Chapter Five: Tongtong Wakes Up

  This old man wore a very shabby Zhongshan suit with many patches, a pair of military green trousers tied around his waist with a rope, and the zipper was broken, revealing blue underwear. His eyes were blind, with yellow-green eye discharge stuck in the corners, two big black nostrils with long nasal hair sticking out, and snot on top.

  The village head saw San Shu Gong hurrying over and quickly went to support him, the onlookers also made way for a path, it was clear that everyone here knew San Shu Gong was someone with special abilities.

  The three people who were pulled out of the river also came ashore, all shivering with cold. The man who had been crying with his head in his hands earlier came to Third Uncle and said something to him. Ye Fei told me that he was asking Third Uncle to help find his mother and daughter, no matter whether they were alive or dead.

  Oh! So that's why this man under thirty is so heartbroken. It turns out the people who jumped into the river were his mother and young daughter. How can he not be devastated by such a thing?

  Third Uncle comforted him for a while, then had someone support him as he made his way to the water's edge. He squatted down and scooped up some water, pouring it over his head with great force. Next, he washed his hands in the river water, and after cleaning his hands, he washed his face. After finishing washing his face, he pulled out a small yellow flag from his body and waved it back and forth in front of him, shouting something loudly in his mouth - it didn't sound like singing or scolding, and even Ye Fei couldn't make out what he was saying.

  This river flows outside a village, with a width of about 50 to 100 meters and a depth of only two or three meters. Logically speaking, people who have lived by the river for generations should be very familiar with its conditions, and they are all good swimmers, and it's not yet the summer flood season, so the slow flow of the river is almost imperceptible. What puzzles me is how can't find the body?

  Third Uncle shouted for a while, then began to loudly call out the names of the two people who had fallen into the water towards the river surface. Ye Fei told me that the granddaughter's name was Wu Mengkong and the grandma's name was Zhou Cuihua.

  Although there were many people on the shore, none of them dared to speak loudly and disturb the scene. Only a few women whispered something quietly among themselves. Half a minute later, they saw San Shu Gong shaking his head constantly. The village chief and young men rushed to his side and asked him questions. San Shu Gong said some words to them, then they saw their faces filled with pain and helplessness as they shook their heads and sighed, possibly even San Shu Gong couldn't find the body.

  I'm Ye Fei Jiu, staring at Xiao Jian Qi, I ran to a ditch and called Teng Teng, hoping she could wake up suddenly and help out, but after calling for half a day, there was no response.

  At this time, three people ran back from the direction of the village. The first was a young woman, about 27 or 28 years old. This young woman rushed over with her hair disheveled and crying loudly, presumably she was Wu Mengkong's mother, the child who had fallen into the water. Behind her followed two people, possibly those who had gone to inform her family of the accident. The young woman rushed to the riverbank, sat on the ground and cried bitterly, calling out Mengkong's name, it turned out that she was indeed Wu Mengkong's mother.

  The young woman cried for a while before standing up, seemingly preparing to jump into the river. Fortunately, she was held back in time by two people following behind her, and then the young woman fainted.

  Alas, the parents of the world! Their own daughter was brought to jump into the river by her own grandmother. The greatest tragedy in the world is probably no more than this! The older women in the crowd couldn't help but shed tears at this scene, and Ye Fei and I also looked on with moist eyes, sighing repeatedly.

  The village chief and the young man ran over to pick up the young woman who had fainted, and walked to my Jialing 50 motorcycle parked by the side of the road, asking loudly. Ye Fei told me that they were asking whose bike it was, and if they could borrow it for a while. I quickly called out to Ye Fei saying it was no problem, and the village chief then asked two young men to ride my bike, putting the fainted woman on it, with one holding her and the other driving, taking the fainted young woman away from the village, probably to find a doctor!

  Soon, another group of young men came out from the village, some carrying ropes and others carrying fishing nets and other tools. They divided into three groups, each with ten people taking turns to search in the water for twenty minutes. At first, only three people were searching within a range of one or two hundred meters on the river surface, but now there are almost thirty people searching, including those who were called back from working outside. It's estimated that all the young men from the village have come. They are all good swimmers, with someone stationed every fifty to sixty meters on the river surface, and the search area has expanded to five or six hundred meters. There are also some teenagers in their early teens paddling bamboo rafts on the river, with ropes, sickles, and other tools placed on the rafts, which can be used if someone is found.

  Dozens of people took turns diving to search for him, but he was not found after several searches. The onlookers on the shore were also anxious, and it wasn't until dusk that three police officers from the local station arrived. But what's the use? They just asked questions here and there on the shore, and eventually no one had time to bother with them, so they continued diving to search for him. This isn't a matter of catching thieves or searching for fugitives, it's about pulling someone out of the water, and the police can't help much. If we were to call in professional divers, the dozen or so people already in the river are all skilled swimmers who wouldn't lose to those divers.

  It was almost dark, but still no body was found. The people who were searching were exhausted, their lips frozen and pale or purple from the cold. The onlookers on the shore were discussing it heatedly. I wanted to tell Ye Fei to leave, but my car hadn't returned yet, so I could only continue waiting on the shore.

  The exhausted salvage team salvaged for another hour, and when the sky was completely dark, they couldn't salvage anymore. In order to avoid accidents, they had to go home first and come back to salvage the next day.

  My car was borrowed by the village chief, and I went with Ye Fei to ask when it would be returned. As a result, the village chief didn't know either, saying that even if it didn't come back, it wouldn't matter, just stay in the village for one night.

  Ye Fei Jie looked at me, I touched Xiao Jian Qi's head, she probably was hungry too, nodded and could only do so, if we were to spend the night here, tomorrow we can come back to see if we can find the body, maybe I can also help with searching in the water.

  The sky was drizzling with fine rain, and everyone returned to the village. The village chief took me, Ye Fei, and Xiao Jianzi back home. However, I couldn't understand the local dialect, so only the village chief and Ye Fei were talking, while I sat on the side sipping a bowl of hot tea to warm my stomach.

  The village chief's name is Zhang Chengguo, about 40 years old, thin and small in stature but very spirited, and enthusiastic towards others. However, he can't speak Hakka dialect. There are seven people in this family: the village chief and his wife, two elderly people, two daughters, and a son. They make a living by weaving baskets for sale, not extremely poor but not well-off either.

  After having breakfast in the morning, I went out and arrived at this new village by the river to watch the retrieval of bodies all day. By now my stomach was growling with hunger, but I didn't dare to open my mouth to say that I'm hungry, so I could only wait like this until dinner.

  Ye Fei asked Village Chief Zhang why the old lady wanted to jump into the river with her granddaughter, but Village Chief Zhang wasn't clear either. He only knew that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a fight in the morning and almost came to blows. When the daughter-in-law went out to plant peanuts, the old lady took her granddaughter out of the house.

  The cause and effect of the matter are unclear, and we two outsiders don't dare to ask more questions. However, I heard from the village chief that the family is quite poor and has encountered this incident, so I took out 100 yuan and said that the big sister fainted and needs money for medical treatment, let them use it first!

  The village chief initially refused, but eventually accepted the hundred yuan and said he would send it over later. He then instructed his wife to prepare dinner. I guess since I took out a hundred yuan at once and was driving a motorcycle, I must be an important guest, so they couldn't treat me casually, and even slaughtered a chicken and a duck.

  During dinner, Village Chief Zhang and his wife kept serving Xianzhe dishes, asking me why this little girl was so quiet. I had to say that she couldn't speak, born mute.

  After dinner, Village Chief Zhang went out. I guess he's going to the home of that family where the grandfather and grandson jumped into the river. His wife arranged a bed for me and Ye Fei separately. Both beds are in the same room, with two beds inside. She and Xiao Jianzi sleep on one big bed, and I sleep alone on a small bed.

  I had just lain down, when Ye Fei suddenly became spirited and mysteriously asked me, "How can someone in their teens have so much money? You're spending hundreds without even blinking an eye." She said her mother runs a noodle shop in the county town, and after working hard all day, she's lucky if she makes 20 or 30 yuan.

  I asked her if she wanted to take advantage of me, plot against my life and wealth. After finishing speaking, I covered my head with the quilt and told Ye Fei to talk about it tomorrow.

  But she still had a lot to say, saying that in the future...

  Follow me and mix, I go where she follows, so as not to be scolded by her mother for being lazy at home every day.

  I met Ye Fei Chou at her dessert shop, where I went to eat. Her mother couldn't understand my Hakka dialect very well. Ye Fei Chou had studied in Ba Bu and could speak Hakka, so we started chatting. Unexpectedly, she also spoke the local dialect fluently, she's a language genius! I told her that I came here to find my sister but couldn't understand the local dialect, so I asked her to be my translator. She agreed after hearing that she could travel around and get paid every three days.

  To be honest, Ye Fei's name is a bit ridiculous, but she looks quite pretty, 165 cm tall, a little taller than me. If I can marry someone like her in the future, it would be great.

  Ye Fei looked at me, I covered my head with the quilt and ignored her, she also closed her mouth, turned off the light and fell asleep. Before long, I entered a dreamland, in which I vaguely heard a voice calling "Tiao He Gege!"

  This voice sounds so familiar, and after listening carefully, it's actually Tongtong. With my heart racing, I open my eyes to see Tongtong standing beside the bed, telling me to get up quickly and take me somewhere.

  After getting out of bed, I surprisingly found my body still lying in bed. At this time, I was standing by the bed and looking at myself on the bed, and I couldn't help but pee with fright. Was it me who was standing or me who was on the bed? Or was this a case of soul displacement like in Journey to the West? No wonder I could still see without turning on the light.

  Tongtong told me not to worry, it's completely safe and peaceful like a dream, so I can rest assured! I asked her where she was taking me, Tongtong said didn't you call me at noon by the river? Now we're going to explore the bottom of that river.