132 First class treatmen (1/2)

I've never been at sea, and it's at night. I can't find the direction at all.

The motorboat has been driving for a long time, and stops halfway. The black man who's sailing the boat take off the canvas, under it are cans of petrol!

A cold sweat is all over me when I see this! Just now, Fat fellow and I even leaned on canvas to smoke. I feel chilly! But fat fellow looks indifferent.

Refuel again in the middle and a few hours later. Black man measures the position with an instrument, then looks at the fat fellow and says something in a strange language.

Suddenly I feel a jolt and look at him carefully.

”Don't stare at him, he's Vietnamese.” Fat fellow says lightly, ”He has a bad temper. Don't look at him all the time.”

After a quiet wait, our boat stops and floating on the sea. That Vietnamese is a little bit impatient. Sometimes he talks to the fat fellow, who has a relaxed expression.

Finally, there is a faint motor sound in the distance, and then a few flashes of searchlights. Fat fellow immediately stands up, pulles out a large flashlight from under the canvas and lights it on several times, which in a strange rhythm flickering.

You come and go to me for a while. Fat man nods and looks back at me. ”Kid, here's your ship.”

A big boat slowly stops not far away. Our motorboat starts to pull in. I see that there is no flag flying on that ship. The hull is a bit worn out. It seems that a refitted large fishing ship. There are also abandoned fishing nets and other devices beside the mast.

After dock, someone put down the rope from the ship. Fat man smiles at me and says, ”Let's go up.”

I pick up the bag he gave me, think about it, and turn to look at the Vietnamese, say in a sincere tone, ”Thank you.”

Honestly. I do it purely by habit. Because others help me, I'm used to saying thank you. The Vietnamese looks at me and suddenly a smile comes out of his cold face. Then he takes something from the under of his seat and hands it to me.

It's a bottle of mineral water, a miscellaneous brand, and it's open, only half.

Fat fellow looks at the bottle, and then looks at the Vietnamese with an odd eye. Suddenly he laughs, ”Kid, he likes you. You can take it. Maybe it will be useful on the way.”

I'm puzzled. But I still take it, although it is a bottle of water that has been opened, perhaps even has bee drunk. I carefully put it in my bag.

Fat fellow accompanies me aboard the boat. There are five or six crew members on the ship, each with a cold complexion. I see somebody with a gun on their waists. Several diving devices are hung in the cabin. Fat fellow laughes and hugs a man, then points me and says, ”This is my brother!”

This man is short, thin and speaks Mandarin, but not standard, and very stiff: ”Your brother... Not like you! You, big! He, small!” He smiles and makes a comparison with his hand, probably describing the difference between me and fat fellow.

Fat fellow smiles, then takes out a cell phone from his arms and dials a number in front of that person. After the phone is connected, he hands the phone to that guy. That man immediately takes the phone and listening. He looks serious at first, but after listening for a while, he smiles with satisfaction and pats fat fellow. ”Very good, the money is all wired. You're very credible. Me either!”

He lifts his chin to me and says, ”Go in and sleep in my room!”

Fat fellow tells me another phone number: ”After you go ashore, find a place to call this number, someone will pick you up.”

After that, he pats me and says goodbye to me. Before he leaves, he grabs me, staring at me with a smile: ”Kid, do you know why I saved you?”

”I don't know.” I shake my head.

”Because there are so few people like you. Death one is less one.” He laughs sadly: ”So I don't want you to die.”

Watching him jump back from the ship to the motorboat, I suddenly feel a little touched and reluctant. I go to the side of the ship and shout to him, ”Brother Ocean, I Chen Yang will come back one day!”

Fat fellow just waves to me and then laughing and shouting to me, ”Ask yourself before you do anything in the future, is it worth it?”

The motorboat leaves quickly and goes away quickly.

I look at the leaving boat and say to myself: ”It's not worth it! But I don't regret it!” I seemed to be relieved of myself, ”At least I don't owe him now.”

This is a smuggling ship. The man who trades with fat fellow is also a Vietnamese. He seems to have done a lot of business with fat fellow. His name is even more strange, calls ”Old Snake”.

When the fat fellow sent me aboard, I wonder why the Vietnamese on the motorboat didn't go aboard. Later, I learned that although they are all Vietnamese, they come from different backgrounds and have historical grievances. But I won't ask for details.

Just one day after I come here, I just know there are thirty people under the cabin.