Chapter 11 Chapter nine

I stare at the sky outside the car door and daydream.The brakes screeched and everything jerked forward.I steadied myself from sliding across the rough floor, and once I regained my balance, I ran my hands through my hair and tied my shoelaces.It must be Joliet, at last. The rough wooden door next to me creaked open, and Jinke walked to the carriage door and leaned against the door frame, with Queenie at his feet, eagerly watching the scenery passing by.He hasn't looked at me since yesterday's incident, and frankly speaking, I also find it difficult to face him. On the one hand, I deeply sympathize with the humiliation he suffered, and on the other hand, I really want to laugh.Finally, the train came to a screeching halt, emitting steam.Jinke clapped his hands as usual, and Queenie jumped into his arms as usual, and the two left just like that.

It was eerily quiet outside.Although the Feitian Brigade arrived half an hour earlier than us, the workers stood silently outside.There is no orderly rush, no running footsteps, no ramps, no cursing, no flying ropes, no dragging people, just hundreds of unkempt people looking at another circus in bewilderment. Group tents. Their place looked like a dead city, with tents but no crowds, kitchens and tents but no flags.Caravans and vanities lay behind, but those who remained wandered about or lolled in the shade. I jumped out and a convertible just pulled into the parking lot.Two businessmen in suits got out of the car, carried briefcases, and looked at the place from under the brim of their caps.

Uncle Ailan strode forward, with no followers behind him.He walked with his tall hat on, waving his silver-tipped cane, and shaking hands with the two men, looking jolly and excited.While he was talking, he turned around and raised his hand and waved roughly towards the field.The businessmen nodded, folded their arms across their chests, thinking and thinking, pondering and pondering. I heard the gravel rustle behind me, and August's face appeared on my shoulder. "Uncle Ailan is like this. He can smell the smell of local officials from a mile away. Just wait and see, before noon, he can make the mayor bow his head." He put his hand on my shoulder, "Let's go .”

"Where are you going?" I asked. "Go to the city for breakfast. I'm afraid there's nothing to eat here. Meals won't be provided until tomorrow." "Ah, yes?" "Well, we're trying to do our best, but we barely give the advance guys time to get here, do we?" "What are they going to do?" "Who is it?" I pointed to the closed circus. "They? When they're hungry enough, they'll pat their butts and walk away. Seriously, it's better for everyone if they leave." "What about our people?"

"Oh, them, they'll live until the food arrives. Don't worry, Alan won't let them starve to death." We stopped at a small restaurant not far from the main road.In the restaurant, there is a row of box seats along one wall, and a plywood counter in front of the other wall. There are many customers sitting on red stools, smoking cigarettes and chatting with the girl behind the counter. I held the door for Marlena, she walked straight into the box seat and sat down against the wall.August sat across from her, so I sat next to Marina.She crossed her arms and stared at the wall.

"Morning, what do you guys want?" said the girl, still behind the counter. "A full meal. I'm starving," August said. "Which kind of eggs do you want?" "Poached eggs." "Where's the lady?" "Coffee is fine." Malena said, raising one leg and shaking it, the movement was loud, almost provocative.She doesn't look at the waitress, she doesn't look at August.Looking back, she didn't actually look at me either. "What about sir?" said the girl. "Er, the same full meal as him. Thanks," I said.

August leaned back in his chair and pulled out a pack of Camels.He slapped a cigarette from the butt, opened his mouth to catch it, and then leaned back in the chair, his eyes were shining, and he spread his hands out of contentment. Marina turned to look at him, deliberately clapped her hands slowly, her face froze. "Okay, dear, don't be so stubborn, you know we're out of meat," August said. "Excuse me." She said, moving towards me, I quickly moved away.She stepped out of the door, her heels tapped on the ground, her waist twisted so that the red dress swayed.

"Woman." August said, blocking the wind with his hands, lit a cigarette, and snapped off the lighter, "Oh, sorry, would you like one?" "No thanks, I don't smoke." "Don't you smoke?" He thought, and took a long drag. "You should smoke, it's good for your health." He put the cigarette pack back in his pocket and hit the girl behind the counter.She is standing in front of the frying pan with a spatula in one hand. "Come on, please? We're not fine all day." She froze, the shovel stopped in mid-air.The two people at the counter slowly turned their heads to look at us, their eyes widened.

"Uh, August," I said. "What's wrong?" He looked puzzled. "I can do it as fast as I can," said the waitress coldly. "Okay, that's all I ask for." August said, leaning his head towards me, and continued in a low voice, "Didn't I tell you? Women, it must be because of menstruation." When I got back to the circus, several tents of the Benzini brothers had been set up in the arena, including animal tents, horse tents, and kitchen tents.Flags were flying, and the air was filled with the smell of sour frying. "Don't go in. Fried dough, only chicory tea to drink." The man who came out said to me.

"Thank you, thank you for reminding me." He spat, and stalked away. The lingering members of the Foss Brothers Circus lined up outside the first-class car, hopeful.Several people were smiling and joking, but their laughter was a bit sharp.Some are looking straight ahead with their arms crossed.The others were restless, pacing up and down with their heads down.They were called in one by one to interview Uncle Ailan. Most people came out in frustration, some wiped their tears, talked quietly to the people in front of the line, some looked ahead indifferently, and then walked towards the town.

The two dwarves went in together, and came out a few minutes later with a sullen face. They stopped to talk to a small group of people before stepping down the ramp. The sleeve hangs on the shoulder. I scanned them, looking for the figure of the famous freak.There are indeed some strange people in the team, dwarfs, dwarfs, giants, a bearded lady (there is already one under Ailan's flag, this one is probably hopeless), a huge fat man (if Ailan wants to be beautiful Lucin Da finds a companion, maybe he still has hope), and a bunch of people and dogs with sad faces.But no one has a baby on his chest. After Uncle Ailan finished selecting the newcomers, our workers tore down all the tents of another circus, leaving only the horse and animal tents.The rest of the Fosse Brothers, free from errands, sat and looked around, spitting tobacco juice on some tall bushes of wild carrots and thistles. When Uncle Allan noticed that the city officials hadn't listed the Foss Brothers' draft horses, several of their nondescript horses were smuggled to our stable, or confiscated, so to speak.Uncle Allan was not the only one with this kind of thinking. Several peasants wandered around the camp, still carrying reins. "And they just slash the horses out and take them away?" I asked Pete. "Probably. As long as they don't touch our horses, I don't care. But the covers need to be lightened. It's going to be a day or two before everything's settled, and we'll have a horse in the regiment." Our draft horses do double duty, big horses spit and snort heavily.I persuaded an officer to turn on a water cock so we could water the animals, but they were still out of hay and oats. We were filling the last sink when August returned. "What's the matter? The horses have been on the train for three days. Get them out on the road, or they will wither." "Take your head off. Look around with your eyes wide open, what do you think they've been doing all these hours?" Peter said. "You use our horses?" "Otherwise, what kind of horse do you want me to use?" "You should use their horses!" "I don't know about their work horses! Anyway, the horses in the regiment have to move around so that they don't wither. Why drag their horses to work!" August opened his mouth from ear to ear in shock, then closed his mouth and disappeared without a trace. It wasn't long before the trucks rolled into the camp, one after the other behind the kitchen tent, unloading an incredible amount of food.The cooks were in a hurry, and in an instant the boilers were cooking, and the smell of fake food wafted across the camp. Food and bedding for the animals were also promptly delivered, in wagons rather than trucks.When we used the cart to bring the hay to the stable, the horse neighed loudly, stretched its neck, pulled off a mouthful of hay before it hit the ground, and began to chew. The animals in the cape were just as happy to see us, the chimpanzees squealing and swinging on the bars of their cages, here and there you could catch glimpses of their teeth baring in a grin.Carnivores paced up and down.The grass eater shook his head, snorted, screamed, and even growled anxiously. I open the orangutan door and set down a pot of fruit, vegetables, nuts.As soon as I closed the door, its long arm stretched out from the iron bar and pointed to the oranges in the other pot. "That? You want that?" It continued to point at the orange, and blinked at me with its two eyes that were close together.Its features are recessed, and a ring of red hair surrounds its large face.It is the most exaggerated and beautiful creature I have ever seen. "Here, here you are." I handed the orange to it. It took it and put it on the ground, and stretched out its hand again.For several seconds, I kept handing him oranges from other animals.At last I held out my hand, and it took its long fingers and let it go.It sits on the ground peeling oranges. I looked at it in amazement.It is thanking me. "It's all over," August said, and he put his hand on my shoulder as we left the mantle. "Come with me for a drink, little brother. Malena's vanity has lemonade, not juice. That stinky juice stand. We'll add a little whiskey to it, hehe." "I'll be there in a minute. I'll have to check out their tents." Brother Fosse's draft horses are in ambiguous condition, dwindling all afternoon. I've personally checked that they have feed and water, but I haven't yet. Went to see their rare animals and show animals. "No, you come with me now." August said firmly. I looked at him, startled by his tone. "Okay, no problem. Do you know if they have food and water?" "They'll have food and water, it's just a matter of time." "What?" I said. "They'll have food and water, it's just a matter of time." "August, it's terrible. The temperature is almost 30 degrees now. At least they can't be left without water." "Whoever says no, we just don't give water. Uncle Ailan does business like this. He and the mayor are still fighting over who is braver. The mayor will understand that he doesn't know what to do with giraffes, zebras, and lions." , and then he will lower the price, and at that time, we must wait until that time before we will take over." "Sorry, I can't leave the animals alone." I turned to leave. His hands wrapped around my arms, he walked up to me, leaned forward, his face was only a few centimeters away from mine, and put a finger on my cheek. "You can leave the animals alive or dead. The animals will be cared for, it's just not the right time, that's how business is done." "Shit." "Uncle Allan's way of setting up this circus is already an art. We are where we are today because of this method. God knows what's in that animal tent? If there is no animal he wants in it, then forget it , who cares? If there is an animal he wants in it, but because you interfered with his business and caused him to pay more, you better believe that Ailan will seek justice from you. Do you understand? He gritted his teeth and repeated word by word, "You—understand—do you—have you?" I looked straight into his unblinking eyes and said, "I totally understand." "Very good." He said, no longer pressed his fingers on my face, stepped back, said "Very good" again, nodded, let his expression soften, and squeezed out a big laugh, "In my opinion, that's it, Let's just drink whiskey and have a good time." "I think it's better to save it." He looked at it for a while, then shrugged and said, "It's up to you." I sat down some distance away from the animal tent, thinking about the abandoned animals inside, and my eyes became more and more anxious.Suddenly, a strong wind blew the inner wall of the canopy inwards.Not even the slightest convective wind.I have never felt the heat on my head so strongly, and my throat is so dry.I took off my hat and ran my dusty arm over my forehead. When orange and blue flags were displayed on the canopy of the kitchen, announcing that dinner was ready, several new members of the Banzini Brothers joined the queue, as could be seen from the red food stamps they held in their hands.The fat man had a lucky star, the bearded woman was also lucky, and several dwarfs were also admitted.The newcomers hired by Uncle Alan are all entertainers, but one unlucky guy just admitted, but when he left Uncle Alan’s carriage, he looked at Marlena a few more times, his eyes were too eager, and he was caught by August, so Lost another errand. A few others followed suit, but none of them caught Ezra's eye.Ezra's only job was remembering what everyone in the regiment looked like, and man, he was good.Whenever he gave a thumbs up to some unlucky ghost, Lao Hei would step forward to deal with it.One or two of them were desperately grabbing handfuls of food before falling headlong out of the tent. The dirty and silent men lingered around the cooking tent, their eyes hungry.A guy accosted Marina as she passed the warming table.He is a thin bamboo pole with deep lines on his cheeks.If he hadn't fallen to this point, he should also be a handsome man. "Miss--hey, ma'am, would you give me a little? A slice of bread would do?" Marina stopped to look at him.His face was thin and his eyes were hopeless.She looks at her plate. "Oh, well, miss, please, I haven't had a full stomach in two days." He licked his chapped lips with his tongue. "Keep going," August said, taking Marina's elbow and leading her firmly to a table in the center of the canopy.It wasn't our normal table, but I noticed that people mostly didn't argue with August.Malena sat down silently, occasionally peeking at the men outside the tent. "Oh, I can't bear it," she said, throwing the knife and fork on the table. "Those people are so pitiful, I can't eat it." She stood up and picked up the plate. "Where are you going?" August snapped. Marina looked at him condescendingly, "They haven't eaten for two days, how can I still sit here and eat?" "You can't give him your food, you sit down for me," August said. People at several tables turned their heads to look at them. August smiled nervously at them, and then leaned towards Marlena and said, "Honey." He said earnestly, "I know I want you to harden your heart." It's hard, but if you give him food, he will stay on purpose. What will happen then? Uncle Ailan has already picked out all the people he wants, but he didn't admit him. He has to leave, that's it , the sooner you leave, the better. It’s also for his own good, and it’s actually more compassionate.” Malena squinted her eyes, put down the plate, poked the pork chop with a fork, put it on a piece of bread, picked up August's bread, threw it on the pork chop, and rushed away angrily. "What do you think you're doing?" August yelled. She walked straight up to the tall, thin man, grabbed his hand, shoved him a pork chop sandwich, and strode away.There was applause and whistles from the tables on the worker's side. August was mad with rage, an artery throbbing in his temple.After a while, he stood up, picked up his plate, dumped the food into the trash, and left too. I stare at my plate, piled high with pork chops, kale, mashed potatoes, baked apples.I have been working as a cow and a horse all day long, but I can't eat a bite. Even though it was almost seven o'clock, the sun was still high in the sky, the air was heavy, and the terrain was not at all like the northeast region we came from.The terrain here is flat and dry as a dry bone.Our camp was covered with long weeds, yellow and battered and brittle as fodder, that stretched to the edge near the railroad.Beyond that are tall weeds, some tough plants with tough grass stems, tiny leaves, and delicate flowers. The nutrients of the whole plant are poured into the flowers to push the flowers to high places and compete for sunlight. As I passed the horse tent, I saw Kim Keli in the shadow of the tent.Queenie squatted in front of him and had diarrhea, and moved forward a few centimeters with each puddle of liquid she expelled, continuing to have loose bowels. "What's wrong?" I said, stopping beside him. Jinke glared at me. "Are you blind? It's having a stomachache." "What did it eat?" "The devil knows." I took a step forward and carefully inspected one of the small pools of filth, looking for signs of parasites, and there seemed to be none. "Go to the kitchen tent and see if there is any honey." "Ah?" Jinke said standing up and squinting at me. "Honey. If you can get slippery elm powder, mix in a little. But a spoonful of honey should do the trick." He frowned at me for a moment, hands on hips. "I see," he said suspiciously, looking back at the dog. I kept walking and ended up sitting some distance away from the Fosse Brothers tent.The tent was left there coldly, shrouded in an ominous atmosphere, as if the surrounding area of ​​the animal tent had become a minefield, and everyone was twenty meters away.Things must be dire in the tent, but there's nothing I can do about it unless I tie Uncle Allan and August together for a water caravan.I became more and more anxious, so flustered that I couldn't sit down anymore, I simply got up and went to our animal tent. Even with the tanks filled to the brim and the convective breeze, the animals were still dazedly hot.Zebras, giraffes, and other herbivores are still standing, but with drooping necks and half-closed eyelids.Even the yak remained motionless, allowing the flies to relentlessly buzz its ears and eyes.I waved some flies away, but they fell right back on the animals.Nothing at all. Polar bears lie on the ground, with their snouts and heads stretched out in front of them, and most of their weight is concentrated in the lower third of their bodies. They lie quietly, seemingly harmless to humans and animals, and even quite cute.It inhaled deeply and slowly, and let out a long grunt.poor guy.I doubt that the temperatures at the poles have ever been this high. The orangutan is lying flat with arms and legs spread wide.It turned to look at me, blinking sadly, as if sorry for not being stronger. It's okay, I tell it with my eyes, I understand. It blinked again, then turned away and looked at the roof of the cage again. I came before Malena's horses, they recognized me, breathed, and touched my hand with their lips.I still have the lingering aroma of baked apples on my hands.When they realized that I didn't bring good information, they lost interest and returned to a half-trance appearance. The big cats lay on their sides, motionless, their eyelids not fully closed, and if it wasn't for the steady rise and fall of their chests, I would have thought they were dead.I pressed my forehead against the fence of the cage. After watching for a long time, I turned around and left. After walking about three meters, I suddenly turned back, and suddenly realized that the ground of their cage was unbelievably clean. Marina and August were arguing so loudly that I could hear them twenty meters away.I hesitated outside Marina's dressing awning, wondering if I really wanted to interrupt them.But I didn't want to hear them quarreling any more, and finally my heart broke and I pressed my mouth against the door curtain. "August! Hey, August!" The noise of the quarrel was subdued, footsteps could be heard inside the tent, and one person told the other to be quiet. "What's the matter?" August called. "Has Cliff ever fed the big cat?" His face appeared in the crack of the door curtain. "Ah, yes, well, we ran into a little difficulty, but I've solved it." "what?" "It will be delivered tomorrow morning, don't worry, the big cat will be fine." He craned his neck and looked behind me, "Hey, my God, what's the matter?" Uncle Allan came striding towards us.He was wearing a red vest, plaid trousers, and a high hat, and his followers trotted behind him, sprinting a few steps now and then so as not to fall behind. August sighed and drew back the curtain for me. "You'd better come in and sit down too. It looks like you're going to hear about your business." I get in.Malena sat in front of the dresser, arms folded, legs crossed, feet wagging in a fit of rage. "Little dear, restrain yourself," August said. "Marlena?" Uncle Allen was just outside the curtain of the tent, "Marlena! Honey, can I come in? I have something to tell August." Marlena smacked her lips, rolled her eyes, and said with a drawn out tone: "Come in, Uncle Ailan, of course it's okay, please come in quickly, Uncle Ailan." The door curtain was lifted, and Uncle Ai Lan came in. Beads of sweat could be seen on his face, and there was a red glow from the left ear to the right ear. "The deal is done," he said, walking up to August and standing in front of him. "So you've got him under the flag," August said. "Ah? What?" Uncle Ailan said, blinking in surprise. "That freak, the one called Charlie So-and-so," said August. "Bah bah bah, leave him alone." "What do you mean 'leave him alone'? I thought we were here just for him. What the hell is going on?" "What?" Uncle Ailan mumbled.A follower behind him poked his head out and shook violently, while the other gestured to cut his throat with his hand. August looked at them and sighed, "Oh, Lin Ling snatched him away." Uncle Ailan replied: "Leave him alone. I have good news, big news! It can even be said to be extra-large news!" He looked back at the group of followers, got a burst of heartfelt laughter, and turned back suddenly, "Guess what? Guess." "I'm not sure, Allen," August said. He looked at Marlena expectantly. "I don't know." She said sullenly. "We've got an elephant!" cried Uncle Allan, spreading his arms joyously, and knocking a follower on the head with his cane, who jumped back. August's face froze, "What?" "Elephants! Elephants!" "You have an elephant?" "No, August, you got an elephant. His name is Rosie, he's fifty-three years old, a very good elephant, the best elephant ever. I can't wait to see what show you can come up with." It's—" He closed his eyes to fantasize.He shook his fingers in front of his face, closed his eyes and smiled in ecstasy, "I think Malena can cooperate with the elephant, ride the elephant during the parade and the big spectacle, and then perform a big show. Hey, who is there?" !” He turned around and hit the torreya, “Where are the things? Hurry up, hurry up, you idiots!” A bottle of champagne appeared immediately, and he brought it to Marlena, bowed deeply for her appraisal, then unscrewed the seal and pulled out the cork. Some fluted wine glasses were brought up behind him and placed on Marina's dressing table. Uncle Allen poured a little champagne into each glass, handing one to Marina, one to August, and one to me. Holding the last glass high, tears welling in his eyes, he sighed deeply and clasped one hand to his chest. "You're all my best friends in the world, and it's such an honor to celebrate this moment with you." He leaned forward with shoe covers on his feet, and forced real tears down his chubby face. "Not only do we have a veterinarian, a Cornell veterinarian, but we also have an elephant, an elephant!" He blew his nose happily, stopped talking, and regained his composure, "I've been waiting for this day I have been waiting for several years. My friends, today is just the beginning, we have already entered the ranks of the big circus, and it is a circus troupe that others should look at differently." There was applause behind him.Marina put the glass on her lap, and August held it stiffly.Except for the hand holding the wine glass, he didn't move a single muscle. Uncle Ailan raised his wine glass to the sky, and shouted, "To Brothers Benzini, the world's largest circus!" "Brother Benzini! Brother Benzini!" came the cry from behind him.Malena and August were silent. Ailan drank it down and threw the glass to the nearest servant, who put the cup in his jacket pocket and followed Ailan out of the tent.After the curtain closed, there were only three of us left in the tent. There was silence in the tent for a moment, and then August moved his head, as if waking up. "Guess we'd better go see that rubber mule." He downed his drink. "Jacob, are you glad you got to see those stinky animals?" I stared at him with wide eyes, and drank the champagne in one gulp.Out of the corner of my eye I catch a glimpse of Malena finishing her drink too. The animal tent at Foss Brothers Circus is now full of our workers.They ran back and forth, filling water tanks, shoveling hay for them, and clearing out the shit.Some parts of the canopy wall are raised to allow air to flow and form convective wind.We walked in, and I looked around the tent for any animals that needed emergency care.Thankfully, they all appear to be alive and kicking. The elephant stood by the canopy wall at the other end, a huge beast with the color of a dark cloud. We squeezed past the workers and came to it.It's really big, its shoulders are at least three meters above the ground, its skin from the tip of its nose to its huge feet is covered with spots, cracked like a dry river bed, only the skin on its ears is smooth.It looked us over, eyes uncannily human, amber, set deep in the head, with exaggerated lashes. "My God," August said. Its proboscis poked toward us, as if with a conscious mind.The proboscis dangled in front of August, then moved towards Marlena, and finally towards me.A soft finger-like flesh on the tip of the nose trembled and panted.Its nostrils open and close, inhale and exhale.At last it retracted its proboscis, drooping under its face, swinging its nose like a pendulum, like a giant fat and fleshy worm.The fleshy finger picked up the hay that fell on the ground and threw it away.I stared at the moving proboscis, wishing secretly that the proboscis would stick out in front of me again.I reached out to it, but its nose didn't come out to touch me. August stared blankly for a moment, Marlena just stared wide-eyed, and I didn't know what to feel.I have never dealt with such a large animal.It is nearly one hundred and fifty centimeters taller than me. "You're a mahout?" began the man on the right, his shirt untucked into his suspenders in a dirty shirt. "I'm the circus director and animal master," August answered, straightening his back. "Where's your mahout?" said the man, spitting a cloud of tobacco juice from the corner of his mouth. The elephant stuck out its trunk and tapped him on the shoulder.He hit the elephant hard and walked out of its reach.The elephant opened its shovel-shaped mouth in what could only be described as a smile, and then swayed in time with the movement of its trunk. "What do you want?" August asked. "I just want to say a few words to him, nothing else." "why?" "Tell him what trouble he's in," said the man. "you mean?" "Bring your mahout, and I'll tell you." August grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. "This is the mahout. What trouble are we having?" The man looked at me, pushed the tobacco deep into his cheek, and continued talking to August. "This guy is the dumbest, most damned brute in the world." August looked stunned. "I thought he was the best elephant, Elan said he was the best." The man snorted disdainfully, and spat out a stream of brown saliva at the behemoth. "If it is the best elephant, why is it the only one left that has not been bought? Do you think you are the first circus troupe to come here to eat someone's bones? You even delayed it for three days. Well, I wish you all Good luck." He turned to leave. "Wait. One more thing, is there any defect in it?" August asked quickly. "It's nothing, it's just as stupid as a dead pig." "Where did it come from?" "A filthy Polish ghost with an elephant in a show suddenly disappeared on the free market, and the city government sold us the elephant for a low price." August stares at him, bloodless, "You mean it hasn't even been in a circus?" "Here, here's the elephant hook. You'll need this thing. Good luck. As for me, I never want to see an elephant again in my life." He spat again and walked away. August and Marlena stared blankly at his back.When I looked back, I caught a glimpse of the elephant raising its trunk from the sink, aiming at the man, and spraying a jet of water so hard that his hat flew off. He stopped, dripping from his hair and clothes, wiped his face after a moment of motionlessness, bent to retrieve his hat, bowed to the stunned onlookers, and left.