Chapter 1 Prologue
The scorching sun hung motionless on the expansive and cloudless sky, coloring the entire world with red heat. The air was unbearably hot, as if a tiny spark could ignite it. In this harsh climate, in the endless Gobi Desert, a small group of men and horses struggled to cross the sandy terrain. Among the fewer than twenty people and ten animals, only four or five people up front rode mules and camels, while the rest of the group were chained together like animals, and were trudging ahead with great difficulty under the yelling and whipping of the riders.
Under the fierce sun, the few animals of the Gobi Desert were hiding out from the brutal weather. Looking ahead in the endless dusty sand, there was only one waystation ahead among the piles of camelthorn bush. A few shabby flags waved lazily from the waystation, showing off a bit of life. Seeing the flags, the riders cheered and whipped the chained men into moving faster.
As the waystation manager, Lao Nian, saw the group, he came out to greet them. Lao Nian was usually not a hospitable man, resembling a frost-bitten eggplant in his lackluster demeanor most of the time, although, anyone who worked alone at this remote station for ten years would be overjoyed to see people.
“Lao Nian, get the horse feed and water ready! This crappy weather is gonna roast me alive!” the leading rider hollered from afar. The man’s cheek had a red knife scar; as it twisted and turned when he talked, it was as if his face grew a gaping mouth.
“Everything’s ready for you, sir!” Lao Nian answered as he prepared the water and horse feed. He knew the scarred man was a well-known bounty hunter on the Ganliang Route. His nickname was Scar—few people knew his real name. They were already in the remotely located Qinghai Province, but Scar delivered prisoners from inland China to even more faraway areas of China for hard labor. He often passed this lone waystation and had gotten to know Lao Nian well.
Several guards dismounted, rushing toward the water and flour buns Lao Nian had set up, while the shackled prisoners stumbled toward a shaded area and collapsed on the ground, panting like fish out of water.
Lao Nian picked up a bucket of clean water and walked toward the prisoners. Even though most of the prisoners dispatched to these remote areas were hard people and needed no sympathy, having worked here for years by himself, and rarely seeing people, he was happy to see them.
Lao Nian scooped some water and the prisoners clamored to drink; as they were chained, their hands weren’t free and they needed help with everything. He was about to help them when a guard yelled, “Stop!”
Lao Nian turned around in confusion, only to see a rested and fed guard walking over with an evil smile. The man grabbed the scoop and tossed it back into the water bucket, then stood back to pee into the bucket. He pulled up his pants and to motioned to Lao Nian. “Let them drink this!”
Lao Nian looked at Scar, but the leader didn’t care, only showing an amused smile. Having no choice, Lao Nian scooped the water and pee for one prisoner, who only briefly hesitated before closing his eyes and drinking it all.
The guards chortled, while some even joked, “Hot tea is better than cold water, right?”
As the guards laughed, Lao Nian handed the liquid to each of the prisoners. While some were numb, some were sad, and some were angry, with how parched they were, they all drank the urine.
When Lao Nian got to the last prisoner, the man turned away, showing a face of determination. Lao Nian sighed. “You have to drink. There’s nothing but desert from here on. How can you not drink?”
“I’m human. I have dignity,” the prisoner said with a hoarse voice. His words were low because of his parched throat but still demanded respect.
Dignity? Lao Nian was puzzled by the word, which he only heard for the first time, and he’d never met a prisoner like this. He couldn’t help but look over the prisoner, who looked thin and weak. His gaze seemed young; in spite of his messy hair and dirty face, underneath, the man was an intellectual. Before Lao Nian persuaded the prisoner more, Scar yelled, “What’s the matter? Why isn’t he drinking?”
Lao Nian turned around; before he could explain, Scar had already marched over and grabbed the water scoop. He spat phlegm in it before shoving it into the prisoner’s face. “Is this enough for you?”
The prisoner turned his head away, his face proud. Despite being enchained, his eyes had a pride that couldn’t be violated, which was different from the fear and timidness seen in the other prisoners. The gaze angered Scar, who gripped him by his hair, forcing the prisoner to look at him. He stuffed the water scoop into the man’s mouth, cursing. “You piece of shit! You want me to help you?!”
The prisoner struggled, bumping the water scoop to the ground. Scar was angry as he kicked the man. Pointing at the other prisoners, he hollered, “Why aren’t you drinking? You think you’re better than them?”
The prisoner tried to sit up, his mouth mumbling, “I’m human. I’m not an animal.”
“Human?” Scar lifted the prisoner up. “You think you’re a person? You’re all trash. Don’t think any different!”
Scar threw down the defiant prisoner, then whipped each of the prisoners in the head as he yelled, “You! A child kidnapper! You’re a rapist! You’re a murdering robber! You’re all garbage! You aren’t people! I’d rather kill you all here so I don’t have to go to blasted Qinghai in this weather!”
When Scar returned to the first prisoner, he whipped him. “You’re a rapist and a murderer! You’re also a scammer. I don’t know how you didn’t get a death sentence! Why the hell did they let you live? What tricks did you use? How much did you bribe them? You were an intellectual before, which makes you even worse.”
“I didn’t do it!” the prisoner yelled as loud as he could. “I didn’t rape, I didn’t kill, I didn’t cheat anyone. I’m innocent!”
“Pfft, everyone says that to me.” Scar scooped more urine water to the man. “Lemme ask you again: Are you gonna drink or not?”
The prisoner answered with his eyes staring at Scar. “I’m human. I’m not an animal.”
Scar grew more angry. He threw the urine in the prisoner’s face. “Fine, I’ll see how long you last. If you can stick out ‘til tomorrow, I’ll believe you’re human!” He waved to his underlings. “Come, tie him to a hitching post; let’s see if he’ll stay stubborn.”
Several guards dragged the prisoner out of the shade and tied him to a hitching post for the mules. The overhead sun was glaring and the ground was scorching. Most people wouldn’t last long in this condition. The prisoner licked his dry lips and closed his eyes. In spite of the environment and his exhausted expression, his face still showed pride.
“No one give him any water! I’ll see how long he can last!” Scar waved to Lao Nian. “Get me some more horse feed and food for my men. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
As the day progressed, the Gobi Desert grew hotter, then bitterly cold as night arrived. When Lao Nian finished feeding the mules, he passed the hitching post. He used a lamp to see the prisoner, who lay limp against the post, not showing much life. He walked over to feel the man’s breath, and could tell there was a little bit of breathing.
Lao Nian sighed, thinking of the prisoner’s sad and defiant gaze during the day. After all this torture, he still had pride—something none of the other prisoners had. For some reason, Lao Nian couldn’t forget his look. The man had been tied up in the scorching sun for half a day and was severely dehydrated. If he didn’t drink any water, he’d die tonight.
Lao Nian perked up his ears to listen for any sounds of life, but he only heard snoring. The lengthy travels had exhausted everyone and all had passed out at dark. He crept over to get a scoop of clean water, propped up the prisoner’s chin, and gingerly fed him some water. After a moment, the man’s eyelashes shook and he woke up.
“Thank goodness, I was afraid you’d never wake up!” Lao Nian mumbled as he tried to give the prisoner more water, but the man turned away instinctively. “It’s okay; it’s clean water.”
The prisoner took a sip with hesitation and then gulped down the whole scoop. With some water in him, his spirits recovered a little. His eyes were teary as he said, “Thank you for saving me. If I ever make it, I’ll pay you back for your help!”
Lao Nian shook his hands. “Please, don’t worry about that. We’ll see if you can even make it out of Qinghai alive. I don’t know of any prisoner who was able to leave here alive.”
The prisoner looked shocked. “Why not?”
Lao Nian sighed. ”It’s better to be dying above ground than living in a well. When you work in a mine, you’re trading your life. So many die after just one year. Every prisoner sent there was either buried inside the mines or killed by the heavy labor, no exceptions.”
“I will survive! I have to stay alive!” The light in the prisoner’s eyes was terrifyingly bright. “I’m innocent! I have to stay alive. I will also make those who hurt me pay for what they did!”
Lao Nian looked at this extraordinary prisoner with pity, but he didn’t dare let him go. The man struggled hard, wanting to be free of his restraints, but he didn’t shake loose of the hitching post, only fainting from his efforts given his worn-out condition.
Luo Wenjia. Lao Nian read aloud the prisoner’s name inside his mind, marveling to himself. He is an intellectual. Too bad intellectuals had even less a chance of surviving in these harsh conditions.
“I will survive! I have to stay alive!” Even delirious, Wenjia kept mumbling these words. His dirty face had a glow—sometimes scary, sometimes gentle, sometimes angry. His consciousness seemed to have returned to the horrific past . . .
Chapter 1 Prologue
The scorching sun hung motionless on the expansive and cloudless sky, coloring the entire world with red heat. The air was unbearably hot, as if a tiny spark could ignite it. In this harsh climate, in the endless Gobi Desert, a small group of men and horses struggled to cross the sandy terrain. Among the fewer than twenty people and ten animals, only four or five people up front rode mules and camels, while the rest of the group were chained together like animals, and were trudging ahead with great difficulty under the yelling and whipping of the riders.
Under the fierce sun, the few animals of the Gobi Desert were hiding out from the brutal weather. Looking ahead in the endless dusty sand, there was only one waystation ahead among the piles of camelthorn bush. A few shabby flags waved lazily from the waystation, showing off a bit of life. Seeing the flags, the riders cheered and whipped the chained men into moving faster.
As the waystation manager, Lao Nian, saw the group, he came out to greet them. Lao Nian was usually not a hospitable man, resembling a frost-bitten eggplant in his lackluster demeanor most of the time, although, anyone who worked alone at this remote station for ten years would be overjoyed to see people.
“Lao Nian, get the horse feed and water ready! This crappy weather is gonna roast me alive!” the leading rider hollered from afar. The man’s cheek had a red knife scar; as it twisted and turned when he talked, it was as if his face grew a gaping mouth.
“Everything’s ready for you, sir!” Lao Nian answered as he prepared the water and horse feed. He knew the scarred man was a well-known bounty hunter on the Ganliang Route. His nickname was Scar—few people knew his real name. They were already in the remotely located Qinghai Province, but Scar delivered prisoners from inland China to even more faraway areas of China for hard labor. He often passed this lone waystation and had gotten to know Lao Nian well.
Several guards dismounted, rushing toward the water and flour buns Lao Nian had set up, while the shackled prisoners stumbled toward a shaded area and collapsed on the ground, panting like fish out of water.
Lao Nian picked up a bucket of clean water and walked toward the prisoners. Even though most of the prisoners dispatched to these remote areas were hard people and needed no sympathy, having worked here for years by himself, and rarely seeing people, he was happy to see them.
Lao Nian scooped some water and the prisoners clamored to drink; as they were chained, their hands weren’t free and they needed help with everything. He was about to help them when a guard yelled, “Stop!”
Lao Nian turned around in confusion, only to see a rested and fed guard walking over with an evil smile. The man grabbed the scoop and tossed it back into the water bucket, then stood back to pee into the bucket. He pulled up his pants and to motioned to Lao Nian. “Let them drink this!”
Lao Nian looked at Scar, but the leader didn’t care, only showing an amused smile. Having no choice, Lao Nian scooped the water and pee for one prisoner, who only briefly hesitated before closing his eyes and drinking it all.
The guards chortled, while some even joked, “Hot tea is better than cold water, right?”
As the guards laughed, Lao Nian handed the liquid to each of the prisoners. While some were numb, some were sad, and some were angry, with how parched they were, they all drank the urine.
When Lao Nian got to the last prisoner, the man turned away, showing a face of determination. Lao Nian sighed. “You have to drink. There’s nothing but desert from here on. How can you not drink?”
“I’m human. I have dignity,” the prisoner said with a hoarse voice. His words were low because of his parched throat but still demanded respect.
Dignity? Lao Nian was puzzled by the word, which he only heard for the first time, and he’d never met a prisoner like this. He couldn’t help but look over the prisoner, who looked thin and weak. His gaze seemed young; in spite of his messy hair and dirty face, underneath, the man was an intellectual. Before Lao Nian persuaded the prisoner more, Scar yelled, “What’s the matter? Why isn’t he drinking?”
Lao Nian turned around; before he could explain, Scar had already marched over and grabbed the water scoop. He spat phlegm in it before shoving it into the prisoner’s face. “Is this enough for you?”
The prisoner turned his head away, his face proud. Despite being enchained, his eyes had a pride that couldn’t be violated, which was different from the fear and timidness seen in the other prisoners. The gaze angered Scar, who gripped him by his hair, forcing the prisoner to look at him. He stuffed the water scoop into the man’s mouth, cursing. “You piece of shit! You want me to help you?!”
The prisoner struggled, bumping the water scoop to the ground. Scar was angry as he kicked the man. Pointing at the other prisoners, he hollered, “Why aren’t you drinking? You think you’re better than them?”
The prisoner tried to sit up, his mouth mumbling, “I’m human. I’m not an animal.”
“Human?” Scar lifted the prisoner up. “You think you’re a person? You’re all trash. Don’t think any different!”
Scar threw down the defiant prisoner, then whipped each of the prisoners in the head as he yelled, “You! A child kidnapper! You’re a rapist! You’re a murdering robber! You’re all garbage! You aren’t people! I’d rather kill you all here so I don’t have to go to blasted Qinghai in this weather!”
When Scar returned to the first prisoner, he whipped him. “You’re a rapist and a murderer! You’re also a scammer. I don’t know how you didn’t get a death sentence! Why the hell did they let you live? What tricks did you use? How much did you bribe them? You were an intellectual before, which makes you even worse.”
“I didn’t do it!” the prisoner yelled as loud as he could. “I didn’t rape, I didn’t kill, I didn’t cheat anyone. I’m innocent!”
“Pfft, everyone says that to me.” Scar scooped more urine water to the man. “Lemme ask you again: Are you gonna drink or not?”
The prisoner answered with his eyes staring at Scar. “I’m human. I’m not an animal.”
Scar grew more angry. He threw the urine in the prisoner’s face. “Fine, I’ll see how long you last. If you can stick out ‘til tomorrow, I’ll believe you’re human!” He waved to his underlings. “Come, tie him to a hitching post; let’s see if he’ll stay stubborn.”
Several guards dragged the prisoner out of the shade and tied him to a hitching post for the mules. The overhead sun was glaring and the ground was scorching. Most people wouldn’t last long in this condition. The prisoner licked his dry lips and closed his eyes. In spite of the environment and his exhausted expression, his face still showed pride.
“No one give him any water! I’ll see how long he can last!” Scar waved to Lao Nian. “Get me some more horse feed and food for my men. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
As the day progressed, the Gobi Desert grew hotter, then bitterly cold as night arrived. When Lao Nian finished feeding the mules, he passed the hitching post. He used a lamp to see the prisoner, who lay limp against the post, not showing much life. He walked over to feel the man’s breath, and could tell there was a little bit of breathing.
Lao Nian sighed, thinking of the prisoner’s sad and defiant gaze during the day. After all this torture, he still had pride—something none of the other prisoners had. For some reason, Lao Nian couldn’t forget his look. The man had been tied up in the scorching sun for half a day and was severely dehydrated. If he didn’t drink any water, he’d die tonight.
Lao Nian perked up his ears to listen for any sounds of life, but he only heard snoring. The lengthy travels had exhausted everyone and all had passed out at dark. He crept over to get a scoop of clean water, propped up the prisoner’s chin, and gingerly fed him some water. After a moment, the man’s eyelashes shook and he woke up.
“Thank goodness, I was afraid you’d never wake up!” Lao Nian mumbled as he tried to give the prisoner more water, but the man turned away instinctively. “It’s okay; it’s clean water.”
The prisoner took a sip with hesitation and then gulped down the whole scoop. With some water in him, his spirits recovered a little. His eyes were teary as he said, “Thank you for saving me. If I ever make it, I’ll pay you back for your help!”
Lao Nian shook his hands. “Please, don’t worry about that. We’ll see if you can even make it out of Qinghai alive. I don’t know of any prisoner who was able to leave here alive.”
The prisoner looked shocked. “Why not?”
Lao Nian sighed. ”It’s better to be dying above ground than living in a well. When you work in a mine, you’re trading your life. So many die after just one year. Every prisoner sent there was either buried inside the mines or killed by the heavy labor, no exceptions.”
“I will survive! I have to stay alive!” The light in the prisoner’s eyes was terrifyingly bright. “I’m innocent! I have to stay alive. I will also make those who hurt me pay for what they did!”
Lao Nian looked at this extraordinary prisoner with pity, but he didn’t dare let him go. The man struggled hard, wanting to be free of his restraints, but he didn’t shake loose of the hitching post, only fainting from his efforts given his worn-out condition.
Luo Wenjia. Lao Nian read aloud the prisoner’s name inside his mind, marveling to himself. He is an intellectual. Too bad intellectuals had even less a chance of surviving in these harsh conditions.
“I will survive! I have to stay alive!” Even delirious, Wenjia kept mumbling these words. His dirty face had a glow—sometimes scary, sometimes gentle, sometimes angry. His consciousness seemed to have returned to the horrific past . . .
