San San didn't understand what these words meant. He turned around and looked into the distance, pointing to the mountains whose outlines were only visible in the distant twilight, and said, "Go that way, that should be Baigu Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi took a step without hesitation, while Li Hui followed hesitantly, saying, "Are you sure? If we go the wrong way, we'll have to spend the night in the wilderness..."
Tang Yutao interrupted him, saying, "Sanwa'er grew up in the mountains! How dare you question his sense of direction and wilderness survival skills? He could find his way with his eyes closed!"
After saying that, he quickly took two steps to catch up with Chen Yunqi and deliberately dragged out the last syllable of his question, "Don't you think so, Teacher Chen?"
Chen Yunqi stroked San San's hand, which he had tucked into his pocket, and said with great certainty, "Of course, our San San is never wrong."
Night fell as expected, and the path stretched as far as the eye could see, making everyone walk with trepidation. Tang Yutao's flashlight had run out of power. His eyesight was poor, and without a flashlight, he had no choice but to hold onto a strap from Chen Yunqi's backpack and follow behind him. He was not paying attention when he tripped over a protruding stone in the middle of the path and stumbled to the ground.
The others stopped when they heard the commotion and shone their flashlights in that direction. Chen Yunqi quickly knelt down and helped Tang Yutao up, asking with concern, "Are you alright? Where did you hurt yourself?"
Tang Yutao waved his hand, picked up his glasses that had fallen to the ground, and hurriedly put them on without even wiping them clean. He then groped around on the ground for a while before picking up something and turning to Chen Yunqi, saying, "Shine the flashlight closer."
Chen Yunqi, puzzled, brought the flashlight closer and looked closely. In Tang Yutao's outstretched palm, there was a thin piece of metal reflecting a silvery light under the light.
Li Hui leaned closer, pushed up his glasses, and exclaimed in surprise, "Have you found a treasure?"
By the dim light, Tang Yutao examined the thin silver sheet from all angles, and said blankly, "It looks like it, is this silver?"
He was about to put the thin slice in his mouth to bite when Chen Yunqi slapped it away and scolded him sternly, "It's not gold! What are you biting? You don't know what it is, so you put it in your mouth. What if it's poisonous?"
Tang Yutao then realized he had been too careless. Just as he was about to make a joke, San San reached out her hand and said, "Teacher Tang, let me take a look."
Tang Yutao handed over the thin piece, and San San took it and examined it several times. After frowning and pondering for a moment, she said, "It looks like a silver ornament worn by Yi people, a woman."
Upon hearing this, Li Hui was overjoyed. "Doesn't that mean there are people and villages nearby? Does that mean we're almost there?"
San San nodded slowly, and before Li Hui could cheer, she suddenly said, "It's a bit strange. This place should be inhabited by Black Yi people. Black Yi people don't wear these kinds of silver ornaments; only White Yi people do."
He handed the thin slice to Chen Yunqi for him to see, but Chen Yunqi couldn't figure it out either. He guessed, "Could it be that Bai Yi was visiting relatives and dropped it on the way?"
“Hmm, maybe,” San San nodded in agreement, then looked around to confirm the direction again, and said, “Let’s hurry up, it shouldn’t be far.”
Tang Yutao got up, brushed the mud off his pants, and grabbed his backpack strap again. Chen Yunqi handed the silver pieces to Li Hui for safekeeping, promising that if they couldn't be returned before leaving, whether they were gold, silver, or any other treasure, they were all his to keep and dispose of as he pleased.
For the rest of the journey, Chen Yunqi secretly rejoiced that he hadn't abandoned San San and rashly set off. Tang Yutao was right; having grown up in the mountains, San San didn't need any assistance to easily orient himself in the pitch-black forest. Thinking back to the time he got lost on the coal-carrying route, it must have been because his mind was disturbed by something. Although he hadn't heard him mention it since, Chen Yunqi knew that this disturbance, without a doubt, was himself.
Unlike the shy and gentle boy he usually was, San San now seemed to be divinely inspired, leading three older people forward steadily. Every step he took was without the slightest hesitation, and every move he made revealed his composure and calmness. His innate wildness and perseverance made Chen Yunqi's heart flutter.
As midnight approached, the group, having trekked for a long time, finally saw flickering lights in the darkness and entered the quiet village, exhausted and apprehensive.
Forget about being happy; the immediate priority was finding a place to stay. San San led the way, knocking on a door. An elderly Yi woman dressed in traditional clothing peered in fear from behind the door. When she heard San San speak Yi, she managed a few words in response. Before they could even turn away, she hastily slammed the door shut.
Following vague directions, the group found their way to the village chief's house. After knocking for a long time, a short man, around fifty years old and also dressed in traditional clothing, finally opened the door. Before he could ask any questions, San San quickly explained their purpose in Yi language, saying that the three people behind him were photographers from City C who had come specifically to photograph the Yi village and its natural landscape, hoping to increase the village's visibility and attract tourists and even poverty alleviation investment projects.
His words were half true and half false, full of loopholes. The village chief listened with skepticism, but as the head of the village, he still politely invited the people into the house, turned on the lights, and woke up his wife to make tea for the weary "photographers".
Chen Yunqi sat on a straw mat by the fire pit and looked around. Sure enough, as the rumors said, the homes of the Black Yi were even more simple and dilapidated than those of the White Yi. He was somewhat puzzled. According to the information he had consulted, the Black Yi were nobles in ancient times, while the White Yi were slaves. However, apart from their clothing and customs, the Black Yi in front of him did not have the slightest bit of noble air about them. Even the home of the village chief was dirty and dilapidated.
The room was extremely dark, and it was almost impossible to see anything. The village chief's wife brewed tea while secretly glancing at the strangers with trepidation. Even when Tang Yutao took the teacup and thanked her, she didn't dare to look up and respond.
The village chief, who dealt with superiors year-round, could barely speak some basic Chinese. When he heard that these people wanted to stay for a few days and take pictures, he said doubtfully, "There's nothing interesting to see in our village, what's there to photograph?"
Tang Yutao quickly replied, "Yes! Of course! You don't know, Age Yizi Village is quite famous! What does National Geographic say again? Right! Isolated from the world for 50 years without any roads! A true paradise on earth! We've wanted to come for a long time! Not only do we want to take photos, but we also want to carefully observe the living conditions of our ethnic minority compatriots in modern society. To be honest, I studied history, and I plan to use this topic for my doctoral dissertation..."
......
This whole thing was completely unrehearsed. Tang Yutao was spouting nonsense with a straight face, leaving San San and Li Hui speechless. The village chief didn't understand a word, staring blankly at him as he talked on and on. It took him a while to come to his senses, take a sip of tea to calm himself down, and say in broken Chinese, "You can stay at my house, but if you don't like it, don't wander around."
That evening, the village chief settled the four of them in an unused room in his house. There were only straw mats, no beds, so the village chief's wife brought over two worn-out quilts. Tang Yutao and Li Hui were exhausted; they took the quilts and fell asleep without a second thought. Chen Yunqi carefully wiped San San's face and hands clean with a wet wipe, then took out a change of clothes from his backpack and laid them under San San, hugging him and asking, "Are you tired? Are you cold?"
San San nestled against his arm, snuggling closer to him, and whispered, "Ugh...it's so cold."
Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqin hugged him tighter and kissed his forehead, saying, "You've worked so hard, baby. You're amazing. We definitely wouldn't have found this place without you."
San San couldn't help but smile, tilting her head back to lightly kiss Chen Yunqi's chin, and said in a smug and coquettish tone, "What reward are you going to give me?"
Behind him came the sounds of Tang Yutao and Li Hui snoring. Chen Yunqi raised an eyebrow in the darkness and asked, "What reward do you want?"
“I want you,” San San said playfully, blinking her eyes.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Yunqi suddenly sat up, quickly took off his coat, and then pretended to unbutton San San's pants. San San dodged and blocked him, lowering her voice and saying, "Stop messing around! Put your clothes back on, you'll catch a cold!"
Chen Yunqi grabbed San San's hands and pressed them against his face, then rolled over and pressed down on him, saying close to his nose, "I'll warm you up right away."
San San's hands were held down tightly, unable to move. The oppressive aura emanating from Chen Yunqi forced him to turn his face to the side and plead softly, "Brother, please don't make trouble. There are people around... I'm scared."
Chen Yunqi, who had initially been playing around, was instantly enraged upon hearing the words "I'm scared." He gritted his teeth and asked, "Scared? That's right. I like it when you're scared, I like it when you beg for mercy, I like it when you cry after I've done you to you, and your legs go weak when you see me."
Hearing Chen Yunqi's words, San San felt as if he were on fire, instantly aroused. He both loved and hated this feeling of being bullied and tormented, and said breathlessly, "Don't bully me anymore... not now... please..."
Fortunately, Teacher Chen wasn't so impatient as to act recklessly regardless of time or place. In the end, he let go of her hand, reverted to his gentle and considerate self, lay back down, and hugged San San tightly again, comforting her by saying, "Alright, alright, don't be afraid anymore, I won't bully you anymore."
The deep voice and strong embrace gave San San a sense of security. He gradually calmed down and hugged Chen Yunqi's neck, saying, "Brother, I feel something's off here."
"What's strange?" Chen Yunqi couldn't see San San's expression in the darkness, but he could sense that San San's tone was very worried.
“Hmm… I can’t quite put my finger on it,” San San said after thinking for a moment. “Actually, whether it’s the Black Yi or the White Yi, they are exactly the same in terms of hospitality. But look at us tonight, everyone here seems to be afraid of us, avoiding us, and not welcoming us at all. I’ve been to other Black Yi villages, and I’ve never encountered anything like this before.”
Chen Yunqi shared the same sentiment. San San knew his clansmen best, and his worries and doubts were not without reason. However, things had already progressed to this point, and whether things turned out well or badly, they could only deal with each situation as it came.
Thinking of all this, Chen Yunqi couldn't help but shiver. He hugged San San tightly and whispered, "Don't worry, I'm here."
He pulled the quilt closer to San San and patted his back gently, coaxing him, "Go to sleep, it'll be fine when it's light."
Chapter 51 Aji
Agoyiz is also an extremely poor village in the area. Although it is located on a plain, no matter how good a place's geographical location and economic conditions are, it will never be able to escape isolation and poverty if it has no roads.
It's only the beginning of spring, and the ground is still bitterly cold; no amount of clothing can help. Chen Yunqi spent the whole night checking on San San to make sure she was covered up properly. When Tang Yutao and Li Hui woke up in the morning, they had both caught a chill and were taking turns sneezing.
After a quick wash and tidying up, everyone ate a rather lukewarm breakfast at the village chief's reluctant invitation, then slung their bags over their shoulders and headed out. Li Hui, holding his camera, pretended to take pictures here and there, sniffling and exclaiming, "I feel like this place is even poorer than Tianyun Village."
The villagers of Agoyiz Village also live in wooden houses, and a few extremely poor families still live in houses that are at high risk of geological disasters. Now, this village is a counterpart assistance target of a major coal-producing province. The basic poverty alleviation plan was just completed before the new year, and a paved road is planned to run through the village. The old tile-roofed houses are also waiting to be demolished and rebuilt. Piles of cement, wood and other building materials can be seen everywhere in the village.
Tang Yutao had a stiff neck. He rubbed his stiff neck and said with a worried expression, "What are we going to do next? We don't even know where to start asking for information. If you ask me, we shouldn't have come. If I had changed clothes with Li Hui, we might have been able to fool people. Bringing you along," he said, pointing to Chen Yunqi who was listening attentively to his analysis, "is too conspicuous! It makes things difficult!"
Tang Yutao was right. All morning, any villagers who saw them either hid or avoided them. Occasionally, someone would try to talk to San San, but as soon as they saw Chen Yunqi behind him, their expression would change drastically and they would run away.
Chen Yunqi ignored him and instead spread his hands in front of San San, as if he were complaining to him with his eyes—I am innocent, I don't know anything, baby, look, he is blaming me again.
San San saw through his little scheme and said with a shy smile, "It's not Xiao Qi's fault. We wouldn't know what to do without him."
Chen Yunqi, satisfied, suppressed the smile on his lips and turned to Tang Yutao seriously, saying, "I didn't expect it to be like this either. Officer Zheng said the person who reported the case was a villager from this village, but Huang Youzheng's relatives are in Jiaoyuan County. He went to visit relatives in Jiaoyuan when he disappeared, so why is he here?"
"Huang Youzheng loves to gamble. Could he have been kidnapped because of gambling debts? Or maybe he lost all his money and can't get home? Or got lost?" Tang Yutao rolled his eyes seven or eight times in exasperation at their back-and-forth before he calmed down. Hearing Chen Yunqi's question, he couldn't figure it out either, so he could only make up some wild guesses.
“There’s no connection,” Chen Yunqi shook his head. “Every possibility you mentioned is possible, but none of them reasonably explain why he’s here. Unless he offended someone from Agoyiz Village, but why bring him back to the village?”
"Uh... kidnap them and bring them back to farm to pay off debts?" Li Hui also joined in with wild guesses.
Recalling San San's concerns from last night, Chen Yunqi said, "Don't you think the people here are strange? They not only seem timid and cowardly, unlike other Yi people who are warm and hospitable, but they also clearly express their 'dislike' and tell us 'not to wander around.' Since they are so xenophobic, why don't they resolve the issue outside and bring people back? If these people really dare to kidnap and detain people, their purpose must be far more than just obtaining labor to do farm work for them."
After a few words, Chen Yunqi's mind cleared up. He hesitated for a few seconds and then said, "Moreover... I have a feeling that this village is hiding some kind of secret, and they are afraid that we will find out."
Li Hui was completely bewildered. He couldn't understand why Huang Youzheng was here, or what connection he had with the secrets of this strange village. He hung his camera around his neck and said, "After all this talk, we still don't know what to do next!"
“Brother,” San San, who hadn’t participated in the discussion, suddenly spoke up, “If they’re trying to stop us, we can come back at night and see if there’s anything suspicious.”
Upon hearing this, Li Hui exclaimed in surprise, "What? Isn't that trespassing? If you get caught, you'll be executed!"
Tang Yutao rolled his eyes at him. "Have you been watching too much?"
He turned to Chen Yunqi and asked, "I agree with San San's method, but if we take a step back, could we consider calling the police and using legitimate means to investigate?"
Chen Yunqi shook his head again and said, "I don't think it will work. First of all, ethnic minorities have special policies, and relevant departments have always been very sensitive to this issue and are unwilling to interfere too much and cause ethnic conflict. Moreover, the last person who reported the case could use what they saw with their own eyes as evidence, but we haven't even seen them. We have no proof. The police may not believe us, and if they come, they may find nothing. Once we alert them, we will have no chance at all."
Faced with the facts, everyone remained silent, filled with doubt. Chen Yunqi sighed and said, "Let's find a place to rest and wait for dark. We had no other choice but to resort to this measure. Since we're here, let's give it a try."
Having a solution is better than having no solution, so everyone tacitly agreed to the plan and left the village together. Under the bright sun, the once quiet and peaceful village became mysterious and eerie, as if an evil aura was about to emerge, and the dark clouds overhead made people feel an indescribable sense of oppression.
Everywhere they went, people avoided them, and no one invited them to eat. The four of them found a deserted clearing on the outskirts of the village and sat behind a pile of wood, eating the snacks that Li Hui had stored in his backpack.
Faced with this situation, everyone was a little dejected. To ease the atmosphere, Tang Yutao started recounting his romantic history while eating. San San didn't understand, Chen Yunqi didn't want to listen, only Li Hui, the perpetual bachelor, enthusiastically cheered him on. The two seemed to have already forgotten the quarrel of the past few days, and were now sharing the little pleasures of boys like close buddies sleeping in bunk beds.
Chen Yunqi opened a small bag of biscuits and a bottle of water, handing them to San San. This was their only bottle of mineral water. San San took a small sip, savoring it, and handed it back, saying, "I'm not thirsty anymore, you drink it."
Chen Yunqi screwed the bottle cap on and was about to say something to San San when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He felt as if he were being closely watched by a dark gaze. He abruptly turned his head and caught sight of a short, ghostly figure that swiftly disappeared into the woods the instant he looked over.
A chill ran down Chen Yunqi's spine. He quickly interrupted Tang Yutao, who was spouting spittle, stood up and stood in front of San San, saying in a low voice with a cold expression, "Someone is following us."
Tang Yutao and Li Hui were startled by what they heard. They quickly realized what was happening, picked up the things on the ground, and moved closer to Chen Yunqi, focusing intently on the direction he was pointing.
The three men felt a sense of impending doom, their hearts pounding with fear of the unknown. After a moment, Chen Yunqi tentatively called out towards the woods, "Who's there? Come out and talk!"
After a long silence, half a head peeked out from behind a thick tree trunk.
San San spoke a few more words to the man in Yi language. After a while, a thin girl dressed in black clothes and a black skirt walked out from behind the tree timidly. She stopped about ten meters away from them and stared at them with her big, clear eyes.
Seeing that it was an unarmed girl, everyone relaxed their guard slightly. Chen Yunqi, worried she might not understand Mandarin, whispered a few words to San San, who then tried to communicate with her. But every time San San took a step forward, the girl would take three steps back; every three questions he asked received no response. Just as they were at their wits' end, Tang Yutao suddenly took out his phone, opened his photo album, and handed it to San San, saying, "San San, tell her we are teachers, teachers from Tianyun Village."
Upon hearing this, San San immediately relayed Tang Yutao's words to the girl in the Yi language and held up the teacher-student group photo on her phone screen, gesturing for her to come over. Finally, the girl's expression changed slightly, from unease to surprise, as if she were having a fierce internal struggle. Everyone waited patiently, and soon, she slowly approached with hesitant steps.
Chen Yunqi gestured to Tang Yutao and Li Hui not to be nervous. After she approached and looked at the photos, she stepped aside to make room for San San, who had been sitting in the spot with a piece of clothing spread out on it. San San immediately understood and invited her to sit down and talk in Yi language. Chen Yunqi squatted down in front of her, adjusting her attitude and expression to make herself appear as kind and approachable as possible, without any threat.
San San squatted down beside her, while Tang Yutao and Li Hui tacitly stepped back to prevent her from feeling nervous about facing four strange men at the same time. Chen Yunqi smiled kindly at the girl, indicating that she should not be afraid, and then said to San San, "Ask her what her name is, how old she is, and if there is anything we can help her with. Tell her not to be afraid and to speak freely."
Compared to the three teachers, San San, who was of similar age and also of the Yi ethnic group, was easier for her to accept. In the gentle conversation, the girl gradually lowered her guard and concerns, going from answering questions one by one to engaging in full-length conversations. Throughout the entire conversation, although Chen Yunqi couldn't understand a word, he watched gently and listened attentively, striving to show the utmost respect and consideration.
To everyone's surprise, the girl became increasingly agitated as she spoke, while San San's expression grew increasingly somber. Perhaps she had touched upon something painful, for by the end, the girl covered her face and began to sob softly.
Tang Yutao, who was standing nearby, immediately offered her a tissue when he saw the girl crying. San San put the tissue in her hand and comforted her softly, temporarily pausing their conversation. She turned to face the earnest gazes of the others, but remained silent for a long time, her eyes as dim as a bottomless well.
Seeing this, Chen Yunqi had a bad feeling. He reached out and placed his hand on San San's shoulder, conveying comfort and encouragement with his broad palm, and gently asked, "San San? What did she say? Tell us, don't be afraid."
San San took a barely audible deep breath, composed himself, and slowly began to relay the girl's words to everyone.
"Her name is Aji, she is seventeen years old, and she was sold here three years ago."
The surroundings grew quiet; even the rustling of leaves in the wind and Aji's faint sobs could no longer be heard. Everyone's expressions gradually shifted from confusion to shock, as if their breaths were about to stop.
Poor Aji was sold to Agoyiz village along with her mother, and the man who sold them was none other than her own father. The man who bought them kept young Aji but then sold her mother elsewhere. Her father took the money and left, and Aji never saw her parents again. In the three years she had been there, she had given birth to two children for the man; one died shortly after birth, and the other was now two years old.
Aji's home is in Luoshan, more than 100 kilometers away from Heihai Township. Although her family is poor, her older brother and mother love her very much, and the family lives a simple but happy life.
The nightmare began a few years ago when his father, who was working away from home, suddenly brought back news that someone had introduced him to a job where he could earn a lot of money just by running errands and delivering things. He gladly accepted and told his family that soon they would have a few pigs and be able to eat white rice.
Aji didn't know what kind of job it was, only that his father would take a long time to return from each trip, and he always brought back a lot of money. But this didn't last long; his health deteriorated, and from then on, when he went out to "work," he would bring his older brother along to help.
With both father and brother away, the farm work fell to mother and Aji. This continued for over a year, and Aji gradually noticed that something was wrong with her brother. The once cheerful, sunny young man who loved to sing folk songs became listless and depressed, hiding in his house all day and not letting Aji and her mother in. His behavior became secretive, and his temper became unusually volatile. He would often smash things for no reason, and after venting his anger, he would even collapse on the ground, vomiting and convulsing.
Aji's mother believed her brother was "sick" and possessed by evil spirits. She invited Suni and Bimo to play drums, burn iron, chant sutras, and exorcise demons, trying every possible method, but to no avail. That year, her brother was twenty years old. When he died, he was so thin that he was just skin and bones. His flesh and internal organs were all decayed, and his arms were covered with rotten holes. During his cremation, countless white maggots crawled out of his mouth and nose.