After my brother died, my father's health deteriorated. He stopped going out to work, but kept taking away the family's meager savings, then sold off the few valuable things he owned, and finally even took his own wife and children.
After being sold to Agoyiz Village, Aji discovered that many people there also suffered from the same "illness." She saw the young men in the village bringing back packets of unknown powder, some yellow, some white, and the village children even mimicking their actions of inhaling the powder through their noses. She also saw people gathering in the rice paddies to inject themselves. Gradually, the number of "patients" increased, and over the years, countless people died, with horribly dismembered corpses frequently being burned in the village.
No further description is needed. Apart from San San, the other three clearly understand that what caused Aji to lose his loved ones and caused the villagers to die one after another was the terrible drug.
San San's voice became hoarse after speaking for a while. Looking at the three people with solemn expressions and a feeling of something stuck in their throats, he continued, "She also said that half a year ago, she accidentally stumbled upon several people locked up in her family's woodshed, men and women, none of whom were from this village. She thought those people were trafficked like her, so she took advantage of her husband being drunk to call the police."
For three years, poor Aji never considered escaping. She was terrified of being beaten and tortured. For the sake of her young child, she could only endure the humiliation and live a life of quiet desperation. But when she saw those people bound hand and foot, their eyes filled with terror, she suddenly found courage from who-knows-where. Aji was illiterate and could barely read, but when she was young, her brother had told her many stories of police catching bad guys, and she had also seen the local police officers who occasionally visited the village. She secretly memorized a number from a security poster at the village entrance, and while the man was drunk and fast asleep, she stole his phone and hid in a corner to call the police.
The police officer who answered the call could understand Yi language, but Aji was so scared and nervous that her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't hold the phone. She hung up after only a few incoherent words, having given up hope. To her surprise, the police did come the next day, but at the same time, the strangers in the woodshed disappeared overnight.
The police found nothing, and Aji didn't dare to come forward and testify. She watched helplessly as the man made up excuses, saying that some relatives had come to visit and there wasn't enough room in the house, so he slept in the woodshed and had left that morning. Agoyiz Village was too remote, and the Heihai Township police station only had three officers; they couldn't afford a thorough investigation and left hastily. The man didn't suspect the usually docile Aji, nor did he check the call logs on his chipped phone, assuming it was just someone nearby being jealous of his extra change and deliberately messing with him.
“Drug addicts are all desperate people, she’s really lucky to be alive. If she had been discovered, I don’t know if she would still be alive today…” Tang Yutao didn’t expect the person who called the police to be Aji, and he said with lingering fear for her.
"This is terrifying! Let's get out of here right now. This village has more than just some unspeakable secrets; it's a den of drugs!"
Chen Yunqi, who had initially been determined to get to the bottom of things, also wavered. Tang Yutao was right; the people here were not only involved in drug trafficking and abuse, but also in human trafficking and even murder and robbery. He didn't believe the village chief was unaware of all this, or that it was precisely with his tacit approval and involvement that the villagers dared to act so recklessly, even lying to the police. The danger in this village was far more than just being treated coldly and driven away.
Before he could make a decision to leave, the hot-blooded young man Li Hui pointed at Aji and said, "Leave? What about her? If you leave now, even a eunuch would have more guts than the four of us men!"
Chapter Fifty-Two: Heartbreak
Seventeen-year-old Aji, due to long-term malnutrition, looked about the same height as Sheng Xiaoyan. If it weren't for the hardships of childbirth under harsh conditions, leaving her pale, thin, and dressed in tattered clothes, she would actually be a rather pretty Yi girl.
Aji told San San that after that, she began to observe carefully and indeed found that several strangers would appear in the woodshed every now and then. Not only at her house, but when she got up to relieve herself in the middle of the night, she even saw the village chief and several villagers come to her house to take people away. She then realized that the village was united and protected each other. With her abilities, she had no way to fight against them.
After her first attempt to call the police failed, a disheartened Aji thought she would never have any hope again, until one day she discovered that several young outsiders had come to the village.
Aji didn't dare to ask, but seeing Chen Yunqi, who was neatly dressed and had a kind face, she felt an inexplicable sense of trust. Intuitively, she guessed that these people might be able to help her, so while her husband was away and her child was asleep, she mustered her courage and secretly followed them. After learning that they were all teachers, Aji, who had always longed to study, was even more glad for her bold decision.
Aji couldn't stay long. She described the locations of several suspicious villagers' homes to San San and gave her some warnings. Before leaving, Li Hui assured her that he would do everything he could to rescue her and the child, but Aji shook her head, said something, gave them a deep look, and then hurriedly left.
"What did she say?" Tang Yutao asked San San, watching her disappear into the distance.
San San held Chen Yunqi's hand and answered softly, "She told us not to worry about her, just focus on saving the others. She has nowhere else to go; this is her only home now."
To avoid giving themselves away, the group returned to the village chief's house after Aji left. On the way back, they realized that apart from the elderly and children, there were hardly any adults in the entire village. Once home, they closed the door and pretended to rest, conserving their energy as they quietly awaited the arrival of night.
Chen Yunqi sat against the wall, legs bent, his coat open and wrapped around San San, embracing him from behind in deep thought. Tang Yutao had lost interest in sharing his romantic escapades and simply lay down on the straw mat, using his backpack as a pillow, to look at his phone. Li Hui smoked one cigarette after another beside him, the smoke making Tang Yutao almost unable to open his eyes. He threw down his phone, sat up, and complained angrily, "If I had known I'd be this worried, I wouldn't have tried to be a hero!"
Li Hui immediately became agitated upon hearing this, "Who's playing the hero? Are you suggesting we stand by and watch someone die?! I can't do that!"
Tang Yutao retorted sarcastically, "Save them! Of course I want to save them! How do you expect me to save them? I couldn't even save the three Sheng siblings, and you expect me to save hostages from drug dealers? Do you think I'm a narcotics officer or an FBI agent? Do you think I'm Sun Wukong or Ultraman?!"
Among the group, Tang Yutao was the most eloquent. Li Hui was so ashamed and indignant that he was powerless to refute. He stood up in anger and wanted to slam the door and leave, but Chen Yunqi scolded him in a low voice, "Stop arguing and save your energy."
San San chimed in, trying to calm things down: "Yes, Teacher Tang and Teacher Li, please calm down. Let's think of another way to secretly rescue him and leave this place as soon as possible. Aji is really pitiful; we can't just stand by and watch him die. Didn't Brother Xiaoqi say that as long as we can find some evidence, we can call the police?"
Seeing that San San was speaking so sensibly, Tang Yutao and Li Hui fell silent. After a while, Tang Yutao said in a desperate move, "Fine, let's go for it. It's not that I don't want to save people, I'm just against reckless courage! Let's make it clear first, if we can't find them tonight, we have to leave as soon as possible before making any further plans!"
After thinking for a moment, Chen Yunqi said, "Tonight we'll climb over into those suspicious courtyards and take a look. If there really is someone we can't save, we'll take pictures as evidence, then immediately head back to Heihai Township to report it to the police, and also contact Officer Zheng to ask for his help."
Tang Yutao also had some friends in City C, and through the Tianyun Primary School charity project, he got to know some media organizations. Everyone shared the information of all emergency contacts, including Officer Zheng, and then packed their backpacks, checked useful items such as flashlights and lighters, and distributed them to each person to carry with them.
After the argument, the room returned to calm. Tang Yutao and Li Hui turned their backs to each other and ignored each other. Chen Yunqi held San San in his arms and asked softly, "Are you hungry? If you're sleepy, take a nap. I'll hold you."
San San shook her head, curled up tightly in Chen Yunqi's arms, and said, "I'm not hungry, I'm just a little worried and can't sleep."
Chen Yunqi reached into his pocket and pulled out a milk candy that San Niang had given him. He wrapped his arms around San San, unwrapped the candy, fed it to him, and whispered gently in his ear, "Don't worry, I'm here. We'll go home after tonight. I downloaded some new sheet music a few days ago, I'll play the harmonica for you when we get back."
Night fell silently, and the temperature dropped even lower than during the day. Only a half-moon hung high in the starless night sky, casting a pale, desolate light upon the earth.
The atmosphere in the village became even more eerie at night. After the village chief's family fell asleep, four figures secretly opened the courtyard gate under the moonlight and nimbly slipped out.
Not daring to use flashlights, everyone could only feel their way along the wall. After wandering around for a long time, they finally found the house with a well in front of it that Aji had mentioned.
In some rural areas, people don't lock their doors at night. San San went up and tried to open the door, but found that it wouldn't open. So he whispered to Chen Yunqi and the other two, "It's locked from the inside. Let's climb over the wall and go in."
The courtyard wall wasn't high. The group circled around to the back of the house, where Chen Yunqi, the tallest, bent down and knelt beside the wall, gesturing for the others to climb over him using his shoulders. Li Hui, who had specially changed into black clothes, was the first to scale the wall. He was short and thin; after landing lightly, he looked around for a moment before calling out in a low voice from inside, "Safe! Next!"
The group successfully scaled the wall. Chen Yunqi, who was at the back, had long arms and legs. He suddenly jumped up and grabbed the low wall, did a pull-up to straddle the top of the wall, flipped over and jumped down again, landing lightly on the ground with clean and neat movements.
The layouts of Yi homes are all quite similar, and the group quickly found the woodshed. Shining their flashlights, they discovered the door was also securely locked with a heavy iron chain. Li Hui peered through a crack in the door with his flashlight, while the others anxiously waited behind him, wary. Tang Yutao, as nervous as if he were breaking into a house for the first time, kept poking Li Hui in the back and whispering, "Hurry up! Did you see anything? Are you sure you can handle this? Are you blind?"
Li Hui said impatiently, "Hey, stop poking! You're the one who's blind! If you're so good, then you do it! Let's see how powerful your titanium alloy dog eye is!"
Before Tang Yutao could continue his counterattack, everyone suddenly heard a loud noise coming from the wood hut. At the same time, Li Hui, who had finally managed to see what was going on inside, shouted, "Don't move! Don't move! I see it!"
Everyone froze instantly, not daring to breathe. Li Hui took a small step back, straightened up, and stared wide-eyed at the others, saying incredulously, "Holy shit...holy shit/holy shit...there really are people here, all tied up...tied up like pigs being slaughtered..."
Before he could finish speaking, the noise from the woodshed intensified, with continuous "whooshing" sounds followed by the clattering and knocking of firewood. Everyone instantly realized something was wrong; they knew the person inside had noticed them and was struggling desperately. Chen Yun's face darkened, and he immediately whispered, "Quickly! Quickly!"
The four quickly turned off their flashlights and rushed to the gate, only to find that it wasn't secured with a regular bolt, but was also firmly locked with an iron lock. They had no choice but to return to the wall, intending to use the same method they had used to get in to climb over it again. Just then, lights suddenly came on inside the house, and someone carrying a wooden stick and flashlight rushed out, cursing and swearing.
The people inside hadn't expected anyone to break in late at night. They assumed it was the woodshed people causing trouble again and they were preparing to come out and quell it. So when the two men saw the people standing and squatting by the wall, and several others climbing over the wall on the shoulders of the squatting man, they were all stunned. For a moment, they couldn't think of what to do. They stared blankly for a long time, holding what they were holding. Only when they saw the person on top jump over and the other person climb over did they react, raise their sticks, and rush over with a roar.
In the blink of an eye, Chen Yunqi, not even caring that Tang Yutao hadn't quite caught himself, suddenly straightened up and flipped him over. He then swiftly picked up San San and, with an unknown amount of strength, lifted him onto the top of the wall, shouting, "Brother Tao! Li Hui! Catch San San!! Let's go!!"
San San was completely stunned. Just before he was pushed onto the wall and turned around, he saw that the wooden sticks in the hands of the two men had already landed behind Chen Yunqi. He didn't come to his senses until he fell off the wall and landed in Tang Yutao and Li Hui's arms.
"elder brother!!!"
Apart from two men angrily cursing in Yi language, there was no response from Chen Yunqi on the other side of the courtyard wall. San San's heart shattered into a million pieces with the dull thud of the wooden stick striking his body. He lunged at the courtyard wall, desperately shouting Chen Yunqi's name, but Tang Yutao and Li Hui pulled him back and dragged him out of the village.
San San refused to walk and kept struggling in the opposite direction. In desperation, Tang Yutao had no choice but to carry him on his back and run quickly.
San San's cries grew hoarse, and he pleaded in a tearful voice, "Teacher Tang, please, let me go back. I can't leave him behind, I beg you..."
Tang Yutao was unwilling to abandon Chen Yunqi, but Chen Yunqi's last cry of "Brother Tao," a cry he had always only called him by his full name, made it clear to him that the most important thing now was to ensure the safety of San San, Li Hui, and himself, and to leave this place as soon as possible to find rescue. Panting heavily, he ran while pleading, "San San, listen to me, don't shout anymore. If you keep shouting, none of us will escape. I won't abandon him, let me think of something, think of something..."
Age Yizi Village wasn't big. Tang Yutao carried San San on his back and ran for their lives with Li Hui, heads down, and soon they were out of the village. Hearing Tang Yutao's words, San San wisely stopped shouting. Anxious and worried, he bit his lip until it bled. Taking advantage of Tang Yutao's relaxed guard, he seized the opportunity and suddenly broke free, falling to the ground with Tang Yutao.
Without pausing for even a second, he scrambled to his feet and ran back, shouting as he ran, "Teacher Tang! Hurry up! I speak Yi! I'll go and communicate with them! Xiaoqi and I will wait for you!"
Tang Yutao and Li Hui couldn't catch up, and angrily slapped their thighs, shouting, "San San!! Don't go!! San San!!"
San San has already disappeared from sight.
One unexpected situation after another was driving Tang Yutao crazy. He didn't dare waste another second, so he got up and said to Li Hui, "Quickly, make calls! Call everyone! Where the hell is Bei?! Let's go! Quick!!"
In the dimly lit woodshed, Chen Yunqi sat in a corner, his hands tied behind his back. He felt his right arm might be broken; even the slightest movement caused excruciating pain. The taste of blood filled his mouth. He coldly observed the anxious people in the room, watching the village chief, who was speaking in Yi language he couldn't understand, giving orders to those around him. He guessed that the chief was arranging for people to chase after and prepare to move the "goods" in the woodshed.
Beside them were three other men and women, also bound, their mouths taped shut. They leaned haphazardly against the wall, their eyes wide with terror as they stared at the scene before them, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Chen Yunqi noticed a string of silver ornaments on the chest of one of the women, dressed in a black dress, a piece clearly missing from the edge. He immediately remembered the silver piece they had picked up on their way here; it must have been the one she had dropped on the way here after being bound.
Because of the language barrier, no one attempted to interrogate Chen Yunqi. The village chief, whose true colors had been revealed, also abandoned his previous hypocritical facade, sitting on a wooden stool, smoking heavily, and staring at Chen Yunqi with eyes that seemed to want to devour him whole.
A group of people carrying oil lamps and flashlights went in and out. Chen Yunqi, who had just fought, had no time to figure out what they were doing. He only felt extremely tired, but as soon as he closed his eyes, all he could think about was San San. He thought of San San's heart-wrenching cries from outside the wall before they parted, and how panicked and helpless he must be now, not knowing where he was. Chen Yunqi's heart was breaking. He regretted bringing San San with him again, but it was too late for regrets now. He gritted his teeth during the fight, enduring the blows and sticks without making a sound, so that San San could leave in peace. At this moment, he only prayed that San San and the others could escape safely and reach a safe place to seek help as soon as possible.
He pondered to himself, and after what seemed like an eternity, he heard someone enter the house, pointing at him and speaking to the village chief. The village chief's expression changed slightly, and he nodded. The man then turned and went out to bring back someone. In the dim light, Chen Yunqi leaned forward, squinting to take a closer look. Instantly, a chill ran through him, his mind went blank, and his limbs seemed to lose all strength. He slumped back heavily into a seat.
The person who led in was San San.
San San didn't go to see Chen Yunqi immediately, but instead calmly began negotiating with the village chief. The village chief's expression shifted between hesitation and surprise as San San spoke, gradually revealing doubt. He then frowned and considered for a long time before finally leaving with a single sentence.
As the iron lock clicked shut, San San rushed towards Chen Yunqi, hugged him tightly, and called out to him in a hoarse voice, trying to hold back her tears.
"Brother...brother, are you alright? What happened to you...? Why did you push me away...? You're so cruel...I'll never talk to you again..."
San San sobbed sadly as he carefully examined Chen Yunqi's injuries. He noticed that Chen Yunqi would gasp in pain whenever his arm was touched, so he quickly untied the ropes and gently massaged his wrists, which were bruised and purple from the ropes. He complained with heartache, "You're injured again... injured again... you broke your promise... I'm going to throw away my harmonica when we get back, I'm not going to school anymore, I'll never listen to you again, and I'll lock the door every night when I sleep..."
Chen Yunqi was initially reluctant to reprimand San San for running back and walking right into the trap, wasting all his patience and humiliation. Seeing San San's temples soaked with sweat from running so fast, and listening to his incoherent complaints, he felt the beating was worthwhile. In this world, there was someone who would be so reckless and so disoriented for him; what more could one ask for? What need was there for reason, for weighing priorities?
With others around, he suppressed his deep affection and coaxed them in a low voice, "Okay, okay, whatever you say, don't be angry, don't be angry. I was wrong, I was wrong about everything, I was wrong about everything. I'll be at your mercy when we get home."
The current situation didn't warrant further worry, so Chen Yunqi did his best to calm San San down. He then helped the other three bound men to their feet and untied their ropes. Chen Yunqi only had one arm that he could move, so he carefully asked as he helped, "Bao...San...? How did you get back? What did you say to them? What should we do now?"
After feeling sorry for him, San San was still angry with him. She lowered her eyes and sighed after a long while, saying, "I lied to them and said that Teacher Tang and Teacher Li had photos. I also told them the direction in which Teacher Tang and Teacher Li escaped. They should be chasing after them now."
"Huh?" Chen Yunqi was stunned for a moment, not understanding what San San meant.
San San continued, "The village chief promised to release us if we retrieved the photos by tomorrow morning, but I doubt that's possible. However, the direction I gave was wrong; I said they took a different route to evade capture. So, as long as Teacher Tang doesn't go astray, we can avoid them. Hopefully, they can successfully return to Black Sea Township and bring people to rescue us, otherwise…"
"Otherwise what?" Chen Yunqi asked, inwardly marveling at San San's decisiveness.
San San looked up at Chen Yunqi, a hint of fear in her eyes.
"Otherwise, he'll give us injections..."
Chapter Fifty-Three: Aftermath
In the messy woodshed, a dim oil lamp was almost burned out.
Several villagers were now guarding the outside. San San and Chen Yunqi untied the ropes binding the other three people's hands and feet. Everyone sat together, still shaken, and no one dared to rush out of the house.
With San San's translation, Chen Yunqi learned the details of how the men were kidnapped. Two of the men, covered in injuries, had been lured to Jiaoyuan by fellow villagers under the pretense of "jobs." When they discovered the "jobs" were actually drug trafficking, they were beaten and tortured for refusing to cooperate, and then kidnapped. According to their description, in two days, the village chief, along with other villagers, would sell them to illegal labor brokers to work in mines in other provinces. The woman, on the other hand, was knocked unconscious while visiting relatives alone, and when she regained consciousness, she was locked in the woodshed.
To prevent them from having the strength to resist or escape, the villagers guarding them deliberately withheld food from them. They went two or three days without a single grain of rice, and were all so weak from hunger that they could barely lift a chicken. All three were very agitated, and the woman, in particular, cried uncontrollably, pleading incoherently for their lives to be saved.
San San comforted them in the Yi language, repeatedly telling them that his companions had gone to Jiaoyuan County to report the incident to the police, and that as long as everyone cheered up and held on a little longer, they would be rescued soon.
Chen Yunqi couldn't understand what San San was saying either, but he kept nodding in agreement. The others looked at them with suspicion, and one of them asked in Yi language, "What if they don't come back?"
San San answered firmly, "They will definitely come back. If they are late, my brother will find a way to protect us."
Hearing the word "if" indicated that there might be changes, and the three of them immediately felt discouraged again, while at the same time being curious about the "brother" that San San mentioned who couldn't speak the Yi language. There was no other way at the moment, so they could only turn their backs, each with their own thoughts, and silently wait for dawn to arrive.
Seeing that the three had calmed down, Chen Yunqi sat down against the woodpile, supporting his forearm. San San also groped her way over and sat beside him. Turning her head, she carefully kissed his cracked lip as the last ray of light disappeared, and whispered, "How's your arm?"
Chen Yunqi forced a smile, then shook his head wearily to indicate that he was alright. In the pitch black, he leaned back, resting his cheek against San San's head. His tense nerves finally found a moment of relaxation, and his consciousness gradually blurred.
San San seemed to sense something, and reached out to gently stroke his cheek, saying to him as he had once comforted her, "Don't hold on, go to sleep, I'm holding you."
The gentle whispers were like a calming and hypnotic drug, slowly pushing Chen Yunqi, who was hovering on the edge of unconsciousness, into the darkness. San San heard his soft breathing, and took the opportunity to lift his arm and let him lie down in her arms. She supported his head with one hand and patted his shoulder gently with the other, and only then did she feel relieved for the time being, and sighed softly.
Chen Yunqi was a light sleeper, occasionally startled and letting out a low groan of pain. San San tentatively touched his forehead and found it burning hot. She immediately became anxious and adjusted his position to try to make him more comfortable.
The person in her arms showed an unprecedented vulnerability. Recalling his decisive action and resolute expression when he pushed her over the courtyard wall, San San couldn't help but hug him tighter again, a surge of unbearable bitterness welling up in her heart. She finally truly understood the power of love—what a power it was, that gave her courage in the face of adversity, that allowed her to empathize, to give selflessly, and even to make heartbreaking sacrifices without hesitation in times of crisis.
In the darkness, San San faced his own heart and felt a sense of peace he had never known before. He was even somewhat grateful for this accident. If he hadn't gone through all of this, he might not have realized how deeply he loved Chen Yunqi, let alone how important he was to Chen Yunqi, someone he would risk his life for.
In the darkness, San San's eyes welled up with tears. He was neither eloquent nor capable of making grand vows, nor of composing poems or couplets. He only told himself to strive to become stronger, even stronger, so that no matter if his loved one was vulnerable, helpless, or in pain and sorrow, he could be someone he could rely on, just as he was at this moment. He wanted to be his unbreakable shield, his last wall.
Time passed second by second, and the morning light pierced through the tightly closed door. San San raised her tired eyelids and looked at the rays of light, the words Chen Yunqi always said echoing in her ears: "It will be alright when it gets light."
It was about to dawn.
While running a high fever, Chen Yunqi had a nightmare in his delirium. He dreamt that he took San San to an amusement park. San San's expression of fear and excitement on the roller coaster seemed so real one second, but then suddenly transformed into Tang Yutao's face. He abruptly grabbed Chen Yunqi's neck, trying to kiss him, and said in a high-pitched, sarcastic voice, "Old Chen, I've liked you for so long, really. Forget about San San, I'm the one who's most suitable for you, I'll do anything with you..."
In the struggle to avoid the fall, Chen Yunqi accidentally fell off the roller coaster. The moment he hit the ground, he shivered violently and suddenly woke up. A sharp pain shot through his arm, and he realized he had fallen asleep against a pile of firewood. His head was spinning, and he seemed to hear faint noises around him. He shook his head to clear his mind, then looked around in the dim light, calling softly, "San San?"