Chapter 68
Qiao Fei
The next day when I went to work, there were a lot of translations that had to be completed for the convention of the International Conference on Disaster
Management. The African delegates presented materials on the spread of locusts. In the photos, food and plants were shrouded by billions of pink locusts. Once the locusts left, the village was hungry and fearful. Emaciated children surrounded by flies were weeping on the shoulders of their uncaring mothers.
I felt depressed, as I stood up and went to the window.
So, what’s the point of complaining about things here?
We eat until we are full, wear warm clothes, and in the warm spring, we do things we have wanted to do for many years. Occasionally, we have emotional difficulties of the heart, which adds different tastes to life
So, I was so lucky.
And my Jia Yang, he was in Africa. Has he not successfully completed the task with his father? Hadn’t he performed well in front of his father? Was he ready to come back ? There were always unforeseen events in Foreign Affairs, and Jia Yang may be busy with his own work. That is why he had not given me a call until now
Cheng Jia Yang
My phone fell to the ground, close to a pair of black feet, I looked up. It was a black boy, about four or five years old. He had a fine body as his eyes shone. He was carried food for my father and I.
He put the food on the ground, picked up my phone, took a look, and asked me in French, “What?”
“Phone.” I took it over and turned on the screen. Though there was no signal in the desert, there was a photograph of Fei , which was very important to me.
The phone made a sound and her smile appeared on the screen. I let him see.
The boy asked me again with a word: “Who?”
“My wife.” I said.
My father was behind me .
The boy took a closer look and finally said: “She, pretty.”
“Of course,” I said, seeing the boy laughing and revealing the lovely white teeth. “What is your name?”
“Kazan,” another man answered for him. Colonel Taigang had entered the tent. He extended his hand to hold the boy, then turned back to me and said: “My son.
He brought water and put it next to the food on the ground , and said to my father, “Please.
Dad said, “Thank you.”
He sat down and took a sip.He said to Taigang, “It is not easy for you to give us water. What is it that you want?”
“My comrades. They are in the hands of the government army. We want them back in exchange for your release.” He stood up and looked at my father. “I know that you are a big man, but my comrades are important. I have only given the government, that is, you, two days. “He finished and left.
My father said to me:” Jia Yang, eat, drink water.
The food they had sent was a mash of raw potatoes and tasted like sawdust My father said, “Chew it a little , so that your stomach will not be uncomfortable.
“
He did not drink much water and left most of it for me. I drank a mouthful. I could feel his eyes on me. I looked at him and choked with emotion. “Dad, you are so old, but you are still like this.”
He smiled and patted my shoulder, but did not speak.
In the desert, the temperature difference between the night and day was huge.
I lay in the tent with my father. The tent was guarded by the soldiers. I was shivering from the cold.
The little boy Kazan came in and handed a blanket to me. He refused to leave after that and continued looking at me as he stood on the side..
I covered my father with the blanket and looked at the boy. I said, “What are you doing?”
He did not answer and continued looking at me.
I knew. I took out my phone from my pocket: “ Is it this?”
He said: “Call.” He took the phone, the screen brightened. He played with this novelty, pressing the buttons to emit sounds. He was happy.
I asked him, “What does Kazan mean?”
He was probably not proficient in French, he carefully thought and said: “Grass.”
I nodded: “Oh. What about your mother?”
He looked at me and said in French, “My mother was killed by a white traitor.”
When Kazan left, the phone was returned to me. I lay beside my father. He had fallen asleep in this harsh environment.
I think I was really tired, and gradually closed my eyes. While we were sleeping , very faintly, we could hear the songs of the indigenous men. I could not understand what the songs meant , but I just felt as if the tone was sorrowful. It was as if hundreds of years of suffering was buried in the voices .
The next day, when it was almost noon. Kazan brought rice. His father followed him. Colonel Taigang was holding an old-fashioned cassette recorder. He said to us: “You speak here. We will send it to the government and the embassy.”
Dad refused to speak.
I know he was calm and determined, but I was not so strong. There were some words I wanted to say to a person for a long time. Now, at this time, I really must let her know.
I said: “Qiao Fei, this is Jia Yang …”
Only after I finished what I wanted to say to Fei, did I find that I was crying.
Taigang had the subordinates take the tape recorder. He looked at me and asked “Is Cheng your father?”
“Yes.” I said.
“You are not alike.”
“ You are not the only one to say so.”
“I thought you were the one with moral support when you stayed here for the old man. You could have obviously left, but you chose to stay with him here.”
“I am.”
“Who were you talking to?”
“My wife.”
He looked at me and nodded: “How long have you two been married?”
“We haven’t married yet but we intended to do so after I went back.”
“What did you say?”
I thought: “No matter what, I want her to live as happily as before; and there’s something else I’ve never said to her: I love her.”
Taigang said: “You were originally going to have happy days so you should not give up.”
I looked into his black eyes: “What about you? What kind of days have you had? What kind of days do you expect ? What kind of days do you let others have?”
Taigang said: “The days used to be calm. Eat, sleep, farm, have children, until the whites came.”
“They taught us religion, guns, condoms, and how to kill our own brothers, so that we were pushed into a civil war.
But what they took away was oil, diamonds and gold.”
“We are here to repair the railway.”
“Do not disturb the quiet.” He stood up and walked to the door, and said to me, “The tape, your wife, she’ll hear it.”
Qiao Fei
Three days have passed since the day he left, 82 hours.
I had no news of Jia Yang.
In the office of the bureau of the ministry, no one was talking; no one asked, no one spoke.
However, I know that the remains of the deceased engineers had been shipped back, and Jia Yang and his father were still there.
I drank tea, ate, worked, fed Jia Yang’s small turtle, changed his water, and accompanied Bo Bo in selecting her wedding gown for the photo shoot.
I showed her my ring. I said: “How is it ? Cool or not?”
She was surprised and her mouth was wide open : “Wow, when did you catch a wealthy husband?”
“That’s right, he really is a wealthy,” I said with a smile, “you still remember Cheng Jiayang?
She was even more surprised. She thought about it, then shook her head like a rattle: “Qiao Fei , I do not believe you. Do you think I’m a bun**?”
**Do you think I’m a bun?: Do you think I’m so gullible (pretty much)I snorted: “Just wait, as soon as he comes back from his business in Africa, I want to get married before you.” I looked at her, and looked at the mirror opposite me. I do not know who was it that said: “Just wait.”The day the disaster management conference was held, my partner was senior sister. We did the simultaneous interpretation for the representatives from the French side. We were fully prepared and things were going well. At noon, the director came. He held my hand and congratulated me first. Then in my ear he said “Qiao Fei , there are some people who want to see you.”
I came to the office in the exhibition centre. When I opened the door I saw people I knew.
Cheng Jiaming and his mother.
Jia Ming said, “Qiao Fei , sit down.”
I said, “There is a meeting below, and I’m going to accompany the leader.”
Jia Yang ‘s mother said, “Qiao Fei , sit down.
Her voice did not see me as arrogant and domineering. At the moment it sounded gentle and tired.
I was really scared.
What were they going to say to me?
I did not want to stay here. Before Jia Yang returned, I did not want to see them.
I was going to leave .
Suddenly, I heard the Jia Yang’s voice.
It was blurred, but it was his voice: “Fei , this is Jia Yang. I’m sorry to make you wait for me, I will be back as soon as possible.”
…
If I can not, I hope you still have a happy life.
You must know that the times I spent with you are my happiest moments.
Also, I have always forgotten to tell you that I love you. ”
I did not move for a long time, I was stunned. I stood there.
Jia Ming came to me and said: “Jia Yang and my father were taken as hostages in Africa. We lost contact with them.They have sent this tape, After technical analysis, we have ascertained this is indeed Jia Yang.
“
I felt as if I could not understand his words. I said: “Yes ah, I know, this is the Jia Yang. Where is he now?”
“Now, the state and the local government have actively deployed the army is to rescue them.”
I looked back at him: “Is that so?”
Jia Ming nodded.
I stretched lazily : “How is it that they have still not rescued them?” I looked at his mother! “Once they are rescued, please ask him to give me a call.
I wanted to leave when I heard his mother say : “Qiao Fei, we wanted you to know this because you have this right.
Do you feel anxious ? It is better to take a break, and let others do the translations ”
These were warm words from a caring person , but I did not think that this was necessary.
She did not know me.
With my back to her, I clearly said: “I thank you .I am a little anxious, but if it was Jia Yang, would he not continue at this time?” I went to the door and said to them, “ I am still going to do my job; I am an interpreter.”
Cheng Jiayang
Taigang took me out of the tent. He said to my father, “I’m sorry, the government has not yet showed any sign of compromise, so I have to kill this person.” He looked at me, “I am not saying sorry to you, I haven’t done anything wrong to you.”
Father was a true man. At this time, his face did not change color, neither did heart jump. He just enunciated word by word to Taigang: “As long as you know what will happen to you if you do so, it is all right. I will return and pay you back ten times more.” He looked at me for a long time, his eyes shining , “Jia Yang, you are a good boy.”
I did not speak and smiled at my father.
I took a few steps towards the exit. I thought of something and asked Taigang: “Have you sent the tape ?”
“Its been sent.”
“Very good.”
Where did they want to take me to excite me ? The colonel pushed my back.
I suddenly saw that Kazan was standing not too far away. I said to Taigang, “I have something to say to your son.”
Taigang pondered, and finally waved his son over. I put the phone on the boy ‘s hand and said to him: “This is for you . You keep it. You and my wife are similar. Her name also means grass.”
Chapter 68
Qiao Fei
The next day when I went to work, there were a lot of translations that had to be completed for the convention of the International Conference on Disaster
Management. The African delegates presented materials on the spread of locusts. In the photos, food and plants were shrouded by billions of pink locusts. Once the locusts left, the village was hungry and fearful. Emaciated children surrounded by flies were weeping on the shoulders of their uncaring mothers.
I felt depressed, as I stood up and went to the window.
So, what’s the point of complaining about things here?
We eat until we are full, wear warm clothes, and in the warm spring, we do things we have wanted to do for many years. Occasionally, we have emotional difficulties of the heart, which adds different tastes to life
So, I was so lucky.
And my Jia Yang, he was in Africa. Has he not successfully completed the task with his father? Hadn’t he performed well in front of his father? Was he ready to come back ? There were always unforeseen events in Foreign Affairs, and Jia Yang may be busy with his own work. That is why he had not given me a call until now
Cheng Jia Yang
My phone fell to the ground, close to a pair of black feet, I looked up. It was a black boy, about four or five years old. He had a fine body as his eyes shone. He was carried food for my father and I.
He put the food on the ground, picked up my phone, took a look, and asked me in French, “What?”
“Phone.” I took it over and turned on the screen. Though there was no signal in the desert, there was a photograph of Fei , which was very important to me.
The phone made a sound and her smile appeared on the screen. I let him see.
The boy asked me again with a word: “Who?”
“My wife.” I said.
My father was behind me .
The boy took a closer look and finally said: “She, pretty.”
“Of course,” I said, seeing the boy laughing and revealing the lovely white teeth. “What is your name?”
“Kazan,” another man answered for him. Colonel Taigang had entered the tent. He extended his hand to hold the boy, then turned back to me and said: “My son.
He brought water and put it next to the food on the ground , and said to my father, “Please.
Dad said, “Thank you.”
He sat down and took a sip.He said to Taigang, “It is not easy for you to give us water. What is it that you want?”
“My comrades. They are in the hands of the government army. We want them back in exchange for your release.” He stood up and looked at my father. “I know that you are a big man, but my comrades are important. I have only given the government, that is, you, two days. “He finished and left.
My father said to me:” Jia Yang, eat, drink water.
The food they had sent was a mash of raw potatoes and tasted like sawdust My father said, “Chew it a little , so that your stomach will not be uncomfortable.
“
He did not drink much water and left most of it for me. I drank a mouthful. I could feel his eyes on me. I looked at him and choked with emotion. “Dad, you are so old, but you are still like this.”
He smiled and patted my shoulder, but did not speak.
In the desert, the temperature difference between the night and day was huge.
I lay in the tent with my father. The tent was guarded by the soldiers. I was shivering from the cold.
The little boy Kazan came in and handed a blanket to me. He refused to leave after that and continued looking at me as he stood on the side..
I covered my father with the blanket and looked at the boy. I said, “What are you doing?”
He did not answer and continued looking at me.
I knew. I took out my phone from my pocket: “ Is it this?”
He said: “Call.” He took the phone, the screen brightened. He played with this novelty, pressing the buttons to emit sounds. He was happy.
I asked him, “What does Kazan mean?”
He was probably not proficient in French, he carefully thought and said: “Grass.”
I nodded: “Oh. What about your mother?”
He looked at me and said in French, “My mother was killed by a white traitor.”
When Kazan left, the phone was returned to me. I lay beside my father. He had fallen asleep in this harsh environment.
I think I was really tired, and gradually closed my eyes. While we were sleeping , very faintly, we could hear the songs of the indigenous men. I could not understand what the songs meant , but I just felt as if the tone was sorrowful. It was as if hundreds of years of suffering was buried in the voices .
The next day, when it was almost noon. Kazan brought rice. His father followed him. Colonel Taigang was holding an old-fashioned cassette recorder. He said to us: “You speak here. We will send it to the government and the embassy.”
Dad refused to speak.
I know he was calm and determined, but I was not so strong. There were some words I wanted to say to a person for a long time. Now, at this time, I really must let her know.
I said: “Qiao Fei, this is Jia Yang …”
Only after I finished what I wanted to say to Fei, did I find that I was crying.
Taigang had the subordinates take the tape recorder. He looked at me and asked “Is Cheng your father?”
“Yes.” I said.
“You are not alike.”
“ You are not the only one to say so.”
“I thought you were the one with moral support when you stayed here for the old man. You could have obviously left, but you chose to stay with him here.”
“I am.”
“Who were you talking to?”
“My wife.”
He looked at me and nodded: “How long have you two been married?”
“We haven’t married yet but we intended to do so after I went back.”
“What did you say?”
I thought: “No matter what, I want her to live as happily as before; and there’s something else I’ve never said to her: I love her.”
Taigang said: “You were originally going to have happy days so you should not give up.”
I looked into his black eyes: “What about you? What kind of days have you had? What kind of days do you expect ? What kind of days do you let others have?”
Taigang said: “The days used to be calm. Eat, sleep, farm, have children, until the whites came.”
“They taught us religion, guns, condoms, and how to kill our own brothers, so that we were pushed into a civil war.
But what they took away was oil, diamonds and gold.”
“We are here to repair the railway.”
“Do not disturb the quiet.” He stood up and walked to the door, and said to me, “The tape, your wife, she’ll hear it.”
Qiao Fei
Three days have passed since the day he left, 82 hours.
I had no news of Jia Yang.
In the office of the bureau of the ministry, no one was talking; no one asked, no one spoke.
However, I know that the remains of the deceased engineers had been shipped back, and Jia Yang and his father were still there.
I drank tea, ate, worked, fed Jia Yang’s small turtle, changed his water, and accompanied Bo Bo in selecting her wedding gown for the photo shoot.
I showed her my ring. I said: “How is it ? Cool or not?”
She was surprised and her mouth was wide open : “Wow, when did you catch a wealthy husband?”
“That’s right, he really is a wealthy,” I said with a smile, “you still remember Cheng Jiayang?
She was even more surprised. She thought about it, then shook her head like a rattle: “Qiao Fei , I do not believe you. Do you think I’m a bun**?”
**Do you think I’m a bun?: Do you think I’m so gullible (pretty much)I snorted: “Just wait, as soon as he comes back from his business in Africa, I want to get married before you.” I looked at her, and looked at the mirror opposite me. I do not know who was it that said: “Just wait.”The day the disaster management conference was held, my partner was senior sister. We did the simultaneous interpretation for the representatives from the French side. We were fully prepared and things were going well. At noon, the director came. He held my hand and congratulated me first. Then in my ear he said “Qiao Fei , there are some people who want to see you.”
I came to the office in the exhibition centre. When I opened the door I saw people I knew.
Cheng Jiaming and his mother.
Jia Ming said, “Qiao Fei , sit down.”
I said, “There is a meeting below, and I’m going to accompany the leader.”
Jia Yang ‘s mother said, “Qiao Fei , sit down.
Her voice did not see me as arrogant and domineering. At the moment it sounded gentle and tired.
I was really scared.
What were they going to say to me?
I did not want to stay here. Before Jia Yang returned, I did not want to see them.
I was going to leave .
Suddenly, I heard the Jia Yang’s voice.
It was blurred, but it was his voice: “Fei , this is Jia Yang. I’m sorry to make you wait for me, I will be back as soon as possible.”
…
If I can not, I hope you still have a happy life.
You must know that the times I spent with you are my happiest moments.
Also, I have always forgotten to tell you that I love you. ”
I did not move for a long time, I was stunned. I stood there.
Jia Ming came to me and said: “Jia Yang and my father were taken as hostages in Africa. We lost contact with them.They have sent this tape, After technical analysis, we have ascertained this is indeed Jia Yang.
“
I felt as if I could not understand his words. I said: “Yes ah, I know, this is the Jia Yang. Where is he now?”
“Now, the state and the local government have actively deployed the army is to rescue them.”
I looked back at him: “Is that so?”
Jia Ming nodded.
I stretched lazily : “How is it that they have still not rescued them?” I looked at his mother! “Once they are rescued, please ask him to give me a call.
I wanted to leave when I heard his mother say : “Qiao Fei, we wanted you to know this because you have this right.
Do you feel anxious ? It is better to take a break, and let others do the translations ”
These were warm words from a caring person , but I did not think that this was necessary.
She did not know me.
With my back to her, I clearly said: “I thank you .I am a little anxious, but if it was Jia Yang, would he not continue at this time?” I went to the door and said to them, “ I am still going to do my job; I am an interpreter.”
Cheng Jiayang
Taigang took me out of the tent. He said to my father, “I’m sorry, the government has not yet showed any sign of compromise, so I have to kill this person.” He looked at me, “I am not saying sorry to you, I haven’t done anything wrong to you.”
Father was a true man. At this time, his face did not change color, neither did heart jump. He just enunciated word by word to Taigang: “As long as you know what will happen to you if you do so, it is all right. I will return and pay you back ten times more.” He looked at me for a long time, his eyes shining , “Jia Yang, you are a good boy.”
I did not speak and smiled at my father.
I took a few steps towards the exit. I thought of something and asked Taigang: “Have you sent the tape ?”
“Its been sent.”
“Very good.”
Where did they want to take me to excite me ? The colonel pushed my back.
I suddenly saw that Kazan was standing not too far away. I said to Taigang, “I have something to say to your son.”
Taigang pondered, and finally waved his son over. I put the phone on the boy ‘s hand and said to him: “This is for you . You keep it. You and my wife are similar. Her name also means grass.”
