Chapter Eleven: Friendship

  A rickety pickup truck was moving forward on the road, with thick dust covering its body everywhere, apparently not having been swept for a long time.

  The Muslim Muhudin, sitting in the pickup truck, hums a song-like Quran and Somali dialect version of the Sufi hymn.

  It's not Friday today, but Muhammad is in a good mood. Since he was young, his brothers and sisters all left Somalia, while he inherited his father's business, owning over 100 camels and nearly 200 sheep. In the surrounding area, every Somali person who sees Muhammad will give way to him.

  Of course, this is not the happiest place for him, but on this trip to Bosaso, he made a lot of money by selling several adult male camels and some fat mountain goats. The bullets collected over the past six months also brought him considerable wealth. In Somalia, it's hard to make a good living unless you have an inheritance like Muhanmudi.

  Camels and goats are the main livestock in Somalia, relying on the camel herd and sheep flock left by their ancestors, Muhanmudi is also quite wealthy. In case of natural disasters or man-made disasters, they can also get through smoothly.

  People like Mohamud, who don't have armed groups, are generally not bothered by Somali militiamen, who tend to leave wealthy individuals alone. This is one of the few peaceful aspects of chaotic Somalia.

  Muhammad is also missing the Chinese man who brought him tens of dollars, and has been worried about the lone Chinese man wandering around Somalia for the past two days, as he hasn't shown up for three days.

  In Muhammad's eyes, he rather liked the Chinese man, who ventured into this god-fearing Somalia alone, without any protective power by his side. His adventurous spirit and bravery made him feel deeply admired.

  If Li Ran knew about Muhanmudi's evaluation of him, he would probably be crying with laughter.

  "May God bless him and keep him from trouble." Muhanmudi, who knew nothing about Li Ran's situation, could only pray in his heart that the all-powerful God would bless this Chinese person drifting abroad.

  After several hours of driving, Muhammad vaguely saw his village at the end of the road and thought of the goods he had brought back in the car, Muhammad showed a faint smile.

  "Now those kids should be satisfied!" As a Muslim, he wasn't a heartless person. The people living with him weren't the original residents of this place either; many were refugees from southern areas who had fled here in desperation. He agreed to take them in and would occasionally share some food with them, earning their affection.

  Somalia has a very strange phenomenon, although the south is close to the equator, but Somalia's main vegetation grows in the south, and agriculture is basically in the south. The north is either desert or barren. However, every time there is a famine, the south is more severe than the north. Especially when a major drought occurs, half of Somalia will be plagued by hunger, and starvation has become a common occurrence.

  Mohammed, who had spent a few years in classrooms at the University of East Africa, knew the importance of knowledge. When villagers helped him watch his camels and sheep, he would gather village children together to teach them simple reading and writing.

  This time from Bosaso, he brought back candies that the children couldn't stop thinking about. Although these candies were extremely cheap abroad, they became high-priced items in Somalia. He still took out some of this trip's profits and brought them back.

  However, when he returned to the village, he saw what he least wanted to see. Right in front of his home, a military truck was parked, and it looked like a brand new one. There were also about ten armed personnel standing next to the truck. The villagers were hiding far away, sneaking a peek.

  The unfamiliar soldier, the unfamiliar truck, Muhanmadi was very afraid that it was armed personnel from afar coming to make trouble, because among the armed forces of Bossaso's generation, he basically knew them all, and there wasn't a single force that owned professional military trucks. Even if some forces did own trucks, they didn't have such new military trucks.

  Moreover, the armed forces around Bossaso basically won't come here. Even if they did, it's just that bit of food and water, and they're all very nice to talk to.

  He couldn't help but slow down the vehicle, stopping fifty meters in front of the armed men, tightly grasping the weapon on the passenger seat and releasing the safety catch. Muhanmadi's nerves were stretched taut.

  As he got off the car, those armed guards instantly pointed their guns at him. Just as he was about to make a consenting move, a voice appeared.

  "Put down, that's our friend." As soon as the voice fell, Li Ran in a suit jumped out of the driver's cab of the truck.

  Seeing the tense familiar face of Muhammad, Li Lan burst out laughing and walked towards him with open arms. The soldiers on guard nearby also lowered their AK-47s.

  Muhammad, who had been tense, saw that it was the Chinese man he had just mentioned, and after Li Lan opened his arms, his heart also let go. He put the rusty AK-47 behind him and walked towards Li Lan with a smile on his face.

  "Dear friend, you haven't been seen for three days and I thought something had happened to you. I even prayed to God to protect you. Thank God, it's good that nothing has happened to you." With a simple handshake, Muhammad asked warmly.

  "Thank you for your concern, don't worry! I'm doing very well." Muhanmudi once again showed Li Lan the hospitality of Somalis, although he wasn't clear about the truth or falsehood of Muhanmudi's words, but he was still very happy.

  "I thought so, are they all your bodyguards? From the first day I met you, Li, I knew you weren't a simple person. And today, you look very handsome, I think in China, you must have many admirers. Look at me, covered in dust, you should have notified me first, let me tidy up my clothes." Muhanmudi also liked Li Lan's attitude and lavished praise on the elegant-looking Li Lan.

  "It's also true, you know that as a foreigner here, I'm not very safe, must have, just now was embarrassed, scared you." Li Ran is not an overly sentimental person, gladly accepting the other party's praise, while also showing her own apology for what had just happened.

  "It's okay, I understand. My country is indeed very dangerous, and it's not your fault as a guest, but rather the Somalis' failure to fulfill their responsibilities as hosts." Muhanmudi felt a tinge of sadness. Seeing the armed personnel beside Li Ran, he couldn't help but feel waves of sorrow for his own country.

  "My friend, if you understand the history of my motherland, perhaps we can find a lot of common language. I believe that as long as the brave Somali people unite and work together, they will eventually welcome the rainbow. I think Allah does not want to see you lose your fighting spirit either! Effort will always be rewarded, but without effort, it's just an empty dream." Li Lan comforted Muhammad, who was in a bad mood.

  "Thank you, you are my true friend." Muhamedi continued: "Sorry, my friends, I forgot to invite you in. This sandstorm is too big, please come inside and sit down. Wait for me to move the things in and I will treat you with the best camel milk."

  "Alright." Li Lan nodded and beckoned to the soldiers behind him, "Help our friend move the things down."

  "Yes."

  "Thank you." Muhanmadi didn't stand on ceremony either.

  Because there were two barrels of oil in the back of the pickup truck, it was indeed difficult for him to move them alone.

  Ten minutes later, at Muhammad's home, Muhammad, who had changed into a clean set of clothes, brought Li Lan a bowl of camel milk. In Somalia, once guests arrive, they are usually treated with camel milk, which also means that the host has regarded you as a true friend.

  "Thank you for your hospitality, I brought a gift for you this time." The camel milk wasn't hard to drink, on the contrary it was very smooth. This trip over, Li Lan had a completely different feeling from before. "Ahmed, bring the things in."

  In Muhammad's bewildered eyes, two iron rectangular boxes were placed on the floor inside the house.

  "These are eight thousand rounds of AK-47 ammunition, every single one is brand new." said Li Lan.

  "Ah!" Hearing Li Lan's words, Muhanmudi was directly speechless. More than 8,000 bullets, in his eyes were worth more than $10,000!

  Seeing Li Ran's calm face, Muhanmudi thought for a while before making up his mind to ask: "Although I don't know if I should be asking this, and I don't know if it will offend you, you also know that in Somalia, there are many taboos. So..."

  "It doesn't matter, we Chinese have very few taboos, you can ask anytime." Li Lan said.

  "I wonder why you don't sell these bullets to those people outside, I think they would give you a higher price." Muhanmudi had already decided that the outsiders were hired by Li Lan.

  "Because you are my only friend in Somalia!" Li Ran said with a sincere face.

  "Ah!" Muhanmadi was so moved by Li Lan's answer that he didn't know what to say, and only said excitedly: "Good, we are friends, Li, you have gained a true Muslim friend."

  "Now that we're friends, don't be polite anymore. But I'm curious, why didn't you ask where these bullets came from?" Li Lan asked, and if he really asked this question, for a moment, he really didn't have a seamless answer.

  "Is this even a question? You Chinese are so powerful, these bullets don't mean anything. In Somalia, there's never a shortage of foreigners coming here to peddle weapons. They even support some armed forces and gain benefits in other ways. These people are the biggest harm to Somalia, they're all vampires, God will punish them." The more Muhanmudi spoke, the more agitated he became, and suddenly seemed to realize that the person next to him was also a "arms dealer", hurriedly explaining: "Sorry my friend, I believe you're different from them, so please accept my sincere apology."

  "Don't be polite." Li Ran didn't mind because he wasn't an arms dealer. However, Muhanmudi's words made Li Ran think of many things.