Into the county town

At the news of pirated copies, the first to stand was neither the easily excited Wang Guohua nor Yang Rui himself, but Principal Zhao, who had only just learned there was something in it for the school.

With finances tight across the country these days, was it easy for me to scrape together funding for a section-level institution?

We finally found a source of funds, and someone cut it off before we even got a taste. Was that humane?

The old principal's lips trembled a few times before he asked, "Where did these pirated copies come from? How many are there?"

Huang Ren gave the principal a puzzled look, then saw Yang Rui nod slightly before saying, "Wang Meng told me. Someone's set up right outside County No. 1 High School selling them. He has all three sets of papers we've put out, and he offers a free set for every five you buy. It's a little cheaper than ours."

"What sort of person is selling the papers?" It was still the principal asking.

"I don't know, but he seems pretty formidable. He sells right outside No. 1 High School, and nobody stops him. When Shi Gui tried selling outside the main gate before, the policeman in the booth chased him away." Huang Ren tried to share everything he knew.

Zhao Dannian frowned and asked, "Which police station has jurisdiction over No. 1 High School?"

Huang Ren shook his head blankly. "I don't know."

Yang Rui spoke then, asking in a steady voice, "Are the papers this man is selling mimeographed or letterpress-printed?"

Huang Ren gave a start and immediately answered, "Mimeographed."

"Is he selling them himself, or are his lackeys doing it?"

"Lackeys... what does that mean?"

"His underlings, his followers." Yang Rui rephrased his question. "Do you know who printed the papers? Is one person selling them, or several?"

"Just one person. He probably printed them himself..." Huang Ren sounded uncertain about the latter part.

Yang Rui held out a hand. "If he printed them himself, he'll definitely have ink on his hands, thick ink like this, concentrated around the web between his thumb and forefinger and on the fingertips where he holds the roller. Otherwise, there should be more ink on his palms, from handling the papers."

Huang Ren was so anxious he nearly cried. "I don't know! As soon as I heard the news from Wang Zhen, I hurried back to report it. I never went there to look."

He had gone to deliver the mimeographed test papers, setting out before dawn, and had rushed back as fast as he could upon hearing the news.

"He started selling this morning?"

"No, yesterday afternoon. They said he sold lots of sets in just one afternoon. Our papers aren't selling anymore." Buy five and get one free amounted to roughly twenty percent off, which naturally made them more attractive under otherwise equal conditions.

Yang Rui had expected piracy. Mimeographed pirated copies were arguably its simplest form. The only thing he had not anticipated was how quickly the news would reach him.

He could not help asking, "Why didn't they send a telegram? Didn't I tell them to send one as soon as pirated copies appeared?"

"Shi Gui said it would be hard to explain in a telegram. Besides, the papers can only be sold when school lets out at noon and in the afternoon, so he said it would be the same if I came back to tell you." Huang Ren did his utmost to explain.

Yang Rui snorted and shook his head inwardly. The main reason for not sending a telegram was surely not the difficulty of explaining, but reluctance to spend the money.

Had they sent a telegram yesterday, he could have reached the county town by this morning at the latest. Learning of it only now meant it would be afternoon before he reached the high school.

Giving the other man another half day would multiply the risk of imitators severalfold.

There was no point dwelling on it. Yang Rui patted Huang Ren's shoulder. "Thanks for making the trip. Get some rest. Mingzi, go get Su Yi and the others. We're heading down the mountain."

"Wait." Zhao Dannian stopped Cao Baoming and said sternly, "Yang Rui, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm going down to talk to him."

"Taking a whole group down to talk? A student's duty is to study. I won't let you take them to fight." Zhao Dannian's tone was solemn. "I'll handle the piracy. You stay out of it."

Yang Rui looked startled. "You know someone at the Public Security Bureau?"

"There's bound to be someone I know," Zhao Dannian answered proudly. He had never deliberately cultivated contacts or a network, but he was confident he could find an acquaintance.

"As it happens, I know someone too." Yang Rui did not want Zhao Dannian stepping in and disrupting his plans. Changing his tone, he said, "My eldest cousin is with the County Criminal Police Brigade. I'll ask him to mediate. Bringing people along is just a precaution, so a few classmates can look out for each other."

"Really?"

"You're not going to fight?"

"We're not going to fight."

"If you're not fighting, why bring so many people? Just two of you can go..."

"If only two of us go and something comes up that separates us, we won't even have anyone to serve as a witness for each other. Don't worry. I'll find my cousin first, then see what's going on with the pirated copies."

Zhao Dannian thought for a long time, then said, "Bring them here. I need to give them a few words of warning."

Yang Rui did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Soon, Zhao Dannian was lecturing Cao Baoming and the others, the central message naturally being that they must not fight, must look after one another, and so forth.

Yang Rui let him talk, unconcerned.

Cao Baoming, Su Yi, and the others were classmates who regularly did bench presses. Training together every day naturally brought them close. Strenuous exercise and strong bodies made these hot-blooded young men fearless. Were the college entrance examination not still hanging over their heads, directing their lives, they would have loved to go down the mountain every day to show off their muscles.

Besides, the mimeographed test papers brought tangible benefits. Reality was more persuasive than the old principal.

Zhao Dannian noticed their indifference too. After speaking for a while, he simply said, "Forget it. I'll go down with you."

Then he let Feng Yun know and, allowing no argument, led the way.

"Let's go too." Yang Rui remained unmoved.

Once outside the school gates, before Zhao Dannian could say anything, Yang Rui pedaled past him and took the lead.

Cao Baoming and Su Yi froze for a moment, then turned their handlebars and charged downhill with wild cries.

Zhao Dannian gripped his brakes, stunned, shouting for them to stop. But student after student went whizzing past. In the end, only one hesitated, lowered his head, and silently stayed beside the principal.

The seven young men sang at the tops of their voices, riding no-handed as they sped to the foot of the mountain, where they finally slowed to a stop.

Su Yi looked back and counted heads. His expression suddenly shifted. "Lin Dongliang didn't come."

"Everyone has their own aspirations. Following the rules is a way of life too." Moved by the thought, Yang Rui began pedaling hard.

The students, who had just broken through their mental barrier, had no time to think further before their feet began moving.

It was not until five that evening that Yang Rui and the others reached County No. 1 High School, drenched in sweat.

The short, stocky Su Yi pulled off his soaking undershirt and eyed everyone on the street like a predator, looking ready to pounce at any moment.

Cao Baoming rode with both hands off the handlebars, slowly working the pedals with his feet. His broad, powerful back was ramrod straight as he surveyed the surroundings like a sentry.

The four behind them also pulled up their shirts, their faces bristling with menace.

The shopkeepers on both sides of the street stole wary glances at them, then all retreated out of sight. The streets were chaotic these days. Whether someone swaggered sideways like a crab or wore bell-bottoms, ordinary people wanted no trouble with them.

Even the roadside hoodlums smoothed down their upturned perms and stood farther away without a word.

There were no established gangs or organized crime groups yet. What ordinary person would willingly provoke seven strapping young men?

"Rui." At the intersection, Shi Gui eyed the group in bewilderment and alarm.

"Waiting for us, Shi?" Yang Rui stopped his bicycle beside him, wiped away some sweat, and asked, "Where's the man selling pirated copies?"

"What are you planning to do?" Instead of answering, Shi Gui stamped his foot. "Beating him won't solve anything. Besides, he has connections at the police station. If you hit him, aren't you just asking for trouble?"

"Connections at the police station or at the Public Security Bureau?" Yang Rui countered.

"Well... I don't know." Shi Gui murmured, "I just saw several groups of people in uniform greet him."

Yang Rui grunted in acknowledgment. "Take us to him. What else do you know?"

"He seems to be an ex-convict." Shi Gui shook the fat around his waist uneasily and pointed at his neck. "He has a tattoo on his back, a huge one. He likes smoking. I watched him sell papers for two hours, and he smoked a whole pack..."

Yang Rui interrupted him. "Do you know his name?"

"No. I heard the policeman in the booth call him Leopard." Shi Gui shrank back. From his perspective, he could neither beat the man nor outmuscle him, and there really seemed to be nothing he could do.

Yang Rui's expression remained unchanged. His thinking was precisely the opposite. In fighting strength, they had seven sturdy young men who practiced bench presses. In their ability to mobilize support, the Yang Family had plenty of ways to do that in Xi County.

Having established the situation, Yang Rui swept his hand forward. "Lead the way."

Shi Gui looked miserable as he walked. "Why don't we find someone to mediate first? You haven't seen that fellow's tattoo. It's pretty scary." His voice was quiet. Ultimately, he was only the owner of a small restaurant. Legitimate sales were fine, but a violent clash frightened him.

Yang Rui glanced back at his classmates and saw uncertainty mingled with their excitement. After a moment's thought, he said, "Don't worry, everyone. We'll try courtesy before force. Just do as I tell you. This Leopard is definitely a paper tiger."

"Why?" Cao Baoming and Su Yi asked in unison.

Yang Rui smiled. "He copies our papers to sell, and he's even using mimeographs. That's hard-earned money in itself. It shows that even if he has connections, they aren't particularly strong. Otherwise, couldn't his family find him some other business? Anything would beat copying papers every day, wouldn't it? Especially since he hardly has any lackeys around him. That means he isn't a boss, and his business is tiny. But the more a pirate is like this, the more firmly we have to stamp him out. We can't let others follow his lead. The cost of copying him is too low. We have to raise it ourselves."

The others nodded with only partial understanding, but Shi Gui looked thoughtful, his nerves instantly settling.