Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Fat Ma closed the shop's door, and we hurried straight to the train station.
After a long journey, we finally arrived in Heilongjiang Province. As soon as I got off the train, I regretted it; it was too cold, and I had rushed here with clothes only suitable for southern weather.
I shivered uncontrollably from the cold, while Fat Ma fared better; his bulk provided ample insulation against the chill.
Our attire attracted curious glances from the crowd at the train station. With no other choice, we bought some warmer clothes and transferred to a train heading directly to Jagedaqi, the gateway to the Greater Khingan Range.
After getting off here, I opened the map and saw the name Mohe marked on it.
After some more hassle, we finally reached Mohe, which took us about a week of travel time altogether.
The region of Xing'an is composed of two parts: the Greater Xing'an Ridge and the Lesser Xing'an Ridge. However, the Lesser Xing'an Ridge has already been occupied by Old Russians.
So technically, we could only reach the Greater Xing'an Ridge.
By the time Fat Ma and I got off the bus, we were exhausted from our travels. We found a local villager to guide us.
The villager was very friendly and asked us to call him Old Zhang, but we politely referred to him as Uncle Zhang. He took us to his Forest Farm. It was then that we got a close-up view of the Xing'an Ridge; it was lush and green, stretching endlessly before us. The scenery was breathtaking, and when a breeze blew through, the air felt sweet—though the cold was quite unbearable.
Uncle Zhang said, "Our Forest Farm belongs to the Greater Khingan Range. To the east of the Nen River is called Greater Khingan Range, while to the west is also referred to as Greater Khingan Range." Then he asked us, "Are you heading to the Greater Khingan Range or the Xing'an Ridge?"
Fat Ma looked at me, waiting for my response, but I wasn't sure how to reply; the location noted on paper only mentioned Xing'an Ridge.
Fat Ma shook his head at me, looking exasperated. He turned to Old Zhang and said, "Uncle Zhang, we came here to scout for business opportunities. It doesn't matter whether it's big or small in Xing'an Ridge."
Upon hearing that Fat Ma was here for business, Old Zhang became even more enthusiastic. He praised our keen eye for opportunities and assured us that we had come to the right place. This area was rich in resources and was undoubtedly the best choice for a raw material base.
Since the market had normalized, the enthusiasm for doing business—commonly referred to as "going into the sea"—had surged and continued to influence an entire generation.
At that time, people along the Heilongjiang border often conducted trade with Old Russians.
Our host welcomed us into his home and treated both me and Fat Ma warmly.
"Uh-oh!" Fat Ma suddenly exclaimed.
His alarmed tone made me tense up, and I quickly asked, "What's wrong?"
Fat Ma replied, "I forgot to tell you where the others are supposed to meet."
I didn't blame Fat Ma; it was my oversight as well. After all, Xing'an Ridge was so vast.
Old Zhang seemed to sense our predicament and said, "Don't worry. I'll go help you find out."
I hurriedly thanked him and asked Fat Ma to pay Old Zhang for his assistance.
After receiving the payment, Old Zhang told us, "You must be tired from your journey. Why don't you rest here for a bit?" Fat Ma and I nodded in agreement, and our host stepped outside.
Fat Ma and I lay down on the heated bed.
"Let me take a nap first!" Fat Ma said before quickly falling asleep. I sat on the kang, feeling restless. Looking at the items in the package I received, there was no specific address indicated. With such a vast area of Xing'an Ridge and being unfamiliar with the place, it would be difficult to find someone, let alone a location.
Fat Ma turned over and, still half-asleep, saw me sitting by the bed. "Old Sun, why aren't you asleep yet?" he asked.
"I'm not tired," I replied.
Fat Ma suddenly sat up straight, rubbed his face vigorously, and lit a cigarette. "Don't rush; let's wait for news," he said.
At this point, there was nothing else we could do.
After finishing his cigarette, Fat Ma lay back down and fell asleep again.
I started to feel drowsy as well and unknowingly drifted off. I don't know how long it was before Old Zhang woke me up.
I kicked Fat Ma's leg to wake him too, and he groggily opened his eyes.
Old Zhang informed us that he had found an outsider waiting for us in the outer room.
I got up and put on my shoes, noticing someone wrapped in clothes like a zongzi standing in the outer room.
I recognized him immediately. Fat Ma rushed over without hesitation. "I've missed you so much!" he exclaimed.
The clay figurine couldn't push him away and complained, "Disgusting."
After some pleasantries, the clay figurine scolded us for not being straightforward about our destination, making him wonder how long he had been wandering around. Thankfully, with this fellow countryman here, or else I would have been ready to head back home.
Fat Ma chuckled and said, "Come on, Niren, don't give me that."
Seeing that we were deep in conversation, Old Zhang interjected, "You all keep chatting; I have some matters to attend to." I thanked Old Zhang, who waved his hand dismissively, indicating no need for thanks, and then he strolled out.
After Old Zhang left, Niren turned to me and asked, "Old Sun, any news?"
I shook my head. "No, I guess we'll have to wait."
Niren asked me to show him what I had received.
I took the items out of my backpack and handed them to Niren. He first examined the piece of paper, then glanced at the map, and finally looked at the photograph.
After a moment, he spoke with a tone of admiration, "Old Sun, your partner is quite beautiful!"
Fat Ma immediately chimed in, "Niren has good taste! That's my Hilly Big Sister!" After saying this, he laughed and reminisced, "It was I who tied the red thread for Old Sun back then!"
I quickly urged Fat Ma to stop; who knows what nonsense he would come up with next? Fortunately, Niren wasn't one for gossip.
Niren returned the letter and photo to me and held the map carefully, studying it intently. His expression grew serious as he made a sound of realization and pinched the edge of the map.
"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.
"Don't be paranoid!" Fat Ma said.
"No, this map hides something significant," Niren replied, his voice tinged with excitement.
I waited alongside Fat Ma for his next words.
Suddenly, the Mud Man tore open the map, revealing two layers. Inside, there was a small map tucked away.
My breath quickened as the Mud Man glanced at it for a moment before handing it to me. I took it and examined it closely. Fat Ma leaned in, took a glance, and quickly withdrew his gaze; he had no interest in such things at all.
This was a small map, likely indicating a specific location on Xing'an Ridge, primarily marked by the position of a small lake, which was the most identifiable feature.
The Mud Man pointed at the small map and said, "This should be the place he wants us to go."
I instinctively nodded.
Fat Ma asked from the side, "Mud Man, how did you discover that this map has two layers?"
The Mud Man replied proudly, "I've practiced!"
Fat Ma scoffed, "You've reached the heavens to graze." The Mud Man was left speechless by Fat Ma's remark.
I studied the map carefully but had no clue what it meant, so I decided to seek Old Zhang's help.
When I showed the small map to Old Zhang, his expression changed noticeably. He said to us, "You cannot go to this place!"
Fat Ma asked, "Why can't we go?"
"This small lake is located in the Greater Khingan Range, within a primeval forest that very few people have ventured into. Back when the country was just liberated, a national geographic survey team was sent into the mountains, but they never came back."
Old Zhang whispered to us, "I heard they all died."
"Later, the armed police went into the mountains and found the bodies. They disappeared because they were sealed off, but there were still scattered rumors. I heard those people died in extremely horrific ways."
As Old Zhang spoke, he took a breath of cold air, his face still showing signs of fear, vividly recounting the tale.
"Is it really that terrifying?" Fat Ma asked, his voice lowered.
Old Zhang replied, "Only those who have been there know the truth, but all who went have died. Even a tour guide who was invited back then died in the mountains. He was our best hunter and a childhood friend of mine," he said, his expression filled with regret.
It seemed difficult indeed! I thought to myself.
Ni Ren's expression was serious.
Old Zhang assumed we had given up on the idea and looked at us with satisfaction.
I took the map from Old Zhang's hands and asked, "Is there anyone who can take us into the mountains?"
Old Zhang's expression darkened.
Comment 0 Comment Count