109 Lollipop

The next day, Ah Sing was groggily shaken awake by Li Daniu. Having spent the previous night lost in restless thoughts until the early hours, he was exhausted from the lack of sleep.

"Master, good morning," Ah Sing yawned.

Li Daniu acknowledged him without further comment. After grabbing breakfast at the hotel, he brought Ah Sing out. Once he had bought some clothes for the boy, Li Daniu asked, "Do you know of any low-rent housing areas around here?"

"Low-rent areas?"

Li Daniu nodded. "Yes, places where the rent is extremely cheap. My three enemies are hiding out in one of those."

Ah Sing pondered for a moment before replying, "Come to think of it, there’s Pigsty Alley nearby. It should be the cheapest place in all of Shanghai."

"Take me there."

Ah Sing was already trapped on Li Daniu’s ship. Though he still hesitated about the prospect of murder, he had no choice but to lead the way toward Pigsty Alley.

"Master, I've never fired a gun before. Should we find somewhere for me to practice?" Ah Sing asked, touching the submachine gun tucked inside his bag. He wasn't genuinely interested in marksmanship; he just wanted to burn through the ammunition. Since Li Daniu had only snatched one gun and a single magazine the night before, he figured if he exhausted the bullets, he could buy himself some more time.

"It doesn't matter. It’s a submachine gun; just aim at someone and spray," Li Daniu said, sensing Ah Sing’s ulterior motive. This was a trial, after all—how could he let the boy have his way?

Throughout the journey, no matter what excuse Ah Sing invented—a stomach ache, sore feet, or claiming he had forgotten the route—Li Daniu ignored them entirely.

"Your life belongs to me now. If you don't want to help, you can return the money and get lost, or you can just kill yourself."

Ah Sing offered an awkward smile. "How could I not want to help you, Master? If we really run into your enemies later, you won't even need to lift a finger. I won't even need the gun—I'll just take them down with my own fists."

He wouldn't dare leave, even if offered money to go. After witnessing Li Daniu’s martial arts prowess the previous night, he knew this man was capable of walking across Shanghai unchallenged. What were the Axe Gang, the Crocodile Gang, or even the Japanese compared to him? For someone like Ah Sing, who desperately wanted to make something of himself, the temptation was too great. Besides, if he left now, the Axe Gang might turn around and hunt him down; compared to Bone, he was still a "famous" hoodlum in Shanghai.

On the way to Pigsty Alley, Li Daniu spotted a familiar face: the female lead from the original film who didn't have a single line of dialogue. What was going on? Was Shanghai really that small? Li Daniu mused as he watched her pushing her ice cream cart. Why couldn't he see the mysterious beggar, though?

"Master, are you craving ice cream? I'll go buy you some," Ah Sing offered, his talent for reading the room sharp. Of course, besides wanting some himself, he was looking for another way to stall. Even if they reached Pigsty Alley, they might not find the enemies, but what if they were actually there?

"I'm not craving ice cream. I'm questioning your guts," Li Daniu said, playing the villain with a cold tone. "Do you truly dare to pull the trigger and kill someone?"

"Of course I do! It’s just killing, isn't it? Who hasn't done that?" Ah Sing blustered, refusing to show weakness. "Master, you don't know—I’m quite famous in Shanghai. I’ve lost count of how many lives I’ve taken with my own two hands. Back in the day, I took two watermelon knives and hacked my way from the East Road of Shanghai all the way to..."

"Then go rob that ice cream vendor." Li Daniu had no interest in listening to his boasting, and he was worried that Ah Sing might truly be set on a path of crime. In the film, when Ah Sing robbed the girl, the lollipop she had cherished for years became a pivotal catalyst in his internal struggle between good and evil. Since he had spotted her, Li Daniu needed to ensure Ah Sing experienced that moment again. Heaven and hell are always separated by a single line.

"Rob her?" Ah Sing exclaimed. "Master, how much money could she possibly have? Besides, ice cream is cheap—we have money!"

"I'm just testing your nerve." Li Daniu reached over, took the bag back from Ah Sing’s shoulder, and said, "And it’s *my* money, not yours."

Seeing Li Daniu take back the bag, Ah Sing didn't dare resist. He knew Li Daniu was right; whether it was the money or the gun, nothing in that bag belonged to him.

"What, too scared?" Li Daniu offered a disdainful smile. "You can't even handle a robbery, and you tell me you dare to kill?"

Ah Sing fell silent. He really was scared. In his entire life, the most extreme thing he had done was petty theft. He hadn't even successfully pulled off a shakedown, so how could he commit a robbery in broad daylight?

"Go on then, I don't need your life anymore," Li Daniu said, shaking his head in a feigned retreat as he turned to leave.

"Who says I'm scared?" Ah Sing roared, turning and charging toward the girl.

Li Daniu crossed his arms and settled into the role of an audience member. By the time Ah Sing reached the girl, the courage Li Daniu had stoked in him had vanished.

"Ah... wa..." The girl gestured, looking at Ah Sing with confusion. Why did this person look so familiar?

*She's a mute?* Ah Sing felt even more conflicted. She was already poor, and now he found out she was mute. Could he really go through with this?

Seeing his hesitation, the girl smiled, prepared an ice cream, and held it out to him. Looking into her kind eyes, Ah Sing gritted his teeth, snatched the ice cream, and ran, leaving her standing there in stunned silence.

"Master, I've robbed her!" Ah Sing ran back to Li Daniu, licking the ice cream with feigned triumph. "It’s so sweet, Master! Let’s go quickly, or she’ll call the police!"

*The hell kind of robbery was that?*

Li Daniu was furious. *I told you to rob her so you'd see the lollipop in her money box, and you bring me an ice cream? And since you call me Master, shouldn't you have offered it to me first? What’s with that greedy look on your face? Don't you know your Master has never tasted 1940s Shanghai ice cream?*

"I told you to rob the money! Do you understand? The money!"

"Robbing the ice cream counts as a robbery, too," Ah Sing muttered, still licking the treat.

"Are you going back, or not?"

"I'm going, I'm going!" Ah Sing threw the half-eaten ice cream to the ground and charged at the girl again.

The girl, having just recovered, thought he was coming back to pay, so she reached out her hand.

"Still reaching out?" Ah Sing slapped her hand away, pulled a small pocket knife he carried for self-defense, and stabbed it into the wooden counter of the cart. Putting on his fiercest expression, he barked, "This is a robbery! Do you understand? A robbery! Hand over the money!"

Seeing her blank expression, Ah Sing reached under the cart, pulled open the small compartment, grabbed the cash box, and dumped the contents into his pockets.

"Ah... ba..."

The girl didn't try to stop him. Instead, she pulled another box from under the cart, took out a lollipop, and held it out to him.

As Ah Sing looked at the lollipop, the memory of that childhood hero-saving-the-damsel moment flooded his mind.

*"A fool and a mute... just go die..."*

*Is she that mute girl?* Ah Sing looked at the girl's hopeful eyes. He gritted his teeth, swiped the lollipop from her hand, threw the empty cash box to the ground, and sprinted away.

This time, he didn't run toward Li Daniu. He ran until he was far out of sight, collapsing to the ground, completely drained of strength.

Li Daniu caught up. Although the scene had unfolded slightly differently than in the movie, his objective had been achieved. He was certain that Ah Sing had remembered the past he was never meant to forget.

"Are you still coming with me?"

Ah Sing sat in silence for a long moment before looking up.

"Let's go."