Chapter 3 Reeds

Although I was born in December 1978, the story I am telling happened in the summer of 1942.The location is at the easternmost end of the Subei Plain, between the mouth of the Yangtze River and the Yellow Sea, just across the river from the big Shanghai where I live. It looks like a peninsula on the map.In this story, I should be 12 years old that year. The 12-year-old me and my 18-year-old Hongmei were fishing for lobsters that day. In fact, this is not a real lobster, but a very common local crustacean.We first dig out many earthworms from the soil, put them on the hook and put them in the water.I will put down a dozen hooks at the same time by myself, and I will have a rich harvest just by watching quietly.Although this method is extremely primitive, it works very well, and the lobsters here are surprisingly abundant and easy to bait.After a while the basket will be full, and each of them is wielding two huge pincers, covered in a bright red carapace, very beautiful, and about the length of my palm.

The place where we fished lobster was in the depths of a large reed marsh, where there were large swamps of ponds and swamps, covered with blue reeds much taller than a person, covering thousands of acres.Once you hide in one of the places, the dense reeds are enough to hide you, even if the whole village comes in. Hongmei always caught more fish than me that day, and I was a little unconvinced, so I simply lay on the ground and stared at the sky in a daze.The sky I saw was a small blue spot exposed among the many reed tips swaying in the wind. The blue was as pure as the Subei Plain. Suddenly there was a strange sound in the sky, like tens of thousands of horses galloping in the clouds.I stood up and looked up to the sky through the tip of the reed.Finally, a small black spot appeared under the clouds, and gradually grew larger and became a silver bird.When it got closer, it turned into a huge flying monster with iron wings, making a loud bang.

"Airplane, this is an airplane." Hongmei called out. I see, Hongmei's father, Mr. Lu, once talked about this thing called an airplane.At the very front of the plane I saw for the first time in my life, something seemed to be spinning rapidly, and then there was a huge mouth painted on it.I can even see two rows of sharp teeth drawn in the mouth, like a baby shark just caught in the sea.I didn't know until many years later that it was the symbol of the Flying Tigers commanded by American Chennault.On the two iron wings, there are also two flower flags painted. "Citizen soldiers!" Hongmei yelled again. Her father was Mr. Lu, so she knew everything. In those days, we used to call Americans "Citizen soldiers."

All of a sudden, three planes with the sun flag painted on them followed behind the Citiman plane.They chased after them, going straight up to the sky for a while, and somersaulting in the sky for a while.The three Sunflag planes behind spewed out several long strings of red flames, and the sound of "da da da" was very clear. The Citiplane was hit, and a big hole exploded in its tail, and a thick black smoke gushed out, dragging a long black line in the air.It passed very near our heads, shaking violently, sending up a wave of reeds, and a deafening cry was deafening.But it rose again, and when it was near the clouds it began to glide downward again.

Suddenly, a vague figure climbed out of the Citi plane, and then jumped off the plane.In the blink of an eye, a huge umbrella opened above his head, pulling him up again.And the plane with thick smoke slid towards the northeast coast like a headless fly. The man in the sky was slowly descending like Sun Wukong riding the clouds and drifting towards us. He was getting closer and closer, and I could see that he was wearing thick clothes and a fur hat. Heat him to death.Finally he fell to the other side of the reeds.The three Sun Flag planes circled for a while and flew away. "Quick." Hongmei led me to run forward, but we couldn't see anything among the dense reeds. We startled many waterfowl, and in the emerald green, we saw a large piece of white cloth.

It was the big umbrella of the American soldiers. It was very soft and beautiful. Dozens of long lines were connected to the big umbrella. We walked along the line and saw a large piece of overwhelmed reeds. The long line was broken, but no one could be seen. up. Where is he?I only know the image of foreign devils from Mr. Lu. As a 12-year-old me, I had a strong urge to see what kind of monster a Citi soldier really was. We kept finding the time when it was getting dark.We were all hungry, but Hongmei still wanted to keep looking, so we took out the small iron pot and scythe we carried with us, folded a lot of dry reed leaves, and cooked lobster in an open field.After a while, these dozens of monsters with teeth and claws wafted out a smell of meat. Although there was no oil and salt, it still made my mouth water.

While eating, suddenly a strange sound came from the reeds behind him. "It's a Citi soldier." Hongmei reminded me that maybe he was also hungry and smelled the scent of lobster. The reed moved, and a person came out of it, with curly black hair, high nose bridge and deep eye sockets, just like what Mr. Lu said.But his face was not white, it was blackened by the smoke, only two eyes were blinking.His coat and hat were gone, and he wore only a white undershirt and green trousers.He stood up, tall and long, but immediately fell to his knees, eyes full of terror, as if I would eat him.

"Don't be afraid." Hongmei approached him boldly.The American soldier blinked a few more times, and actually shed two lines of turbid tears, and cried like a coward with his head in his arms.Seeing his cowardly appearance, I also had the courage to carefully stretch out the lobster in front of him, just like feeding livestock.He stared at me for a long time, and then swooped down like a reincarnation and swallowed the lobster with its shell and meat. Naturally, his expression was not very happy, and it was a little funny.So Hongmei peeled the shell again to show him, and after a while, all the remaining lobsters were filled into his stomach.

"Three grams of oil." He finally spoke, but his bad breath made me shy away.He seemed very excited, took Hongmei's hand and talked a lot, and when he realized that we couldn't understand a word, he smiled at us silly. Hongmei decided to leave the Huaqi soldiers in the reeds, otherwise they would definitely fall into the hands of the Japanese in the village, and they would probably die, so it would be better to be safe here.Then Hongmei made a gesture to him, and he followed us obediently like a prisoner. We walked through dense reeds and came to a clearing beside a pond.There is a brick grave here. I turned over a pile of hay beside the grave, and removed a few stones, revealing a small hole just enough for a person to get in.Hongmei gestured for him to go in, and the American soldier turned pale and knelt down in front of us with a "plop", thinking that we were going to kill him.We made gestures with him for a long time and didn't understand, so I went in first.In fact, the inside is empty. During the Qing Dynasty, when people rebelled, they retreated here and dug this tomb to hide. The outside is not big, but the inside is spacious. It is made of stones and bricks, and it is also waterproof.Apart from my father, only Hongmei and I know about this place.

The American soldiers also came in, and I lit the candles that had been hidden inside, illuminating the entire tomb and the panicked faces of the American soldiers.Through a small slit above, it is also possible to monitor the open space outside.Except for a little dampness, everything is fine, and no one would think that there are still living people in the tomb. Hongmei stuffed a lot of hay in and spread it on the ground, so that the American soldiers could sleep here, and they must not run around.In the end, the Citiman grabbed me and Hongmei's hands tightly, and I was surprised by the beast-like thick hair on his hands.He said "three grams of oil" a few times, and finally said "Gudebai", and then tears flowed out like Huangmeitian's rain, which was really useless.

We went home when the moon was already high.Stepping on the moonlight, the tip of the reed swept across my face, looking at the red girl walking in front, I suddenly had an unprecedented feeling at the age of 12, hot and hazy, I couldn't understand it.Hongmei looked very happy today, her flushed cheeks were like the peach blossom tree blooming at the entrance of the village in March.She said that she actually saved a Citi soldier, and that Mr. Lu would feel at ease underground. Now I should talk about Hongmei, she is my child bride-in-law, that is to say, when I grow up, she will marry me and be my eldest wife. She is already 18 years old, and she is the most beautiful woman in the whole village. I am really afraid that I will not be able to wait until the day when I grow up.She is constantly growing up, I mean every part of her body should be thinner and rounder, which often makes the men in the village stare intently, I really want to give them their thief eyes cut out.As for me, I was a skinny, small, dry child. Those boys who were bigger than me often came to bully me. They said that I would definitely be a bastard in the future. At this time, Hongmei would beat them away and protect me. .Now I'm following her, watching her sultry figure flickering between the reeds in the moonlight, I run up to hold her hand, but I'm only up to her chin, so I can only look up at her s face.There was an old woman in the village who said that Hongmei was a beautiful fetus, and that since ancient times, the confidante has had a bad life.In the past, I didn't realize it, and today I finally understand it, but as for the second half of the sentence, I still don't understand it. We agreed that we would never tell anyone about the Citi soldiers except my father.My dad didn't sleep all night after he found out, and at dawn, he went with us to deliver some food and supplies to the Citi soldiers. A lot of people gathered at the entrance of the village, and the famous rascal in the village, Xiao Heipi, stood on a stone mill and said: "Yesterday, a big monster fell from the seaside. The Japanese said it was a Citi soldier sitting on this thing. If he hides, he will be shot." Suddenly he stopped and stared at Hongmei, I immediately rolled my eyes at him, and we ran out of the village. On the way, I found that my father was in a trance. I wanted to ask him, but Hongmei held me back. Obviously, she understood better.When I arrived at the ancient tomb, I removed the stone and looked inside. The American soldiers were comfortably dreaming inside.I woke him up, and all my dad's steamed buns were eaten by him.After he was full, he kept "three grams of oil" and even hugged my father. Suddenly, my father's hands trembled, and he told us to stay with the Hua Banners. He left first to avoid suspicion from the villagers.I suddenly had some ominous omen, so I stopped my father and said, "Don't." "Father won't, don't forget that your mother was bombed to death by the Japanese in Shanghai." Father's eyes became heavier. After Dad left, we started teaching the Citi soldiers to fish for lobsters.Even fools can understand this primitive method, but this Citi soldier, who can ride clouds and fog, learned for a long time before he caught a pitifully small translucent shrimp, which was released by us again, but he still danced for a while. I was very disappointed with this Citi soldier. It turned out that all the imaginations about his heroic image were completely wrong.He would shed tears in front of a woman, even a child would be afraid, such a coward is worthy of war?But I had to save him, because when Mr. Lu was alive, he always said that the Citi soldiers were here to help us fight the Japanese, they were our friends, and we must treat friends like brothers.But is this kind of person worthy to be my brother?Forget it, Mr. Lu is a learned man, so what he said must make sense. Mr. Lu is Hongmei's father, and Hongmei's mother died when she was born.Mr. Lu once taught in Shanghai, and he is the most educated person within a radius of tens of miles, but he is very poor.Five years ago, when Shanghai was occupied, he took Hongmei back to his hometown.Three years ago, a man from some place called Chongqing stayed at his house for one night. He was captured by the Japanese the next day, and when he came back, he was a dead body.From then on, Hongmei became an orphan, and my father adopted her as a child bride, and she lived in my house. The next day, Hongmei and I went to deliver food again, and by the way buried the big cloth umbrellas and fur coats and hats we brought down from the sky.As soon as I saw the American soldier, the smell like a pigsty on his body went straight to my nostrils.It was time for him to take a bath, and of course me. I immediately took off my clothes and went into the water. The water was not deep, and the adult stood at the deepest point and was only submerged up to the neck.I splashed the water for the Citiman to come down, and at first he looked scared again, but he came down anyway.He was more active in the water and offered to wipe my back.He was bare-chested and his beastly chest hair made me sick, I've never seen so much hair on a human body.He was very attentive, and he seemed to be chatting with me, so I also chatted with him, and naturally neither of us could understand.After a while, I glanced ashore, and Hongmei was gone. where did she goI left the flag soldier and let him talk to himself.I swam to the reeds, pushed aside the dense reed stalks, crossed a very narrow river branch, and made several turns before arriving at a more secluded small pond surrounded by layers of reeds.I thought of something that made my skin burn, so I tried not to make a sound, and dived with my whole body in the water.Suddenly, I vaguely saw two snow-white and slender legs in the water. I couldn't see them clearly, but my heart beat faster.I took a few steps back and hid in the reeds near the shore before poking my head out quietly. First, I saw a pile of Hongmei's clothes on the bank, and then I saw Hongmei in the pond with only her head and shiny shoulders exposed.I don't know if she is swimming or taking a bath, I just try to restrain my shortness of breath.Her long hair is scattered in the clean water, her limbs are stretched out, but her eyes are closed.After a while, she didn't go ashore until I was almost numb in the water.I first saw her bare back, a wonderful geometric shape supported by two small shoulder blades.Then, her waist, thighs and the whole body were exposed on the river bank like a fresh lobster with its shell removed.Her figure was like two spindles connected together, and her skin, which was soaked with pool water, shone with a strange light.I used to feel that there was nothing more beautiful in the world than this patch of reeds, but now these reeds have become a kind of foil by Hongmei's side.Although I cursed myself secretly in my heart, when I was 12 years old, I secretly said to myself: "Grow up quickly." Finally, she put on her clothes and wrapped up all the temptations tightly.I left quietly. The ensuing month was surprisingly quiet, and the Citiners seemed to have made friends with us.He stayed around the tomb obediently.The skill of lobster fishing has also been mastered. At first, he had difficulty adapting to our porridge and was only willing to eat steamed buns, but later he became as docile as an animal, eating whatever he was given.I don't know how long this will take, neither does Hongmei, anyway, only here is safe, and going out is definitely not possible.These days, my father in his 30s suddenly had a few more gray hairs, and I began to understand the troubles of adults. I always feel that Citi soldiers are a little too enthusiastic about Hongmei.Once when we were fishing for lobsters by the river, he suddenly sang a song. We didn't understand what it meant, but we knew that he sang like meat cooking in a casserole, completely out of tune.We were all amused by the braying voices of Citi soldiers.So Hongmei also sang a song: "Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the green grass stretches to the sky. The sound of willows and flutes in the evening wind blows, and the mountains outside the sunset. At the end of the sky, at the corner of the sea, half of the best friends are scattered. Enjoy a cup of turbid wine, don't dream cold tonight." Both Hua Qibing and I were fascinated by it. Mr. Lu often sang this song when he was alive, but Hongmei sang it better.Everything seemed still in the reeds, even the wind disappeared, and her song permeated every reed leaf and every ripple, anyway, that's how I recall it. After hearing this, the Huaqi soldier was silent for a long time, like an idiot, suddenly he raised his hands in fear: "Wailing Goode." He opened his mouth excitedly, took off the watch on his wrist and put it in Hongmei's hand .Hongmei hurriedly shook her head back to him, and took several steps back.The Citiman said another long series of words, winking and making various expressions.Hongmei also understood a little bit, but she refused to accept her life and death, but the Huaqi soldiers really put their strength into it, and stalked them shamelessly.Hongmei couldn't resist, so she stuffed the watch into my hand.The American soldier was embarrassed, but he couldn't help it, so he patted my head and said a lot of words. It seemed that this watch was given to me. Hongmei immediately took me back. On the way, she told me not to let others see this watch, to hide it on my body, and not to wear it on my hand. "Hongmei, why don't you want this watch?" "You're too young to understand." "I understand, the American soldiers have no good intentions." I said loudly. Hongmei suddenly stared at me for a long time, her eyes were hot, as if she had discovered something, then she pressed her flushed cheeks against my head and said, "You've grown up, grow up quickly. " At night, I looked at the watch carefully by candlelight, touching this wrist-worn time machine for the first time.A few lines of foreign characters and a strange logo are engraved on the surface, and the case and strap are made of a special metal.At the time I didn't understand the value of a pilot's watch and hated the way I got it, but I loved it so much that even though my wrists were too thin, it still felt great on my wrist.I wore it to imitate the American soldier asking Hongmei if it looked good, and finally took off the watch reluctantly, put it to my ear and listened to the "tick" sound of the second hand beating in the heart of the watch. "Sister Hong, when will this watch stop?" "This is a pilot's watch, maybe ten years, twenty years, maybe a lifetime will never stop." I wrapped the watch carefully in a handkerchief, and put it in the coat on my breast, and tied it with a string.Now, it is in my heart, beating with my heart. "Sleep quickly?" Hongmei urged me.She and I share the same room, but we share two small beds.At this moment I suddenly said: "Sister Hong, may I lie on your body for a while?" I got into her bed and rested my head on her high breasts.Her breasts were soft and tough, and I closed my eyes, but my nose was trying to pick up the smell of Hongmei, like the smell in the pond when the reeds turn green in spring. "Sister Hong, can you rub my back?" After saying that, I turned over and lay prone on her body, burying my face in her chest, and then I greedily took a deep breath. "What's wrong with you today?" Hongmei rubbed my back.Her fingers are cool, and although there are calluses on the palms, when the smooth fingertips and nails brush my bare back, it reminds me of my mother who has been dead for many years.Ever since my mother died during the Zhabei bombing in Shanghai, I have been a taciturn child, the only child in the village without siblings, until Hongmei came to my house. "Hongmei, you sing really well during the day, can you sing me another song?" Hongmei picked up a broken cattail fan and sang a fan song.This is an ancient folk song on the Subei Plain.She chanted softly, rubbing my back with one hand and fanning me with the other. The smell from Hongmei's chest filled my breath and made me groggy.I felt as if I was gradually floating up to a larger reed marsh, located on the Yellow Sea after low tide.There, a bride in a red hijab sat in a sedan chair and came to a small pond. There was a person wearing a watch by the pond. This person was me when I grew up.I lifted the bride's red hijab, but couldn't see anything.I cried. A group of waterfowl passed by in the reeds, awakening my dream. When I woke up the next day, I found myself lying on Hongmei's bed, and she was cooking breakfast for my father and me in front of the stove. After breakfast, I went out alone and met Little Heipi. I wanted to avoid him, but he took my hand and said, "Little bridegroom, why hasn't your Hongmei married yet?" "I don't understand, you go away." "I have good intentions. Your father is an old bachelor in his 30s. There is such a beautiful big girl in the family. Gossip is inevitable. You can be careful about your father. Don't let Hongmei not give you a son. Give it to me." You have a little brother." Although I didn't understand what these words meant at the time, they were not good words anyway, so I immediately punched little Heipi on the nose.This punch exhausted all my strength, and Xiao Heipi was defenseless, and his nose immediately blossomed. But after all, he was 10 years older than me, and kicked my chest with a flying kick, kicking out the watch hidden on my chest.I was startled, and quickly picked it up, but it was not bad. Just as I was about to hide it in my bosom, Xiao Heipi snatched the watch away. "Give it back to me." I rushed up to grab it, but was pushed to the ground by him again, and he stepped down with one foot and stepped on me. "What's this?" Little Heipi looked at it carefully, "There are also foreign characters, crooked, what a treasure?" "Give it back to me!" I shouted hoarsely. Little Heipi suddenly let go of his feet and returned the watch to me. I put the watch in my pocket, cursed at him, and ran away immediately. In the afternoon, I accompanied my father to work in the town, and Hongmei delivered meals to the Citi soldiers.At dusk, on our way back, it rained suddenly, and the big raindrops fell on my forehead as if they had been poured from the sky.When I returned home in the heavy rain, I found that Hongmei was not there. Where did she go in such a heavy rain?Is it still in the reeds? Dad was very worried, so he and I put on coir raincoats and rushed into the rain again.The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and the water in the pond kept rising and became muddy.We waded through the pond with difficulty, pushed aside the swaying reeds hit by the rain, and headed towards the ancient tomb.Along the way, we didn't say anything, only heard my heart beating "pounding", which seemed to be in the same rhythm as the heavy rain. Approaching the ancient tomb, we vaguely felt some screams coming from the sound of heavy rain.We quickened our pace, and it was a woman's voice, which became more and more obvious through the rain curtain, and we could hear it was Hongmei's voice. "Help!" Her hoarse voice pierced the sky above the reeds, and the sky became darker, and everything was smeared dark by the heavy rain.We arrived at the ancient tomb, but there was no one there. The sound came from the rickety and violently shaking reeds on the opposite side. "Sister Hong!" I also yelled. Suddenly a figure rushed out from the reeds, bounced out like a projectile, hit me directly, and fell into the mud together with me.It was Hongmei, her clothes were all in one thread, and so were her trousers, as if she only had a layer of cloth on her body.Her hair was also messed up, and her hair, cheeks, and even her lips were covered with mud and reed blades.I could see that the tears in her eyes had been mixed with the rain and it was hard to tell.Hongmei hugged me tightly, squatting on the ground and dare not get up. Although she was soaked through, her body was very hot. Suddenly, I smelled a special smell that only American soldiers can have. "Citigroup son of a bitch!" my dad yelled. I've never seen him so furious.He flung himself fiercely at the clump of reeds, and quickly dragged the naked American soldier out.Father has always been a docile person, never fighting with others, but now he fights so hard, using both hands and feet, and he only picks the vital places.The Citi soldiers were beaten so badly that they were covered in bruises, purple patches, and blood all over their bodies, and they were all mixed with mud and water, making them a "black man". The Huaqi soldier didn't dare to fight back at all, he let himself be beaten by my father, and passed away in silence. "Father, you will kill him." "You're such an idiot, you don't even know you're a bastard." Dad said viciously.Then he set up the Citi soldier and yelled loudly in the Citi soldier's ear, "Don't play dead." "Hongmei, how do you think this beast that kills thousands of knives will die?" Dad asked Hongmei, while holding the American soldier's neck tightly with his hands, his neck might be broken at any time.For the first time, Dad's gaze made people shudder. I believe that the time for the Citi soldiers to die has come. Hongmei bit her lip and said softly after a long time: "Let him be spared!" "What?" My dad thought he heard it wrong, "You don't hate him?" "Hate, I wish I could kill him with my own hands. But the Citi soldiers are here to help us fight the Japanese, we can't hurt him!" "But if he hurt you, he hurt us." "This is destiny, Hongmei's suffering is predestined by heaven." "Do you really want to spare this ungrateful beast?" Dad slapped the American soldier again and woke him up. The American soldier looked at Hongmei blankly, as if he had resigned himself to fate. "Forgive him, just pretend nothing happened." Hongmei's voice became weaker and weaker. Dad sighed and let go of the American soldiers. "Quickly kowtow to apologize." Dad pushed the Citi soldier down to the ground again, and kowtowed three times to Hongmei.Then Dad took off the coir raincoat and coat and put them on Hongmei, and left here. On the way, we kept silent, Hongmei kept trembling, and Dad looked extremely ugly.When he got home, Dad didn't have any thoughts, and immediately went back to his own room.Many years later, Dad finally told me that he had a strong desire for Hongmei's body. After all, he was a mature man in his 30s at that time. He also had his pain, but Dad was an honest widower, and as a farmer he had amazing restraint to put up with that desire.I think what happened that night must have kept him awake all night. Hongmei asked me to fetch some hot water for her, she wanted to take a bath.In the past, Hongmei always boiled water for me, but this time I think Hongmei really felt wronged.After boiling the water, I was about to leave the room when Hongmei said, "You stay here." So, I watched her take a bath in the wooden barrel. This was the second time I saw a woman's body. The first time was peeping, but this time it was open and above board.Her body is still so perfect, and it looks more mature in the hot water.She had no expression at all, just tried to wipe her body, over and over again, she said to me: "Sister Hong is not clean anymore, do you still want me in the future?" "I want, I must, Hongmei, you will be as clean as yesterday after taking a shower." At the age of 12, I still don't understand what happened that day means. "You're also caught in the rain, why don't you come in and take a shower?" Hongmei said very calmly, I know she always treats me like a child.So I took off my clothes, exposing my 12-year-old body, jumped into the big bucket, and stuck to Hongmei's 18-year-old body. "Why are you still a child?" Hongmei carefully looked at every dry detail of my body soaked in the water. "I'm not a child anymore." Although I said it in a child's voice. Hongmei's expression changed slightly, and she whispered softly in my ear: "Hongmei is dirty, from today on, Hongmei will always be dirty, and she will never be able to wash it clean, please help me wipe my back ?” Usually Hongmei always rubs my back, but now I realize that someone should wipe her back, and this person should be me.I wiped it with a cloth for a long time, it was already cleaned, but Hongmei still felt dirty, so I wiped it again, until her skin turned red, she still thought it was not clean.Then Hongmei asked me to wipe every corner of her body for her. She said: "There is not a single part of my body that is clean. Even if the skin is clean, the bones are already dirty." I suddenly became excited: "Sister Hong, you are not dirty at all, even if you are dirty, I want you, I want you." Hongmei hugged me so tightly that she couldn't breathe in the hot water.My mind is a little fuzzy, and in my memory, her lips seem to block my mouth, as if pressing my hands and front chest against her high breasts.We hugged like this for a long time, maybe a lifetime, but my 12-year-old body couldn't do anything, and nothing happened that night. It rained heavily all night. It was dawn and the rain stopped, and there were a few shrill dogs barking and the sound of leather boots coming from the village.The door of my house was kicked open, Hongmei, me and my father were all tied up.Only then did I see clearly that it was a Japanese officer with a mustache, an interpreter, a team of Japanese soldiers, and a big wolfhound sticking out his tongue.Standing beside the Japanese was Little Hei Pi, who was staring at Hong Mei.I understood everything, because of that watch, he informed me. Little Heipi walked around Hongmei with a smile, then came to me again, pulled out the watch from my chest, and handed it to the Japanese.The officer with the mustache was very short, not much taller than me. He looked at it carefully for a moment, nodded again and again, then patted Xiao Heipi on the shoulder, and spoke some nonsense to the translator. The translator asked: "Where are the American flag soldiers hiding?" None of us spoke.Mustache looked at it and pointed his finger at my father. Several Japanese soldiers came up and smashed my father's head with gun butts. My father was immediately knocked down and unconscious.I cried out in a panic, and Mustache walked up to me, touched my head, grinned at me, and saw that I didn't respond, so he slapped me across the face.Immediately, my face felt burning pain, and half of my face was swollen.In my heart, I scolded the 18th generation of Japanese ancestors, and by the way, I also scolded the Citi soldier who deserved to be cut into pieces. This kind of beast is best to die immediately, just say it. "You can't say it, think about your mother, you must not do things for the Japanese." Hongmei suddenly yelled. Then Mustache turned to Hongmei again, sized her up, reached out to touch her breasts, and suddenly spit flew out of Hongmei's mouth and landed on the bridge of Mustache's nose.He flew into a rage, and drew the gleaming saber from his waist and pointed it at Hongmei.Hongmei didn't even blink her eyes, and Mustache shook her head, then returned the saber to its sheath. But Little Heipi said to the translator, "It looks like they hid the Citi soldiers in the reeds." Mustache nodded after hearing what the translator said, and asked Xiao Heipi to look at my father first. He brought soldiers, translators and wolf dogs, and led us into the reed marsh.They asked Hongmei to lead the way, but Hongmei led them around.Then he asked me to lead the way, and I returned the same way.Mustache was very annoyed, and he ordered the wolfhound to lead the team.This wolfhound is astonishingly big, showing a long tongue and two rows of white teeth, it must have eaten a lot of human flesh.It kept sniffing the muddy ground and among the reeds with its nose. The weather after the rain was particularly fresh, which enhanced the sensitivity of the dog's nose.It rushed us to a piece of mud, and after a while, the big umbrellas and fur coats and hats of the American soldiers we buried there were dug out.Mustache smiled slyly and continued to search.I don't know if I can survive today, and I am shaking all over.I sneaked a glance at Hongmei, but she looked calm. Her eyes collided with mine, which immediately calmed me down. But then my fear surged up again. The abominable big wolfhound was leading us step by step closer to the ancient tomb where the American soldiers were hiding.Birds and frogs were constantly startled by the leather boots of the Japanese soldiers, and they split the reeds with the tip of their bayonets. Finally we got there. For a moment, my mind went blank, but the wolfhound seemed to be confused by the ancient smell emanating from the ancient tomb. It walked around the ancient tomb and went back to the ancient tomb. Mustache was anxious, he drew out his saber and pointed it at us.My legs are weak, but I think of the American soldier, who must be hiding in the ancient tomb and watching us through the stone crack.Now I'm going to die for this bastard. Is his life really worth more than ours? Dad should have killed him last night. The bearded Japanese pointed his saber at the tip of my nose, and I had nowhere to retreat, staring straight at the sharp point, the blade gleaming in the early morning sun.I pictured it slicing open my head, stained with blood and brains.Why, why should I die, damn it is the Citi soldier, I yelled: "Twenty years later, he will be a good man again." This is not supposed to be said by me as a child, but when I thought that if I lived to be 20 years old in my next life, I would be able to marry Hongmei, so I blurted it out. "Don't touch him!" Hongmei yelled loudly, and Mustache immediately looked at her, and turned his saber around. "He is my man, don't touch him." Hongmei's words revived my spirits, and I was satisfied when I died. When the translator told the Japanese this sentence, Mustache immediately smiled contemptuously at me. "Let him go first, and I'll tell you where the Citi soldiers are." Hongmei said to the translator. Mustache agreed, and gave me a tie, and I jumped on Hongmei: "I won't leave, I want to die with Hongmei, and we will be together forever." Hongmei kissed me next to my ear, and then said softly: "Go away, forget about me, I am an unclean woman, I am not good enough for you, in the future you can find a clean and good woman." "I only want Hongmei, I only want you in this life." I hugged her tightly. Hongmei kicked me suddenly: "Come on, think about your father, don't break the incense in your family." I took one last look at her with tears in my eyes and let her go, Hongmei said again: "You are a man, a man can't shed tears casually, let alone in front of his own woman." I wiped away my tears and ran away quickly.Everything is blurred in the green of the reeds. Running to the entrance of the village in one breath, I suddenly remembered Hongmei's body in the hot water last night.我不能丢下她不管，她说我是个男人，不能随便流眼泪，可一个男人不能让自家的女人留下来等死，自己却跑了。不行，我要回去，于是我脱了衣服，跳下水，慢慢游了回去，不一会儿，我又游到了古墓边的池塘里，隐藏在密密的芦苇中，偷偷看着岸上的红妹。 翻译说：“现在他已经走远了，你可以说了吗？” “好的。”被松绑了的红妹嘴角带着一丝微笑，对着直指她胸口的军刀。她捋了捋头发，眼神中闪出一种光彩。她挺直了身体，军刀尖前高耸的胸脯一起一伏，仿佛在嘲笑着苍白的锋刃，她的衣服紧紧包裹着的似乎已不再是诱惑，而是一团灼烈的火。 突然，她骄傲的胸脯向前一挺，军刀尖深深地刺了进去。这让小胡子措手不及，他根本无暇抽刀，从红妹胸口喷出的鲜血已经溅在了他的脸上。 我惊呆了，身体麻木了，仿佛已不再属于我自己。我看见红妹的嘴角依旧带着微笑，只是胸口上多了一把长长的军刀，血液正源源不断地向外喷出。然后，红妹倒下了，她慢慢地闭上了眼睛，身体完全被染红了。血流到了地上，于是泥土也红了，血流到了芦苇秆和叶子上，于是它们也红了，血流到了池塘里，于是我的眼前也一片猩红了。她的血仿佛永远也流不完，一直汩汩地往外涌，我从她的血中嗅到了那晚把头埋在她的胸脯中才能嗅到的味道。 那条狼狗还在贪婪地伸出舌头舔着泥土里的血，小胡子把军刀从红妹的胸口抽出，无奈地摇了摇头。正当他们要离去时，听到了一个奇怪的声音，从古墓中传出的声音，当场把他们吓得魂飞魄散。我看见花旗兵了，他竟从古墓中爬了出来，他的身上和脸上全是昨晚被我爹揍的伤痕。花旗兵露出了一种我从未见过的表情，他愤怒了，真正愤怒了。他像一个真正的军人一样扑向了小胡子日本人，他带着一种野兽般的呼啸一把将小胡子扑倒在地，狠狠地掐住了他的咽喉。周围的日本兵立刻用刺刀刺入了花旗兵的背脊，但花旗兵死不放手，继续狠狠地掐住小胡子，直到花旗兵的身上出现了二十几个刺刀窟窿，血溅起半天高，才彻底断了气。 日本兵费力地把花旗兵扳开，小胡子的嘴里喷出许多血，翻译用手去试了试他的呼吸，然后沮丧地说：“完了，被活活掐死了。”他们把花旗兵的尸体验明正身之后，便把他和小胡子两个死人一同拖走了，只剩下红妹继续躺在地上。 日本人走了，我从水中爬出来，趴在红妹身边，静静地看着她的脸。我仿佛能看得见她的灵魂正离开她曾经火热的身体，像一缕轻烟飘到高高的云端里去了。而芦苇荡依旧平静地横卧在苏北平原上，好像什么也没发生，但却染上了三个国家的人的血。 12岁的我吃力地抬起了红妹，她好像突然轻了许多。我们向芦苇荡的深处走去，筑巢的水鸟们被惊起，在我们的身边飞舞。我踏着猩红的泥土走着，红妹被芦苇永远地隐藏了起来，永远。