Wang Lixin's story is a profound reflection and a warning from life. She went through many hardships during her time in prison, but the most palpitating of them was the inescapable pain – a toothache.
Wang Lixin was sentenced to five years in prison for pyramid schemes, and her life was like a long nightmare when she traveled all the way from the north to the prison in the south. In this strange and cruel environment, she experienced the greatest fear of the inmates, which was not the sentence, but the physical discomfort.
In prison, minor illnesses have become the norm, but there is no warm care. Toothache is the most common problem, but there is no way to talk about it. There is a waiting period to extract a tooth, and while waiting, the pain accumulates.
Every day is high-intensity labor, there is no random heating at home, there is no freedom to drink water at any time, and sick leave is also strictly restricted. Wang Lixin recalled that it was not surprising that she had a headache and brain fever, and eating fruit became a luxury, and she could only get an apple or orange a week.
A toothache is not a disease, it hurts badly. This phrase becomes especially powerful in prison. Unfortunately, toothache is the most unbearable. Toothache isn't just pain, it's a ripple effect.
First of all, it affects eating, and if you can't eat, you have to keep working, or you will be punished. Toothache can also lead to the inability to sleep at night, which in turn affects the next day's work, creating a vicious cycle of unspeakable suffering.
In prison, people do whatever it takes to relieve their toothaches. Some people will hit the wall in an attempt to distract from the painOthers try to extract their own teeth, but the results are often not promising.
However, the most poignant story happened in Wang Lixin's lower bunk, her sister Yingjie. Sister Ying was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for drug trafficking, and while serving her sentence, she experienced a nightmare of toothache.
Sister Ying is a strong and righteous person, and she always can't bear to see unfair things. At dinner once, an old prisoner took out chicken feet and distributed them to others, but he skipped the newcomer Wang Lixin. Sister Ying couldn't look past it, so she took half a chicken grab from her bowl and sandwiched it into Wang Lixin's bowl.
However, Wang Lixin couldn't eat spicy food because of the ulcer in her mouth, so she had to return the chicken to Sister Ying. This time and again, the two had a conflict. Wang Lixin thought that it was not only because she didn't want to eat, but also because she didn't want to embarrass the old criminal, so she rejected Sister Ying's kindness.
After an argument, Sister Ying finally shared her experience of toothache, and it turned out that she was ready for dental restoration before serving her sentence. However, while waiting for the dentures to be made, he was caught and could not complete the repair, so he had to endure the pain of temporary dentures.
Not only was the dentures unstable, but they also often fell off, causing her to suffer while eating. Sister Ying warned Wang Lixin that the pain of this kind of life is more terrible than prison, and makes people feel the true meaning of losing their freedom.
Nowadays, prison management is becoming more humane, and perhaps there will be better care. However, this story is a profound reminder that staying away from crime is the most important thing. In prison, it is not only physical freedom that is lost, but also all kinds of unforeseen pain and inconvenience.
The scourge of imprisonment is thought-provoking. Wang Lixin's self-told story is like a mirror, reflecting the enormous cost of violating the law. Valuing life and turning away from sin is her warning and a lesson that each of us should remember. May we learn from her experience, cherish freedom, cherish life, and stick to the bottom line of the law.