The fishing village was still immersed in ink at dawn when Feng Yulan was awakened by the creaking sound of the wooden bed.
Zhang Shumin was already sitting by the bed, wiping the fruit knife in the dim light of the kerosene lamp. The blade flashed a cold light in the dimness, reflecting the corners of her tightly pursed mouth.
"Hong Gu's husband got up at three o'clock to cast his nets." Zhang Shumin said without looking up. "He looked at us with a strange look yesterday."
Feng Yulan shuddered, remembering that during dinner last night, Hong Gu's husband's cloudy eyes were always wandering around their luggage.
She turned over and got out of bed, and touched the straw rope in the corner of the wall - this was given to them by Hong Gu in the middle of the night, saying that fishermen used it to tie fishing nets when bringing them ashore.
"Let's go check the ferry first." Zhang Shumin put the knife into her waistband. "If it's closed...we'll go through the reed marshes."
Reed marsh. Feng Yulan recalled the impenetrable green barrier she had seen on the boat yesterday. It was so densely packed with reefs that even the locals wouldn't venture in. But at this moment, it might be the only way to survive.
They went out in the dark, and the dogs in the fishing village suddenly started barking. Zhang Shumin grabbed Feng Yulan, and the two of them hid in the firewood pile against the wall.
The sound of leather shoes stepping on stone slabs came from the distance. Three or four dark shadows were walking towards Hong Gu's house. The leader had a square object on his waist - Feng Yulan's pupils suddenly shrank, it was a walkie-talkie.
"Old Jin's people," Zhang Shumin whispered in her ear, her warm breath mixing with the coolness of the morning mist. "They're quicker than I thought."
The footsteps stopped at Hong Gu's door. Feng Yulan clenched the straw rope tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.
She heard Hong Gu's husband speaking with an apologetic smile, followed by the sound of porcelain breaking and a woman's scream - Hong Gu was resisting.
"Let's go!" Zhang Shumin dragged her in the opposite direction, across the drying yard filled with fishing nets, and sprinted toward the river. A man's roar came from behind: "Chase them to the ferry! Don't let those two women get away!"
As expected, there were two speedboats parked at the ferry, their searchlights sweeping across the water. Feng Yulan was about to turn around when Zhang Shumin suddenly pushed her into a small fishing boat on the shore and said, "Untie the ropes!"
The sound of the oars hitting the water startled a flock of waterfowl. Feng Yulan frantically tried to untie the hemp rope at the bow, but found that the knot had been tightened by the salt water.
Zhang Shumin cursed, took out a fruit knife and chopped it, but the sharp blade was actually notched.
"Use this!" A fishing spear was thrown out from the darkness. Feng Yulan looked up and saw Hong Gu lying on the shore, covered in blood. "Take the third reed on the left! Remember, don't touch the white float!"
Zhang Shumin grabbed the harpoon and cut the rope. The boat shook violently and swam into the river. Behind her, she heard Hong Gu's husband shouting, "You bitch! Are you looking for death?" Then there was the sound of a heavy object falling into the water.
Feng Yulan's heart was in a knot, Hong Gu's figure had disappeared in the shadows on the shore.
"Don't look!" Zhang Shumin snatched the rope from her hand and tied a stone to the stern of the boat. "Hold this, and if you show your head, you'll sink!"
The morning mist had thickened at some point, covering the water like a gray quilt. Following Zhang Shumin's instructions, Feng Yulan dipped straw ropes into the water every few dozen meters to create the illusion of people wading in the shallows.
The speedboat's searchlight swept across the roof of their boat several times, but Zhang Shumin covered the mast with a fishing net.
"The third reed...is here." Zhang Shumin's voice was bloodshot, and the bandage on her shoulder was soaked with cold sweat.
Feng Yulan looked in the direction she pointed, and saw a line of dark green between two withered yellow reeds, half a head shorter than the surrounding reeds - this was the way out that Hong Gu mentioned.
As soon as the boat entered the reed marsh, Feng Yulan heard a "click" and the bottom of the boat hit the reef.
Zhang Shumin quickly squatted down to adjust the direction, but at this moment, a beam of strong light penetrated the fog - at some point, a speedboat came from the side and rear, and the searchlight hit them right in the face.
"Get down!" Zhang Shumin rushed over and pinned Feng Yulan down. Bullets scraped past the awning, sending a cascade of splashes across the water. Feng Yulan reached for the harpoon on the bottom of the boat. The cool metal handle suddenly reminded her of Hong Gu's blood-soaked face.
She looked up at Zhang Shumin, who was also looking at her with a hint of surprise in her eyes - there was no fear in Feng Yulan's eyes, only burning anger.
"There's a rock sticking out of the water on the left," Zhang Shumin said suddenly. "On the count of three, we'll jump off the boat."
"That ship..."
"They need to be alive." Zhang Shumin untied the cloth belt around her waist and tied it to the rudder. "Let the boat drift for a while."
Feng Yulan understood. She took a deep breath, grabbed the harpoon, and the moment Zhang Shumin yelled "three," they both jumped into the water. The river water was freezing cold, but it was no match for the whistling of bullets.
After Feng Yulan held her breath and dived to the reef, she felt Zhang Shumin's hand holding her wrist, and the two of them clung to the reef, breathing heavily.
As expected, the speedboat slowed down and approached the empty boat. Feng Yulan counted her heartbeats until she heard the people on the boat cursing and saying, "We've been tricked!" Then she dared to stick her head out.
In the morning light, Zhang Shumin's face was as white as paper, and the bandage on her shoulder was bleeding, but she was still gesturing at her - continue walking deeper into the reeds.
After an unknown amount of time, they finally found a secluded shallow beach in the middle of a reed marsh. Zhang Shumin collapsed in the reeds, trembling as she tore off her bandages.
Only then did Feng Yulan discover that the wound on her shoulder had festered, and pus and blood mixed with river water were dripping down.
"Bear with it." Feng Yulan took out the herbal medicine bag that Hong Gu had given her. This was the one she hadn't had time to fry yesterday. "It might hurt a little."
Zhang Shumin bit a piece of rag and let Feng Yulan pick apart the rotten meat with a fishing fork. The morning mist gradually dissipated, and the sunlight shone through the gaps between the reeds and shone on them, weaving a few golden fragments in the blood and mud.
Feng Yulan suddenly remembered watching workers mending machines in a textile factory when she was a child. The colors mixed with oil and rust were so similar to those now.
"Okay." She rebandaged the wound with a clean cloth, her fingers touching the sheath at Zhang Shumin's waist. "Mom, actually... I hid something in Sister Hong's shop yesterday."
Zhang Shumin raised her eyebrows: "What?"
"Detonators." Feng Yulan fished out an oil-paper package from her underwear. Inside was three silver cylinders. "Sister Hong said these are used by fishermen to fry fish. I took a few while no one was looking."
Zhang Shumin stared at the detonator, her eyes suddenly brightening. She reached out and held Feng Yulan's hand, the calloused palm rubbing against her knuckles—this was the first time in twenty years that they had exchanged secrets so frankly.
Feng Yulan gripped the harpoon tightly. In the distance, they heard the roar of a speedboat turning back, but this time, they didn't hide.
The sun finally broke through the water, painting the entire reed marsh golden. Feng Yulan helped Zhang Shumin stand up, and they smiled at each other—a smile that contained fear, fatigue, but more than that, a determination to fight to the death.
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