angry
The horn blared, startling the blue-throated bee-eaters from the tree branches. Five military green trucks rolled over the dirt road, their wheels kicking up red dust that hung above the river, mingling with countless enormous flying mosquitoes.
The town of Maca is built against the mountainside, with the Chira River meandering through it. The banks are bare, revealing ochre pebbles, while on the opposite bank, the canopy of Aplin is filled with emerald-colored mist. The air is fresh and the scenery is breathtaking.
The carriage kept swaying, and Milo sat still, but he couldn't ignore the man's gaze across from him, so he glared back.
This gave the other party a bit of a jolt. Hesei mumbled something, as if he'd been provoked. Just as he was about to approach, Chatchai grabbed him and warned, "Don't tease him, or Blaze will beat you up."
Hersey grumbled a few times unhappily and reluctantly sat back down.
I don't know how much time passed before the car finally stopped.
The car door opened with a "whoosh," and two men quickly jumped out, waving for Milo to get out.
Seeing that Milo didn't move, Hersé assumed that Milo was scared, so he smiled and leaned against the side of the carriage, stretching out his two strong arms, meaning that he could hug him.
Milo moved to the side of the car, only to see the man suddenly chuckle and retreat, creating a considerable distance between them.
Out of the corner of his eye, Milo saw Blaise, wearing a printed shirt, standing in the distance with a stern face.
It was the first time Milo had seen Blaise dressed in such vibrant colors, his black hair damp with morning dew, making his features appear even more sharp and angular beneath his slicked-back hairstyle. For a moment, Blaise seemed strangely unfamiliar. Even from a distance, Milo could still feel his intense gaze.
Milo didn't want to provoke him in this situation, so he jumped out of the car himself.
Looking around, everyone I'd seen in the rainforest earlier had changed into casual clothes and were now efficiently unloading containers.
It was just past noon, the sun was high in the sky, baking the stones on the ground until they were scorching hot, and the heat was intense. Almost instantly, my back was soaked with sweat.
Milo followed the group into the town, his eyes fixed on the trucks unloading goods at the gate.
Chachai said slowly, "From Lanman? Wanyang?"
Milo was surprised that Chatchai would strike up a conversation with him: "Wu Dong Port."
“Oh.” Chatchai remained silent.
"Are they here too?" Milo looked around but didn't see Miles and the others.
Chachai replied, "It won't arrive until tonight."
This meant he had another afternoon to play with Blaise. Thinking about this, Milo involuntarily shrank his shoulders.
Chatchai lit a cigarette, large beads of sweat appearing on his dark face. He suddenly spoke up: "Since you're afraid of him to the core, why bother provoking him?"
Milo stopped in his tracks: "I don't understand what you're saying."
Chachai took a deep drag on his cigarette, stubbed it out, and waved his hand to brush away the smoke from his clothes: "You want to mess with him? That's easy, since you have the power to do so. But don't get too cocky. You should also think about who has been keeping a tight rein on him all these years. It's not that easy to snatch meat from someone else's mouth."
Milo listened intently, and suddenly realized that the man before him was not simple. Compared to the straightforward Hersey, he was clearly much more mature and complex, and had a sharper eye.
Under the scorching sun, Chatchai was covered in sweat. He didn't continue speaking, only saying, "Be careful."
Milo wanted to say something more, but Chatchai had already walked away.
Milo stood there, pondering Chatchai's words. He was subtly warning him to be wary of Sigon. Thinking of the thin, bald old man praying in the temple, Milo didn't feel threatened. But then he considered the real guns and ammunition he saw in this small town of Maca, and even the fact that Blaze had been handled by Sigon. He couldn't help but feel more cautious.
But why did Chacchai remind him?
Milo suddenly felt a slight chill down his spine.
Chatchai walked over to Blaise, and the two talked. A few minutes later, Blaise clapped his hands in the distance. When he saw Milo looking over, he waved, as if beckoning a dog.
Milo slowly walked over.
Because it was so hot, the crowd reeked of sweat and smelled extremely unpleasant. Milo had to admit that the sandalwood scent on Blaise was a lifesaver at that moment.
Blaise reached out, and someone handed him a bag. He took out a gel ice pack from it, hung it around Milo's neck, and then stuffed a small handheld fan into his hand.
Milo had his hands full of cream, and his face was covered with a layer of transparent cream to cover the sunburnt, peeling areas. It smelled strongly of herbs and was very refreshing.
Hersey grinned and leaned forward, tossing something over, which Blaise caught.
Milo looked closely; it was a set of car keys.
Seeing Blaise pushing him out, Milo quickly asked, "Where are we going?"
Blaise gestured: Eat.
Seeing that Milo didn't move, he added: "I didn't really intend to starve you to death."
The destination was a restaurant in the small town. Along the way, Milo was surprised to find that the place was not poor, at least not as impoverished as he had imagined. On the contrary, the people here were happy and peaceful.
They sat down by the window. It was called a restaurant, but it was extremely casual; there was no set menu, you just shouted what you wanted. Blaze couldn't speak, so Milo had to shout it out himself. The problem was, the locals couldn't understand him, so he awkwardly pointed to each dish on the wall, asking Blaze how to pronounce them, then mimicking his lip movements and shouting them out loud.
He stumbled upon the rarest thing in the world: learning to speak from a mute. Whether it was because Blaise's teaching was poor or what, he had to call out the order several times before it was finally completed, making this man from a civilized city feel quite embarrassed.
Several ordinary side dishes were quickly placed on the table: green papaya salad, a large bowl of seafood sour soup, and a large glass of pandan coconut juice.
Milo ate with all his might. Having been kept by Blaise's side for three days, eating raw meat and drinking blood, he didn't care whether it was spineless or not when he tasted normal food. He just acted as if the person sitting in front of him was air.
A group of brown-skinned, sweaty teenagers were circling around the Hummer parked at the door. Blaze glanced outside, tapped the table, Milo looked up, Blaze made a series of hand gestures, and then tossed the car keys through the window.
The young men outside the window looked over curiously.
Milo thought for a moment and explained in the simplest English, "He said you can drive, but please return the car before 2 p.m.
After a moment of reflection, those people tried to understand from the words and successfully deduced the answer. Their four pairs of eyes lit up at the same time, and they cheered with joy.
The car drove off, and Milo couldn't help but ask, "Are you really that careless? Besides, are they even old enough to drive?"
Blaze chuckled through his nose, as if he thought the question was silly. He glanced outside and gestured: "After you finish eating, I'll take you somewhere."
Milo shook his head instinctively: "I'm not going."
Blaise leaned forward and gestured: Say it again?
Milo repeated, "I don't want to go."
Blaise didn't say anything more.
The meal was surprisingly peaceful.
The boss came to settle the bill, just as the four kids from downstairs drove back. Blaze got up with a flourish.
Milo put down his spoon and followed Blaise.
The shopkeeper grabbed Milo's hand and mumbled something Milo couldn't understand. Then the shopkeeper rubbed his fingers together and shouted in a loud voice, "Mani mani!" Milo then realized that he was begging for money.
The people sitting around eating all looked over, and Milo felt a wave of embarrassment rise from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He didn't have a single penny on him; everything had been taken from him, and even the clothes he was wearing belonged to Blaze.
Looking again, he saw Blaze standing by the door, arms crossed, just staring at him. Milo understood; this was a deliberate attempt to intimidate him. Dressed like a respectable person, he was actually a vicious dog—no, calling him a dog would be an insult to dogs.
The boss grabbed Milo's hand, looking aggrieved. Milo was also aggrieved, but he stubbornly refused to ask Blaise for money.
Soon, the floral curtain was lifted, and several elderly men wearing small caps came out, circling Milo like in a relay race, their expressions showing great annoyance. Perhaps they were used to the simple and honest customs of the people, and this was the first time they had seen a foreigner who was eating for free so brazenly and refusing to pay.
If this continues, it could attract the entire town.
Milo suppressed his frustration and finally spoke to Blaise: "Could you pay for my meal?"
Upon hearing this, Blaise acted, pulling two banknotes from his pocket to extricate himself, and the shopkeepers finally let go.
Almost the instant he let go, Milo burst out the door, with Blaze following leisurely behind. Seeing that Milo was running faster and faster, Blaze grabbed Milo's arm and easily restrained him.
Unexpectedly, Milo suddenly turned around like a bull, headbutting Blaze and causing him to stumble.
Blaze looked at Milo with a mixture of anger and amusement, but the smile quickly vanished when he saw Milo's noticeably reddened eyes.
Milo gritted his teeth, unable to contain his emotions for a moment: "Do you think it's funny to insult me like this?"
Blaze frowned; he hadn't thought that way, he just found it amusing. As usual, Milo was flexible and knew how to play hard to get, so Blaze assumed Milo would deliberately feign weakness to trick him into paying.
Who would have thought that Milo would actually get angry?
The key point is that it doesn't seem like an act.
This was the first time Blaze had directly felt Milo's undisguised true emotions, and he was somewhat at a loss for words.
The children who came to return the car keys were stunned, and they chattered amongst themselves.
Blaze listened, thinking it was a bit unreliable, but still stepped forward, bent down and put his hand on Milo's shoulder, pinched Milo's chin with one hand to force him to look at him, and then gestured: Don't be angry.
Even though it was a gesture without any interjection, Milo instantly got goosebumps, realizing that he had actually been angry.
He actually got angry at Blaise over such a trivial matter? What if he angered him and made a fatal mistake? Is he out of his mind?
Milo suppressed his emotions and stubbornly said, "I'm not angry."
The four kids were still chattering away. Blaze couldn't stand it anymore. The suggestions he made later wouldn't have bothered him in the past, but given the situation just now, Milo might slap them both in the street.
Whether or not he gets slapped is not a big deal. If he really angers this stubborn mule and he decides not to continue pretending with him, he will feel a little sorry for him.
The car keys were tossed to him, and Blaise opened the car door for Milos.
The two got into the car, where the air conditioning kept them cool and extinguished their earlier anger.
The moment the car started, Milo suddenly said, "Let's go to the place you mentioned before." He added, "There's still plenty of time."
Blaise was somewhat surprised, but he readily accepted the offer and turned the steering wheel fully.
After getting out of the car, Milo looked at the abandoned park in front of him, which resembled an industrial site, and was somewhat surprised.
Actually, when he said he wouldn't go out during the meal, it was just because he was quick-witted; it felt good to do it that way. The longer Milo spent with Blaise, the more he found himself unable to suppress the urge to talk back and fight back. This was completely different from his relationship with Miles. Milo felt this was a very bad sign. It meant that he was subconsciously trying to gain some self-respect from Blaise, and was certain that Blaise would tolerate it.
What a load of nonsense!
The smart thing to do is to go, regardless of whether it's insulting or not, and to go enthusiastically.
"Where is this place?" Milo asked, holding a small fan and staring blankly at Blaise.
Blaise closed the car door, and soon a brown-skinned man walked out of the park, walked over from a distance, wiped his hands, and bent down to shake hands with Blaise.
To Milo's surprise, Blaise returned the handshake to the weathered man and patted him on the shoulder.
The man glanced at Milo, somewhat surprised, but still handed Blaise a key.
Milo followed Blaze into the park. A strong smell of rust hit them, mixed with a thick medicinal odor. Abandoned machine tools were everywhere, like swarms of ants.
Milo quietly touched the machine tool, his fingers covered in bluish-black machine oil, which he wiped off discreetly.
Blaise walked straight through the factory to a metal door and opened it with a key.
With a creaking sound, a place resembling a medicinal herb garden came into view. Lush greenery covered the ground, winding paths led through it, and ancient trees with intertwined branches created an atmosphere of mystery reminiscent of a primeval forest. Clearly, it was very well maintained.
Blaise stopped in front of an old tree.
Milo followed silently, observing quietly. He noticed a sign hanging on a tree, covered with densely packed characters, a string of buttocks. Milo couldn't recognize them all, but he did recognize a few.
Suma Natawa.
Milo realized that this was probably a tree burial, and that a woman named Natawa was buried inside.
Blaze clasped his hands together, slowly knelt down, pressed his forehead to the ground, and remained there for a long time before lifting his head.
"Why bury him in the factory?" Milo asked.
Blaise stood up and gestured to Milo: this was the place she cared about most in her life.
"Generally speaking, a mother should care most about her child."
Blaze glanced at Milo but didn't say anything.
Milo, being perceptive, remained silent.
It wasn't until they drove back to the town of Maca that Blaise explained to him: because I wasn't worth her attention.
A dry, bland explanation.
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