Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

Nearly six o'clock, the sky was dark, Fan Shitian came back, and ordered everyone to leave immediately.He changed his plan, thinking that no one should venture across the fields at night, as there were too many people in the valley. They walked slowly along a gravel road to Pingdi Creek.Not thirty feet from the road bridge, a small boat was waiting, partly hidden among the weeping willows.Fan Shitian has arranged with the boatman to take them down the stream through Longgang, and start climbing the mountain from there.If they could descend into the stream before midnight, they would have four or five hours to climb the mountain before dawn.

It was a boat used to catch turtles.The boat maiden had a black turban wrapped around her head.She lives with her teenage son, her daughter and her husband, who is older.They were all barefoot, and their calves, which were exposed under their shorts, were either very clean or covered with a thick layer of mud.The family catches soft-shelled turtles back and forth in small rivers and streams, and after cleaning them, they sell them to the market.They speak their own dialect, similar to that spoken by Hong Kong boatmen.Since ancient times, they have not had to pay taxes.The government can't help them either.They worship Mazu, who is in charge of wind and waves, but they do not stop doing this business of killing because of this, they still catch and kill turtles.

The boatman's twelve-year-old daughter, seeing James stepping out of the boat with the others, stared wide-eyed at the tall white man.She is dark brown and has a pink flower pinned in her hair.She covered her mouth, not daring to let a foreigner see her smiling. There are many turtle shells scattered on the deck.Freshly caught soft-shelled turtles are kept in a large cage and hung in the water.In the middle of the boat is a bamboo frame canvas tent, which is where the boatman lives. How can we squeeze in so many people?James said hesitantly. Can.Fan Shitian said. The Chuanniang's family was busy cleaning up the central part of the boat, cleaning it vigorously with a wet rag.

We got it all done in no time. Some soft-shelled turtles were thrown back into the river.Of course, they would never have another chance to make twenty dollars a night. Those turtles will still be there.We can still find them in the mud when we get back. When they finished packing, the boatman put some large cages in the bow to cover the inside.They will go around Longgang, and the lights of the city will shine on the cage. One by one, they stooped and squeezed into hiding places.After everyone sat down, a well-woven bamboo curtain was lowered at the entrance behind. Everyone huddled together.The place is too small to stretch your legs.If you want to stretch your legs, you have to take turns.It's warm and safe when everyone is huddled together.Fan Shitian distributed some steamed buns to everyone, and ordered the boat lady's daughter to make tea.

Outside, Chuanniang was chatting with her family, but couldn't hear what they were saying.The boat moved forward, and every time the oars were rowed, the bamboo frame made a creaking sound.They heard the little girl laughing.From the opening and closing of the bamboo curtains, they could see the lights on both sides of the river. Suddenly, an unpleasant smell of blood hit their noses, and Yi Su covered his nose with a handkerchief.The air is stagnant and stale. James lit a cigarette and handed one to Fan Shitian and Lihua. Take a few puffs of smoke to dilute the smell here.Isu said. She saw a smile on Fan Shitian's face as he lit his cigarette without saying a word.

After taking a puff of cigarette, he said: Don't worry, after tonight, you will spend most of your time sleeping in the open air. Axue also felt that the air was suffocating, so she went out to sit with the boatman. Ah Zhao, sitting next to Lihua, inhaled the smell of cigarettes with his nose, and happily said: "It smells so good, let me take a breath." Don't give it to him, Lihua said: He is not yet fifteen years old. Everyone huddled together in the dark like this, smelling the choking smell of smoke and the pungent smell of turtle blood.After the boat passed Longgang, everyone decided to remove the bamboo curtain behind to let fresh air in.

They are now heading up the river, towards the mountain, and it is very difficult for boats to paddle along this waterway.The rocking of the boat put several people to sleep.The rest of the people quietly, thinking about their own minds.Fan Shitian leaned close to Lihua, carefully studying a piece of crumpled paper under the light of the flashlight. Here it is, this is the route we are going.He said. James brought it over and borrowed a flashlight to look at it.It was a simple sketch, drawn casually with a pencil, and only the names of the stations along the way were drawn: Huangshakeng, Pilingzhang, Sanyoutian, etc., but the distance between the stations was very clear.

Are these all stations on the hill? Yes.We will pass through Daguling between the first and second stops.Just below Sanyoutian, there are armed border guards patrolling. How do we get through the barbed wire at the border? My people have tools.Fan Shitian said succinctly. The boat came to a standstill, and someone was busy at the stern. James went out and crawled in the stern. It was very dark and the moon was looming.The surface of the water was rippled and shimmering with little waves.The boatman dropped the anchor in the water, and the water crashed against the hull, making a crisp, rhythmic sound.

Esu also came out, lying beside James. Why did the boat stop? We have to wait here for the last bus to Pingshan. Fan Shitian stretched out his head, staring with wide eyes.He vaguely recognized the road going out to Pingshan.On their left, two or three kilometers away, there was a light. That is Hirayama.He said.We're going ashore before Pingshan. The boatman's daughter was now lighting a fire on the earthen stove, and ladled a teapot of water from the river.The boatman's son, about thirteen or fourteen years old, took out a flute and tried a few notes at random.Then he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and began to blow a simple tune, soft and brisk, repeated over and over again.

Don't you think we should tell that kid not to blow it?Yi Su asked. Let him blow it.His flute is a cover for us. The girl was washing the teapot and cups, waiting for the water in the kettle to boil.The firelight illuminated her small, round smiling face. Yi Su noticed a small wooden shrine, with a few sticks of incense burning in front of it, shining a little red light in the breeze on the river. That is the statue of Mazu.Esu told James that she was the goddess who ruled the wind and waves.All who make their living at sea worship him. The boatman waited quietly for his tea. Can we have a drink?Yi Su asked.

Our tea is not as expensive as yours.We drink strong tea.However, if you are going to travel overnight, it is best to drink strong tea. James watched the boatman, who sat quietly smoking his pipe.The sight of the turtle catcher and his family huddled happily in the stern was beyond belief for James. Is this what you usually do?Tea at this time of night?James couldn't help asking. Yes.Work best at night, especially when there is a moon.When there is no moon, we hang lanterns beside the boat.The soft-shelled turtles would gather around to look at the lanterns.Turtles can't see us, but we can see them.All we have to do is catch it with a net. James suddenly had an idea.He leaned over to Yi Su and said: How about the soft-shelled turtle soup? Turtle soup?Yi Su asked in a low voice. Yes, turtle soup. Yi Su raised his head and said to the boatman: Could you make us some turtle soup? OKYou can never buy such a fresh soft-shelled turtle in the market. Everyone can taste it all? There are many in cages, and they are kept in water. Is there enough time? Why is it too late?We only need to cut open the soft-shelled turtle, boil it in water, and add some salt.Just not enough bowls. The boat lady was busy making soft-shelled turtle soup.She chopped a little onion. They didn't expect to eat soft-shelled turtle soup.There were only four bowls on board, and the boat lady thought that the city people were very clean, so she washed the bowls in the river before serving them soup. After drinking the soft-shelled turtle soup, everyone felt refreshed and their eyes became brighter.James said that he had never tasted such delicious soft-shelled turtle soup in Hong Kong. Listening to James speak Cantonese, the boat lady's daughter kept giggling. You have a lovely family.said James to the boatman.Every night there is tea, soft-shelled turtle soup, the moon, and the sound of the flute. At this time, the simplicity of the environment completely disappeared. James took out some Hong Kong dollars and stuffed them into Fan Shitian's hands. You give him the money.We should pay for the boat. I'm in charge of this kind of thing along the way.You must not leave any trace of our escape route nearby. Well, I'll settle the matter with you when I get to Hong Kong. While they were drinking turtle soup, they saw the headlights of a car passing by, heading in the direction of Pingshan. A few minutes later, the boatman lifted anchor and the boat rowed upstream again.In the valley, the round moon rose.It was past midnight. Just near the road, they bid farewell to the boatman one by one and went ashore.Ahead was dark and gloomy.The highway was dead silent. Fan Shitian did not use a flashlight, but led everyone towards the foot of the mountain.After crossing the road, there is no road; the gravel riverbank gradually turns into a rocky outcrop.However, as they walked east around the hill, the road was easier. On the other side of the hill was a small, sleepy village.There, there is a short country lane running east-west.On the south side of the road, there are gradually rising terraced rice fields, which stretch for about one kilometer. After about two hours, they came to the end of a trail.Everyone spread out and sat on the ground to rest.James looked at his watch. It was a quarter past two. To their left, a mountain stream murmured in the night.Otherwise, it was so silent that even a whisper could be heard twenty feet away. How far is it?Mr. Duan asked Fan Shitian.He was out of breath. Not far away, about a kilometer away.But this part of the road is very steep.We're afraid it will take an hour. Do you know where we're going? Yes, I have a friend in Wong Sha Hang.He's our man and we're safe there. James helped Mr. Duan up the mountain road, Yisu took care of Ya'er, Axue carried the burden, and Azhao walked in front.They walked along a small ravine that got steeper and steeper.The gravel on the surface of the path made them crawl slowly and laboriously.In some places, the rock was hewn into steps.When they turned a corner, they heard the sound of a waterfall in the distance. Then, the path has a flat road.Yi Su and her father rested for a while, watching Ah Zhao and Ah Xue continue to move forward.Ah Xue already knew that Ah Zhao had helped save her life. Little Ya'er, although he is small, he is not weak in climbing mountains. Are we going to Liberty City?He asked Isu. Yes, of course to Liberty City. He turned to James again: Are there many Englishmen like you in Liberty City? James smiled and replied: What does it mean to be like me? Tall, blue eyes, with a gun? Not all of us carry guns.You see it from the movie.We are usually at home, and we don't carry guns every day. Does it smell like you too? Yi Su wanted to stop Xiao Ya'er from continuing. turn out to be?I have a taste of foreigners?James asked. You have all of them.Sister Angelica also has a foreign taste. That's why they eat butter.Isu said. Okay, I get it now.I see.James said. People here don't eat butter, so the store has butter, and you can smell it when you smell it. At this moment, there was a mournful howl in the distance, like a wolf howling.Yi Su felt that Xiao Ya'er was shaking all over.Then, there was no sound at all, and after a few seconds, this creepy sound came again, the sound was long and low, coming from above their heads. They look up.Some fifty yards above was a steep cut-off, with ochre-colored rocks and gutters visible in the moonlight.On the top of the cliff, there are some pines and cypresses, which stretch clearly to the sky.The moon has begun to sink. They waited for Fan Shitian, who walked behind with Lihua. What is the sound? I heard that there are wolves and wild boars in the mountains. The sound just now seemed to be wolves howling at the moon. look!James cried out.He pointed to the edge of a rock wall.The head and neck of a wild animal were turned upwards, and in the moonlight, it showed a very clear profile. That could be a wolf.Fan Shitian said.Maybe people startled them.Their sense of smell is exceptionally keen. Are there hunters in the mountains?James asked. I have no idea.Farmers sometimes trap wild boars.Especially in the vicinity of Daguling, there are relatively few in Wutong Mountain. I'll give it a try.Fan Shitian was almost talking to himself as he took out an iron box from the rice basket. He opened the iron box, grabbed a pinch of powder and sprinkled it in the air. what is that? Fan Shitian was so absorbed that he didn't answer. Will it still bark? Stop calling.There was a dead silence.The head of the beast also disappeared.No more sound was heard. What it is?James asked. Seems to be working.Fan Shitian said. What the hell is that? Tiger dung.The wolf must have smelled it and walked away. where did you get it I have a friend who works at Huiyang Zoo, and I asked him to collect them for me. I didn't smell anything!Isu said. You can't smell it, but the beast can.Beasts protect themselves by their sense of smell. Is that fresh poop?Or Chen Shi?James asked. very fresh.It stays put for a long time if it gets a little wet.I heard that the tiger's tail has the same effect, but the part near the buttocks should be cut. Little Red Riding Hood should bring some of these things to ward off evil spirits.Then, the wolf will run away when it meets her.Have you read the story of Little Red Riding Hood?James asked Isu. I have read it.Isu laughed. Great, it's a fugitive's science. why not?Isu said: "It's like a tranquilizer. Yes.First of all, let the wolf smell the smell of tiger dung, the wolf's adrenin will increase, and the wolf will be immobilized due to fear.Then, catch the wolf and give a sedative, then the wolf and the lamb will play together like friends. By the time they reached Huangshakeng, the dawn sky had already turned pale.