Chapter 99: The Video Parlor

The two of them started bantering.

Just then, the two lackeys beside the man in the suit got up and walked over, each sitting down next to a woman. Their hands began to wander without restraint, and the women didn’t resist much, even joining in with flirtatious teasing.

Li Zhuiyuan realized that the seats in the back row weren’t meant for regular moviegoers.

Just as he was about to get up and return to sit by Runsheng, the two couples beside him beat him to it—lifting the curtain and entering the mysterious corridor.

Soon, two door-closing sounds followed; there were likely a few small private rooms in there.

At this point, the man in the suit shouted, “Sister Mei, switch the tape! Switch the tape!”

Sister Mei poked her head out and scolded, “It’s not even evening yet, switch my ass!”

The man grumbled, “Come on, heat things up a bit. Set the mood. Switch it!”

Some of the other moviegoers chimed in playfully.

Although Sister Mei was backed by Bao Brother, she still had to go along with the crowd a little—they were all streetwise thugs, after all. So, she walked to the VCR, took out A Better Tomorrow, and rummaged through a long drawer for another tape to put in.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed Panzi and Leizi looking visibly excited and expectant, like tribal youths in an African village about to undergo their primal coming-of-age rite.

Soon, a new movie began playing—it was a costume drama.

No Mandarin dubbing, just Cantonese, but luckily it had subtitles. Then again, the subtitles didn’t really matter for what came next.

At first, the plot seemed normal, with a light and comedic tone. Li Zhuiyuan saw a short man selling pancakes and figured it might be a Hong Kong adaptation of Water Margin.

Until a man and a woman went into a room, drank some wine, lay down on a table, and began shedding clothes.

Only then did Li Zhuiyuan realize what kind of film this was.

Panzi and Leizi were wide-eyed, more engrossed than when watching a Chow Yun-fat film, determined not to miss a single frame. It was as if they wanted to etch every scene into their memory to savor later.

Li Zhuiyuan figured his two "brothers" had never looked at a blackboard in class with such focus.

Runsheng, on the other hand, turned red and looked down—not out of bashfulness, but genuine embarrassment.

This era marked the golden age of late-night Hong Kong and Taiwan cinema, which birthed a slew of classics that left a bold stroke on film history.

Not long after, the two men who had gone in earlier came back out. They lit cigarettes with feigned nonchalance, trying to mask a certain awkwardness in the smoke.

“So quick?” the suited man didn’t care about sparing his lackeys’ pride. “I haven’t even gotten in the mood yet.”

Still, he didn’t want to wait any longer. He got up with another lackey and headed into that shadowy corridor.

The steamy scene in the movie hadn’t even finished when the two returned.

Now, all four of them sat smoking silently, no longer rowdy.

Like they were living proof of the saying: lay down your butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the spot.

After a while, the suited man shouted again, “Sister Mei, put A Better Tomorrow back on!”

Enlightened, merciful, unable to bear any more “killing.”

“Damn it, so much trouble!”

Sister Mei was clearly annoyed, but she understood. She fetched the original tape, adjusted the position, and resumed the movie where it had left off.

When she finished, she deliberately looked their way, the corners of her mouth curled with mocking amusement.

She knew exactly when a man was like a toothless tiger.

Sure enough, the four men all avoided her gaze, suddenly like model citizens who wouldn’t even look at something improper.

The two women still sat in the back. They weren’t supposed to start work so early, but had been called in for four quick jobs.

Now, they couldn’t be bothered to leave—after all, they’d be coming back again at night.

Soon, they stood up and began sitting beside the other moviegoers, chatting intimately and teasing the men with wandering fingers.

At first, the chosen men righteously refused. Then came polite rejections, followed by half-hearted excuses…

Eventually, they sighed, stood up, and were led into that shadowy corridor—like men helpless before tigers, or do-gooders offering support.

With the resolve of, “If not me, then who?”

Meanwhile, Panzi, Leizi, and Runsheng were ignored from start to finish.

The women had sharp eyes and knew not to waste time on the wrong crowd.

If any of them had been good-looking, the women might’ve been happy to sit and chat through the movie—even for free. After all, such things were mutual.

Unfortunately, Panzi and his crew didn’t qualify. Though one boy was quite handsome, he was simply too young—just a few years older and maybe things would’ve been different.

Still, the afternoon showing had a small crowd. Most people had genuinely come to watch movies. With no more targets, the women soon left their seats to chat with Sister Mei.

By the time the movie ended, it was nearly dusk.

Seeing the theater wasn’t too crowded tonight, Panzi and Leizi thoughtfully moved from the center to the edges, ready to sneak in another screening.

Li Zhuiyuan, however, had to head home for dinner. He said goodbye and left the theater with Runsheng.

Runsheng liked movies—but he loved food even more.

Li Zhuiyuan stopped by the convenience store next door and bought four sodas and a few bags of snacks to bring to Panzi and Leizi.

As he passed Sister Mei’s little table, she was chatting with the two women.

They were business partners—Sister Mei provided the venue and lookout, and she got a cut of every job.

Seeing Li Zhuiyuan return with goods in hand, Sister Mei teased, “Ooh, little brother bringing treats for big sis? How sweet.”

She reached out playfully.

She’d only meant to tease the boy a bit, but instead of dodging, he leaned in and offered the goods closer for her to take.

She really did take a soda.

Li Zhuiyuan also handed her a bag of spicy strips.

That move left Sister Mei momentarily at a loss.

Then, Li Zhuiyuan went inside and gave the rest of the snacks to Panzi and Leizi.

When he came out again, Sister Mei pointed at the soda and spicy strips on the table. “Take these back. I’m not eating a kid’s food.”

“It’s fine. I want you to have them.”

Li Zhuiyuan shook his head. He wasn’t trying to win favor with Sister Mei, and he likely wouldn’t come to this theater again. But today, she’d let them watch half a movie for free, and now Panzi and Leizi were getting another one on the house.

“Hehehe.”

Sister Mei and the two women behind her chuckled. This boy really was something.

Just then, shouting came from outside. An old man pedaled a tricycle over while yelling, a middle-aged man sprawled on the back like a dead turtle—arms and legs flung outward, belly up.

Li Zhuiyuan noticed the man’s fingers were bluish, his lips a ghastly purple.

Sister Mei rushed out, arguing fiercely with the old man.

The old man waved his hands defensively, explaining he’d only taken the money to make the delivery—it wasn’t his fault.

The situation quickly became clear.

The unconscious man was Bao Brother—Sister Mei’s man. That afternoon, he’d gone to a bathhouse in Shigang Town, had a scrubdown, and passed out.

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t understand why someone needed a bathhouse in summer.

Even less did he know what a “big scrub” meant.

He could only guess it was some kind of extra-vigorous massage, and Bao Brother simply couldn’t take it, passing out midway.

The bathhouse owner didn’t call an ambulance. Instead, he had someone haul him back home on a tricycle.

Hospitals cost money—no one wanted to foot the bill.

Sister Mei’s face turned red, then white. She pinched the man hard a few times. The two women nearby kept trying to calm her down. In the end, Sister Mei had to cough up more money and climbed into the tricycle, urging the old man to pedal to the town clinic.

But the old man was spent—he’d already hauled him from Shigang to Shinan, and he usually only did short trips around Shigang. Even with more money, he just couldn’t keep pedaling.

Meanwhile, the man’s condition was getting worse—slapping his face didn’t wake him. If they didn’t get him to a hospital soon, he might not make it. Sister Mei was in a panic, cursing and crying.

“Xiaoyuan?” Runsheng looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan understood and nodded.

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