There was only one meal a day and the portion was meager. On top of that, it tasted horrible but Yang Yi needed the meal very much.
Only when a person wasn't hungry would they have the luxury of judging a food's taste. For a person who had been starving for a long time, anything they eat would be delicious.
So, Yang Yi sang a song as he waited for the day's meal.
Yang Yi had already lost all concept of time while locked up in the cell. He had voluntarily done so because the discomfort of solitary confinement was only heightened if he keep track of the day's passing by the sunrise and sunset.
Yang Yi was totally engrossed in his singing. The iron door was opened when he was in the midst of his song.
Each day, the door would open slightly so they could send in the food and drinking water. Once done, Yang Yi would have to place the dishes back for collection. It was the only time Yang Yi had a chance to talk to someone but he gave up on the idea soon after since the guard never responded.
It was different today because the door was opened wide. It caught Yang Yi by surprise and he immediately stopped singing.
The guard walked in after opening the door. He was startled and immediately took out his truncheon when he saw Yang Yi standing there looking back at him.
"Squat down and don't move!"
Although he was puzzled, Yang Yi immediately squatted down and placed both his hands on top of his head. He then innocently asked, "What's up, sir?"
The guard was stunned for a moment before he quickly left the cell and slammed the iron door shut with a bit of force.
"Fuck! What's wrong with this guy!? He has gone crazy! He wants to kill me!"
Yang Yi couldn't help but pronounce loudly after he heard what the guard yelled, "Sir, I'm not crazy! I have no intention to hurt you."
The iron door was soon opened again and another guard entered. He was equally surprised when he saw Yang Yi.
The first guard entered the cell again and animatedly said, "Was he locked up for seven days? He was definitely locked up for seven days! I thought he would be sprawled on the floor like a piece of mud but look at him, does he looks like someone who has been locked up for seven days?"
Although Yang Yi looked a bit frail, his eyes were still bright and full of vigour.
"Sir, not everyone will go crazy after being confined for seven days. I'm one of those exceptions. Does that mean I can leave now? This place is very unpleasant. Thanks a lot!"
Yang Yi immediately said something because he feared being locked up any longer. The guard swallowed and stuttered after hearing Yang Yi's words, "Inmate 3387, you can leave now. Stand up and turn around."
Yang Yi slowly stood up and turned his back towards the two guards so they could cuff his hands.
Yang Yi should have moved away from the iron door before the guards were allowed to open it. However, there had never been any inmate who could still follow the guard's instruction after being locked up for seven days. Thus, the guards usually opened the door directly and dragged the inmate out because it was a pointless rule.
The situation today was obviously different.
Although he was a bit frail, Yang Yi didn't need to be dragged out like the others. He only looked frail due to hunger. Although he had eaten over the past seven days, the portion was obviously insufficient.
Nevertheless, Yang Yi was the only person who had walked out on his own after being released from solitary confinement.
Every guard who saw Yang Yi walk out from the solitary confinement area on his own was extremely surprised. The guard who was supposed to drag him out ended up just following right behind him instead.
Once he got outside, Yang Yi took a deep breath as he enjoyed the sunlight. He then smiled at the prison guard, "Sir, where are we going?"
The guard who was standing behind Yang Yi gave him a good-natured smile, "My order was to send you back to your cell. Most inmates wouldn't be able to answer any questions after they're released from solitary confinement. So, we sent them back to their cells so they could calm down."
Yang Yi had never seen such a good natured smile on a guard's face before. The interaction between them was as if Yang Yi was not an inmate and the guard was not a guard.
The guard continued while grinning, "I'm Cato. You can just use my name. Hear me out. You don't have to return to your cell if you're hungry. I can send you straight to the canteen. It's lunch time now."
Yang Yi nodded his head as he smiled, "That's great! Thank you very much, Sir!
Cato waved his hand and laughed, "Just follow me. You can return to your cell after you're done eating. The ruling will be announced tomorrow. Most likely your prison term will be extended. Don't worry too much about it. You will still be able get out early if you are well behaved."
Yang Yi was very surprised and wondered why he was suddenly being given such treatment.
Since it was lunch time, there were a lot of inmates queuing up to get their meal. There were even some inmates who had already gotten their meals and were sitting at the table eating. Cato brought Yang Yi directly to the front of the queue.
Yang Yi would have caused a storm if he had dared to cut the queue. However he could get away with it this time because he was led by a guard.
As Yang Yi passed by the long queue, the inmates who saw him eyes opened wide in shock. There were inmates who weren't aware of what was going on but when they were informed, their eyes were filled with amazement. All the inmates had stopped chatting as they stared fixedly at Yang Yi.
Yang Yi was brought to where the tableware was placed. The guard then uncuffed Yang Yi and gave him a smile. After that, the guard turned towards the man handing out food and said, "Give this fella a bit more food. He just got out of solitary confinement. He will definitely be hungry."
Yang Yi smiled back at Cato. This fella had originally thought he had gone crazy and planned to kill him. It seemed that Cato was just timid. He was actually a very nice fella.
Cato left after he had accomplished his task. He was stopped at the entrance of the canteen by an armed guard, "Hey dude, what's the matter with you today?"
Cato swallowed and whispered to his colleague, "See that fella over there? He has been locked up in solitary confinement but does he look like someone who has been inside for seven days? Dude, do you know that he was like that when I found him inside the confinement cell just now?
The guard who was armed with a gun said, "Wow, thanks for telling me. He should get a reward for that."
Cato sighed and said to his colleague, "He was totally fine even after being sent into solitary confinement for seven days. So, we should give him his well-deserved respect. He will be released in a few years. Ok, I need to leave now. Bye."