Wandering alone in the jungle (6)

  I saw the silhouette of the No. 4 Highway Bridge from afar, and I had no idea what time it was. What I actually saw was the bridge's silhouette, a black line under the blue sky, with no cars coming or going. This area, apart from my training unit, the Dog Head Bird Brigade, also had other military units, and even ordinary people were scarce - it was said to be a military restricted zone - although the mountains were supposedly empty, I never went there until I retired.

  My whole body is covered in cold sweat, not frozen but also chilled to the bone. I'm shivering, having walked for several hours, no longer singing, my brain numb, thinking of nothing.

  Just one thought - go.

  Does it hurt? Absolutely, the pain I remember was all the way to the bone because it had been so long and I kept walking.

  My right hand was still holding that bunch of orchids. Later, when I gave it to Xiaoying, it had already become a specimen, but she still accepted it. She didn't ask me where I picked it from, and I didn't tell her what hardships I endured for this bunch of flowers - because when I gave her the specimen, I had already suffered much more than that, and there was no more hardship to speak of. Having suffered until today, you wouldn't know what suffering is; having become comfortable, you would instead feel unaccustomed to it - this is the principle of "things will inevitably reverse when they reach an extreme".

  About this bunch of dried wild orchids, the fragrance still remains, and there is still a story to be told. We'll talk about it later.

  I walked towards the highway bridge, which was the first sign of human civilization I had seen, and my excitement was not a little. After trekking through the virgin forest for 20 kilometers, you can imagine how excited I was to see this bridge!

  My feet don't hurt anymore, my stomach isn't hungry anymore, and I'm not cold anymore. I just want to hurry up and walk with my crutches, keep walking.

  I saw the big bridge, it was so close to me.

  I saw the big bridge, it is waiting for me to arrive.

  I was so sad I could have thrown myself on a bridge pier and had a good cry, and indeed I did shed tears again.

  Then I stopped---because my feet had somehow left the cobblestone riverbank and stepped into the mud, which was very soft.

  I'm sinking down! I quickly fell backwards, fortunately the mud wasn't deep and I fell onto my back. Then I saw myself in a vast open area, with muddy terrain in front of me and a riverbank behind me. The spot where I was lying was the transitional part in between, which means my life is really big, I didn't forget myself and keep walking into the swamp.

  I hastily retreated backwards, the cane was lost but the orchid wasn't. My upper body came into contact with the slightly hard ground. If I retreated further back it would be even harder ground, if I retreated further back my head would knock against the cobblestone and hurt.

  I gasped in a mouthful of cold air, and only then did I realize that my life was more precious. I crawled up and knelt on the cobblestone, looking ahead. Far, far away to the big bridge, it was all a vast expanse of mud that seemed to have no end. This was an uncharted swamp on my map.

  Damn dog-headed high school team! Such a large swamp without any signs, is it going to take my life?! My heart is starting to feel desperate. What should I do now? I can't turn back, because the further back I go, the farther away I'll be from civilization and closer to the wolf's territory. And I also can't move forward, because in this dark and murky swamp, going in would mean certain death, no hesitation about sinking down. I've seen "Dawn of the Dead", so I know what it means to sink into a swamp. But I have to keep moving! The possibility of going around the swamp is zero, and swimming across the river is also impossible, because my ankle is sprained, and besides, who knows if it's not another swamp on the other side?!

  What should I do? Dog head high school team, damn you all! I shouted loudly with all my might and then roared loudly. Then cried out loud. The sound gradually became smaller and turned into sobs. The bridge was getting closer and closer to me, only 1 kilometer left, but I just couldn't get through it. I cried and cried until I felt sleepy, but I couldn't fall asleep.

  I gradually fell asleep crying on that riverbank...

  In my dream, I dreamed of Xiaoying, she was hugging me, but her arms were as cold and hard as an ice beauty's.

  I didn't realize until I got back that it wasn't the Dog Head High School team that was bullying me, they didn't have the guts to do so. None of the maps, whether civilian or military, hand-drawn or machine-drawn, had this swamp on them. This swamp was an old branch that dried up later. When we were training, the rainy season had just arrived, and it became a new swamp. The swamp wasn't wide, but I couldn't see the other side in the dark of night. Near our base, it didn't even count as a swamp because it was temporary and small. There were many others that were much bigger all year round, and I went to them just as often afterwards. That year's rainy season came early without any reason, if you must have an explanation, go ask the astronomers, I don't understand.

  But I just made it.

  Man proposes, God disposes.