Fatty Wang

In the morning, I made myself a bucket of instant noodles before heading up the mountain to gather wild mushrooms. Before leaving, I hung up the jacket Sister Ye had left behind to dry, along with my secondhand Nokia phone that had gotten wet the previous night. Since I didn’t have the money to buy a new phone, I hoped this battered Nokia would work for a while longer after it dried out.

The idea of picking wild mushrooms to sell seemed good, but once I got up the mountain, I couldn’t find anything worthwhile. After a whole morning’s effort, I’d only managed to collect three or four pounds of edible mushrooms. Clearly, relying on this to make money was unrealistic; I’d be better off returning to the county town to look for a job.

By the time I got home, it was already past noon. I hurriedly made another bucket of instant noodles to stave off my hunger.

I checked my Nokia; it was dry now, so I tried turning it on. To my surprise, it actually powered up. When I opened the phone, I saw I had a missed call.

Who could have been trying to reach me? Since my release, I hadn’t contacted any old friends or classmates, so very few people even knew my number. Then I remembered leaving my phone number on Lin Ironhead’s and Fatty Wang’s QQ last night—maybe it was one of them.

No one enjoys loneliness; I longed for friends, and even more for friends who could help me find work. So I dialed the number back.

The call connected, and I heard a cheerful voice: “Is that Feng? You got out and didn’t tell me ahead of time so I could pick you up.” I replied uncertainly, “Is this Fatty?”

He laughed, “Who else would it be? I saw your number on QQ and called you right away. Where are you? Have you found a job?”

“I’m back in my old mountain home for now. I haven’t found work yet—can you help me out?”

Fatty Wang chuckled on the other end, “The hotel I work at is hiring security guards. Why don’t you come and give it a shot?” I was tempted, but I worried that if they found out about my time in prison, they’d never hire me.

I said, “Fatty, I’ve just gotten out. The hotel won’t want someone like me.” He laughed, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just try—if you can get by, great; if not, we’ll look for something else.”

That made sense to me, so I said, “Fatty, where are you staying? I’ll come find you tonight.”

“I work at the Clear Creek Grand Hotel and live in Clear Water Community. Call me when you get here, and I’ll come get you. We’ll have a good chat.”

I recalled the day I was released, the stern-looking but actually kind head correctional officer. She had said to me with deep meaning, “Little Feng, I know you’re not bad at heart. When you get out, live well and don’t give up on yourself, understand?” I nodded and promised her, feeling deeply grateful. She could be strict when disciplining, but I knew she had looked out for me behind the scenes; that was why I hadn’t been bullied by other inmates.

It was time to pull myself together, find a job, and support myself.

After Fatty Wang’s call, I decided to leave my hometown and go find him. I saw that Sister Ye’s jacket and bra had dried; it seemed wrong to throw them away, so I stuffed them into my suitcase. As for the diamond ring Sister Ye gave me, it would be odd to wear it myself, so I wrapped it in newspaper and tucked it among my old clothes.

Before leaving, I went to pay my respects to Granny Li, then rode my bicycle back to the county town.

The whole way was downhill, so I rode quickly and reached the county in about an hour. Once I arrived, I called Fatty Wang. The county had developed rapidly in recent years, and I wasn’t familiar with it anymore, so I phoned him once I got there. He came to pick me up on his electric scooter.

Maybe it was the cooking job, but he’d gotten even fatter over the past few years. Seeing me, he was delighted and clapped me on the shoulder. “It’s good you’re out. Start anew, and don’t do anything reckless. If you really can’t hold back, I’ll take you somewhere—anything from a hundred to five hundred, all sorts of options, so why take such big risks?” I nodded with a faint, bitter smile, not bothering to explain—there was no point; it was all in the past.

He asked about prison life, and I brushed off his questions. Then he took me to his rented apartment in an old complex; his unit was on the sixth floor. It was about sixty square meters, with two bedrooms. He shared it with a young couple; each had a room, and they all shared the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Fatty Wang said the rent was seventeen hundred a month—he paid seven hundred, and the couple paid a thousand.

I sat down and said, “Fatty, you know my situation; I’ve got nothing right now. These wild mushrooms are all I managed to gather this morning.”

He laughed, “What are friends for? Dinner’s on me tonight. Afterward, I’ll take you to see the security captain at the hotel and ask if he’ll take you on.”

I was grateful. “Fatty, thanks. Should I bring him some wild mushrooms?”

He replied, “He wouldn’t care for those. I’ll get you a carton of Huazi cigarettes instead.”

I protested, “Fatty, a carton of Huazi costs four or five hundred yuan—that’s too much. If he still doesn’t want me, wouldn’t that be a waste?”

Fatty Wang said, “Feng, your situation is different. You’ve done time; without someone to vouch for you, you won’t get in. You have to be willing to spend a little to get what you want. Don’t worry—my treat. Pay me back when you start earning again.”