Chapter 20 Chapter Eighteen

I overtook them as Marina slipped off Rosie's head. "You're great! So good!" August kissed her on the cheek. "Jacob, did you see? Did you see how powerful they are?" "Of course I did." "Do me a favor, take Rosie back, okay? I have to go back." He handed me the silver-headed cane, looked at Marlena himself, sighed deeply, and pressed his heart with one hand. "It's amazing! It's amazing." He turned around, took a few strides backwards, and said to Marlena, "Don't forget, once Lotte takes the stage, you and the horses will be replaced immediately."

"I'm going to bring the horse here," she said. August went back to the big tent. "It's amazing," I said. "Yeah, it's great, isn't it?" Malena bent down and pressed a kiss on Rosie's shoulder, leaving a vivid lip print on her gray skin.She reached out and wiped away the marks with her thumb. "I mean you," I said. She was flushed, her thumb still on Rosie's shoulder. As soon as I said it, I regretted it.It's not that she's nothing special, she's great, but there's something else in my words, and she knows it well, that's why she's uncomfortable right now.I decided to call it quits immediately.

"Rosie, chodz. (Let's go.)" I said, beckoning it forward. "chodz, mojmalutkipaczuszek. (Come on, my little rose.)" "Jacob, wait." Marina touched the inside of my elbow with her fingers. August was already far away, at the entrance to the tent.He stopped suddenly, his whole body stiffened, as if sensing our physical contact.He turned around slowly, looking gloomy.Our eyes met. "Can you do me a favor?" Marina asked. "Of course," I said, casting a nervous glance at August.Marina didn't notice him staring at us.I put my hands on my hips and let her fingertips slide off my elbow.

"Would you like to bring Rosie to my vanity? I have a surprise party planned." "Uh, well, that should work. When do you want it to pass?" "Take it now, I'll be there soon. By the way, wear better clothes, I hope to be more formal." "I?" "Who else is there? I've got to get on stage, but it won't take long. If you run into August, don't say a word, okay?" I nod.When I turned my head, August's figure had disappeared into the tent. Rosie was very cooperative with this unusual arrangement.It followed me, swayed over to Malena's vanity awning, and waited patiently for Grady and Bill to unhook the bottom end of the awning wall from the iron stakes.

"Hey, what's the matter with Lao Luo?" Grady asked, squatting for a rope.Rosie stuck her nose out and probed. "Same as ever. He thinks he's improving, but I can't see it. Probably because he doesn't have to do anything and pay less attention to his condition. Besides, he's mostly drunk." "Drunk, sounds like the old one. Where did he get the booze? He drank the bar? It wasn't the ginger shit, right?" Bill said. "No, it's the wine. My roommate got it for him." "Who? You mean that Jinko guy?" Grady said. "That's right."

"I thought he hated workers." Rosie stuck her nose out and took off Grady's hat.He turned to snatch it back, but Rosie held on tight. "Hey, can you take care of the elephant?" I looked directly into its eyes and it winked at me. "Poloz! (Put it down!)" I said sternly, but it was hard not to laugh.Its big ears waved forward and let go of its hat.I bent down to pick it up. "Walter—Kinco—he can learn to soften his body," I said, returning the hat to Grady, "but he really has nothing to say to Old Luo, not only gave him the bed, but also found His son, persuade this son to come to us in Providence and take Lao Luo home."

"You're not kidding, are you?" Grady said, stopped and looked at me in astonishment, "Does Lao Luo know about this?" "Uh... I know." "How did he say?" I grimaced and inhaled through my teeth. "Wow, why is he so happy to hear that?" "It's helpless to make such a bad move." "Yeah, there is no other way." Grady hesitated, "Actually, what happened to his family is not entirely his fault. Maybe his family also understands by now that the war has made many people weird Yes. You know he's a gunner?"

"I don't know, I haven't heard him say it." "Well, Lao Luo probably won't be able to hold on to the queue, can he?" "I'm afraid not. Why?" I said. "We heard that the higher-ups will finally be able to pay the money, and maybe even the workers will get it. We didn't believe it at first, but looking at the scene just now, there may be hope. I think the chances of getting the money are about Half and half." The bottom of the canopy wall has been untied and is not bound.Bill and Grady pulled up the canopy, only to see that the furnishings inside were different from before.At one end there was a table covered with a thick linen cotton tablecloth and three sets of seats.The other end is empty.

"Where is the stake going? Over there?" Grady pointed to the empty end. "Probably." I said. "I'll come as I go." He disappeared without a trace.He came back a few minutes later with a seven-kilogram sledgehammer in one hand.He threw one at Bill.Bill, who seemed totally off guard, caught it and followed Grady into the tent.Two people beat each other back and forth, driving the iron stake into the ground. I brought Rosie in and squatted on the floor to lock her leg chains.It left the foot on which the chain was to be tied on the ground, but the center rested on the other three legs.When I stood up, I saw a large pile of watermelons piled up in the corner of the canopy, and it wanted to get closer to the watermelons.

"Do you want to re-tie it?" Grady pointed to the upturned canopy wall. "If it doesn't bother you, I'll be fine. I think Marlene doesn't want August to see Rosie before she comes in. It's a surprise party." Grady shrugged. "I do not mind." "Well, Grady, can you keep an eye on Rosie for me? I have to get changed." "I don't know." He narrowed his eyes and looked at Rosie. "It won't pull up the iron stake?" "Probably not, how about it." I walked to the pile of watermelons, and Rosie rolled up her proboscis and opened her mouth with a smile.I carried a watermelon and smashed it to the ground in front of it.The watermelon burst, and Rosie immediately put her long nose into the red flesh, brought it to her mouth, and ate the rind. "So you can rest assured."

I got out from under the canopy and went back to change clothes. When I got back to Marlena's dressing awning, Marianne was already inside, wearing the beaded gown that August had given her the day I went to dinner in their wing.A diamond necklace sparkles around her neck. Rosie is happily eating watermelon.That's at least its second one, though there are still six in the corner.Marina had already taken off Rosie's tiara and put it on the chair in front of the dressing table.There is an extra dining table in the tent, on which are placed several plates covered with silver lids and several bottles of wine.I smelled burning beef and my stomach was tangled up with hunger. Marina, flushed, was rummaging in a drawer of her dresser. "Oh, it's Jacob!" She looked back. "That's great, I'm still worried that you won't be in time. He'll be here at any moment. My God, ah, I found it." She suddenly stood up straight without closing the drawer, letting the silk scarf hang out of the drawer. "Can I help you?" "Of course." I said. She took a bottle of champagne from a silver triangular chilled cask.The ice cubes in the bucket shifted and clinked.Water dripped from the bottom of the bottle and she handed me the wine. "As soon as he comes in, you open it, okay? Oh, and 'Surprise!'" "Okay." I took the bottle, removed the wire from the mouth of the bottle, pressed my thumb on the cork and waited.Rosie sniffed out, trying to pry open my fingers and take the bottle.Marina continued to rummage through the drawers. "What are you doing?" I look up.August is standing in front of us. "Oh!" Marlena yelled, and hurriedly turned around, "Surprise!" "Surprise!" I yelled, leaving Rosie aside and opening the cork.The cork bounced off the canopy and onto the turf.Champagne bubbles flowed over my fingers and I laughed.Malena then brought two champagne glasses to fill up the overflowing wine.By the time we were able to match each other's movements, 30% of the wine had already flowed to the ground.Rosie still tried to snatch the bottle from me. I looked down and saw that Marlena's rose silk high-heeled shoes had been stained with champagne, and the color had darkened. "Oh, sorry!" I laughed. "Oh, what are you talking about! Don't make trouble. There is still a bottle." "I asked you 'what'?" Marlena and I were stunned, our hands still tangled.She looked up, worry suddenly welling up in her eyes.She held an almost empty wine glass in one hand. "It's a surprise party, a celebration." August's eyes were wide open, his bow tie was undone, his coat was unbuttoned, and his face was expressionless. "Surprise? What a surprise," he said, taking off his hat and turning it over.A lock of hair stood up on his forehead.He looked up sharply, raising an eyebrow. "You guys think so beautifully." "What did you say?" Malena asked weakly. With a flick of his wrist, he threw his hat into the corner and took off his coat with slow, meticulous movements.He walked to the dressing table, shook his coat as if to throw it over the back of the chair, saw Rosie's headdress stop again, folded the coat, and put it neatly on the cushion, and then moved his eyes to the open drawer and hanging Several scarves outside the drawer. "Did I ruin your business?" He stared at us, asking someone to pass him the salt shaker. "Honey, I don't understand what you're talking about," said Mariana softly. August bent down and pulled out a long, almost transparent orange silk scarf, twitching it between his fingers. "Playing with the silk scarf for fun?" He twitched one end of the silk scarf, letting the silk scarf slip through his fingers again. "Tut tsk tsk, you are so naughty, but I already knew it." Malena opened her eyes wide, unable to speak. "So, you're dating and now you're celebrating? Do you two have enough time? Maybe I should step back and come back later? I'd say it's a novelty to have an elephant join in, I'm sure." Can't even imagine what tricks you're playing with it." "For God's sake, what are you talking about?" Marina said. "Two wine glasses." He looked at her and nodded towards her hand. "What?" She quickly raised her wine glass, spilling all the wine on the grass. "Did you say this? The third cup is in—" "You think I'm an idiot?" "August—" I said. "Shut up! Shut up your dog's mouth!" His face was red to purple, his eyes were protruding, and he was trembling with anger. Malena and I stood motionless, too shocked to speak.Then August's face changed again, into one of triumph.He continued to play with the silk scarf, even smiled slightly at the silk scarf, then carefully folded it, put it back in the drawer, straightened up and slowly shook his head. "You...you...you..." He raised one hand, raised his fingers to draw a circle, and then his voice was too low to be heard, and his attention was drawn to the silver-headed cane.The cane is leaning against the canopy beside the table, where I put it.He strolled over to get his cane. I heard the sound of liquid falling to the ground behind me, and turned around to look.It turned out that Rosie was urinating on the turf, her ears pressed to her head, her proboscis curled down her face. August held the cane and kept tapping his palms with the silver handle. "How long do you think you can keep it from me?" He paused for a moment, then stared straight into my eyes, "What do you think?" "August, I have no idea—" I said. "I said 'shut up!'" He spun around, sweeping his cane across the delivery table, knocking over dishes, cutlery, and wine bottles to the floor.Then he raised a leg to kick the table, and the table fell over with a clatter, and the china, cups, and food all flew out. August lowered his eyes to see the mess on the ground, then raised his eyes to stare fiercely at Marlena and said, "You think I can't see what you're doing?" His temples were throbbing. "Oh, you're amazing, my dear." He shook his finger at her and smiled. "I have to admit, you really have two brushes." He walked back to the dressing table, put his cane aside, leaned over to look in the mirror, brushed back the lock of hair that fell on his forehead, and smoothed it with his palm.Then he froze, and put his hand on his forehead again. "Hide and seek." He looked at our reflection in the mirror, "I see it." Malena looked terrified and looked from the mirror to me. August turned and picked up Rosie's pink sequined tiara. "Why bother, eh? I saw it. You'd be weird if you thought I didn't. But I'll admit, you've got a good trick." He flipped over his shiny tiara. "Faithful wife hiding in the closet and working hard. Is it the closet? Or is it right here? Maybe in that bitch's tent. Bitches always look out for each other, don't they?" He looked at me, "Where did you cheat, tell me, Jacob? Where, exactly, did you fuck my wife?" I took Marlena's elbow and said, "Let's go, let's go." "Aha! You don't even argue!" he growled, gripping the tiara so tightly his knuckles turned white.He tugged at the tiara, gnashing his teeth and yelling, until it began to crack crookedly. "Whore!" August snarled, "Bitch! A bitch!" Every time he cursed, he tore off his tiara. "Auguste!" Marina screamed, "Stop! Stop!" Marina's yelling seemed to startle him, for he stopped and winked at her.He looked at the tiara and then at her, puzzled. Marlena waited for a few seconds, stepped forward, and said tentatively: "Xiao Ao," she looked up at him with pleading eyes, "Are you okay now?" August stared at her with a confused look on his face, as if he had just woken up, not knowing how his own people got there.Marina slowly stepped forward, "Honey." His jaw shifted, his brow furrowed, and he let the headdress fall to the ground. I think I stopped breathing. He looked down at her, twisted his nose, and pushed her so hard that she fell on top of the overturned food and dishes.He took a big step forward, bent over and tried to rip the necklace from her throat.But the clasp of the necklace didn't come loose, and instead he was dragging Marlena's neck, and Marlena was screaming. I ran across the clearing to hit him.Rosie growled behind me, and August and I fell over the battered plates and gravy.At first, I rode on him and punched his face.Later, he rolled over on top of me and punched me in the eye.I knocked him down and let him fall to the ground. "Little Ao! Jacob! Stop!" Marlena exclaimed. I push him back but he grabs me by the collar and we both fall towards the dresser.I vaguely heard the tinkling of mirrors shattering and falling around us.August pushed me away, and we wrestled in the middle of the tent. We rolled on the ground, murmuring, so close I could feel his breath on my face.Suddenly I was on top of him, using him as a sandbag.Suddenly he was on top of me, pulling my head to hit the ground.Marina chased us around and yelled at us to stop, but we couldn't.At least I couldn't stop, all the anger, pain, and frustration of the past few months poured into my fist. All of a sudden, I was faced with an overturned table.All of a sudden, I was facing Rosie, who was whining and tugging at her leg chain.All of a sudden, we stood up again, entangled each other's collars, and punched while dodging.Finally, we fell against the curtain, among the crowd that had gathered outside the tent. Within seconds, Grady and Bill were carrying me away.For a moment, August looked like he was going to come after me, but his bruised face changed expression again.He got up and calmly brushed off the dust from his body. "You're crazy. Crazy!" I screamed. He looked at me coldly, smoothed his sleeves, and walked back to the tent. "Let me go," I begged, turning my head first to Grady, then to Bill. "For heaven's sake, let me go! He's crazy! He's going to kill Marlena!" I struggled desperately, dragging them for a meter or two.There was the sound of smashing plates in the tent, and Malena was screaming. Grady and Bill were both muttering, holding on to my feet and not letting me run away.Grady said, "It ain't gonna kill anybody, don't worry about it." Earl broke through the crowd and got into the tent.The sound of falling things disappeared, followed by two soft muffled sounds, followed by another loud one, and everything fell into silence. I froze, staring blankly at the large canvas. "Look, it's okay," Grady said, still holding on to my arm. "Have you calmed down? Can we let go?" I nodded and continued to stare at the tent. Grady and Bill let go, but not all at once, first lessen and then let go, but stayed by my side, watching my every move. With one hand around my waist, Walter stood beside me. "Come on, Jacob, leave it alone," he said. "I can't help it," I said. "You can do it, come on, let's go." I stared at the silent tent, and after a few seconds, I stopped staring at the flapping curtain and walked away. Walt and I climbed into the show carriage.Queenie emerged from behind the suitcase, and Lao Luo was snoring.It wags its short tail, then stops to sniff the air. "Sit down," Walter ordered, pointing to the cot. Queenie sat in the middle of the floor.I sat on the edge of the bed.By the time the adrenaline wore off, I realized how badly I was hurt.My hands were bruised, my breathing sounded like a gas mask was over my face, and my right eyelid was swollen to a slit.I reached out to touch my face, but it was stained with blood. Walter stooped to rummage through an open trunk.When he turned around, there was an extra bottle of moonshine and a hand towel in his hand.He came up to me and uncorked the bottle. "Huh? Walter, is that you?" Lao Luo called from behind the pile of suitcases, sure he heard the sound of the bottle being uncorked. "You are really miserable." Walter said, not throwing away Luo at all.Leaning the towel against the mouth of the bottle, he turned the entire bottle over.He covered my face with a wet towel, "Don't move, this will hurt." This is probably the most understated sentence of this century.When the alcohol touched my face, I yelled and backed away. Walter waited, the towel still in hand. "Do you want to bite?" He bent down and picked up the cork. "Here." "No need." I gritted my teeth, "wait for me." I hugged my chest and shook my body back and forth. "Yes." Walter handed me the bottle, "Drink it, it tastes like it's on fire, but after a few sips, you won't feel it. How did you guys start fighting?" I took the bottle and raised it to my mouth with my bruised hands.I moved awkwardly, as if I were wearing boxing gloves.Walter helped hold the bottle steady.The wine scorches my bruised lips, burns down my throat, bursts into flames from my stomach pouch.Panting, I hurriedly pushed the wine bottle away, and the liquid splashed out from the mouth of the bottle. "It's really not a smooth thing," Walter said. "Do you want to let me out, let's share the drink together?" Lao Luo called out. "Shut up, old Luo," Walter said. "Hey! Talking to an old sick old man—" "I tell you to shut up, Lao Luo! I'm busy." He pushed the bottle towards me again, "Drink, drink more." "What are you busy with?" Lao Luo said. "Jacob's nose is bruised." "What? How? Did you run into a gangster?" "No, it's worse than that," said Walter darkly. "Drink." He pushed the bottle towards me again, "It's our members fighting with their bumpkins. Can we do it all over again?" I took a sip of the moonshine.Even though Walter said a few more sips would make you numb, it still tasted like mustard gas to me.I put the bottle on the ground and closed my eyes. "Come on, I'm ready." Walter rested his hand on my chin and turned my head from side to side, examining the injury. "What the hell, Jacob, what's going on?" He pushed the hair out of the back of my head, apparently finding a fresh wound. "He bullied Marina." "You mean he was rough?" "yes." "why?" "He just went crazy, I don't know what else to say." "Your hair is full of broken glass, don't move it." He plucked my hair and inspected my scalp, "Then why did he go crazy?" He placed the glass on top of the nearest book. "I know there are ghosts." "That's the hell. Are you messing with Marina?" "Not really." I said, but I can assure you that if my face hadn't been turned into minced meat, I would be blushing now. "I hope so. For your own sake, I sincerely hope you didn't mess with Marina." There was a rustling and flapping sound to my right.I tried to turn my head to look, but Walter held my jaw and wouldn't let me move. "Old Luo, what are you doing?" Walter called, blowing hot air into my face. "I want to see if Jacob is okay." Walter responded: "For God's sake, don't make trouble. Stay there and don't move, okay? Someone might come to the door later. Maybe they came for Jacob, but just in case Now that you're here, don't think they won't kill you by the way." After Walt cleaned the wound and got the shards of glass out of my hair, I climbed onto the bedding and tried to find a spot on my head that didn't hurt.The front and back of my head were smashed.The right eye was so swollen that it couldn't be opened.Queenie came over to check it out, sniffed it tentatively, sat back a meter, and stared at me carefully. Walter put the wine bottle back into the suitcase, and continued to rummage through the bottom of the suitcase bent over.When he stood up straight, there was a big knife in his hand. He closed the door and jammed the crack with a piece of wood.Then he sat down with his back against the wall, the knife beside him. After a while we heard the clatter of hooves on the ramp, and Pete, Ortiz, and Joe Diamond were whispering on the other side of the car, but no one knocked on the door, and no one tried to open it.After a while, we heard them dismantling the ramp and closing the carriage doors. At last the train rumbled forward, and Walt let out a big breath.I turned to look at him.He sat there for a moment with his head buried between his knees before he stood up and slid the knife behind the trunk. "You are such a lucky bastard." He removed the piece of wood that stuck the door, pushed the door open, and walked to the row of suitcases where Lao Luo was hidden. "You mean me?" My head was still drunk. "That's right, it's you. At least you're lucky so far." Walter dragged the suitcase away from the wall and brought out Lao Luo.Then he dragged the old man to the other side of the carriage and took care of going to the toilet. My injuries and moonshine made me groggy and doze off. I vaguely knew that Walter had dinner for Lao Luo.I remember pulling myself up to drink the water Walt gave me, then slumping back into my bedding.When I regained consciousness, Old Luo was snoring flat on the cot, while Walter was sitting on a saddle in the corner, with a kerosene lamp beside him and a book on his lap. I heard footsteps on the roof of the car, and a moment later there was a soft knock outside the door.I was sober all over. Walter scrambled across the room like a crab, fished out the knife from the back of the trunk, and moved to the door, gripping the handle firmly.He gestured to me to turn off the kerosene lamp.I rushed over, but because one eye was too swollen to open, my sense of distance was not accurate, so I missed it. The door creaked inward, and Walter's hand on the handle of the knife loosened. "Jacob!" "Marlena!" I yelled. "My God, woman!" Walter yelled, and the knife fell, "I almost killed you." He grabbed the edge of the door, moving his head around, trying to see her surroundings. "Are you alone?" "Yeah, I'm sorry, I have to talk to Jacob." Walter opened the door a little, and said with a slumped face, "Damn it, you'd better come in." When she came in and I held up the kerosene lamp, her left eye was purple and swollen. "My God! Did he hit it?" I said. "Oh look at you, you need to go to the doctor." She reached out and moved her fingertips close to my face but missed me. "I'm fine," I said. Lao Luo said: "Who is here? Is it a woman? I can't see anything. Someone help me turn over." "Oh, I'm sorry." Malena said, she couldn't help being startled when she saw the crooked body on the bed. "I thought it was just the two of you... Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm going back now." "You can't go back," I said. "I don't mean... go back to him." "The train is still going. I don't want you running around on the roof, let alone jumping over the carriages." "Jacob's right. We'll go out with the horses, and I'll give you the room," Walter said. "No need, how can I trouble you." Malena said. "Otherwise, I'll help you take the bedding outside for you to use." I said. "No, I didn't mean to... God, I shouldn't have come at all." She shook her head, covered her face with her hands, and cried within a moment. I handed the lamp to Walter and pulled her into my arms.She was buried in my chest, sobbing, her face pressed against my shirt. "Oh my god, I'm probably an accomplice now." Walter sighed again. "Let's talk outside." I said to Marina. She blew her nose, left my chest, and walked over to the horse.I followed behind and closed the door behind me. The horse recognized her and let out a soft cry.Malena swayed over, stroking Midnight's waist.I sat down against the wall and waited for her to come.Not long after, she came next to me.The train turned a corner, and the deck shook beneath us, bringing our shoulders together. I will speak first. "Did he hit you?" "No." "If he hits you again, I swear to God, I'll kill him." I turned to look at her.The moonlight shone in through the gaps in the wooden slats behind her, reflecting her black silhouette without facial features. "I'm leaving him." Her mouth couldn't close. I instinctively reached out to touch her hand.His wedding ring is gone. "Did you tell him?" I asked. "Put it firmly." "How did he say?" "You've seen his answer." We sat and listened to the chugging of the wheels below.I stare at the back of the sleeping horse, and at the night beyond the cracks in the planks. "What are you going to do?" I asked. "When we get to Yili, I probably have to discuss with Uncle Ailan to see if I can move to live in the dormitory with other women." "And before Erie?" "I'll be staying in a hotel until I get to Erie." "Aren't you going to your parents?" She hesitated for a moment, "No, I don't think they will take me in." We sat quietly against the wall, still holding hands.About an hour later, she fell asleep, her head on my shoulder.I was awake all the time, and every muscle in my body felt that she was so close to me.