PFC Chapter 233 Compromise
Chapter 233 Compromise
Inside the warden's office, Andy, starving and with his stomach sticking to his back, sat in a chair, filled with helplessness and speechlessness.
That hypocritical and petty Warden Norton clearly promised me a day to think it over, but now he won't let me leave.
What do you mean?
Every time Andy came to the door to leave, Mad, who was guarding the door, would cast a fierce glare at him, as if warning Andy: If you dare to step out of the desk, I will give you a good beating.
With his skinny arms and legs, Andy was no match for the fat and chubby Mad, not to mention that Mad had a weapon.
“Mr. Med, it’s lunchtime now. Aren’t you going to have lunch? After all, health is the foundation of everything. Proper rest and replenishment of energy are essential for better work.”
"..."
Seeing that Med had a sour face and showed no intention of answering, Andy continued, "You don't want to go to lunch? Fine, then it seems I'll have to go to the cafeteria by myself. But could you please move aside a little?"
Mad still didn't answer, frowned, and slowly placed his right hand on the baton at his waist.
In Shawshank Prison, regardless of race, everyone is the same in the eyes of the guards—a worthless life. Even though Andy had helped Mad with his taxes, that didn't change Mad's mind.
Don't expect a guard to speak calmly to a prisoner.
Andy knew that if he dared to step out of the office, that bastard Mad would show him no mercy.
"Those two bastards..."
Andy cursed inwardly, took a deep breath, and retreated back into his office.
Sitting in the chair, Andy tried his best to appear calm and composed.
Seeing Andy retreat back into the office, Mad slowly spoke: "You are not allowed to leave the office until the warden returns, understand?"
"......"
Andy remained silent for a while, secretly pondering a solution.
After a moment, Andy looked up. "I understand. In that case, I'll wait here for the warden to return. But I need to eat, I haven't even had breakfast..."
Mad raised an eyebrow, hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded. "I'll have someone bring some food and water. You stay in your office and behave yourself. If I come back and find you missing, I won't let you off the hook!"
After saying that, Mad turned and left the office.
Andy leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pondered his next plan.
Where could he go in Shawshank Prison before he dug his tunnel?
I think of the friends I made in prison, and the library that was finally expanded.
His only remaining option was to temporarily submit...
......
The following morning, sunlight streamed through the library windows and fell on Andy, but he didn't feel any warmth.
Andy sat in the library, silently doing the same work as always.
However, unlike before, today he had a sharp-eyed guard by his side who kept a close eye on Andy, as if afraid he might do something out of line.
Andy lowered his head, staring at the ledger on the table, and a sense of familiarity welled up in his heart.
He felt as if he had returned to the days when he worked in the laundry room. Back then, he washed dirty bed sheets, but now, in this library, he was "cleaning" shady money.
Following Warden Norton's instructions, Andy converted all of these illegal proceeds into stocks, bonds, and other forms.
Each transaction made him feel nauseous, but he knew he had no choice but to silently endure the pain and continue with his work.
Time passed by, and finally it was afternoon. Andy had completed his task for the day.
Under the watchful eyes of the guards, he slowly stood up, picked up the ledger and a few thin envelopes from the table, and walked toward the warden's office.
Each step seemed unusually heavy, as if a thousand-pound burden was pressing down on his shoulders.
......
When Andy entered the warden's office with the ledger, the guards following him stopped and left the office building.
Looking at Warden Norton sitting behind his desk, Andy took a deep breath, walked up to Warden Norton, and handed him the ledger.
Warden Norton took the ledger, looked at it, and nodded in satisfaction.
“Well done, Andy,” Warden Norton said.
Andy secretly vowed to make the warden pay for his crimes.
"Alright, you did a good job today, I'm very satisfied. Keep up the good work in the future, and I'll make sure you have a comfortable life in prison."
"Understood, Warden." Andy slowly lowered his head, looking resigned.
"Okay, you can go now..."
Andy turned and left, but in his mind he was already planning his next move.
......
After Andy left, Warden Norton got up from his chair, picked up the envelope on the table and put it in his lap. He then put the thick ledger into the safe behind the embroidery.
......
After leaving the office, Andy ran into Red on his way to the prison canteen.
Red was shrewd and had a keen eye for detail; he immediately noticed the fatigue in Andy's eyes.
“Andy, you look so tired,” Red asked with concern.
Andy forced a smile and shook his head. "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired."
Tired? How could I possibly be tired?
How tiring can a job like managing books in a library and giving financial advice to others be?
This amount of work is a piece of cake for Andy's abilities. When Red helped Andy before, he found that Andy was very efficient. This kind of work was no problem for Andy.
However, even if Andy hadn't told Red about Norton's money laundering scheme, Red's intelligence and keen insight would have detected something amiss.
After all these years of friendship, Andy's every move was under Red's watchful eye. Although Andy seemed nonchalant on the surface, Red always felt that he was hiding something.
Moreover, Andy has seemed preoccupied these past two days, as if he's troubled by something.
Red couldn't help but wonder if Andy had run into some kind of trouble...
But since Andy didn't tell him directly, Red couldn't just intervene.
Reed could only pat Andy on the shoulder and say, "Take care of yourself, don't push yourself too hard."
Andy gave Reed a grateful look. "I will."