Chapter 50 Railway

"Clack-clack..."
"Creak-creak..."
The stubborn old donkey-drawn cart lurked and lurched, clattering haphazardly through the alleys straight toward the railway sheds in the West District.

Guan Wei bared his teeth, shaking his head as he said, "Xiaodao, if this isn't working out, you'd better let me drive."

Jiang Xiaodao waved the whip, stubbornly insisting, "No need, I can handle it!"

Guan Wei bounced hard in the air and landed heavily on his tailbone. With a bitter grimace, he complained, "My good nephew, though your sixth uncle isn't old, if you keep bouncing me around like this, I'm going to fall apart completely. Right, girl?"

The little girl sitting in the back of the cart was bouncing even more violently, too afraid to speak lest she bite her tongue.

"Oh, Sixth Uncle, don't you worry, I've got this!" Jiang Xiaodao said with an impatient frown. "You can't blame me for the bumping; it's this blind donkey that's useless, a stubborn wretch that asks for a beating!"

With that, he swung the whip and lashed it fiercely across the donkey's rump.

The stubborn donkey rarely encountered anyone more obstinate than itself. Instantly locking horns with Jiang Xiaodao, it felt the sting and bolted into a wild, frantic run, jolting the three passengers until their features blurred.

After enduring this torment for quite a while, when they finally reached the area west of the White Pagoda, the three felt as though they had survived a major catastrophe.

Jiang Xiaodao shifted and scrambled down from the cart, stretching his neck to peer ahead. Not far away, a row of dark, gloomy sheds stood in line, while two or three bright yellow spots of light wandered back and forth along the railway tracks.

Jiang Xiaodao knew those were the night watchmen of the railroad.

Ever since the construction of the Russian railway began, numerous righteous men had launched acts of sabotage. There were the "Big Brothers," the "Loyalty and Righteousness Army," and, over the past two years, the Du family bandits who boasted of "beating the foreign devils."

Though small in scale, these various factions were like mosquitoes and flies—impossible to eradicate, impossible to drive away—causing endless headaches for the Russians. Consequently, crucial railway junctions were constantly guarded by armed security detachments, with hired laborers patrolling through the night.

"Sixth Uncle, keep an eye on the donkey cart here. I'm going over for a moment and will be right back."

"Xiaodao, can you handle this alone?" Guan Wei asked, somewhat uneasy. "Don't run into the Russians."

Jiang Xiaodao curled his lip. "Sixth Uncle, listen to yourself. If I really run into the Russians, what good would you be?"

Guan Wei was choked into silence and quickly waved him away. "Fine, fine! Who cares if you live or die? Go on then. Once Old Seventh gets here later, I'll come looking for you."

"Yeah!"

Jiang Xiaodao grunted in acknowledgment, then scooped all the gold and silver jewelry from Old Lady Feng's box into his arms, patted them down, took a deep breath where he stood, and finally stepped forward.

Though he knew full well he wasn't there to commit sabotage, being in such a suspicious place still made his heart race with a bit of fear.

Following one of the lights, after walking about the time it takes to smoke a pipe of tobacco, Jiang Xiaodao stepped across a patch of withered grass and bushes. The rustling sound under his feet instantly caught the attention of the watchman.

"Who's there?"

You could tell the other man's voice was a bit unsteady. If he really ran into an anti-Russian bandit, the watchman's little life would most likely be forfeited right here.

"Uncle, don't shout, it's one of us!" Jiang Xiaodao called out softly.

The watchman not far away raised his kerosene lamp, widened his eyes, and peered hard into the darkness. Vaguely seeing that the visitor was only a teenager, he relaxed slightly.

"Whose boy are you, running out here in the middle of the night?"

The watchman looked to be in his forties or fifties, lean and withered, with several wrinkles crossing his caramel-colored face.

"Uncle, could you do me a favor? I'm here to find a friend."

Unconvinced, the watchman raised his lamp and peered past Jiang Xiaodao's back.

Jiang Xiaodao chuckled. "Stop looking, Uncle. I really did come by myself."

The watchman looked him up and down and asked suspiciously, "In the middle of the night, who are you looking for?"

"Do you have a guy here named Zhang, given name Zongchang, or maybe Zhongchang? The one who speaks Russian, pretty tall, with a non-local accent."

"Ah!" The watchman instantly understood. "You mean Big Man Zhang! What do you want with him?"

"Nothing major, just looking to ask him about someone."

"At this hour, everyone's asleep. Come back tomorrow!"

Jiang Xiaodao knew how things worked and didn't waste his breath. He casually fished a silver Dragon dollar from his bosom and shoved it into the watchman's hand.

"Heh heh, Uncle, do me this favor. Tomorrow morning I have to go on a long journey and might not be able to see him."

The watchman weighed the silver dollar in his hand, feeling quite pleased.

"Seeing as you've traveled a long way, it's been tough on you. I'll go ask for you. By the way, what's your name?"

"Jiang Xiaodao."

"Alright, then wait here. Don't wander off!"

"No way! I won't!" Jiang Xiaodao agreed with a cheeky smile.

The watchman turned around and headed toward the work sheds.

Watching the old watchman leave, Jiang Xiaodao squatted down by the railway tracks to wait. Having nothing better to do, he picked up small pebbles from the roadside and lined them up one by one on the rail.

Just as the line of pebbles reached two feet in length, some commotion came from the direction of the sheds.

Jiang Xiaodao hurriedly stood up and saw Zhang Zongchang pulling up the waistband of his cotton trousers while grumbling and muttering angrily, "Damn it, which bastard isn't sleeping in the middle of the night and came to bother me!"

"Brother Zhang!"

Hearing the sound and lifting his eyes, Zhang Zongchang was somewhat surprised, then quickly bounded over in two strides.

"Ah, brother, it's you! Why are you back again? Didn't I tell you to go hide out in the countryside!"

Jiang Xiaodao smiled in response and said, "I heard the situation had quieted down here, so I thought I'd come back to see you."

Zhang Zongchang laughed heartily, patted Xiaodao on the shoulder, and beamed, "Thank you, brother, for still remembering me! You've come at just the right time. Yesterday I composed a new poem and was worrying that there was no one to appreciate it with me. Let's share it with you first, brother."

You could tell this fellow truly loved poetry and literature.

Yet Jiang Xiaodao had no such leisure and could only say, "Brother Zhang, let's talk about the poetry later. I have some business with you!"

"Bah! Brother, between us, we are friends through poetry and prose. Let me recite this poem first, and then you can speak of your business. Rest assured, as long as it's within my power, I will not refuse!"

What could he do? Just listen!

"Brother Zhang, please proceed!"

Zhang Zongchang cleared his throat and recited solemnly to the moon:

"What is that flying in the sky, a pile here and a pile there?
Could it be the Jade Emperor covering his golden palace, sifting lime over there, sifting lime over there?"

When he finished, Zhang Zongchang burst into hearty laughter and asked, "Brother, can you guess what I'm describing?"

Jiang Xiaodao was sweating profusely with nowhere to wipe it. After thinking for a long time, he stammered a guess, "Uh... could it be snow?"

"Hahahaha!" Zhang Zongchang threw an arm around Jiang Xiaodao's shoulders. "I knew it! We are 'bosom friends separated only by the oceans'! He who knows me is Brother Jiang!"

"Brother Zhang, you flatter me too much. At best, I'm just a fart in the wind, blowing blindly!" Jiang Xiaodao accompanied the remark with a silly laugh. "Now, can we talk about my business?"

"Speak!" Zhang Zongchang patted his chest. "A scholar dies for his bosom friend! Whatever it is, just say it!"

"Brother Zhang, Old Cui, do you still remember him?"

"Of course I remember, isn't he the one who dumps the garbage in my crew?"

"No, no." Jiang Xiaodao waved his hands hurriedly. "I mean the Old Cui who was with me—the one dragged away by the Russians at the entrance of the Changfeng Escort Agency on the fifth day of the first lunar month!"

Zhang Zongchang was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "Oh right, right, right, there does seem to be such a person."

Without another word, Jiang Xiaodao immediately dumped all the gold and silver jewelry from his arms.

"Brother Zhang, I have a little money here. Can you pull some strings with the Russians and help me redeem him?"