Chapter 20 Chapter Nineteen

They arrived one by one.In order not to be discovered by the patrol team, they drove for about ten kilometers overnight before reaching a place where, if they followed a direct route, they could walk there in half an hour.Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, especially Fan Shitian. Zhang Fu and A Xue were busy talking.Three new refugees came with them, one of them wearing a Lenin suit and carrying a gun. James was the last to arrive. James!James!Yi Su shouted. Yi Su stretched out his arms.James was standing on a rock about ten feet away, about to jump off. Honey, I'm back. Yi Su leaned forward and staggered down the stream.James just jumped down and hugged her, splashing everywhere.The water in the mountain stream was shallow, and Yisu's coat and face were splashed with water droplets.

Honey, you are not hurt, are you? No, How about you? They laughed together.Ah Xue and Zhang Fu sat on a rock nearby, smiling at the couple.James and Isu walked up hand in hand. OMG!Yi Su said with a smile, the tears on his face mixed with the stream. James stamped his foot and wiped the water off his windbreaker. Mr. Duan looked at them happily.You'd better take off your shoes and socks, there's a fire over there. They sat down near the fire. Who are those people who came with you?Yi Su asked. They are going with us.I'll tell you later. They lifted their feet up to warm the fire, and Mr. Duan came over and said: James, something happened last night, I want you to thank Ewha.

Thanks for what? It doesn't matter, as long as you thank her sincerely, I will explain later. James looked at Yi Su, and she blushed and said: Dad is right, you go and thank her. Why?can't you tell me Just listen to your father and thank her. Isn't it funny to thank someone without knowing the reason?James said. It's okay, Yi Su said, where's your watch? There is a story.We were starving to death, walking all night and hiding all day during the day with nothing to eat. Lihua and Fan Shitian stood side by side, with their backs to them. James put on his leather shoes barefoot, walked up to Li Hua, and held out his hand to her.

Someone told me that I should thank you very much, although I don't know what happened, it must have something to do with Yi Su.Please accept my sincere thanks, will you? Lihua glanced at him, turned her face away, and giggled. Nothing, nothing, really. what happened?James asked Fan Shitian.Fan Shitian pulled him aside and told him what happened last night.In order to avoid embarrassment, Lihua walked over to be with Duan's family. Why did the captain take a fancy to Yi Su? Because he saw Pear Blossom with me.There is no need to talk anymore, the matter is over. They walked back to the fire, and Cai Shan spoke to everyone.

Tomorrow, at four o'clock in the afternoon, we will go down Wutong Mountain.We will work harder tonight. We must climb over the mountain and find a safe place to hide before dawn.I hope everyone is well prepared.If the bird flies, it's only five kilometers away, but we have to walk for more than half the night to get there. when are we leavingFan Shitian asked. As soon as it gets dark and we can cross the flat ground with peace of mind, we will set off and climb a section of mountain to reach the village on the opposite mountainside.We have to wait in the village for the first half of the night, and then climb from the village to the top of the mountain in the second half of the night, which is less dangerous.

Are there patrols in the village? Hard to say.Those three were with us, which I thought was fine.They look so strong.Circumstances may change dramatically.He pointed to James and said: He will tell you everything. James has yet to explain how he lost his watch.He was hungry, and so were the others.He took out his cigarettes, checked that there were four more, and put them back in his pocket. He squatted on the ground and talked to Yi Su.Looking up at Zhang Fu, Zhang Fu was a head taller than the others, making him look like a northerner. The typical northerner he knew had a calm appearance, determination, enthusiasm, and a sense of humor in his heart. , have a lot of patience and courage.

Hello!He called out to Zhang Fu and stopped again. What do you want to say to Zhang Fu? I think forget it. He stood up and said: Keep the fire burning.He looked back at Yi Su and said: The road ahead is very difficult.Before we hit the road, we must take a good rest. He stirred the fire, then picked up some twigs nearby, and threw them on the fire. For tonight, we'd better build up our strength.He watched Fan Shitian walking towards them. Yi Su went forward and sat on a rock, staring at the fire in a daze. We also have a bag of tea.Ewha said. go get it. They put the kettle on the fire, and they gathered around the fire.Lihua came back with a paper bag and said:

We're going to have dinner, aren't we? Our last supper.James said gravely. We'll be in Hong Kong tomorrow night, won't we? If all goes well.However, things often don't go as planned.In the bottom of his heart, he wished he could be without these women and children. When the water boiled, Lihua picked the kettle out of the fire with a stick, and put a handful of tea in it. Everyone try to eat something.Fan Shitian said.He untied his bellyband and spread it on the ground. Hey, Arwen, come and eat with me. James didn't understand who this kid was, just like Yi Su was surprised when he saw the three people who came with Zhang Fu.

This is our last hot dinner.Fan Shitian said.We couldn't light a fire on Wutong Mountain, and we didn't have hot meals until we got to Hong Kong. Everyone took out a piece of dry food they had brought, and ate with Zhang Fu and the others.There are no teacups, and when the tea is cold, everyone takes turns passing the kettle to drink, and then boils the water. The men circled their hands, or squatted, or sat, or stood.The woman sat quietly and listened.Zhang Fu said: I brought these few friends.We met a large group of people on a small road at the foot of the mountain.They meet me and tell me what they're going to do.

Fan Shitian's sharp eyes kept staring at the farmers in Boluo. He looked from Zhangfu to James, worried about the increasing number of people. How many people are there in total?Fan Shitian asked. There are thirty or forty in total.I ask two or three of the strongest of them to come with us, and we shall fight our way through.There are two other groups of people leaving from Hangbei, and we will meet up on the top of the mountain.We are the third batch. I lent them my watch for that very reason.James said flatly. Do you know their plan?Fan Shitian frowned even tighter. James nodded.

Do you agree with their plan? No plan is perfect.Not bad for their plans.He paused.Maybe we will lose a few people, there is no way.No matter what you do, there is always some danger.There is strength in numbers. James explained to them that they had met the men just before dawn, walking openly on the road.James and the others hid in the bushes and watched the men go by.At that time, the bright moon was in the sky, and those people were talking and laughing freely, making loud noises.Zhang Fu recognized one of the Boluo people and went over to talk to him.They asked Zhang Fu to join them, and Zhang Fu whistled James and others out.They want to see his gun.They had seven guns in all. They are a different batch of people with different plans.They adopt a military organization, ready to confront patrols at any time.If possible, just pass by, if necessary, fight.Almost all of them were from the surrounding area, organized and directed by the three party committees of the state-run Pingshan Farm. The three party committees had been planning for this escape for several months. Their leaders are Huang Cheng and Zhu Bada. Zhu Bada is also tall, and both of them have received military training.Their people are divided into three groups, each group has more than a dozen people, and a captain.In Danshui and Pingshan areas, there are many refugees.Everything is carefully planned by them.They smuggled shovels, hoes, shovels, and guns out of the farm and hid them outside the city.When the scheduled time came, everyone sneaked out of the farm, took their weapons, and set off for Wutong Mountain overnight.According to their plan, they can arrive in Hong Kong within 24 hours.Some isolated and sporadic patrols will not cause them too much trouble.Zhu Bada once explained their strategy to Zhang Fu and James: If the enemy gathers, we disperse; if the enemy disperses, we attack.Hit the real with the false; hit the weak with the strong.When the enemy advances, we retreat, and when the enemy retreats, we pursue. We met at the top of the hill, and then descended in three separate groups, about a hundred yards apart.Except for the seven-branch gun, we can attack with whatever weapon we have.On such a long line the enemy patrols were scattered.When they saw our numbers, they would probably run away in fright.Each patrol has seven or eight men at most, and if one of us encounters a patrol, the other two groups can outflank it from both sides.If they had encountered our flank, they would have probably fled. Zhu Bada stretched out his hand and said: We want your gun. Under the circumstances, James thought it would be better to join them and keep the pistol. We also need a table. James took off his watch and gave it to him.He knew that Yi Su had watches with others. Fan Shitian listened attentively and did not speak. What do you think of it?James asked. This is completely different from our original plan. Do you have any objections?They will cross the border tomorrow night.They can't wait, they have to leave earlier, so as not to be discovered later. Fan Shitian chewed the fried rice vigorously.He stroked his mustache and spit out a mouthful of phlegm. I think of the women and children with us.I hope they don't encounter war scenes.Our plan was to sneak through quietly, using as few guns as possible. James turned to Isu.What do you mean? I thought, my dad and the kids better not take that risk.Of course, it was reassuring to know that we were strong, probably outnumbered by the patrol.But how do we swim across the river?How wide is the river? As far as I know, Fan Shitian said: The Shenzhen River is not very deep in this area, about twenty or twenty-five feet long.There are barbed wire fences on both sides of the river, very close to the river bank.As long as the patrols don't spot us, it's really not that hard to sneak across. Mao Peng stood aside, he was one of the three new arrivals.He was originally one of the party committee members of Pingshan Farm.Over his worn black Lenin suit hung a pistol in a holster.In addition, his appearance and slender figure reveal the gentle temperament of a scholar, not like a soldier.He smiled serenely. We are not taking risks.Our men are armed with iron clubs, rakes, picks, and shovels.We still have ropes that we can throw across the river to help us cross. Ah Zhao was very excited when he heard these action plans.Don't worry, he said: I can help women and children.Let's hide first, and rush over as soon as we get the chance.There are only two children, so leave them to me. Do you consider yourself an adult?Fan Shitian said. certainly.None of you can run as fast as me. Both James and Isu laughed. This kid is not idle. We can use him.Mao Peng said. Are you a relative of Mao Zedong? No, but I am from Hunan. Last night, when I heard their names, Ah Zhao said, I thought to myself, among our group, there is also a pig and a cat.People on the mainland call Zhu De and Mao Zedong pigs and cats. keep your mouth shut.As Mao Peng said, he raised a hand, and Ah Zhao ran away in a flash. Seriously, Mao Peng continued: I don't think we will fail.Not only do we have a large number of people, but we can win by surprise.We may lose a few people.I was in the Korean War.Do you know how many people died in crowd tactics?Our people would rather take this risk than be forced to volunteer and die in a human sea battle.If we die, we die; if we escape, we won't have to volunteer in the border war, which is bound to be fought sooner or later. The night was cold and the sky was getting dark.The shadows of the trees were thicker, and the fog was coming from all sides.Because there are many streams and woods nearby, it feels particularly humid. Cai Shan said that he wanted to go and have a look first; he took Ah Zhao with him.He liked Ah Zhao from the very beginning, thinking he was witty and clever. I'll go see my friends first so you can go.There are so many of you, but there is an olive grove not far up the hill, which is very quiet and a good place to rest.Usually the patrols pass there around eleven o'clock.It takes about an hour to get there from here, but certainly not so much time in daylight.From there to the top of the mountain, it will take about an hour.We must be back before you leave. He turned around and said: Don't go away.Also don't make another fire.This place is good enough.I want you all still here when I get back. Everyone spread out and sat on the rocks, the only dry place to rest.The Duan family was together, and the newcomers were in another place.Fan Shitian and Lihua went to find the cave.They said that the cave was relatively dry, so Awen followed them.Axue and Zhang Fu leaned against a rock.A newcomer was at a turn, serving as sentinel. James wanted to chat with Mao Peng, and Mao Peng and another person rested on a rock above.Seeing him approaching, Mao Peng sat up and gave him an empty seat. Mao Peng didn't talk much.James spoke first. Tired? Not tired.How do you speak Chinese so well? I have lived in Peking for several years. We Hunanese, no matter how long we live in Beijing, we can’t change our Hunan accent.Look at some simplified characters, those confusing consonants, it seems that it is specially designed for the convenience of Hunan people. This is a subtle effort to please Mao Zedong. I don't know that.Tell me, how many are you really? When we set off, there were thirty-eight or nine people on the list.Several people did not come.Some of us are Hailufeng people who originally lived in the Danshui area.You may know that the people of Hailufeng are brave and good at fighting. They are famous pirates.We planned to escape four months ago, just after Huangcheng and Zhu Bada arrived at Dapingshan Farm.We secretly brought in some people and put them in to work on the farm.As a party committee, we hold important positions, mainly office work.We also sent a few gatekeepers. Why did you choose to flee?Because you were sent to the countryside? Yes, and arguably no.Mao Peng began his objective analysis in the tone of a party committee.Everyone makes mistakes and deserves to be punished.But this is not the case.Not at all.Since 1955, it has been impossible for cadres to distinguish rewards and punishments.No matter what we do, there is always something to blame.If people lay moaning by the side of the road or fell ill, or didn't come to work, the superiors accused us of misunderstanding the intentions of the central leadership.If we are more lenient to the common people, the superiors will blame us for not fulfilling the task.So what have we become?Became a foreman who had to use a whip.You swing the whip, whip left, whip right, close your eyes and don't look, or you will turn your stomach.Who doesn't want to see China becoming independent and strong, catching up with the capitalist countries in the West?Don't want to see what we see, and what we are forced to see.However, we see everything on the farm that shouldn't be seen.He paused, looking at James. The actual situation has changed, and Mao Peng continued: Everyone has become an abacus bead that can be moved once and for all. They only do what they are told to do, and no one is willing to do more.Everyone is acting like a fool, and that's the problem, everyone doesn't care.In the warehouse, I saw cabbages being thrown around and piled up on the ground, all crushed and ruined.If you want to sell cabbage, you will never throw it like this, you must be careful, lest you damage the cabbage.Fundamentally, I don't believe that ordinary people working as slave labor in the world's largest slave labor camp can produce enough food.That's why Huang, Zhu Bada and I lost confidence in the party.A man must have faith in what he does, must he not?We have lost faith in Marx, Lenin, Stalin, the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit However, all this has passed.We have decided to escape.It doesn't matter where you go.As long as there is a place where we can do things, it doesn’t matter if we grow cabbage, as long as we can hold a cabbage here and say: This is mine.In this way, we are satisfied. How about the result of the Great Leap Forward?The people cannot make a great leap forward on an empty stomach.However, if the people do not produce food, they will be hungry forever.If the people are treated like cattle and horses, whipped and arrested collectively, the people will not be able to produce food.This is not going to work.