Proofreader & Editor: Howard Wong
Xu Ming soon returned.
"What happened?" Wen Rou asked.
"The car hit a sika deer and broke down!"
"When will it be fixed?" Wen Rou inquired.
"This…"
Xu Ming's face was a picture of embarrassment, clearly not having inquired further.
"Can't you even ask a simple question properly?", Wen Rou complained.
Xu Ming sheepishly smiled, "I'll go ask again!"
No sooner had he spoken than the female tour guide stepped into the center aisle, megaphone in hand, and announced, "Everyone, please calm down, calm down! Listen to me!"
After repeating this three times, the bus finally quieted down.
The tour guide explained, "The bus hit a sika deer and broke down. The driver is calling for help. Please stay seated and remain calm!"
"When will it be fixed?"
"Who's going to reimburse me for my injury?"
"Hurry up and fix it, I can't miss offering the first incense tomorrow morning!"
…
The passengers were all talking at once, and the bus was once again in uproar.
The tour guide, left with no choice, stepped off the bus to discuss further with the driver.
After a while, she returned and said, "There's no cell signal here, we can't call for rescue. The driver has gone to look for a repair shop nearby, we don't know when he'll be back. In the meantime, everyone can get off the bus to stretch your legs, but don't wander off. If you need to relieve yourselves, go in groups of three or more to avoid any accidents. Of course, if there's no need, I suggest staying on the bus. You can sleep or play on your phones…"
"No signal, what's there to play!"
Before the tour guide could finish, people began to disembark.
Sighing, the tour guide warned, "Don't go too far! The driver left on a bicycle, he might be back soon. If you wander off and get left behind, don't blame me for not warning you!"
Most of the tourists had gone down.
Xu Ming also stood up and said, "Honey, let's get off and get some fresh air!"
Wen Rou glanced outside, took a sip of water, and said, "You go ahead, I'm quite comfortable here!"
Xu Ming stood there awkwardly. To go down or not was the question.
At that moment, a muscular man beside him nudged him, saying, "You going or not?"
"Going, going…"
Xu Ming was practically pushed off the bus by the muscular man; there was no choice but to go.
As he reached the door, Xu Ming looked back reluctantly, as if fearing his wife would be taken away if he wasn't careful.
I couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Sis, your husband really loves you!"
"That's not love, it's possessiveness. He's so annoying! He's seven years older than me but clings like a child!" Wen Rou replied.
"How many kids do you have?" I asked.
"Just one!" Wen Rou said, "He's starting third grade soon!"
Curious, I asked, "Didn't your child come with you?"
Wen Rou shook her head, a bitter smile on her face, "That damn Xu Ming insisted on a 'couple's world' trip. Now look, we're stuck in the middle of nowhere!"
I looked out the window.
On both sides of the highway were deep mountains and forests.
To the right was a steep mountain, impassable on foot, while to the left was a slope that could be descended.
Indeed, some had gone down and into the depths of the forest, probably to relieve themselves.
Sitting for so long, I was a bit tired.
As I hesitated whether to go down, Wen Rou suddenly turned to me and asked, "You going out?"
I nodded.
"Together?" she proposed.
"All right!" I smiled and said, "But I'm afraid Xu Ming might get jealous, especially since he called for you earlier and you didn't go with him!"
"He wouldn't dare!" Wen Rou laughed after saying this.
***
Outside, the sky was growing dark.
The forty-odd tourists were scattered everywhere.
Near the front of the bus, a group of seven or eight people were gathered, pointing and discussing something.
I went over to see that it was the sika deer that had been hit!
I wasn't sure of the exact species, but it looked delicate, only the size of an adult goat.
The impact was clearly severe; the deer's head was almost severed, and its blood was splattered everywhere!
What I found odd was that a red garment with a large "XI" character embroidered on it was draped over the deer's body.
(Proofreader : In Chinese culture, 喜(XI) represents wedding)
It was unclear whether the garment had been with the deer originally or if someone had placed it there afterward.
A young man with dyed yellow hair, a cigarette dangling from his lips, squatted beside the deer's body, turned it over, and remarked, "Pity it's a doe, otherwise I'd have taken its dick to soak in liquor!"
Another young man, who seemed to stutter, said, "Ignorance is… is scary! This… this deer has no horns, it's definitely a doe!"
The three of them were together.
The last one, a young man with black-framed glasses, said, "If you want to look underneath, just say so, no need to talk about soaking in liquor!"
After a brief exchange, they suddenly stopped and looked behind them.
I turned to see Wen Rou standing there, legs slightly together, looking around as if searching for someone.
"Top-notch beauty!"
Yellow Hair exclaimed, "That lady looks like she needs to pee!"
The one with glasses said, "None of your business, she's married!"
"Married makes it more thrilling!" Yellow Hair's eyes were practically popping out!
I approached and asked, "Sis, isn't Xu Ming with you?"
Wen Rou replied, "That damn Xu Ming, when you don't need him, he's all over you, but when you do, he's nowhere to be found!"
"Do you need to go badly?" I asked.
She nodded slightly, "A bit…"
I pointed to a gap in the highway fence, "I'll take you down there, we might find Xu Ming after a short walk, or run into other women!"
"Sorry to trouble you!"
Wen Rou looked grateful.
After descending through the gap in the fence, the slope was steep.
Wen Rou, in her dress and high heels, struggled to move, so she took my arm willingly, following step by step.
Once in the woods, it became quiet.
Wen Rou tried calling out a few times but received no reply from Xu Ming, nor did she see any other women.
Seeing her about to lose her composure, I tactfully turned away, "Sis, I'll go ahead for a smoke!"
"Don't go too far… I'm afraid of the dark," Wen Rou's voice was soft.
"Okay, I'll wait up ahead for you!"
Saying this, I lit a cigarette and walked a few steps forward.
Rustling…
A sound of water came from behind.
I figured Wen Rou was about finished.
'Aah!!!'
Suddenly, A scream came out from behind.
"What's wrong?" I instinctively wanted to turn around but managed to control myself.
"A snake! There's a snake!" Wen Rou was frantic, "Can you… come here, I think I've been bitten by a snake!"
I then turned and walked over.
Approaching, I could barely see a snake as thick as a finger disappearing into the underbrush.
I looked her over and asked, "Did you get bitten?"
"Yes!" Wen Rou nodded, "It feels numb, I don't know how poisonous it is!"
"Where?" I asked.
"I…" Wen Rou hesitated, pointing with her finger, "I think it's on the back of my thigh, I can't see it myself."
"If it's just a bump or swelling, it should be fine, but if it turns black, that's dangerous!" I said.
"What?" Wen Rou blushed, "Could you… check for me?"
"Sure!"
I tossed my cigarette butt away, conveniently landing it on the wet patch left by Wen Rou, saving me the trouble of putting it out.
Then I went behind her and crouched down.
Wen Rou cooperated, lifting her dress.
I turned on my phone's flashlight and inspected carefully, "It's very white here, no wound! Lift it a bit higher…"