by Mi Lei
"And then?" he quickly inquired.
"My mom and I went crazy trying to stop the others from finding out. Of course it didn't work. Just a day later, the village head was at our door, asking where my brother was. We couldn't hide the secret. Later, Lu Dachun told me that the village head wanted to make an example of my little brother; that he really wanted to make him pay." She pressed her face against her knees and quietly cried.
Fang Mu could think of nothing to say that would console her and so he merely patted her shoulder. As the sobs grew ever quieter, he softly asked, "Where does all this money come from?"
She raised her head and stared out into the darkness. Finally, she replied, "I don't know."
With her words, the final fading embers of the torch died, and the tiny sparks of light reflected in Lu Haiyan's eyes vanished. A curtain of blackest night had fallen all around them. With a small cry, she reached out. "Where are you?"
He could hear her fumble about. He felt her grab hold of his arm. She held onto him like he was some talisman, a charm that could ward off the horrors of the night.
He pushed himself a little closer, careful not to give her any cause for alarm in their close quarters. Even though her entire body was shivering, the young woman withdrew at his initial touch. It didn't take long, however, before she slid back into place and pressed herself against his side.
At first, the intimacy of the situation was awkward, but soon the comfort of shared warmth overcame their inhibitions of the proximity and the two curled into one another.
They sat like that for what seemed like hours before Fang Mu broke the silence. "Will it be dawn soon?"
Lu Haiyan's only answer was a low murmur.
"Rest up," he told her.
She only leaned closer to him, their reservations second place to warmth and security.
In the long silence of the night, even the softest noises carried far.
The sound of the wind, blowing through the treetops.
The rustle of the snow slowly drifting down the mountainside.
The snapping of twigs, as someone moved through the undergrowth.
The heavy breathing of the wolves.
Fang Mu was staring out into the darkness, straining to discern real from imagined sounds. More than once he was convinced that Lu Haitao was hiding in the bushes right next to their cave. But his quiet calls never received an answer.
Every time she heard her brother's name, Lu Haiyan tensed and gazed out into the night. In the silence that followed, she invariably wrapped herself back closer to Fang Mu.
After the last call, she whispered to him, "Let it go. He's not here."
Fang Mu would not be dissuaded. Craning his neck, his gaze tried to pierce the darkness, but outside the cave he saw only inky black. As he sat sulking; he could feel Lu Haiyan's eyes on him.
"Why…why do you care so much about my brother?" she finally asked.
"What?" He hadn't expected that question. "Well, I met him. That's all," he finally replied.
"Oh?" She sounded unconvinced. "What are you, really?"
"I'm a photographer," he hastily reclaimed. "Didn't I tell you?"
"Really?" There was an edge to her voice. "Then why do you have a picture of Lu Lu in your cell phone?"
"What?" Fang Mu pivoted quickly at her voice. "You know her?"
Startled by his sudden movement, Lu Haiyan pushed herself away. "Why?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Is she from your village?" He grabbed hold of her arm. "Do her parents live here?"
"They used to… Hey, let me go!" She tried to break free, anxiety replacing her inquisitiveness.
Hearing the fear in her voice, he quickly attempted to calm her. "It's all right, it's all right. There's no need to be afraid. Just tell me where I can find Lu Lu's family."
"You first. Tell me where you got her picture!" Lu Haiyan shouted back at him.
"All right." His mind was reeling. "I saw her at an orphanage in the city. The director told me that she had come there from a relief station and he asked me to help find her family. That's why I have her picture, so that I can look for her parents while I'm on the job. That's all."
"Oh?" She still sounded skeptical. "If that's how it is."
"Now you tell me about her parents," he demanded.
"You won't find them here," she replied, rubbing her arm. "Her parents died when she was very little. With them gone, she was brought up by her grandfather, but then he passed away, too. That was a few years back. After that, she vanished. Turns out, she ran off to the city."
Fang Mu was glad that the darkness concealed the mixture of anticipation and fury playing across his face. Lu Village really was deeply involved in the child-trafficking ring, and they didn't even stop with their own children.
Lu Haiyan felt Fang Mu tremble as he kept control of his emotions. Flustered, she asked, "What's the matter?"
"Hmm?" He fought to regain his composure, knowing she could sense it in his arm. "Just a bit cold."
"Then..." She let her head sink as she eased to him. "Come a little closer. It'll be warmer if we stay together."
He didn't move. Lu Haiyan sidled up to him and put her head on his shoulder. "It'll be day soon," she said in a low tone, looking to the faint glow out the cave opening, rising in the east.
"Mm," was Fang Mu's only answer.
"When it's light, we can head back," she told him.
He mumbled an agreement.
She stifled a yawn. "Will you come back to visit me?" Before he could answer, she replied for him. "You can't; you certainly cannot. They won't allow outsiders." Her voice was bitter with repressed resentment.
"No," Fang Mu offered his own response. "I will certainly be back."
"Really?" she nearly shouted with joy. "That's wonderful."
She snuggled her head up to his neck. A few seconds later, she was fast asleep.
Fang Mu remained wide awake. He sat in the cave, staring out at the trees and the shapes of the village below as it slowly emerged from the darkness.
He would certainly be back.
At the break of dawn, Fang Mu realized that they had made it almost halfway up the mountain the previous night. Another quiet day had already begun in the village by the time they returned. At the village entrance, he and Lu Haiyan parted ways. Lu Haiyan went home, while Fang Mu headed to the tree and Lu Sanqiang's corpse.
At least that was what he had planned. When he arrived at the tree, he was in for another rude surprise.
The body had disappeared.
Fang Mu checked his bearings; it was definitely the right tree, so where had the body gone?
He squatted down and examined the seemingly undisturbed snow. On closer inspection it became obvious that the snow had been shoveled and swept to hide what had happened there. Not a shred of evidence remained.
He gritted his teeth in irritation and walked away. On the way, he saw a door of one of the houses open. A man emerged, straightening his pants as he let out a hearty yawn. Fang Mu had seen him before; he was one of the villagers who had stood guard over the body the night before. He rushed over to the man and grabbed hold of him.
"Where is the body?" Fang Mu demanded.
Startled, the villager tried to back away. When he realized who had grabbed him, he forcefully broke Fang Mu's grip."What body? I know nothing!" he shouted at Fang Mu's face.
"What do you know nothing about?" Fang Mu pushed up against the villager, glaring at him. "Where did the body under that tree go? You know—Lu Sanqiang's body!"
"There was no body," the man replied with a crooked smile. "There's not even a Lu Sanqiang in this village."
The sheer audacity of the lie caught Fang Mu by surprise. Stunned speechless, he could only watch the villager jump back inside and slam his door with a loud bang.
Fang Mu's mind had gone blank. By now he expected as much from this village, but this really was something else. After composing himself, he turned and headed for Lu Tianchang's house. Halfw
ay there, he reconsidered and turned around again. He returned to Widow Cui's home.
For a few moments, Fang Mu had been set on calling the police from the village head's phone, but that obviously was a foolish idea. After all, it was almost certain that Lu Tianchang had instructed the villagers to move the body and destroy all the evidence at the scene. And it must have been him who told the villagers to deny Lu Sanqiang's very existence; to use his telephone to call the police was akin to Fang Mu asking a tiger for his skin.
The area in front of Widow Cui's house was a mess. Wherever Fang Mu looked, he could see discarded torches among the countless footprints that crisscrossed the dirty snow. Cell phone in hand, he hurried into the house and to the guest room. Inside, he quickly attached his phone to its charger. The phone, however, showed no sign of activity. Fang Mu took the charger and plugged it into a different socket, but again with no success. With a frown, he flicked the light switch. Nothing happened.
Cursing under his breath, he left his room. He found Widow Cui in the living room.
"Auntie, is there an outage?" he asked.
"Who cares about the outage." Widow Cui looked miserable. "There's no water."
Power and water cut. Fang Mu understood: Lu Tianchang was punishing the entire family for Lu Haitao's actions.
"Where's Lu Haiyan?" he asked.
"She's left." The widow woman was whispering now. "She told me to tell you to meet her at the ancestral hall."
He nodded.
The ancestral hall was located in an open space at the edge of town. The hall was hardly ancient, but it had been built in the classic style, with a solid wood door, wooden window coverings, white walls, and black roofing tiles. The entire structure stood two stories tall and was the size of a large house.
The hall was in a bad state of repair. Whatever connection these people had felt for their ancestors, it had been long forgotten. From what he had seen in the village, that hardly surprised Fang Mu. No matter how wealthy the villagers might be or how clean their houses were, there was a deep, silent rot in Lu Village. It was no wonder that they didn't want to be reminded of their obligations and traditions.
Fang Mu pushed against the main door and it opened with a loud creak. Immediately, he was assaulted by a large cloud of dust. After a few coughs, he covered his mouth and took his first look inside.
Behind the door lay a spacious, stone paved hall. The floor and scattered furniture were covered in a thick layer of dust. A cold wind blew through the cracked window covers, billowing the faded genealogies, calligraphy scrolls, and paintings that hung from the walls. Outside, the sun shone brightly, but little light reached inside the hall, leaving it cast in gloom.
Beyond the heavy wooden door, lay another world.
Fang Mu squatted down and immediately spotted a line of footprints in the thick dust. Looking up, he saw that they led to a wooden stage at the end of the hall. A rotting curtain hung at one end of the stage, separating a small space from the rest of the room. He followed the footprints to where they reached the stage.
"Sister… We are doing wrong… I saw it all… Terrible evil..." The words echoed out from behind the curtain.
It was Lu Haitao. His voice trembled and was broken by a series of deep sobs.
There was another voice. It belonged to Lu Haiyan. She, too, was crying. Quietly, she did her best to soothe her brother.
Fang Mu cautiously climbed up onto the stage.
"I don't care… I am never going to touch their money again… Elder Sister, I have to tell the authorities… We have to pay for what..."
Suddenly, the wood beneath Fang Mu's feet creaked. It was a tiny sound, but in the empty hall it echoed like thunder. The voices behind the curtain fell silent. For a moment all was quiet, then he heard Lu Haiyan's quivering voice, "Who's there?"
Fang Mu knew that he would hear no more without their consent, so he walked up to the curtain and pulled it aside. "It's me."
Lu Haiyan just stared at Fang Mu. Before she could move or say anything, Lu Haitao's head poked out from behind his sister's back. He too was startled, but there was a glimmer of elation in his eyes.
"Eldest Brother, Eldest Brother, I knew it was you," he breathlessly greeted Fang Mu. "I used that Tooth-thing… Eldest Brother, I saw… I have to tell you… The girls..."
"Lu Haitao!" Lu Haiyan grabbed hold of his head and covered his mouth with her hands. "Shut up, shut up! Sister will save you..."
Fang Mu stepped in and forced her hands off her brother. "Let go! Let him speak. What did you see?" he demanded of Lu Haitao.
Lu Haiyan let go, but only to thrust her hands into Fang Mu's chest. It was a solid shove that caused him to lose his balance and fall. He tried to get back up, but before he could move, Lu Haiyan squatted down before him. Her back bolt upright, she implored, "Elder Brother, heaven must have sent you to save us." She choked on a sudden flood of tears. "But please, promise me one thing."
Fang Mu was still struggling to make any sense of what had happened, when she bowed down low before him, knocking her head repeatedly against the boards with thump after heavy thump.
Fang Mu reached out to stop her, but the young woman continued to prostrate herself, striking her head down, over and over again. Aghast, Fang Mu did the only thing he could think of to stop her.
"All right, all right," he said, grabbing her shoulders to make her halt. "Just tell me."
"Take my brother with you. Help him get work. Make sure that he can support himself." She was still kneeling in front of him. "But promise; don't ask him. Don't ever ask him!"
"What?" Fang Mu slowly got back to his feet, fixing narrowed eyes on her. "Your brother killed a man..."
"I did not!" Lu Haitao thrust his chest out. "When we were little, my sister and I often played in there… I just wanted to hide…"
"Shut up, Lu Haitao! Shut up!" Lu Haiyan again attempted to silence her brother, clapping her hands over his mouth.
Lu Haitao wasn't about to let her. Desperate to clear his name, he began wrestling her hands from his mouth. The moment he had half a chance, he shouted, "It was Lu Dachun! When I took the picture, Lu Sanqiang and Lu Dachun saw me. Me and Lu Sanqiang grew up together, so Lu Sanqiang threw himself in front of Lu Dachun. Gave me a chance to run. Then Lu Dachun grabbed a hammer and hit Lu Sanqiang..."
There was no hint of deception in Lu Haitao's words. The seriousness of the situation dawned on Fang Mu: Lu Dachun was Lu Tianchang's son. By framing Lu Haitao, the village head could hit two birds with one stone—he would both cover for his son and get rid of a witness.
It was clear that he had to get Lu Haitao to safety, and quickly. Not only was the young man in mortal danger, he was perhaps the key to the case.
Fang Mu bent down to the now prostrate Lu Haiyan, her eyes squeezed shut with grief. "Get up. I'll do it."
"Really?" Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she jumped to her feet. "You two hide here. I'll go home and get everything you'll need."
"No need." Fang Mu stopped her. "I'll get him out of here right now. And..." he hesitated, "you and Auntie had better come, too."
"Us?" Lu Haiyan forced a smile. "We wouldn't make it out there."
"I'll take care of you." Lu Haitao straightened his back. "Elder Sister, I can take care of you!"
"Don't be silly, Little Brother, we have nothing to worry about here." Lu Haiyan kindly stroked her brother's face. "As long as you're all right, it'll all be good."
"Elder Sister!" Lu Haitao shouted in devotion as he embraced her.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
Fang Mu tugged at Lu Haiyan's sleeve. "Don't cry. There's no time. Let's get out of here," he urged.
The young woman wiped the tears from her eyes as she nodded her agreement. She gently pushed her brother away.
The three of them jumped off the stage and quickly crossed the hall. At the front gate, Lu Haiyan signaled them to stop. She took a peek outside.
Immediately, panic forced her eyes wide open.
It was bad.
Fang Mu rushed to the nearest window cover and peered out through a crack. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach.
The ancestral hall was surrounded by a mob of villagers armed with pitchforks, rakes, and clubs.
There was nowhere to hide. Jaw set with determination, Fang Mu grabbed hold of Lu Haitao and walked out of the ancestral hall.
Lu Tianchang stood at the front of the crowd. As Fang Mu emerged with Lu Haitao, the village head cocked his head, his gaze squinting into displeasure. He watched them with cruel interest, like a hunter watching prey walk right into a trap.
An old woman pushed her way out of the mob and went straight for Lu Haitao. She grabbed hold of the young man and then proceeded to beat and curse him. "Good for nothing... You and Lu Sanqiang were like brothers… How could you be so heartless...?"
Lu Haitao did his best to fend her off as he desperately pleaded his innocence. "It wasn't me …Auntie … Hey…!"
Lu Tianchang flicked the butt of his cigarette to the ground and signaled the crowd. Immediately, a group of villagers stepped forward and pulled the old woman away. Others grabbed hold of Fang Mu and Lu Haitao and dragged them toward the enraged mob.
In the blink on an eye, their pockets had been emptied and the contents dumped into the snow.
Lu Tianchang snatched Lu Haitao's cell phone from the ground with a sneer and a cold cackle. "You've learned a thing or two, boy. Using a phone camera. Not bad." He strolled toward Lu Haitao. Suddenly his voice lowered to a growl. "Wanted to run your mouth about it?"
"No…no," the young man stammered, his face deathly pale. "I wouldn't dare… Uncle… Forgive me..."
Lu Tianchang stared down at him for a few seconds, and then turned to Fang Mu. "And what are you doing here?"
"Lu Haiyan asked me to take her brother away from here. It's that simple." Fang Mu knew that he could only twist the truth so far. "And I'd love to know exactly what's going on here."
Lu Tianchang let his eyes wander across Fang Mu's face before abruptly turning back to the mob. "Do you remember our pact?"