walk around after you’ve finished working until it’s time for our shift change, but remember, do not approach the armed guards and do not have any private contact with the inmates, got it?"
"Alright, start your work."
The guard seemed quite approachable. Yang Yi thanked him and then started inspecting his tools.
Rags, mops, brooms, dustpans, a bucket, and a cart used to carry these items—these were the tools Yang Yi would use daily.
He also had a small hut of his own, a room for storing these tools, which also served as his resting place. There was no bed, but there was a recliner that looked quite comfortable.
Yang Yi began his work.
The high-security block was tiny—just thirty cells, five rooms used by guards, plus the corridors and the guards’ duty stations—all areas Yang Yi needed to clean. But these places did not generate much garbage to begin with, perhaps just a bit in the guards’ break room. The daily cleaning could be done quickly; it was easy, albeit a little tedious.
Yang Yi started with the guards’ break room.
Two guards who didn’t need to carry guns on duty were inside.
One relaxed with his feet on the table, hands behind his head, leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling out of boredom, while the other sat, propping his face with his hand, chatting intermittently with his colleague.
Yang Yi emptied the ashtray on the table and wiped it down. The guards cooperated with his task, and after watching him clean the table, the one who had his feet up initially placed them back again.
The guard supporting his chin suddenly asked, "Hey, what’s your name?"
Yang Yi, who was mopping the floor, paused, looking perplexed, and said, "Me?"
"Yes, anyone else here? What’s your name."
The prison guard waved his hand and said, "No need to be so formal here, we actually don’t have that many rules because there are so few of us, everyone is almost dying of boredom, what did you do to end up in here?"
"Uh, reckless driving and intentional injury, a five-year sentence."
Yang Yi was actually somewhat of a celebrity in Pelican Bay Prison, but the guards in this special unit didn’t know him, because these guards hardly had any contact with the outside world. Perhaps they had heard about a new character called the Bad Egg in the high-security area, but they might not know it was Yang Yi.
The guard, with his feet on the table, took out two cigarettes from his pocket, lit one for himself, and then said to Yang Yi, "Hey, this is for you."
The prison guard tossed the cigarette toward Yang Yi, who, after lighting it, laughed joyously and said, "Thanks, sir."
"You have a five-year sentence? How many years have you already served?"
"Oh, then you’ve got three more years to go before you’re out."
"Yes, if nothing unexpected happens."
The guard sighed heavily, exhaled a puff of smoke, shook his lighter in his hand as a sign for Yang Yi to come and get it, and then said with a face full of sentiment, "You only have to be locked up for five years, while we have to be locked up here until retirement, pal, it’s hard to say who’s more free."
Yang Yi walked over, lit his cigarette with the lighter, placed the lighter back, and after sincerely thanking him, he stood on one side of the table.
"Don’t be so stiff, sit down and smoke, it’s rare to have a newcomer here."
The other prison guard also appeared extremely amiable. In prison, it was a stroke of luck for the inmates to encounter such guards, and Yang Yi hadn’t expected to meet two.
Seeing the surprised look in Yang Yi’s eyes, the guard with his feet on the table laughed heartily and said, "Surprised, huh? There’s nothing to be surprised about, because it’s just a few of us here, day in, day out, year after year. I’ve been working here for eleven years now, buddy, eleven years!"
"You think you’ll be bullied? No, we’re already tired of it. I’m Rubin, he’s Clint, no need to be so formal, sit down."
Yang Yi sat down somewhat awkwardly, then glanced at his tool cart and said softly, "I’ve still not finished my work..."
"There’s nothing much to do. Just remember it’s better to chat with everyone while you’re working than doing anything else; life here is nothing but dullness."
Clint, the guard, said, "If it weren’t for the salary here being twice what it is outside, no one would want to come here."
Listening to both of them complain, Yang Yi already knew his days here would not be hard.
Inmates are bored, and so are the guards who watch over them, talking endlessly to any stranger; it’s a sign of being incredibly bored.
But if the police here are so idle that they’re restless, it means the inmates have never caused trouble, or perhaps, they never had the opportunity to cause trouble.
Rubin looked at Yang Yi with interest and said, "Ben, what do you plan on doing after you get out? I mean, what is the first thing you want to do after you’re released?"