Landlord in the Arctic

「Seven days later.」

Hai City North District Prison.

The warm winter sun pierced through the clouds, scattering flecks of gold across the prison walls.

The sunlight’s gentle warmth drove away some of the winter chill, making one want to squint and quietly savor the rare, pleasant moment.

With a loud CREAK, the prison’s small iron gate swung open, shattering the surrounding silence.

A dark, skinny young man walked out, his clean-shaven head glinting in the sun.

The young man had a baby face and was probably in his twenties, with somewhat dark skin.

He wasn’t tall, only about 1.7 meters, with a gaunt and slender frame.

He wore a set of old, faded clothes, likely what he had on before his incarceration. Though old, they were worn neatly.

After stepping outside, he turned and gave a deep bow toward the gate.

Then, carrying a large woven bag, the baby-faced young man turned again to face the road ahead.

His eyes betrayed a mix of complex emotions: fear, apprehension, and uncertainty about the future.

The world outside the prison was both familiar and strange.

’After being inside for so long, the changes on the outside have left me completely adrift.’

He crossed the warning line, his gaze vacant as he scanned the empty surroundings.

When the people he longed to see day and night were nowhere in sight, a desolate look crossed his face.

He paused for a moment, glanced hesitantly at a nearby signpost, took a deep breath, and started walking toward the bus stop.

THWACK!!

The baby-faced young man suddenly clutched his head with a pained expression. Looking down, he saw a small kumquat rolling by his feet.

He froze for a second, then looked up and around.

But there were no kumquat trees overhead or nearby. The only thing on the roadside was a parked black van, and no suspicious people were in sight.

He muttered to himself and started walking again.

"THWACK!"

He was hit on the head again. This time, the baby-faced young man couldn’t stand it. He spotted another small kumquat by his feet.

’If I still can’t tell someone’s messing with me on purpose...’

’...then I might as well have not gone to prison at all.’

Suppressing the anger boiling inside him, he shouted in a low voice, "Who is it? Who did that? Show yourself if you’ve got the guts!"

After shouting, he clenched his fists and scanned his surroundings warily, a flicker of ferocity in his eyes.

The black van was still parked quietly by the road. Other than the occasional passerby, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

"Little Egg, what’re you gonna do about it?"

As Xiaohua’s familiar, cheerful voice rang out, the door of the van parked on the roadside slowly slid open.

Xiaohua’s face, a mixture of joy and excitement, came into view.

"Ms. Hua!" The baby-faced young man froze for a moment, then dropped his woven bag with a thud. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes as he rushed to the van.

"What gives, Little Egg? You only have eyes for Ms. Hua?" Hu Zi and Black Hide poked their heads out of the window, grinning.

The passenger door opened, and Feng Mountain got out. He opened his arms wide, a gentle smile on his face. "Black Egg," he said, "I’m here to pick you up!"

’Brother Shan, Ms. Hua, Brother Hu, Brother Pi!’

The baby-faced young man stood frozen, feeling especially overwhelmed at the sight of Feng Mountain. Memories from before his imprisonment flashed through his mind, filling his heart with surprise and emotion.

But before he could say a word, Feng Mountain pulled him into a tight embrace.

Xiaohua, Hu Zi, and Black Hide followed suit, opening their arms, and the group huddled in a tight hug.

Feeling the warmth of their embrace, the baby-faced young man couldn’t hold back his tears. He choked out, "Brother Shan, Ms. Hua, Brother Hu, Brother Pi... I... I thought you all forgot about me."

Feng Mountain gently patted his back. "Silly kid, how could we ever forget you? In our hearts, you’ll always be our little brother. See? We came to get you."

Xiaohua’s eyes were also red. "That’s right, Little Egg. We’ve missed you like crazy these past few years. It’s so good you’re out. Don’t you go doing anything foolish again."

Black Hide laughed and said, "Alright, alright, a real man sheds blood, not tears. Let’s go. We’re throwing a welcome feast for Little Egg."

Hu Zi chimed in, "Yeah, Black Egg, tonight we don’t go home ’til we’re drunk!"

The five orphans clung to each other, all talking at once over one another.

Even though none of them were on the same wavelength, their joy and excitement were one and the same.

The jumble of their voices was like a boiling pot of soup. The tears glistening in their eyes and the smiles on their lips all spoke of the fiery emotion of their reunion.

"Hold on, hold on! We still have business to take care of!" Black Hide suddenly raised his voice, startling the sparrows from the branches of a nearby tree.

At his words, everyone quickly let go of each other.

They turned and skillfully pulled a brazier, some branches, and a new set of clothes from the van.

Hu Zi deftly whipped out a lighter.

WHOOSH.

The paper in the brazier ignited, and flames leaped up.

"What are you standing there gaping for? Step over the fire!" Black Hide grabbed the still-dazed Black Egg, the firelight casting a warm glow on his shaved head. "The old folks say this burns away all the bad juju from inside. Brother Shan did it when he got out, too."

Hu Zi held up a leafy branch and, while sweeping it over Black Egg’s body, chanted, "Sweep, sweep, sweep away the fish scales—Ptooey, ptooey! Sweep away the fails and the wails! All of it, get lost!"

Feng Mountain stood quietly outside the firelight, holding a paper bag with new clothes.

The moment Black Egg stepped over the flames and Hu Zi’s chanting stopped, Feng Mountain handed him the paper bag and jerked his chin toward the van.

"Go change your clothes."

As the van door opened and closed, a sliver of sunlight cut in, illuminating the reddened tips of Black Egg’s ears.

When he emerged again, the light gray of the new tracksuit made his complexion seem less ashen, and he even held his head a little higher.

Xiaohua stood on her toes to straighten Black Egg’s crooked collar, while Hu Zi and Black Hide whistled.

"Look at that! Now that’s our Little Egg!"

Feng Mountain reached out to put an arm around Black Egg’s shoulder, but he paused mid-air.

’The skinny little kid from his memories could now easily bear the weight of his arm.’