Who in the world does not know you?

Chapter 5 Small Window

When Yun Luobai asked him this, Yun Ping thought for a moment, but he didn't really remember.

He, as the father, had barely met Ma Ben before, let alone Yun Luobai, the son.

"Everyone lives in Ningzhou Prefecture. It's normal that he saw you when he passed by while you were playing on the street as a child."

Yun Luobai neither confirmed nor denied this.

"Didn't you say he was a distant relative of the prefect? ​​I thought he wasn't a local."

"The prefect is not from Ningzhou Prefecture, but Ma Ben is. Perhaps it was because of this coincidence that the prefect could not refuse, which is why he allowed Ma Ben to sneak into the government office as a jailer."

"I see."

Yun Luobai turned to look at the direction of the prison door. Perhaps due to the structure, the light was blocked, and everything in sight was pitch black, making him feel somewhat suffocated.

"Father, take me to see the cell where that female thief used to be."

Upon hearing this, Yunping nodded slightly and then led the way.

Upon entering the prison, one is greeted by a long, narrow corridor with stone walls on both sides and no light source.

Fortunately, light shone through the cell door, so they weren't walking in complete darkness.

There are square recesses on the wall, which seem to be for placing candlesticks to increase lighting, but for some reason they are empty.

"Why aren't there any candlesticks? Is the government office really that poor?"

"They used to be there, but people got tired of them later. During the day, you can see the way clearly, so there's no point in putting candlesticks there. At night, the only people who can freely move in and out of the prison are the jailers. Prisoners are arrested and can't get out. Over time, the jailers can walk through the corridor with their eyes closed without bumping into the wall."

"Hmm... I guess you could say I've gotten better with practice..."

"There is light inside, look."

Yunping pointed forward, and sure enough, a warm light emanated from it, looking like firelight.

When Yun Ping led Yun Luobai closer, several prison guards were packing up their belongings in preparation for leaving.

The prison guards were somewhat exhausted after their night shifts, not to mention that they had to take turns patrolling and checking on the prisoners' movements. Even if they could slack off and sleep, they wouldn't get a good rest.

On the square table were wine jars and several plates of leftover dishes. Logically speaking, drinking on night duty would inevitably lead to laxity in vigilance and should not be allowed in principle. However, in this government prison, the jailer Yunping was the rule.

Yunping was usually diligent and tolerant of his prison guards. He would turn a blind eye to them as long as they did not commit intolerable mistakes. Whenever someone encountered difficulties, he would lend a helping hand if he knew about it. Because of his empathy, the prison guards all loved and respected him.

"Warden, you've arrived!"

Upon seeing Yunping arrive, several prison guards who were tidying up the remaining items on the table stood up at the same time.

The firelight illuminated each face, and all eyes were focused on Yunping's face.

Gone were the usual carefree smiles; everyone's expressions were now extremely solemn.

"Why are you all staring at me? Go home already."

"Warden! Don't worry, we've discussed it. We'll take the blame for losing the prisoner! At worst, we'll quit being jailers and go back to farming; it won't make much difference!"

One of them suddenly spoke up, and the others echoed his words.

"That's right, it was our mistake during the job, how could it possibly implicate you?!"

"Last time my mother fell seriously ill, it was you who helped me get a doctor, which saved her life. Don't worry, we brothers are of one mind, we'll take responsibility for this!"

Upon hearing this, Yunping grinned. He looked up at the prison guards in front of him; they were all in their twenties or thirties, much younger than him.

Yun Luobai stood silently beside Yun Ping.

He had initially thought the jailers in front of him were just good-for-nothings, wasting their time in the prison, but he never expected them to say such things for Yunping.

Being a jailer in this prison is a hundred times easier than the days of toiling in the fields with your face to the soil and your back to the sky.

"Carry my ass! I have a son, and you all know he just bought me a big house. Even if I don't become a jailer, I can still live a comfortable life. If you don't become jailers, how will you support your wives and children? Farm? If you want to farm in Ningzhou Prefecture, you need to have land to farm first."

Yunping smiled, his eyes shining brightly in the candlelight.

"This is my son, Yun Luobai. You should all have met him before, so I don't need to introduce him."

"Hello everyone, thank you all for taking such good care of my father."

Yun Luobai bowed to the jailers in front of him, displaying the demeanor of a scholar.

He nodded slightly, his eyes half-closed, trying his best not to let his gaze linger on any of the prison guards.

He did this to prevent the other party from striking up a conversation.

"Luo Bai still has a scholarly air about him. If he were to take the imperial examination, he would surely pass with flying colors..."

"Yeah, unlike us, we're stuck here in this prison as jailers, not knowing when it'll ever end..."

Yun Ping knew that Yun Luobai was always reserved and that the latter had accompanied him to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the female thief, so he did not want to waste words with the others present.

"Alright, you guys can go now. There's no need to wait for the shift change. Ma Ben has already left, so you can go too."

"Ma Ben? We couldn't be bothered traveling with him. Who does he think he is? If he really wants your position as jailer, we'll all quit and let him watch over these prisoners himself!"

The jailers were clearly not friendly to Ma Ben, who had gotten in through connections. After tidying up the things on the table, they said goodbye to the Yun family father and son and left.

After everyone left, only the Yun father and son remained in the prison, besides the prisoners in their cells.

"Luo Bai, do you still remember how often you used to come to this prison to see me? On rainy days, you were worried I'd get wet, so you even braved the rain to bring me a raincoat..."

"Of course I remember."

"You're a good child, it's so good that you survived unharmed..."

Yun Ping muttered to himself as he walked toward the area where the prison was located, with Yun Luobai following closely behind.

The scene inside the prison was actually quite monotonous; all you could see were the completed cells and the silent prisoners inside.

Staying in a place like this for too long will definitely make a person lose their vitality.

Yun Ping and Yun Luobai's footsteps echoed in the passageway between the two cells. Some prisoners looked up at the boy, dressed in a neat blue robe, who seemed out of place in the gloomy environment.

Each cell holds only one prisoner, because there are more cells than prisoners.

Ningzhou Prefecture has always been very safe, and there are not many criminals. Most of them are just habitual thieves who have been imprisoned for a period of time and then released.

When Yun Luobai stood with Yun Ping outside an empty cell, the first thing he noticed was a small, square-shaped window with bars on the upper part of the cell wall.

The morning light streamed into the cell through the small window, warm and bright.