Evil in the Abyss (Part 1)
The weather was unbearably hot and humid, without a breath of wind; the thick air seemed to have solidified. Qingcheng and Hu Yukun walked out of the office, and Qingcheng quickly put on sunglasses; the sun in the mining area was even more scorching than she had imagined.
Stephen's secretary, Carl, politely saw the two out of the office. After receiving permission to conduct interviews at will, the two exchanged a glance, everything understood without words.
The two walked and took pictures. There were rubble and miners pushing mine carts all around. Qingcheng wanted to find a shady place, but all she could see were hills and no trees that could provide shade.
Looking at his watch, Hu Yukun realized it wasn't time yet, so he took Qingcheng to the back of a hill. They planned to interview a few more miners and take some photos to report to the authorities. Also, they wanted to move around so that they wouldn't arouse the guards' suspicion when they left.
The place was shady, and it was lunchtime. The miners, exhausted from the morning's work, sat in a circle around the steaming black iron pot, looking as if they wished they could take root in this pile of gravel and never have to go down into that sunless abyss again.
Their faces were covered in black coal dust, and only when they smiled did they reveal their bright white teeth. Their food consisted of simple wild vegetable soup with flatbread or steamed buns, but even with such meager fare, they ate with great relish.
The sight brought a strange pang of sadness to Qingcheng's heart. Looking at the miners' clothes, she saw a child's face hidden beneath the coal dust. The trousers were rolled up several times, and the sleeves were so short that they revealed the dark, ill-fitting arms.
The child seemed to have only managed to grab one piece of bread. He squatted a little distance from the pot, eating while cautiously looking around. When he saw Qingcheng approaching him, he instinctively backed away, his thin body tense, as if worried that the woman in front of him would steal his bread.
Kiyosumi sighed and squatted down as well. She took out a piece of fruit candy from her pocket. It was slightly melted, but the glistening candy was still tempting. The child probably had never seen anything so beautiful before. He forgot about the biscuit and stretched out his dark little hand to touch it, but immediately pulled it back before he could even touch the candy.
He had already pulled his hand back, but his eyes were glued to the candy. Qingcheng didn't know why he wanted it but didn't dare to take it, so she simply pulled Xiao Hei's hand over and stuffed the candy into his mouth. Seeing that there were still some crumbs left on his lips, she casually took out a handkerchief to wipe them clean for him.
But as soon as she raised her hand, the child was struck as if by lightning, and sat down on the ground with his arms raised, trembling all over. It was a defensive posture when he was hit. The places that were originally covered by his clothes were showing some purplish-blue spots. The wounds were both new and old. Qingcheng was about to help the child up to examine him carefully.
An uncle smoking a pipe nearby quickly pulled the child behind him and politely apologized to the two men, "I'm sorry, sirs, the country boy has never seen the world." Hu Yukun seemed to notice something was amiss and walked over from the side with his camera.
"Uncle, we mean no harm, we just want to ask a few questions," Hu Yukun hurriedly explained.
"I know, I know, you're all adults from the city, I should thank you." The uncle's humble attitude made Qingcheng feel ashamed. Then the uncle chatted with the two of them. He called himself Lao Gou and was the cook (foreman) of this group.
The reason he thanked them was that whenever people from the city came, they could eat steamed buns and have their rest time extended. Moreover, in order to welcome the adults from the city, the people in their mine went home early yesterday to wash up, so as not to offend the adults with their fumes.
But when Qingcheng asked about the child's age, the uncle hesitated again. It was the child himself who shouted that he was sixteen, but his voice was soft and childish, and he hadn't changed yet, so he was definitely no more than thirteen years old.
Even Old Gou couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. He chased the child away, took a puff of his pipe, and then leisurely said to the two of them, "Don't take offense, our mine stipulates that only those over fifteen years old can come to work."
The two waited eagerly for Lao Gou to continue: "But there are always exceptions. This kid has a hard life. His father broke his leg while moving ore and needed medical treatment. His mother went blind from crying after his older brother was conscripted. He also has three younger siblings to support. I could only help him lie about his age. I couldn't watch his whole family starve to death."
The Nationalist government was once again scolded by Lao Gou. According to regulations, those over fifteen years old are considered adults, but in practice, they would just arrest any boy they saw on the street who was about the same height. Most of them ended up dying, becoming cannon fodder for the warlords.
Although doing manual labor here is hard, with a little effort, you can earn a few dollars a month, which is enough to support your family. Compared to the refugees who starve to death outside, they are already very content.
Old Gou spoke earnestly, but Hu Yukun found an excuse to pull Qingcheng away. His eyes were full of disdain and disgust. When they were alone, he whispered to Qingcheng that the nonsense that the man had told was three parts truth and seven parts falsehood. He told her to just listen to it as if it were farts and not to take it seriously.
In fact, Qingcheng had already noticed the flaw in his statement. Even if they only received one silver dollar a month, they wouldn't all be so thin and bony in a place with such low prices. On the contrary, Lao Gou had a ruddy complexion and spoke with a strong voice. Moreover, according to him, class conflict did not exist in the mining area. How could that be!
Just then, the child peeked out from behind the mountain, revealing his rosy cheeks. He looked like he had washed his face, as he seemed much cleaner. When he was discovered, he awkwardly sidled up to Qingcheng, lowered his head, and asked shyly, "Sister, can I have two more candies?"
Qingcheng took out all the candy bags without hesitation: "Sister will ask you a few questions. If you answer them correctly, they're all yours." The child's eyes were full of longing for the candy, and she nodded vigorously twice.
"How old are you? What's your name?" Kiyosumi asked, waving a bag of candy in a tempting way.
Xiaocao cautiously looked around, and only relaxed when she didn't see anyone else: "I don't have a real name, my family just calls me Xiaocao. I'm twelve years old (by Chinese reckoning), so don't tell anyone else."
"How much does Lao Gou pay you a month?" Qingcheng looked at the child's bare little feet with pity. The ground was full of sharp rocks, and he didn't even have a pair of shoes.
"There was no pay. Uncle Gou said I was too young to carry much coal, so he paid me a few coins every day out of his own pocket so I could buy pancakes," Xiao Cao said calmly.
Qingcheng couldn't help but sneer inwardly. Yes, even raising chickens and ducks requires investing in grain. Old Gou, that black-hearted and hypocritical old bastard, really knows how to do business. She then asked, "Where are your parents?"
"My father gambled and got his leg broken by debt collectors, so he can't work anymore. My mother and eldest sister were sold by the debt collectors. My eldest brother... he didn't do his job properly and went up the mountain to become a bandit." The child seemed somewhat numb to his own situation, and only when talking about his eldest brother did a trace of the attachment a child should have shown in his eyes.
But this cruel truth sent a chill down one's spine. What is good, and what is evil? Can only the wicked survive in a chaotic world? Xiaocao's words shattered Qingcheng's original sense of right and wrong, and it felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing and pressing on her heart, making her gasp for breath in discomfort.
Faced with reality, everyone is forced to make a choice, and for ordinary people who are originally kind, this choice may always be an unspeakable pain.
"Why did you decide to work here? Don't you have land at home?" Qingcheng wiped the sweat from Xiaocao's forehead; the afternoon ground temperature felt like it was going to bake a person alive.
“No land, poor… I guess my dad probably sold me to Uncle Gou, but as long as my younger brother and sister have bread to eat, that’s enough.” Xiao Cao lowered his head and paused for a moment, his face showing a maturity beyond his years.
Kiyosumi felt like she had asked a silly question, so she awkwardly changed the subject: "Are there any other children your age?"
"Yes, there are many, but I don't know why none of them came to work today." Xiaocao scratched her head, seemingly puzzled. Qingcheng knew there was an interview today, and using child labor was ultimately a bit unseemly, so she guessed they would come back tomorrow.
"Alright, the question we just discussed is a secret between the two of us. Keep the candy safe and don't let anyone see it, not even Daddy, or it will run away on its own." Qingcheng gently hugged Xiaocao, but reason told her that she couldn't give Xiaocao money; she couldn't keep it.
But unable to resist her emotions, Qingcheng slipped a few coins into the candy bag and gave them to Xiaocao, then patted his little face. It was only a few coins, nothing dangerous, and the child, without even looking, stuffed the entire bag into his pocket, his face beaming with joy, thanking her profusely.
"Thank you, sister. Here, take this. My brother said that although our family is poor, we can't take other people's things for free." The child pulled out a grasshopper made of straw from his pocket. It was a vibrant green, a color that should have been full of life, but at this moment it made people feel sad. His older brother must have been a kind person.
If it weren't for the fact that time was running out, Qingcheng would have wanted to ask a few more questions. She carefully wrapped the grasshopper in a handkerchief and put it in her bag. She then followed Hu Yukun through a maze of winding paths to a secluded hill behind which was a small coal mine that had been nailed shut with wooden planks. Hu Yukun skillfully moved the planks to reveal the dark entrance to the mine.
Inside the abandoned coal mine is a long, narrow, and deep vertical shaft. According to Hu Yukun, it took them many days to dig this passage to connect the German and Japanese mines. By timing it well, they can effectively avoid patrolling mercenaries. All Qingcheng needs to do is bring clean clothes, meet the two at the entrance of the mine, and also distract any bystanders who might appear.
The place was too remote; no one else was around, but the mine was pitch black, so you couldn't feel the passage of time. Qingcheng paced anxiously back and forth in the cave. Hu Yukun had previously sent a comrade to infiltrate the Japanese mine, agreeing to pick him up in five days. Today was the fifth day.
A moment later, two beams of yellow light shone from the deep mine shaft. Qingcheng knew that they had come to pick up the person, and her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was slightly relieved.
Hu Yukun was the first to emerge from the shaft. Qingcheng helped pull him out. Hu Yukun didn't change his clothes immediately, but instead squatted at the shaft entrance waiting for his comrade.
Before the man even emerged, the stench filled the air. A mixture of urine and rotting fish and shrimp began to permeate the mine shaft. Hu Yukun, who was closest to the shaft, couldn't help but squat down and gag. He saw the man stick his head out, cursing and reaching out his hand to the man.
After pulling the people up, Hu Yukun pinched his nose and introduced them: "Let me introduce you. This is Comrade He Qingcheng, who was sent by Shanghai to help us with the investigation. This is Cai Shaokang, you can just call him Cai Tou."
Comrade Caitou was also wearing the same coarse cloth patched clothes as miners. He was quite tall and had a square face. He was about to shake hands with Qingcheng when Hu Yukun slapped him away and complained, "Don't you know what you smell like? You look like you've been soaking in a cesspool. How dare you shake a female comrade's hand?"
Qingcheng's eyes flickered, and she didn't offer to shake hands, her hands behind her back. Fortunately, Comrade Caitou didn't seem to mind and went about finding a towel.
Originally, Qingcheng wanted to let Caitou hide in the trunk for a while, but even after a simple wipe, the sour smell on Caitou was still strong. Qingcheng felt that her sense of smell had failed and her eyes were red from the smell.
"Caitou, remember to wrap yourself up tightly and try not to feel hot, otherwise you won't pass the checkpoint at the door," Hu Yukun said helplessly, tossing him a blanket.
"It doesn't matter, you can scrub my back later, ouch~ it's so itchy, I think I have lice." Cai Tou said, scratching his back.
"Still scrubbing yourself? You smell awful. What bathhouse would dare hire you? I think you'd better get a new skin first." Hu Yukun glared at Caitou with disdain.
"Stop joking. I have a clue. After you leave, keep driving to the left until you see a big jujube tree, then turn right. I'll take you somewhere." Cai Tou's tone became somewhat serious.
Cai Tou's arrival made the already stuffy space even hotter. No one stayed in the mine for long. Hu Yukun's car was parked nearby. The workers had all gone to work. As far as the eye could see, there were only piles of rocks that had turned white from the sun.
The three of them quickly made their way back to the car. Qingcheng stood on a rock mound, keeping watch for the two under the scorching sun. Seeing that no one was around, she waved for them to get in the car immediately. Hu Yukun cautiously opened the trunk and let Caitou, who was wrapped in a blanket, quickly crawl inside.
The car was sweltering in the sun, the seats unbearably hot, but Hu and He couldn't care less. They got in and drove straight to the gate through the winding alley. Just like before, Hu Yukun and Qingcheng showed their press passes. Qingcheng was a new face and a reporter from a major Shanghai newspaper; in Hu Yukun's opinion, they certainly wouldn't make things difficult for her.
The burly man with bare arms at the door took the credentials. Judging from his appearance, he was probably a White Russian mercenary. He carefully compared the photo on the press pass, then gestured to another person to open the iron gate and let them through.
Just as the two breathed a sigh of relief, an Indian man wearing a red turban stopped the car. He walked around the car in a pretentious manner, kicked the bumper arrogantly, and then tapped the trunk, indicating that they should open it.
In Shanghai, Qingcheng hated nothing more than the Indians with red heads. They were servants, yet they acted as if they were more important than their masters. She had seen them chase and beat up passing rickshaw drivers and dockworkers several times. There was no reason; they just took advantage of the fact that you were weak and dared not fight back. They were just like dogs, shameless.
Hu Yukun rolled down the car window and politely asked him what the problem was. The Indian man seemed not to understand Chinese, waved his hand in the air, and whispered something to the White Russian man. Suddenly, the White Russian man whistled, and several foreign mercenaries armed with real guns moved closer to the car, making the surrounding air even thinner.
Immediately, Hu Yukun's back was drenched in sweat, but... the two people in the car exchanged a silent glance. The situation had changed, so they immediately activated the backup plan.
Seemingly sensing the determination in Hu Yukun's eyes, Qingcheng decisively opened the door and got out of the car, using her height advantage to grab the Indian man. With lightning speed, she slapped him across the face. Before the Indian man could speak, she slapped him back, and his face immediately swelled up, turning black and red.
"Oh dear, that's not how you use a backup plan!" Hu Yukun never expected that the seemingly quiet Comrade He would be so fierce. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, blurring his vision. He stiffly raised his hand to wipe it, his mind completely blank.
The burly men around her, armed with real guns, had probably never seen such a fierce Chinese woman before. They simply held their guns, not daring to make any rash moves, and couldn't figure out what kind of person she was.
Taking advantage of the Indian man's dazed state, Qingcheng pressed him against the car hood in one go, cursing him as she did so. As the man screamed and cried from the heat of the hood, Qingcheng's expression became increasingly frantic, her eyes blazing with fury.
In an instant, everyone fired their guns, put on safety, and pointed them at Qingcheng. Hu Yukun swallowed hard, feeling her heart leap into her throat. Just as she was about to get out of the car to try and calm things down, she suddenly shouted in Chinese, "Call your mine manager, Stephen, right now!"
The burly men just looked at each other, probably because they really couldn't understand Chinese. It wasn't until one of them asked his partner in German if they were looking for the mine manager that they understood. Kiyosumi keenly caught their guess, snorted, and repeated it in German. Only then did they understand and quickly went to make the call.
With this delay, Hu Yukun was a little worried about Caitou in the trunk. He hoped he wouldn't get heatstroke in this hot weather!
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