“I’ll come every few days. If you need anything, you can call me.”
After getting off, Papa 8’s man gives me a mobile phone with one number in the address book. Then he turns around, getting into the car and driving away.
I look at the two men beside me and don’t know how to describe my feeling.
Here is a farm. I don’t know the specific direction. I just know it’s a long way from Vancouver. Because the car has been driving here from morning to later afternoon, judging from the surrounding environment, it should be the countryside far from the city.
The temperature is a little low, and and the wind makes me feel a little cold. The two middle-aged men look indifferent. Both of them were sleeping all the way. They seem very sleepy. Although we have gotten off the car, they still stand there yawning.
The farm in front of us should be big and the fence around is so low that it could barely stop outsiders from entering. But outside the door, there’s a wooden stake with a board hanging on. There’s a line of words written in paint in English, French and Chinese.
“Private territory, intruders bear the consequences!”
I know this is a warning. In North America, the first rule is that private property is inviolable.
Here, no one can break into other people’s private territory. Even if you are a policeman, if you don’t have legal procedures, you want to break into someone else’s house, and the owner can even shoot you without legal responsibility!
This farm is somewhat deserted. Because of the climate, Canada’s overall geographical location is north, the more northward it is, the colder it is. I feel a little stiff when I step on the ground.
Two middle-aged people take a look at me, lift their bags under their feet, lazily carry them behind and head for the farm.
By the way, my mission here is to stay in this farm with these two middle-aged people for sometime, which means: To take care of them.
The so-called take care, the meaning is very clear. I will be responsible for cooking, cleaning and some farm works. To put it simply, I’m going to be an “orderly” for these two men for the time being.
When Papa 8 assigned this job to me, I almost thought I had misheard it at first! After I confirmed it, I realized he wasn’t kidding. He really asked me to come over and be a “orderly” for these two guys.
Is that also counted as offer me an opportunity?
Then Papa 8 coldly told me that if I don’t want to, he could give the chance to someone else. He was looking at me as if I was an idiot.
I’m not an idiot for sure, immediately realized that following these two guys would be obviously not as simple as it seemed.
The gate of the farm is unlocked. In fact, there is no need to lock. Any adult can turn over the fence anyway. This gate is almost nothing.
As for the farm, I can see that there should have been a pasture, because I see a wooden fence, which should be used for cattle. But now it’s empty and idle.
This is a very barren place, surrounded by a row of hills, not high, but very long. The nearest highway is about two kilometers away from us. We have to go out and walk along the path to see it. Inside the farm, there is a cabin. Thank goodness. There’s at least an electric light here!
I feel like I’m walking into a Western movie with a row of mangers and an abandoned canal beside. I even see a well, which is an underground water intake well with a man-made pipe. The wellhead is only about the size of a washbasin. There is a water pressure device on one side, so when you press the handle a few times, you can take out the water.
The row of wooden houses looks old, but they are strong. The door is locked, but that Papa 8’s man has given me the key.
Since I am an orderly now, I naturally have the consciousness to do service, and I rush to the front to open the door.
Enter the door, there’s a smell of decay and mildew. It seems that no one lived in this place for a long time. A layer of ash on the floor and table confirms my guess.
The two men are very calm. They enter the room one after another, throw their bags on the ground, drag the chairs over, take a dirty cloth hanging on the wall, pat and lean on.
“Get something to eat first.” This is the first word they say to me since we have met, from the one who looks kinder and always keeping smiling.
I go out of the room without saying much. There is a cellar on the left side of the cabin. Open the door, the dust makes me coughing for a while. I have to stand outside to wait for a while. After the air flows for a while, I pick up a flashlight hanging on the cellar door and going down.
Can… Can… Can… There are various cans in the cellar. Sardines, Tuna, Salmon…
I can understand that, after all, this is not far from the west coast of Canada, and fisheries are well developed. But looking at all the canned fish, it is really a little helpless. I pick up some cans and go to the kitchen to make a fire.
On this day, I feel like I have become a standard farmer in a mountain village! I even cut firewood to make the fire, and then carry a barrel to get water in the well and heat it up.
I’m busy cleaning up and wiping out the dust. After the water is boiled, the three of us wash our faces, and then I clean the cabin to make out three rooms.
Finally, we gather around the table and eat canned fish with hot water as our dinner.
I try to talk to them, but they are always cool and not interested in speaking.
These two people are very strange. Their expressions, eyes, are full of the strange tastes. It’s a kind of disregard for everything. This temperament, I have only seen in one person in my life: Jim!
I also find that they have thick palms with thick cocoons and thick knuckles. But I have only looked at them for a moment, they immediately notice, and then the cold eyes are shooting at me. I immediately retract my eyes.
Honestly, to stay with these two people, I feel very stuffy! They don’t talk, so I can’t speak. I can’t talk to myself, can I?
I’m not a man who can’t be wronged, nor is it unwilling to do service for others. I used to carry dishes in the nightclub. I’m not afraid to work, but I’m a little depressed when I am with two boring people.
After eating, they immediately leave the empty cans and stand up. This time the poker-faced man says.
“It’s late, rest.”
This is the second sentence I hear from them today. After that, they go back to their rooms to rest directly.
I’m stunned, and suddenly there is some fire in my heart. What the fuck is that? I feel a bit hate and say to myself: don’t you understand? You are here to be called!
The next morning, I’m still sleeping. The blanket on body is the original ones in the house, with a smell of mildew. I’m not used very much. Last night I made up my mind to wash all these blankets during the day. Otherwise, I’m afraid I might be fumigated by the smell. It’s too uncomfortable!
But in my confusion, I suddenly feel a chill on my body! My heart is beating wildly and a fierce rolling, jumping from the bed. I see the man who always has a cold smile is staring at me on my bedside.
“Well, kind of alert. But I’ve been standing by you for a minute,” he says coldly, “In that minute, if I am an enemy, you would have died a hundred times!”
After that, he turns and going out, leaving a word: “Give you five minutes to prepare. I’ll wait for you outside.”
There’s a chill on my body and I just feel the cold sweats on my back. I get up quickly, dress and rushing out of the room.
It’s just a little light, and the sun has not come out yet. Only a fish belly white can be seen on the horizon. Both of the dull men are already outside, dress neatly. The cool guy is sittig lazily on a chair, playing with a long metal object in his hand. I approach and find that’s a three-edged army spike! The sneering man who called me up is standing by with his hands in the arms.
On one side of the cabin, there is a big tree which trunk has withered.. Then the cool guy motiones me to go into the cellar and bring up a sandbag.
It’s the same type leather sandbag as in the gym of our garage. I hang it on the tree and adjust the height under their instructions.
“Listen, boy.” The sneering man looks at me in a cold, even unfriendly tone, “I don’t know what relationship you have with 8. We two brothers need to hide here for a few days. Then we are going to get on board and leave soon. But he asked us to stay and teach you. Look at his favor, we agreed. I haven’t seen how you are, but 8 said you’re good at Kongfu and you can break the sandbag with one punch. Ha-ha! Young man, I’ll try you now. Just show me your ability.”
He points to the sandbag and says: “Show me what you can do with all your strength.”
“OK!” I do not talk nonsense, just move a little, then go to the sandbag, make a posture and adjust my breathe.
Bang!
I hit the sandbag with my master’s killing trick as I did in the gym. The leather of the sandbag is exploded.
I take back my fist, glancing at the sandbag in front of me satisfactorily, and then look at the sneering man again, with a slight challenge taste in my eyes.
He’s laughing, but with faint disappointment in his eyes.