Under the command of Uncle Wan, a group of people tied Brother Liu Fei up tightly.
He told all of us to rest normally, then had someone hang Brother Liu Fei up, saying there would be arrangements made in the morning.
I stared at the toy car on the ground, now crumpled from the fall, and suddenly felt like I had done something wrong.
But what should I do? Should I have helped Brother Liu Fei just now?
“Hero!” Aunt Zhao walked over, picked up the toy car from the ground, and stuffed it into my hand. “Don’t let this affect you. Liu Fei is a bad family member. Just keep playing!”
The crowd gradually dispersed, each returning to their rooms to sleep.
Sister Siwei stood beside me, patting my back the whole time. Her scent was heavy with sorrow, but she said nothing.
I pushed the toy car back and forth on the ground, equally silent.
I vaguely remember my parents buying me toys when I was very young, but that stopped once I started school. Later, I learned that children in school shouldn’t have toys—only stationery.
One of the car’s wheels was broken, yet it remained clutched in my hand as I pushed it back and forth. It couldn’t escape. It couldn’t leave.
What difference was there between it and me?
*Squeak—*
*Squeak—*
The dry wheel let out a painful sound, and the toy car gradually blurred before my eyes.
…
The next day, Uncle Wan canceled the worship of the “Divine Dragon” and instead led everyone downstairs to the territory of the female minotaur. In front of her was a small plaza, just enough for all of us to cram in.
Before long, those fierce-looking uncles dragged Brother Liu Fei over. He had been hung overnight and looked completely exhausted.
“W-Wan… Brother Wan… please let me go… I swear I’ll never do it again…”
“That won’t do,” Uncle Wan said softly. “This is the perfect moment to establish order, and you are the necessary sacrifice.”
The female minotaur, seeing the dense crowd before her, looked uneasy. Then she asked, “What do you want?”
“We’ve brought someone to participate in your ‘game,'” Uncle Wan replied. “The rules are the same as we agreed before, right?”
The minotaur sister thought for a moment and nodded. “Yes. This is a ‘tug-of-war’ game. I alone will face all the ‘participants.’ Entry requires sixty ‘jade.’ Winning earns one hundred and twenty ‘jade.’ How many participants are you sending?”
Though her tone was calm, her scent carried a hint of fear.
“One person,” Uncle Wan said, pointing at Brother Liu Fei. “Just him.”
“One person…?” The minotaur sister was visibly stunned. “There must be at least eight hundred of you here, and you’re only sending one?”
“Yes,” Uncle Wan nodded. “Is that acceptable?”
The minotaur sister sighed heavily, her expression grave. “Of course.”
“Then we’ll trouble you,” Uncle Wan said, pushing Brother Liu Fei forward and paying his “jade.”
“Liu Fei, let me make this clear. If you refuse to participate or try to escape during the game, we’ll break every bone in your body every ten days and let you die slowly. But if you do as I say, it might be easier for you.”
“O-Okay… I understand…” Brother Liu Fei nodded frantically.
Uncle Wan exchanged glances with the uncles beside him, who then untied Brother Liu Fei’s ropes and slipped a small note into his hand.
“Fei, once the game starts, read what’s on the note. Your violation of the family rules will be forgiven. Whether you win or lose is up to you,” Uncle Wan said.
“Really?” Brother Liu Fei blinked. “If I read the note, you won’t punish me even if I win?”
“No, no,” Uncle Wan shook his head. “If you read it, even if you lose, we won’t punish you.”
Brother Liu Fei didn’t seem to understand but took the note with hesitant trust.
The “game” officially began—the first one I’d seen outside the interview room.
It took place right in the plaza. The minotaur sister pulled out a heavy, long rope, handing one end to Brother Liu Fei and keeping the other herself.
This was “tug-of-war.”
The rest of us stepped back, clearing the space for them.
The minotaur sister’s scent carried sadness as she stared at Brother Liu Fei for a long moment. “If you’re ready, we’ll begin.”
“I-I’m ready.”
“Liu Fei, don’t forget,” Uncle Wan called from the side.
Brother Liu Fei nodded, gripping the rope with one hand while tremblingly pulling out the note with the other. He hesitated for a few seconds before reading aloud—
“I… I want to gamble my life against yours.”
“What…?” The minotaur sister froze, as if unable to comprehend the situation.
“I don’t know what it means either…” Brother Liu Fei forced a bitter smile. “But that’s what the note says… I want to… gamble my life against yours.”
The minotaur sister’s eyes turned cold, as if she had much to say. But after glancing at the surrounding crowd, her gaze went lifeless.
“Do you know what you’re doing?” she asked.
“Of course!” someone shouted. “We’re punishing a rule-breaker in the family!”
“Yeah!”
“The family must stay united!”
“Rule-breakers deserve death!”
The crowd roared, and I silently covered my ears.
Seeing that no one could be reasoned with, the minotaur sister gave the thick rope a light pull—Brother Liu Fei immediately collapsed to the ground.
Who would’ve thought someone so slender could be so strong?
“Game over,” she said. “Settlement begins.”
Hearing those words, Brother Liu Fei visibly relaxed. He stood up, dusting himself off, while Sister Siwei came over and gently pulled me into her arms.
“What’s wrong… Sister Siwei?”
After a moment of thought, she crouched down and turned me to face her.
“Hero, I want to talk to you,” she said, holding me so I couldn’t turn to look at Brother Liu Fei.
“Talk…? Now?”
“Yes.”
Just as she finished speaking, I heard a dull thud behind me, and the air suddenly filled with the scent of rust.
Sister Siwei frowned slightly, then whispered, “Hero, I told you I’m with you. When the next cycle begins… let’s run away together.”
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