Counterfeit Hero

Tian Xingjian stumbled and stood pitifully aside, looking helplessly at the foreman with furrowed brows and angry eyes. Tou’er reacted quickly, smiling apologetically to the foreman, "Third Brother, this is my roommate, new here and doesn’t know the rules. Please don’t be mad." He nudged Fatty and said, "Newcomers can’t just take tools. You have to register at the management office over there and get a number tag. Only with the tag can you get tools." He pointed to the small oval tag pinned to his clothes, "See, like this."

Seeing Tou’er speak, Third Brother let out a cold snort and said no more, turning back to watch as inmates lined up one after another to pass through the detection gate and receive their tools. Tou’er whispered to Tian Xingjian, "This foreman is one of the inmates promoted by the prison. Everyone who becomes a foreman has some connections. Here, except for the guards, their words are law, so never provoke them." Glancing at the imposing Third Brother maintaining order in front of the inmate line, he lowered his voice and added, "If you offend them, they can easily accuse you of stealing or worse, sabotage. If they accuse you of sabotage, you might get shot on the spot by the guards."

Fatty was startled, his whole body trembling as he exclaimed, "Is that really the case?"

Tou’er smiled bitterly, "These foremen are protected by the guards, and they only supervise our work assignments. Offending them can be worse than offending some guards." Glancing again at Third Brother, he continued, "Being a foreman is already a breakthrough; even the big shots give them face. But they don’t dare to provoke those big shots either. As long as you don’t cross paths with them, they generally won’t make things difficult for us. Alright, I have to go to work now. You go register, see what job you get assigned to, and get your tag before collecting any tools. After work, I’ll introduce you to the boss."

After saying this, Tou’er pointed Fatty in the direction of the registration area and walked away. Fatty, under Third Brother’s cold gaze, nodded obsequiously and waddled towards the management office.

The management office was in the west corner of the workshop, surrounded by pre-formed partition walls. As it was morning, there were not many people in the workshop, making the office in the corner seem even more secluded. Fatty knocked lightly on the door, which was opened by a middle-aged man who looked Fatty over and coldly asked, "What’s your business?"

Fatty squeezed into the room while saying, "My name is Zhang Yuan. I’m a new mechanic here to register for work and collect my tools."

The middle-aged man stepped aside slightly, allowing Fatty to enter, then cautiously looked outside before closing the door. He asked, "You said your name is Zhang Yuan?"