Chapter 132: First-class treatment
Translator: Lionwwang Editor: Lionwwang
I haven’t been out of the sea, and at night. I don’t know the direction of the sea at all.
The boat has been driving for a long time, and stops halfway. The black man who’s sailing the boat take off the canvas, under it are cans of petrol!
A cold sweat is all over me when I see this! Just now, Fat fellow and I was even leaning on that canvas to smoke. I feel chilly! But fat fellow’s face doesn’t matter at all.
Refuel again in the middle and a few hours later, the black man measures the position with an instrument, then looking at the fat fellow, says something in a strange language.
I look at the black man carefully, he doesn’t look like a man of our country.
“He’s a Vietnamese.” Fat fellow says lightly, “He has a bad temper. Don’t look at him all the time.”
After a quiet wait, our boat stops and floating on the sea. That Vietnamese is a little bit impatient. Sometimes he talks to the fat fellow, who has a relaxed expression.
Finally, there is the faint motor sounds in the distance, and then a few flashes of searchlights. Fat fellow is immediately standing up, taking out a big flashlight from under the canvas, and lighting it several times according to a certain rhythm.
The two sides are signaling for a while with the lights. Fat fellow nods and looking back at me: “Boy, your ship has come.”
A big ship is stopping slowly not far away. Our motorboat starts the engine, leaning over and stops on the side of the ship. I see that there is no national flag flying on the ship, and the ship is a bit shabby, as if it has been refitted by a fishing ship. There are also abandoned fishing nets and other devices beside the mast.
After stops, someone puts down the rope from the ship. Fat man smiles at me and says: “Let’s go up.”
I pick up the bag, think about it, and turn to look at the Vietnamese, say in a sincere tone: “Thank you!”
Honestly. I do it purely by habit. Because others help me, I’m used to saying thank you. The Vietnamese looks at me and suddenly a smile is coming out of his cold face. Then he takes something from the under of his seat and hands it to me.
It’s a bottle of water, a mismobileaneous brand, and it’s open, only has half.
Fat fellow takes a look at the bottle, and then looks at the Vietnamese with a strange look. He is laughing suddenly: “Kid, he likes you. You can take it. Maybe it will be useful on the way.”
I’m puzzled. But I still take it, although it is half a bottle of water that has been opened, perhaps even has bee drunk. I carefully put it in my bag.
Fat fellow accompanies me aboard the ship. There are five or six crew members on the ship, each with a cold complexion. I see some people with the guns on their waists. Several diving devices are hung in the cabin. Fat fellow is laughing and hugging with a man, then pointing at me and says: “This is my brother!”
This man is short, thin and speaking our language, but not standard and very stiff: “Your brother… Not like you! You, big! He, small!” He making a comparison with his hand with the smile, probably describing the differences between me and fat fellow.
Fat fellow is laughing, then taking out a mobile phone from his arms and dialing a number in front of that person. After the phone is connected, he hands the phone to that guy. That man immediately takes the phone and listening. He looks serious at first, but after listening for a while, he smiles with satisfaction and patting fat fellow: “Very good, the money has been all wired. You’re very credible. Me too!”
He lifts his chin to me and says: “Go in and sleep in my room!”
Fat fellow tells me another phone number: “After you go ashore, find a place to call this number, someone will pick you up.”
After that, he pats me to say goodbye to me. Before he leaves, he is grabbing me, staring at me with a smile: “Kid, do you know why I save you?”
“I don’t know.” I shake my head.
“Because there are so few people like you. Death one is less one.” He is laughing sadly, “So, I don’t want you to die.”
Watching him jumping back to the motorboat from the ship, I suddenly feel a little touched and reluctant. I go to the side of the ship and shouting to him: “Brother Ocean, I Chen Yang will come back one day!”
Fat fellow is also waving to me, and then laughing and shouting: “Ask yourself before you do anything in the future, is it worth it?”
The motorboat quickly leaves.
I look at the leaving boat and say to myself: “It’s not worth it! But I don’t regret it!” I seem to be relieved of myself, “At least I don’t owe him now.”
This is a smuggling ship. The man who was trading with fat fellow is also a Vietnamese. He seems to have done a lot of business with fat fellow. His name is also strange, calls “Old Snake”.
When the fat fellow sent me aboard, I wonder why the Vietnamese on the motorboat didn’t go aboard. Later I just learn that although they are all Vietnamese, but they come from different backgrounds and have historical grievances. But I won’t ask for details.
Just one day after I come here, I just know there are thirty people under the cabin.
This ship used to be a fishing ship. In fact, it still is now. Publicly it belongs to a Vietnamese fishing company, and the fishing gears on board are real.
Usually this ship is used for fishing, and when it’s needed to, they will empty the cabin below to hold the stowaways!
I don’t go to the cabin below deck to take a look. Old Snake and the crews don’t go either. The crews on board live in the cabin above. I live in Old Snake’s room. He says this is the captain’s room. In fact, it is only about the size of the toilet at home. There’s a small bed in the room. The sheet smells like fishy odor. There’s a tattered nautical chart on the table.
Like the crews, I eat fish and a little vegetable every day.
The stowaways live under the cabin. I can’t see them. I don’t know what they look like. They even never go to the deck, because the door to the cabin below is always locked! Every day a crew will send some water and foods down to them.
I can almost be sure with a glance that these water and foods are not enough to be eaten at all!
But Old Snake doesn’t care at all. In his words: “It’s enough for them to not die from the hunger.”
It’s the same stowawaying, and I’m enjoying almost the best treatment. I have the same food as the crews, and I can breathe on the deck every day. I even have cigarettes to smoke. Fat fellow left some in my bag.
I have shared a few packs of cigarettes with Old Snake and the other crews at random and their faces soften immediately. As a result, most of the crews are very kind to me, and I can walk around the deck at will. I can turn around anywhere except one of the cabins they lock up.
In the night, I even play poker with the crews. The stakes are the cigarettes. In less than four days, I have already run out of my cigarettes.
Frankly speaking, I even feel that everything is fine in these four days, until…
On the fifth day, the weather is fine, but it is a little hot. Standing on the deck, I can see the sea on all sides. No wheel can see a trace of land from any angle. This view makes people feel very small! Today, there is no wind. The sun is directly on the nail wrench. It’s too hot! I feel hot sitting in the cabin so that can’t help but go outside. Most of the crews are bare-chested and lazy with their armor spanners. Old Snake is smoking in the cockpit. His forehead is full of sweats and cursing with the words I don’t understand.
The ship is full of fishy smell, although I’ve been used to it these days, but it’s too hot that I can’t stand it. Only when I breathe fresh air on the deck can I feel a little better.
Suddenly, a crew member goes to the cockpit and says something to Old Snake. After listening, Old Snake speaks something carmly. Then, standing on the deck at the bow of the ship, I see two crew members walk into the cabin below. In less than a minute, they carry a man out!
The man hasn’t any movement. When he’s lifted up to the dock, arms droop as if he has lost consciousness.
Less than seven or eight steps away from me, the two crew members have a cold face, take that man to the side and throw him into the sea!
I’m shocked!
The two crew members seem to have no response and have become accustomed to it. They clap their hands, talking and laughing to each other, go inside and turn out a bag, open and check it.
My heart is sinking, I cann’t help walking quickly to the cockpit, where Old Snake is staying. I hesitate for a moment, sking him with a grim look: “Just now…?”
Old Snake is looking at the crew turning over the bag. He just takes a look at me casually and says: “That man has dead.”
I take a deep breath: “A stowaway?”
“Well, yes!” Old Snake shrugs his shoulders indifferently and stretches out his hands, “Dead is normal.”
At this time, two crew members who are checking the bag suddenly cheering and taking out a pile of banknotes and half a pack of cigarettes from the bag. Old Snake goes to them without any expression and grabbing the money. Then he takes half and throws back to the two crew members. put the rest into his pocket, and takes away the half pack of cigarettes. Then he comes to me, taking one cigerette out of the half pack of cigarettes, hands it to me: “Want one?”
Suddenly, I feel a little nausea and vomiting.
Seeing that I don’t mean to answer, Old Snake gives a cold smile: “What are you afraid of? Anyway, he’s dead, no need anymore, isn’t he?”
Cigarettes are all shared to the crews by Old Snake. Then he lights one for himself. I don’t speak, looking at them quietly. My mind is thinking about the man who has been thrown off the ship. Nobody knows his identity, his age and his name.
A living person just disappeared from the world!
“What are you thinking?” Old Snake comes to me and says, “It’s normal for a stowaway to die on the way. There are always some stowaways die every time.” He grins and pointing under the cabin, “It’s hot above, but it’s hotter below! There’s no wind there, water is also not enough. That man was unlucky, so he died.”
When he’s laughing, he shows his yellow teeth.
The sun is shinning on me, but I feel a little cold.