Chapter 11 chapter Ten

At around nine o'clock in the evening, Father Engelmann got up slowly from the comfort building where he was studying.The lack of food for several days has already given him another set of body movements, getting up very slowly, so that the reduced blood flow has enough time to flow back into the head, so as not to cause fainting.He has also reduced some movements in the past few days, making each movement absolutely economical, absolutely necessary, and the calories that are not spent will never be wasted. Now he spends his evenings in this small reading room.Next to the reading room is the library of the church, which contains books collected by the seven priests of the church, as well as books bought at a bazaar for a small amount of money.When foreign envoys left their posts, they would hold donations or bazaars to sell items and books that they thought were not worth shipping out of China at very cheap prices, or simply donate them. Anyway, there is not much difference between selling and donating. .For a hundred years, the books in the church library have been sorted out and classified into categories, and the collection is very comprehensive and rich.

Father Engelman went to the fireplace and squatted down with the upper frame of the fireplace. This was also a new movement given to him by hunger. The sixty-year-old Engelman had never squatted on the buttress a few days ago.His knees cracked like charcoal bursting.He took the last half-burned log with the tongs and adjusted its angle to burn most efficiently.It's too cold. Fabi's bedroom is on the other side of the library.At this time, Fabi still did not come back.For some reason, his impulse to communicate with Fabio was always misplaced. When Fabio came to talk to him, he was enjoying the solitude. nowhere to be seen.Father Engelmann concluded sadly that people in the world are probably like him and Fabio, inseparable and inseparable. When A needs B, it is the time when B is emotionally self-sufficient and therefore least willing to be disturbed. When B needs A's company, comfort and communication, his needs have become a pure burden for A.Untimely companionship and communication are annoying interruptions. In order to ensure that you will not be disturbed, you should not accept the company of others.People are not because they fit together, but because they cannot be separated. They are passively and helplessly accompanying others, and they also endure that others often become interruptions, so they are unnecessary companionship.

Now he is indirectly accepting the redundant company of women and soldiers in the underground warehouse, this purely disturbing company. The day after the members of the burial team sent the two wounded Chinese soldiers to the church, Father Engelmann went to the safe zone.The safe zone was raided several times a day by Japanese soldiers, and young and middle-aged male civilians were taken away by hidden Chinese soldiers.Several leaders of the safety zone rushed here and there to rescue, but the results were in vain again and again.If the young and middle-aged men who were caught resisted a little, they were shot on the spot.So he swallowed his request to the safe area to receive those Chinese wounded and sick.He just quietly pulled aside Dr. Wilson, who was seeing a long queue of patients, and asked if he could spare an hour to come to church for an operation.What kind of surgery?The abdomen was pierced with a bayonet... Just as Engman said something, Dr. Robinson asked him nervously, could it be a Chinese prisoner of war?Engelman asked how he knew.The doctor told him that there was a scum among the members of the burial team, who betrayed the other members of the rescue team to the Japanese.The Japanese buried dozens of members of the burial team alive early in the morning.Since then, the disposal of the dead bodies of prisoners of war must be carried out under the supervision of Japanese soldiers.Dr. Robinson advised the priest that if the church really took in Chinese prisoners of war who escaped death, they must be sent away immediately.Father Engelman came back from the safe zone and came to the underground warehouse.The makeshift quarters were decent enough, with an old curtain in the library dividing the space in half, with the men occupying a small corner and the rest of the area reserved for the women.Father Engelman has never smelled a more complex and muddy smell than that underground warehouse; the grains, pickles, cheese, red wine that have been aged for many generations...their existence as material has disappeared, but their non-material existence has remained , not only survive, but live; the smells continue to ferment, become rich, and grow thick and thick. Over the past few decades, the life of this smell has reproduced and mutated, and it has become a kingdom of smells. Any intruders will be fiercely resisted by it.Father Engelmann was nearly knocked unconscious by the explosion of smell as he descended the ladder from the entrance.This kingdom of smells is now even richer, the body odor of a dozen women and three men, two large barrels of excrement, plus perfume, balsam, hair oil, lead powder, tobacco... Father Engelmann soon felt that it was not only his His nose couldn't take it, even his eyes couldn't take it, the smell was so strong that his gray eyeballs felt its acridity and brought tears to his eyes.At that time, he already knew that the officer surnamed Dai was not seriously injured, his rib was broken by a bullet, and blood was oozing from the wound.The seriously injured one was Wang Pusheng, who was only fifteen years old.Seeing Father Engelman enter the underground warehouse, the soldier lay there raising his right hand to his temple and gave a military salute.It was obvious from a glance that the boy wanted to please him, but also feared him, lest he ruthlessly challenge the neutrality of the church and drive them out.Father Engelmann suddenly changed his words.The first sentence he lined up when he came was: "I'm very sorry, we can't leave you here to recuperate." At this time, he smiled at the saluting Wang Pusheng, opened his lips, and the words became: "It's better Is it?" He knew it would be very difficult.If you put it on the tip of your tongue in advance, it will change suddenly, and he can't temporarily adjust other dialect languages.He wanted to persuade wounded soldiers to leave the church and hide in the countryside or in the mountains.They could sneak out of the church at night, and he could provide them with food and medicine.But seeing Wang Pusheng's face covered with bandages, the extremely rigorously edited speeches changed in an instant, and became the following words: "This church can take you in for a few more days. However, as ordinary refugees taking refuge here, Mr. Major must Give up your arms."

The wounded were silent, and slowly turned their eyes to Dai Tao. Dai Tao said, "Please allow me to keep that grenade." Father Engelman's usual majesty appeared again: "This church only accepts unarmed civilians." Dai Tao said: "This grenade is not for offense, nor is it for defense." He glanced at everyone. Father Engelmann certainly understood what the grenade was for.Two of them had been captives and had been executed.With that grenade, the ending can be crisp and even brilliant.There is nothing more dignified and dignified for a defeated soldier than that eternal retreat.If you are lucky, you can also drag the enemy back.

After Major Dai was disarmed by the priest for the first time, he secretly left behind a small grenade.This small German-made grenade was secretly hidden as his last possession and brought into the underground warehouse.Several women secretly reported the grenade to Gu, who was still alive at the time, because they lived in the same space with an imported high-end bomb and could not sleep.A Gu reported the grenade to Engman again. "If you hide a bomb, you are not an unarmed refugee," said the priest. The sergeant named Li Quanyou said: "Major, just listen to the priest."

Dai Tao said to Li Quanyou coldly: "Isn't it enough for the Japanese devils to disarm?" Engman understood that what he hadn't said was harsher—disarming the Western Devils now? Dai Tao said to Li Quanyou and Wang Pusheng: "Now you are my subordinates, and I am your commander. You only have to obey my duty." At this moment, a woman named Zhao Yumo walked in from the other side of the curtain, looking at each man tenderly, as if she was a young housewife of a big family, hoping to mediate between the men who were quarreling. Father Engelman remembered that he nodded slightly to the woman, forgetting her humble status for a moment.He felt that because of the appearance of that woman, the atmosphere of the men had changed, and the tension born of confrontation had subsided.In fact, she didn't say anything, didn't move, with a woman's unprincipled smile, she looked at the men regretfully: "It's so nice to be so kind, what's worth tearing your face apart?"

Engelman remembers saying that if the grenade went off and the Japanese accused the church of sheltering Chinese soldiers, the church’s innocent charity of hosting refugees would turn out to be a lie.Most importantly, angered the occupying forces, they would have razed the church, including the sixteen maidens it sheltered.They are the weakest beings in war, and once they become victims, they will be the most unimaginable victims. He then told them what he had witnessed on the way back from safety.At that time, Fabio was driving back to the church on a detour through the alley, and came across dozens of Japanese soldiers surrounded by a porch, stripping a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl's clothes.He told Fabi to stop immediately.He rolled down the car window, stretched out his upper body in the cassock, and shouted in English: "Stop! For God's sake!..." The Japanese soldiers wiped out their two witnesses.He finished the incident in a straightforward manner and said: "I didn't want to tell you this unpleasant thing, but I want you to understand that we—hope and you, do everything so as not to endanger the safety of the female students. Safety is the principle, taking you in has endangered them to some extent, not to mention that you still have weapons in your possession."

Dai Tao and the other two soldiers were silent.He was silent with them for a while, letting his words seep into their brains, and then left the ground.That afternoon, Dai Tao handed him the grenade.It was then that he talked to the young Chinese major about the retreat of Shanghai and the fall of Nanking.Oddly enough, the strange soldier named Dai Tao appeared just when Engman was most eager to talk.During that half-hour conversation, it was very rare for the two sides to have such an emotional connection. At this moment, Engelman wrapped his goose down robe tightly and planned to go back to his own place to sleep.He walked down the stairs to the hall with the wax lamp, but heard the doorbell ringing.Immediately he went back up the stairs, raised the black curtains, and opened the windows looking out on the yard.

Fabi has already rushed to the door and is talking to the uninvited guest outside the door.It was a conversation, but the people outside only used the doorbell to answer Fabio’s question: “Excuse me, what’s the matter?... This is an American church!... No food, no fuel!...” Every time Fabio sent a word, the doorbell His response made him even more angry and impatient, and sometimes Fabio was interrupted before his short sentences were finished, almost quarreling with Fabio with the doorbell. Engman quickly went downstairs, crossed the yard, closed the door of the Bible workshop, and checked whether the bumper lock was securely locked.He suddenly realized that it is not safe to lock it. Intruders always think that there are treasures hidden in places worth locking, and they will inevitably enter by force, which will increase the danger to the girls hiding in the attic.He took out a bunch of keys hanging from his belt, and tried to insert one by one into the keyhole with trembling hands.Finally opened the door, went in in the dark, and said to the ceiling: "Listen, children, no matter what happens, don't make a sound, don't come down!"

He knew the girls had heard him, and turned and ran towards the kitchen. "The Japanese are coming, don't make a sound, everything will be dealt with by Fabi and me!" He heard a woman say half a sentence, wanted to ask something, and immediately fell silent, either her mouth was covered, or she was choked up softly. On the way to the gate Father Engelmann settled his posture, his tone of voice.Stopped five steps away from the gate, took a deep breath, and said to Fabio who was still shouting in vain: "Open the door." Fabio glanced back at Father Engelmann, and was overwhelmed by the priest's calm voice and gait.The priest seems to be waiting for this moment, to see for himself whether there is a heart that will not be conquered and a humanity that will not return in front of his charisma.

Therefore, when the gate was opened, an old man with white beard and white hair and a fairy spirit walked towards the intruder. He forgave all children, regardless of skin color, character, innocent or sinful.The anger that the Japanese soldier had gathered while ringing the doorbell seemed to be released by Father Engelmann's accepting smile. "We're hungry!" said the leading Japanese junior officer in funny English. "We're hungry, too," Engelman said.With the general concern of pity for all the hungry beings in the world: "And thirsty," he added. "We're going in," said the junior Japanese officer. "Sorry, this is an American church. Your Excellency should treat it as American land." Ingeman resolutely refused to stop smiling. "We all go to the American embassy." Engman heard that the American embassy in the safest part of the security zone often had Japanese soldiers forcibly visiting, stealing and robbing as much as they could, and took away the cars of diplomats and American overseas Chinese who were withdrawing to the United States.It seems that this ancient church far away from the city center is safer than the safe area. "Let's go in and find food for ourselves!" The junior officer raised his throat. The seven or eight Japanese soldiers behind him seemed to have heard the charge, and they rushed together and squeezed into the gate.The priest knew that once things got to this extent, he could only resign himself to fate. Fabio said to the priest: "Open the door and it's over!" The priest said: "Nanjing's city walls can't stop them. Besides, even women can climb through our walls." Fabio and Father Engelmann followed the Japanese soldiers into the main building of the church.There were no lamps or candles, and the freezing cold in the hall was worse than outside.The Japanese soldiers hesitated at the entrance of the hall for a while, and the junior officer's flashlight circle shone on the statue of the saint on the pulpit, and then on the unfathomable top, and retreated, as if afraid of being ambushed. Father Engelmann whispered to Fabio, "Once they raid the Bible workshop, we'll try to distract them by making noise." Fabio said in a low voice, "Why are you making so much noise?" The priest pondered.This critical moment is nothing more than sacrificing the less important thing to keep the most important thing. "Go get George to start the car." Fabio understood what the priest meant.When Japanese soldiers snatch a car, they can receive a reward from their superiors, and they can also exchange it with traitors for food and valuables that are easy to carry, such as gold, silver and jewelry.For four or five days in Champa, the Japanese army had started black market transactions. As soon as the Japanese soldiers opened the door of the Bible workshop, they heard the sound of a car engine coming from a corner of the church yard.It sounded like an old engine, coughing and wheezing, and couldn't start.Following the wheezing sound of the old car and the flashlight, they easily found the garage, and they also found George Chen who was lying under the belly of the car "repairing the car". The Japanese soldier kicked George Chen in the head.George Chen hurriedly said in English: "Who is it? Repairing the car!" George Chen's English was even more difficult to understand than that of the Japanese military officer. Engelman said now, "George, please come out." Fabio had already reviewed the director George Chen, and all the lines were written for him, all in English.Chen Qiaozhi, who is slowly getting up from the old Ford's belly, has completely forgotten the character's lines, and his face is black and greasy, and his panic cannot be concealed. "Who are you?" the Japanese officer asked. "He's my partner and handyman." Ingeman walked between George Chen and the officer. Chen Qiaozhi continued to speak English lines according to the script arranged by Fabio for him—no matter how crappy the English was, and how hard it was for English-speaking people in the world to recognize each other, he still let the Japanese officer understand that the car broke down, and the It was repaired, but it couldn't be repaired all the time. The Japanese officer said a few words to seven or eight soldiers, and the soldiers all said "hi" loudly.The Japanese officer turned to Engman and said, "The car must be borrowed." Father Ingerman said: "It is not my personal property, it is church property, and I have no right to lend it to anyone." Life in the warehouse, although his relationship with old Ford was closer and more inseparable.He said those words, in order to convince the Japanese soldiers that he was forced to give up this time, and that there was nothing else worthy of their attention except the church.He added: "So can I ask the officer to type an IOU so that I can explain it to the finance department of the church?" The Japanese military officer looked at the old man and seemed to say: Have you lived on the moon until now?Don't even know what's going on with the war?He said in English: "Go to the headquarters of the occupying forces and get the IOU." No matter how Father Engelman and Fabio continued to put on a blocking and reasoning posture, the Japanese soldiers had already pushed Old Ford out of the garage.The Japanese officer sat in the driver's seat, stepped on the accelerator a few times, pondered for a while, and then ignited the car.The Japanese soldiers cheered and screamed for such a large prey, and they all became a group of tribesmen, chasing after the car and running out of the gate. Fabio gasped loudly beside Father Engelmann.Chen Qiaozhi stared, still not quite convinced that Zong had really entered this yard, and just passed him by. "They took our most valuable things, so we should be safer," Engelman said.