Chapter 05

On the second morning, just as the sky began to show a hint of dawn, Ruan Nianchu was awakened by the sounds on the roof. She opened her eyes, a bit alert and somewhat bewildered, staring at the ceiling. The faint morning light illuminated the room, and there were clattering noises on the roof, as if someone was moving, agilely and smoothly traversing.

Ruan Nianchu quickly realized it was that person. These days, he either slept on the floor or on the roof.

Sure enough, a tall figure swiftly leaped down from the roof. Her gaze followed the figure, and she saw him standing outside the window for a moment. Shortly after, someone in the distance spoke in Khmer, and he nodded faintly before his footsteps gradually faded away.

As Li Teng left, Ruan Nianchu got up from bed, did a simple wash, and by then, the sky outside was already bright.

With nothing to do, she sat in a chair, playing with the rice flowers in a vase, and gazed into the sky.

She had considered contacting the outside world. However, her phone was nowhere to be found, and there were no other communication devices. She had no choice but to give up. Today marked the seventh day since she was tied up here. She had food, drink, and her life was temporarily safe, but every minute and every hour here was a mental torment for her.

Only Ruan Nianchu herself knew that beneath the calm surface, she needed tremendous strength to endure until now.

She had never given up on escaping. Every time this thought was engulfed by confusion and despair, she would try hard to recall everything about her hometown. The land of China, the wind of Yuncheng, her parents’ graying temples, and their incessant chatter…

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Ohlauvbkdt blal oyp fwpv y dktbvxyal vbyv oswze rypp yde cl qsatsvvld.

Swyd Lkydnbw nzldnble bla qkhl qkdtlap vktbvzu, bszekdt vbl aknl qzsolap kd bla ryzx.

Gv dssd, vbl uswdt csu nyzzle Msak eke dsv yrrlya. Lsaxyzzu, Msak elzkhlale xlyzp yaswde 12:10 r.x., cwv dso vbl oyzz nzsnj rskdvle vs 1:00, yde vbl csu oyp pvkzz dsoblal vs cl plld.

Fbl oyp tlvvkdt y ckv bwdtau, alrlyvlezu rlljkdt swvpkel. Wkdyzzu, nzspl vs 1:30, kv oyp Gwdv Dkd obs caswtbv bla zwdnb vseyu.

Swyd Lkydnbw pxkzle yde vbydjle Gwdv Dkd.

Gwdv Dkd bye y pxkzl sd bla sze qynl. Fbl nyalqwzzu lmyxkdle bla yde vbld pyke kd Ibxla, “Zsw zssj clywvkqwz kd vbkp ealpp.”

Swyd Lkydnbw eked’v wdelapvyde Gwdv Dkd’p osaep. Jwv pllkdt Gwdv Dkd pvyakdt yv bla, psxlvbkdt pweeldzu nzknjle. Fbl czwpble y ckv, “Xb… R qsatsv vs vbydj usw qsa vbkp ealpp. Mbydj usw.”

Gwdv Dkd pxkzle cwv eked’v alprsde.

Ruan Nianchu paused for a moment, then realized, “I forgot you can’t understand…” She hesitated for a bit, recalling the Khmer words Tori had taught her, and managed to squeeze out a Khmer word: “Thank you.” After saying that, she pointed to the lace skirt she was wearing.

Aunt Xin waved her hand, sat quietly beside her, and only left after Ruan Nianchu finished eating. Tori, the young boy, still did not appear.

Maybe he couldn’t make it due to some other matters. Ruan Nianchu speculated, not thinking too much at that time.

Around six in the evening, hurried footsteps approached her bamboo house, followed by a knock on the door. She opened the door to find a unfamiliar young boy standing outside, with round eyes and dark skin, looking slightly younger than Tori.

In the past few days, Ruan Nianchu’s impression of these children had changed considerably because of Tori. She raised an eyebrow, looking at the unfamiliar boy with a puzzled expression.

The boy looked anxious, gesturing with his hands and squeezing out English words, “Tori… is ill!” (Words in Italics are originally written in English)

Ruan Nianchu’s heart sank, “Is it serious?“

The boy nodded, “Fever… cough…” While saying this, he turned and ran towards another direction, waving at her, “Come with me! Quick!”

Ruan Nianchu stayed still for a few seconds, bit her lip, and said, “Wait.” After that, she went back into the house.

She walked to the cabinet and pulled open the last drawer on the left. A gleaming umbrella knife with its sheath lay quietly inside, the same one Grandpa Tuwa had given to Lee. She had accidentally discovered this knife while cleaning the house the day before yesterday. She took the knife out, tucked it into the wide belt around her waist, focused her mind, and followed the young boy.

~

The boy led her through the camp in silence. As the sky darkened, almost no one else was visible around them.

Ruan Nianchu furrowed her brows, vaguely realizing that something was wrong. She stood still, not moving forward, and in English asked, “Where is Tori?”

The boy turned to look at her, grinned, but didn’t speak. The child’s smile made Ruan Nianchu uneasy. She turned to run, only to collide with a solid wall of a man.

It was a sturdy man, and around him were four or five others. Seeing these faces, Ruan Nianchu’s expression turned cold, and her heart sank. These faces looked fierce and seemed to fit the term “scum” perfectly.

The leader continued to laugh, displaying yellow teeth that made Ruan Nianchu nauseous. He beckoned, and the boy ran over, received some bills from the fat man, and happily ran away.

Ruan Nianchu knew she had fallen into a trap. She stood in place without moving, forced herself to stay calm, thinking of a way to escape.

The leader chattered something, then reached out to grab her. She didn’t resist but instead smiled, pretending to be coy, and brushed away the fat man’s hand with a light push. Seeing her act like this, the fat man thought she wasn’t going to resist, and he slightly loosened his grip.

Taking advantage of this moment, Ruan Nianchu broke free, pulled her leg away, and started running.

“f*ck!” The man cursed in annoyance and swiftly caught up in three or four steps. The others also rushed forward, and in just a few seconds, they pulled Ruan Nianchu back and pressed her down to the ground.

She screamed in horror, “Crackle,” and the fabric of the shawl over her shoulder was torn apart. In the twilight, two distinct clavicles were visible on her snowy white skin, the lines delicate and clear.

“Brother Lee is damn stingy, keeping such a beautiful girl all to himself,” the men spoke in Khmer, with lecherous smiles. “Well, at least we finally got a chance.”

Ruan Nianchu’s eyes turned red, and she clenched her teeth to reach for the knife at her waist. Just as she touched it, a voice came from very close above.

“Let her go.” The tone was extremely low, bone-chillingly cold.

For some reason, upon hearing this voice, Ruan Nianchu instantly relaxed, and all the strength seemed to drain from her body.

The leader’s movements froze. There was a chilling sensation on the back of his neck, a sharp object pressed against it. His face turned pale, he released his hands and raised them high, forcing a smile, “Brother Lee, it’s just a girl. Is it necessary to get involved with brothers over this?”

Li Teng said, “Cut the bullshit.”

Several men dared not make a move, and they retreated to the side. Ruan Nianchu’s face was covered in tears, she lowered her head, tightened her clothes, and stood up. The white shawl was covered in mud and stains, making her look miserable.

Li Teng’s gaze fell on her, his eyebrows furrowing into a knot, “Are you injured?”

Ruan Nianchu shook her head.

The leader was uneasy, gritting his teeth. He slowly turned around, glanced at the knife in Li Teng’s hand, and smiled, “Bro, we’re family, born and died together for so many years. You won’t really take my life for a woman, will you? If you really harm me, Grandpa is probably not going to be pleased.”

Li Teng sneered but remained silent.

Thinking he had intimidated Li Teng, the leader felt relieved and less fearful. He leisurely said, “Brother Lee, we’re all working for Grandpa. I was wrong to touch your woman. I apologize, alright?” He pushed the knife away with his hand, “Don’t be so angry. We’re all in this together, in the underworld. We need to leave room for everything…”

In the next few seconds, Ruan Nianchu had no time to react.

Suddenly, the man’s words were replaced by a scream, like the sound of slaughtering a pig, eerie and horrifying.

She instinctively lifted her head.

The man was clutching his right hand, curled on the ground, blood flowing from between his left fingers. He seemed in extreme pain, and his face had lost all color. The surrounding people were silent, watching wide-eyed, none daring to approach and help.

Li Teng’s knife was still dripping with blood. He bent down, close to the nearly unconscious man, with a cruel and dark smile, saying harshly, “This time, it’s for Grandpa’s sake. If you have any more ideas about her, I’ll cut you into pieces.”

After saying that, he turned around, locking eyes with Ruan Nianchu. She stared at him blankly, fear intermingling in her dark and shiny pupils.

Li Teng’s expression was indifferent as he played with the bloody knife. Walking past her, he dropped a curt sentence, “It’s late. Come back with me.”

“…,” Ruan Nianchu pursed her lips, glancing at the severed finger on the ground, and then at the retreating figure full of banditry. Suddenly, she felt like she had never truly known this person.

~

The white sarong was torn, so Ruan Nianchu changed into a new one. She wiped herself all over with a wet towel and then put on the clothes she had worn before. A T-shirt and shorts that Aunt Xin had washed and dried, carrying a faint soapberry fragrance.

Walking out of the room, Lee was indeed sitting on the roof again, wiping his knife with a cloth.

Ruan Nianchu looked up, silently watching the knife in his hand. After a moment of silence, she took a deep breath, exhaled, and called his name, “Lee.”

He lowered his gaze. Moonlight illuminated the girl’s cheeks, fair with a hint of pale pink, and her eyes were exceptionally bright.

He asked, “What’s the matter?”

She inquired, “Interested in having a chat?”

Li Teng raised an eyebrow, noncommittal. After a moment, he leaned towards her, extending a hand, palm open. It was broad, covered with thick calluses, and the five fingers were slender with distinct joints, the nails neatly trimmed.

Ruan Nianchu didn’t understand, “What… are we doing?”

Li Teng glanced at the roof, very indifferent, “Can you climb up yourself?”

“…,” She was speechless. After a few seconds, she found a broken stool from somewhere, stood on it, tiptoed, and grabbed his hand with effort. The movement was awkward, and her body wasn’t coordinated. He found it amusing, sneered, and loosened her grip on his hand.

Ruan Nianchu was momentarily stunned, not yet recovering when Li Teng’s large hands passed under her armpits, gripping both soft shoulders. With a single effort, he lifted her up.

Her eyes flickered slightly, embarrassed, and a faint blush spread across her cheeks.

This action brought the two extremely close for a moment. Li Teng turned his head, and his breath, almost intangible, brushed past her earlobe. His tone was indifferent, “Quite clumsy.”

Ruan Nianchu: “…”

He quickly let her go, returning his gaze to the knife in his hand, wiping it absentmindedly with the cloth. “Speak, what do you want to talk about?”

She frowned, shifted away to put some distance between them, hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly, “You’ve helped me several times. Thank you.”

Li Teng said, “No need.”

“I’m Ruan Nianchu.” Out of politeness, she introduced herself first, “And you?”

Li Teng glanced at her, “Don’t you already know?”

She furrowed her brows slightly, “Lee?”

He lit a cigarette, silent for a few seconds, then uttered two words, “Li Teng.”

Li Teng. Ruan Nianchu silently repeated the name in her mind, nodded, hesitated for a moment, and said, “Actually, today, I wanted to ask you something.”

His response was indifferent, “Hmm.”

“The paratrooper’s umbrella knife you’re holding,” Ruan Nianchu pointed with her hand, “Is it the one Grandpa gave you before?”

Li Teng, expressionless, unconsciously rubbed the blade, fingertips slowly tracing over the engraved characters. Without much emotion, he replied, “Hmm.”

“…Then,” Ruan Nianchu paused for a moment, and after a while, she fumbled around her waist, then lifted her gaze. She looked straight into those deep, unfathomable eyes, “What’s the story behind this knife?”

Li Teng lowered his head, squinting slightly, pupils contracting for a moment.

In both his and her hands lay two identical Type 99 paratrooper’s umbrella knives. The words “Chinese Air Force” on the blade were exceptionally clear under the moonlight.

---

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