One night in Malacca, Zhang Haiyan and Zhang Haixia had a big argument by the seaside at dusk. He had forgotten the reason, but he remembered Zhang Haixia telling him that if one treated danger with a carefree attitude like he did, and if the opponent was not strong, nothing would go wrong. However, if he encountered an unusual situation—like hidden masters among low-level vagrants—where Americans might be simply aggressive and rude, but among them could be a Chinese expert pretending to be a fool, any of these scenarios could lead him into danger.
Now, Zhang Haiyan was reaping the bitter fruit of his actions. The ship’s railing was too high for him to climb up, and many people were watching from the shore, making it impossible for him to get close. The pursuing boat was quickly closing in.
If only he had gone back to his room earlier and plotted his actions slowly, it would have been better. Now, Zhang Haiyan regretted his choices. The rules taught to him by Zhang Haiqi suddenly resurfaced in his mind. It had been years since he thought of the rules his godmother made him remember when she cut the skin under his tongue with scissors.
When a mistake occurs, the most important thing is to make the best choice at that moment, rather than regret the opportunities lost before the mistake. Because what has happened has already happened.
Zhang Haiyan dived and swam quickly towards the open sea. Outside the harbor, there were many boats, but they dared not approach the shore to resupply with small boats. He swam very fast and quickly created distance from those boats. The people on the boats began to shoot at him. Zhang Haiyan dived underwater and swam for a long time before surfacing. Just as his head broke the surface, he took two or three breaths, and bullets started flying, forcing him to dive again.
The area near the harbor became choppy, with waves like rolling hills. The visibility was poor, and with the distance he had created from the pursuing boats, the snipers on those boats were also obscured by the waves, causing their pursuit to cease.
He Jianxi had just boarded the Baon ship when he heard the sound of firecrackers coming from the large ship behind him. He looked back in surprise, thinking it was some kind of ceremony, only to be suddenly pushed to the ground by someone boarding behind him.
The Baon was a small barge heading to San Francisco. It had two masts, and the sails were tattered. The deck was now filled with cargo, along with poultry raised by the crew, and the stench of chicken and duck droppings filled the air. He Jianxi’s hands pressed down on the chicken droppings, a greasy and moist sensation.
He quickly got up and checked himself for dirt. This outfit was one of his more decent ones, and it was short-sleeved, suitable for life on the boat. He didn’t want to get it dirty right from the start. A nearby sailor came over to collect tickets and said to him, “For an extra dollar, you can have a girl accompany you tonight.” He pointed to a woman nearby, who looked dazed and was leaning against the cargo. “This woman is short a dollar and can’t afford the ticket. Brother, do a good deed—give her a dollar, and she’ll accompany you to San Francisco. I’m a good person; if she stays in Malacca, she’ll surely die.”
He Jianxi looked at the woman. She noticed him and seemed to have been rejected many times; she had lost all hope, her eyes filled only with despair.
He Jianxi thought for a moment and rummaged through his pocket. He did have a dollar, given to him by the winery owner, but with the high prices in San Francisco, he needed to spend this money very carefully. After considering it, he walked up to the woman.
“Do you have relatives to rely on in San Francisco?”
The woman suddenly woke up, stood up straight, and said, “Yes, brother, my brother is there.”
“I don’t do dirty deeds. When I’m out, my mother said I shouldn’t help others indiscriminately. But if you promise to return this dollar to me later, I will lend you some money first,” He Jianxi said.
It took the woman a moment to realize that someone was willing to help her. She could hardly believe her eyes and immediately nodded, “I… I will definitely repay you. Thank you, little brother.”
He Jianxi took out a dollar, held it out for half a minute but did not let go. “You need to write me a receipt and leave a thumbprint.”
The woman was taken aback. “Little brother, a receipt is such a hassle. I have nothing. Actually, I’m married, but my husband is already dead. If you want me to accompany you, it doesn’t matter; we women, even if we’re old maids, are not picky.”
He Jianxi shook his head. “You have to guarantee that you will repay me before I can lend you money.”
The woman looked confused for some reason, glancing at the sailor. The sailor came over and said, “Alright, alright, if you want her to repay, how can she afford it? The road is very lonely; two people can look out for each other. Besides, a widow’s figure is rounder than Diao Chan’s, don’t you know?”
He Jianxi still shook his head. The sailor lit a cigarette and pushed He Jianxi, saying, “Come on, you two are fated but not meant to be.”
The sailors nearby burst into laughter, and He Jianxi didn’t understand what they were laughing at. The sailor seemed to lose face and pushed He Jianxi again, saying, “Did you wash off your chicken droppings? Save it for food?” This push landed right on the pocket where He Jianxi kept his dollars.
His paper money was hidden in his waistband, but the dollars were sewn into the inner pocket of his clothes. With that push, everyone heard the sound of money clinking together, and there was quite a bit of it.
Suddenly, everyone around fell silent and turned to look at He Jianxi. He was startled by the change in atmosphere, and the sailor stopped pushing him, instead patting his pocket, making the sound of money even clearer. The sailor even curiously leaned down to look into his pocket. The other sailors watched him with interest, and even the woman was looking at him.
He Jianxi clutched his luggage, looking into their eyes, unsure of what they meant. He quickly secured his pocket and walked inside, glancing back at the sailor, who watched him leave but did not follow.
After taking a few steps, he looked at the chicken droppings in his hand and headed toward the ship’s toilet. At that moment, the sailors behind him stood up and slowly followed.
The ship’s toilets were generally located at the back of the deck, consisting of a few holes on wooden boards, with a bucket connected by a rope for throwing into the sea to fetch water for flushing. Whether for urination or defecation, one would sit over the hole, with the sea below, returning to the original source.
All the toilets on the ship were relatively clean. He Jianxi entered, looked back, and decided to choose a hole to sit down and relieve himself before washing his hands.
After a long selection, he chose the second hole from the left of four, which looked the cleanest. Just as he took off his pants and was about to turn around to sit down, he saw a head poking out from that hole.
“Brother, wait a moment.” Zhang Haiyan poked his head up and struggled to climb out from that hole.
“Who are you? A stowaway?” He Jianxi exclaimed in shock. In those days, stowaway was a serious crime, and if he got implicated, he could be thrown into the sea.
“How could that be?” Zhang Haiyan, drenched from head to toe, glanced around and shook his hair. “I was using the toilet just now, and I suddenly dozed off and fell in. You see, I have a peculiar condition; the smell of feces makes me sleepy.”
He Jianxi couldn’t believe his nonsense. Just as he was about to leave, the bathroom door swung open, and a group of sailors walked in, colliding right into He Jianxi. These sailors were armed with daggers and quickly grabbed He Jianxi by the hair, forcing him to kneel on the ground. Immediately, someone began to search his pockets. He Jianxi winced in pain, but his mouth was covered.
The money pouch was quickly ripped open, and silver dollars spilled everywhere, rolling into the gaps nearby, with the sea below. Everyone panicked, and some rushed to step on the coins to prevent them from falling.
“Hurry, while the captain hasn’t noticed, let’s grab this windfall first,” the leading sailor said. “Don’t make a scene.”
They clearly hadn’t expected there to be another person in the bathroom, and when they looked up and saw Zhang Haiyan, everyone froze for a moment.
Zhang Haiyan looked at the silver dollars on the ground, picked one up, and, somewhat awkwardly, said, “I’ll just pay for a ticket.”
