Let’s Talk for a Bit

Cigarettes were a luxury item in prison. On the other hand, weapons were a tool necessary for survival. And for a notorious place like Pelican Bay State Prison, not having a weapon wasn't just a safety issue. It was even considered embarrassing if one didn't have anything to protect himself.

Yang Yi was just a young man, after all. He couldn't help but feel frustrated after being rejected by Zhang Yong. Even after risking his life to see Zhang Yong in prison, Zhang Yong wasn't even going to talk to him, let alone teach him. How was Yang Yi not supposed to be angry?

If Zhang Yong wouldn't teach him, Yang Yi wasn't going to keep trying. It wasn't like Zhang Yong was the only teacher he could ever find. Besides, if Zhang Yong was just feeling too upset to teach because of how badly he lost while gambling, Yang Yi didn't want to have someone so narrow-minded teach him anyway.

That being said, Zhang Yong still had to show some respect for Danny. Since Danny was the one who sent Yang Yi to prison, it would be disgraceful for Zhang Yong to let Yang Yi be found dead later. So even if Yang Yi didn't get the training he wanted, at least his safety would be guaranteed.

Poker, Mahjong, or any game that involved some form of betting. It had been a long time since anyone was willing to gamble with Yang Yi and now, Yang Yi was finally able to regain that feeling he used to have back in his university days. Yes, it was the feeling of demolishing every other player on the gambling table.

There were now seven knives and all the cigarettes he had sold for them in front of Yang Yi. Except for the cigarettes which were passed to Carlos's crew, which were then passed on to the heavy smokers who used them straight away, all the cigarettes were now back under Yang Yi's possession.

After a short while of grumbling to himself, Zhang Yong stood up and announced, "Sorry, folks. You'll have to wait for your cigarettes until tomorrow. For now, nobody touches this boy. Got that? I'll give you back your cigarettes tomorrow. For now, just get back to whatever you were doing."

"Oh, so are you guys coming back tomorrow? You know, cigarettes aren't the only thing you can bet. I'm also willing to bet some shivs or rations if you're up for it," Yang Yi asked as if was having too much fun to notice how provocative he sounded.

Carlos didn't take his words kindly. "A cocky one, heh? Trust me, kid, you'll get what's coming for you," he scowled, but Zhang Yong quickly walked up between him and Yang Yi.

"A loss is a loss. You deserved whatever you won, but for now, let's just remember to stop at the right time," Zhang Yong said to Yang Yi as he shooed him away, but Yang Yi stayed where he was.

"Let's make a deal," Yang Yi suddenly switched to Mandarin.

"I won't bet anything apart from money, and I'm definitely not gambling on my freedom in this place," Zhang Yong shook his head as he responded in Mandarin as well.

"The word I used was deal, not bet. How about I teach you something and you teach me something?"

Zhang Yong looked rather disinterested, though. Yet, as though not bothered by his unresponsiveness, Yang Yi continued to speak calmly, "This prison is quite nice. It's clean, safe… boring at times. What's the fun of playing cards by yourself when you can play against me? I can even teach you if you want to! Honestly, you people are such amateurs when it comes to handling yourself at a gambling table…"

Yang Yi shook his head, "You won't improve your chess skills if you only play against beginners – same with cards. You can only improve if you play against someone skilled like me. If you learn from me, at least I can guarantee that you won't be sitting in last place the next time you join."

"Come on! Just think of it as a way to return the favor to Captain," Yang Yi smiled as he pointed towards himself, "If prison is too comfortable for you to leave, why don't you return the favor here and now?"

"You are a pretty good talker, I'll give you that," Zhang Yong grinned.

Seeing that Zhang Yong was now interested in his offer, Yang Yi came in closer and continued with his persuasion techniques, "Let me be clear first: I'm not forcing you in any way. I know you aren't that kind of person and I wouldn't dare to force you into doing something anyway. The only reason I played so well back then was so I could make you become interested in this deal I'm offering. Well, it's more of a suggestion than a deal, really. What do you say? Who else would enter prison just so they could learn from you?"

"How good are you really?" Zhang Yong suddenly asked. From the way Zhang Yong was looking around to see if others were eavesdropping on their conversation, it appeared that a poker tutoring session was the right bait to go with.

Yang Yi declared in a very serious tone, "I think if I tried really hard, I wouldn't have a problem going for the world championship in poker. Of course, I haven't put in the effort yet, but I reckon I can beat Phil Hellmuth or any other professionals. Yeah, call me a grandmaster if you want. I'm not saying that I can make you become as good as I am. I'm just saying that you will keep winning instead of losing if you learn from me."

"You know, I was pretty upset about the loss just now, but you do have a way of convincing others. I consider myself better than most in my generation, but my gambling habit is really a pain in my back. Even worse, I lose all the time. Look, it's not like I don't want to accept your offer, but training under me is really painful. It's dangerous, too."

"I almost lost my life on the way here. That's the least of my worries," Yang Yi laughed in relief. To Yang Yi, it was more worrying for him if Zhang Yong just didn't want to teach.

"I don't get it," Zhang Yong scratched his chin in perplexion, "Why does someone smart like you want to be in prison? Why not make a living in Vegas or something?"

"I have a reason for being here, man, and I'll go anywhere for that reason."

"Fine, you've got yourself a deal, but let's be clear on the fact that this… exchange won't be between teacher and student. I help you with combat and you help me with gambling; this is just two guys helping each other out with their weak points. This has nothing to do with being superior or inferior to another."

Yang Yi nodded, then quickly gave a shout to the other inmates, "Hey, guys!! I was just joking before! Whoever owns the knives can have them back."

As those who hadn't left yet came over and took back their knives, Yang Yi grabbed his cigarettes and handed them to Zhang Yong, "You should probably keep the cigarettes for yourself. Don't worry about me. I've got plenty left on me. Just promise me that when you come back tomorrow, you will give them to the guys and more than you took from them."

Zhang Yong smiled as he took the cigarettes. He warned Yang Yi, "Just to be clear: I don't owe you anything for this. You win it, you own it. It's your choice if you want to return the knives, but the joke is on you if you can't protect yourself when trouble comes."

After he said that, Zhang Yong turned to Marvin and Carlos and passed the cigarettes to them, "You two, thanks for lending me the cigarettes. I'll give the rest back to you by tomorrow. Again, come around anytime if you're up for a game," Zhang Yong said politely.

Carlos and his men looked quite aggressive before, but now, as Zhang Yong handed them back their cigarettes, their attitude suddenly became much more benevolent than before.

"You, come with me," Zhang Yong said to Yang Yi as he gestured for him to follow.

*****

As the two walked to a corner where no one else could hear, Zhang Yong suddenly turned around to ask, "What do you want to learn from me?"

"Too many things," Yang Yi answered, "Captain said that a strong body is fundamental to every technique, and he also mentioned how good of a fighter you are. I was thinking maybe you could help me train myself while teaching me some combat skills."

"Danny wasn't wrong about that; can't live in this business if you can't handle yourself in a fight. Hey, what do you think of those people there?" Zhang Yong said as he pointed towards Carlos and his crew.

"What, as fighters?" Yang Yi asked, " Personally, I think they are alright, but I don't think they keep their hands off you because you're friends or anything."

Zhang Yong laughed dryly, "You expect friends in this place? I fought my way through every single one of them! Look, here's a small goal for you if you want to learn anything else apart from the basics: let's have you learn other things once you can take all of them down by yourself."

"There are like fifty of them. Are you kidding me?" Yang Yi gasped as he quickly scanned the entire room.

"Numbers don't mean anything if you have the skills. Those six-foot guys don't know anything besides how to use brute force and fight dirty. If you do well in your training," Zhang Yong paused and smiled confidently, "It will be like playing with a bunch of children."

From the way Zhang Yong was smiling, it didn't seem like he was bluffing at all. Even after going through so much just to talk to the man in front of him, Yang Yi was rather astonished by how much better Zhang Yong was than he had even expected.

"Alright, alright! Sounds awesome!" Yang Yi suddenly laughed. Finally, the past few rather painful days were finally worth something.

"Training you won't be a problem if you just want to learn combat. We can start tomorrow. Hey, when are you teaching me how to play cards?"

"Anytime, man. Whenever you want."

"Alright then, tomorrow it is."