The waitress was very helpful; with An Moxue's generous offer, she found her a Mongolian woman who spoke fluent Mandarin.
While learning Mongolian from this Mongolian woman, An Moxue also learned about the situation here and indirectly learned some information about the other side of the border.
And so, after three days of learning Mongolian, An Moxue realized why she was learning so slowly. Before, she had been learning from books and videos, which was like learning a mute Mongolian language. She could recognize the characters, but she couldn't understand the words. In the past few days, An Moxue mainly focused on learning daily conversations, and she made rapid progress every day, which amazed the Mongolian woman who was teaching her.
Three days later, An Moxue left the guesthouse, changed her makeup and identity, and checked into another guesthouse.
That evening, following the information gathered over the past few days, he evaded the staff at the guesthouse and found Lao Hei. He paid a small yellow croaker to settle the matter of smuggling himself out of the country, promising to pay another small yellow croaker after crossing the border.
They're setting off tomorrow night. There's no set departure time for these people; they'll leave as long as the total amount for this leg of the journey is reached, even if it's just one person. But if it's not reached, they'll have to wait until the amount is reached. An Moxue is the last person to leave.
After settling the matter, An Moxue secretly returned to the guesthouse and went to sleep. During the day, An Moxue did not leave her room, but kept some medicines and weapons in her room in case of any unexpected events and in order to defend herself.
And so, before dinner, An Moxue checked out of her hotel and found a state-run restaurant where she ate her last meal in China.
After finishing her meal, An Moxue leisurely went to the meeting place that Lao Hei had arranged beforehand.
When I arrived, there were already two people waiting there. They were completely covered up, even their eyes were covered by the brim of their hats. I could only tell that they were two men from their clothes and build.
When the two men saw An Moxue enter, they could tell from her slender figure and clothing that she was a woman. One of the men couldn't help but scoff, his voice full of disdain for her.
An Mo glanced over there, but didn't say anything. He found a place far away from the two of them and sat down.
The two men didn't do anything more to her, and the three of them sat quietly until the fourth person arrived, and gradually, more and more people joined in.
In the end, there were as many as fifteen people, and apart from An Moxue, they were all men, some of whom looked fierce and not to be trifled with.
Several people were still staring at her with blatant, malicious intent, as if she were already fish on their chopping block, at their mercy.
At this moment, An Moxue felt a little regretful. She should have dressed up as a man; if she had looked thin, she wouldn't have been seen as an oddball.
A thin woman, running alone across the border in the dark, didn't look good at all. Anyone who saw her would want to bite her, especially since this place was at the junction of three countries, historically known for its fierce and brave people.
An Moxue casually revealed the dagger in her hand, playing with it. The dagger, gleaming with a cold light, flashed in her hand. In an instant, the dagger intimidated some people, who withdrew their restless hearts. Others, however, remained dismissive and unconvinced.
At 10 p.m., Lao Hei arrived. Before setting off, he said, "Everyone, we're about to depart. Let me make it clear beforehand that I'm only responsible for leading the way. Everyone must obey orders along the way. If we encounter border guards and get caught, you'll just have to accept your bad luck. Of course, if you listen to me and follow my instructions, the chances of getting caught are still very small. Now, is anyone backing out?"
None of the fifteen people shook their heads or spoke up. Then, Old Hei said, "Alright, since everyone has made up their minds, let's set off now."
Then, Lao Hei was the first to come out of the house. There were three carriages waiting outside the door, along with some followers. About seven or eight people got into one of the carriages, and with a flick of the whip, the carriage set off.
In the pitch-black night, unable to distinguish east from west or north from south, or where they were going, everyone on the bus was unusually quiet and on high alert.
I don't know where I am or how far I've gone.
As the sky began to glow white and the distant scenery became increasingly clear, the carriage stopped in front of a mountain hollow.
Old Hei said to everyone, "Alright, everyone get off the bus now, we're going to start walking."
And so, Lao Hei led six of his men and fifteen smugglers into the mountain valley and began their journey on foot.
At first it was just a small valley, but it gradually led into the deep mountains. The snow got thicker and thicker along the way, making it more and more difficult for people to walk.
Some observant people noticed that no matter the terrain or the snow level, An Moxue was exceptionally relaxed, and would occasionally take out some dried meat to eat.
And so they walked until noon. Old Hei said, “Everyone rest here for twenty minutes, and then we’ll continue until we cross the border. We can’t rest anymore, so if you need to relieve yourself, hurry up. After that, we’ll be entering the patrol area of our border guards, so everyone needs to stay alert.”
An Moxue took out a compass, glanced at it, silently memorized it, and sat on a dead tree eating the beef jerky in her hand.
A burly man walked over and said to An Moxue, "Girl, what are your plans over there? Don't get me wrong, I just have a relative there. If you need anything, I'd like to earn some pocket money."
An Moxue glanced at him and said dismissively, "Could you possibly help me get legal status?"
Unexpectedly, the burly man chuckled, his laughter carrying a hint of naivety, and said, "If you can afford it, it's not a big deal!"
"Oh? How so? Is there a connection?" An Moxue became interested and wasn't afraid that he was lying to her. In the end, it was uncertain who would be the one to suffer!
"Of course, I've been watching you all this way. You're no ordinary person, girl. You also want to make good connections, have more opportunities, and more friends. You never know when you might need them."
The man's words were quite incongruous with his burly physique and appearance, and even a little strange, but An Moxue didn't care about any of that!
We haven't even left the country yet. We can discuss it after we leave. Who knows if this man is a human or a ghost?
“Sure! If we can get out smoothly, we can talk about it then.” An Moxue replied readily.
The rest period passed quickly, and everyone packed up and set off.
An Moxue noticed that the group led by Lao Hei had changed positions, now serving as outposts and defenses, allowing them to both retreat and attack.
An Moxue guessed that they might have entered a dangerous area, and everyone unconsciously became more vigilant, including An Moxue.
And so, no one made a sound on the road. Everyone kept their eyes down, their noses closed, their minds focused, their eyes on everything around them, and their ears on everything else.
Suddenly, a gunshot rang out in the distance.
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