Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Finally, dawn broke. Cheng Dong was dizzy and nauseous. He rubbed his nose and wiped the two tubes of snot on the tattered quilt.

"My head hurts so much, I really want to find a bed and take a nap!" Cheng Dong sighed helplessly, touching his burning forehead.

Overconfident in his superior physical condition, Cheng Dong didn't bring any of the usual cold medicines. Now, his body is experiencing alternating chills and fever, making him feel terrible. Cheng Dong is kicking himself and regretting his decision!

The place was in the middle of nowhere, so he didn't linger and drove for dozens of kilometers before finally stopping the car in front of a bamboo grove by the roadside.

Seeing the wisps of smoke rising from the depths of the bamboo forest, Cheng Dong was overjoyed. He took a deep breath and stumbled toward the farmhouse behind it.

"Hey fellow villager, do you have anything to eat?"

Cheng Dong's face was pale and his voice was hoarse. His sudden visit startled the burly man with thick eyebrows in front of him.

"This isn't a restaurant, what do you want...?" Knowing that the other person was from out of town, the burly man with thick eyebrows became wary and said somewhat unhappily.

Seeing that the other person seemed a little nervous, Cheng Dong slapped his forehead and immediately pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "Fellow villager, please take these two packs of cigarettes, and give me some boiled water, okay?"

The burly man with thick eyebrows hesitated before accepting the cigarette, but the woman behind him, leading her youngest son, came forward. Seeing Cheng Dong's weak appearance and dark circles under his eyes, she seemed to take pity on him and quickly stepped forward, saying, "What are you doing? Have some hot water and rest your feet. Do you think we'd take a few packs of cigarettes from you?"

After saying that, the capable hostess warmly welcomed Cheng Dong into her home. Not only that, she also served Cheng Dong a large bowl of wontons and two sausages, which moved Cheng Dong to tears.

After expressing his gratitude, Cheng Dong began to enjoy the food. Seeing him wolfing it down, the family of three squinted their eyes and couldn't stop laughing.

"Thank you so much! I haven't had such a delicious meal on this trip! You must accept this money!" After eating and drinking his fill, Cheng Dong's face slowly regained its color. He placed the crumpled fifty yuan in cash on the dining table and then thanked the family profusely.

"Don't be so polite. You don't seem like a bad person. With the heavy snow these past few days, many out-of-towners have been stuck on the mountain roads. You must be one of them, right?" The hostess first waved to Cheng Dong, and then began to subtly inquire about his background.

Cheng Dong didn't hide anything and told the other party about his experience of getting lost in the mountains these past few days. Of course, he didn't mention the tobacco resale business at all, only saying that he was a self-employed individual who came to Sichuan to do business.

"We can't just take this money for nothing. Look, I see you've caught a cold. If you don't mind, why don't you stay at my place for a couple of days until the snow stops and the roads are clear again?" The man, who also drove a car, naturally wanted to help in this situation.

"Then... thank you so much!" Cheng Dong clasped his hands together in gratitude. He really didn't expect the host to let him stay overnight. It seems that the people of Sichuan are truly simple and honest!

And so, Cheng Dong took a temporary rest at Brother Liu Man's house. Besides focusing on recuperating, he also helped his host family with whatever chores he could manage. Cheng Dong was knowledgeable and loved to chat, so the host family's youngest son was very fond of him and followed him around all day. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him Cheng Dong's little fanboy.

A few days later, the weather warmed up, the mountain roads reopened, and Cheng Dong had fully recovered. It seemed that the time had finally come to start anew.

"Brother Liu, sister-in-law, thank you so much for your hospitality these past few days. I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, but I really don't have much cash left. You must keep these two cartons of cigarettes!" Although he was in trouble, Cheng Dong was still generous. These two cartons of Marlboro were not counterfeit; they were top-quality products that he had carefully selected.

"Brother, don't be shy with us. If you come back to our place again, stay here with us. Here, take this map. Just follow the route on it, and you'll definitely be able to get home!" Brother Liu Man didn't stand on ceremony with Cheng Dong. He took the cigarette and handed Cheng Dong a map.

After spending a few days together, the couple had guessed that Cheng Dong was a tobacco dealer. However, they did not dislike this outsider. Both of them were long-time smokers, and the cigarettes he offered were all genuine. This alone was enough to prove Cheng Dong's character.

When it was time to leave, the most heartbroken person was probably the host's youngest son, Liu Xiaotao. The little boy was very attached to this "uninvited guest," and when he learned that the other party was leaving, he even cried. In the end, it took Liu Man's wife a lot of comforting to calm him down.

"Uncle, take all these sausages with you. You can eat a couple when you're hungry. If you have time, come to my house again, and we can play horseback riding!" Liu Xiaotao said in his childish voice, and then stuffed a big string of sausages into Cheng Dong's car.

Upon receiving the sausage, Cheng Dong was at a loss for words. His nose tingled, and he almost burst into tears.

The moment the engine started, Cheng Dong suddenly had an idea. He decided that after this job, he would find a legitimate job and live an upright life, never again engaging in the tobacco resale business...

Thanks to Brother Liu Man's map, Cheng Dong avoided many dangerous sections of the road and arrived in northern Shaanxi in less than a day.

The road was easier to travel, but Cheng Dong became increasingly anxious. The highway exit at the Luoshan border was just a stone's throw away. According to industry insiders, anti-smuggling police were stationed at this station. If he got caught, not only would the trip be in vain, but he might also face legal trouble.

"Father, please bless me! Father, please bless me! This is the last hurdle; please let me get through it safely!"

Cheng Dong was filled with anxiety. Just when he feared something terrible was about to happen, a policeman was standing on each ramp of the passageway, seemingly conducting random checks.

Cheng Dong's red van was quite conspicuous on the ramp, but at this point, there was no other way but to follow the flow of traffic and grit his teeth and drive toward the checkpoint.

"Stop the truck, please show your identification!" A young law enforcement officer stopped the bread truck and signaled Cheng Dong to pull over.

Cheng Dong was uneasy, but he pretended to be nonchalant, reached into his pocket, and handed his ID card and driver's license to the young police officer.

Just as the young police officer was carefully checking the documents, a dog suddenly barked from the side. Cheng Dong glanced over and saw a drug-sniffing police dog rushing towards the bread truck. If the armed police behind hadn't been pulling hard on the dog's leash, the dog would probably have already jumped into the bread truck!

Seeing this, Cheng Dong thought to himself, "This is bad." He reached into his pocket to take out a cigarette, intending to light one up with the young police officer in front of him and try to get closer to him. But this unnecessary action caused the other party to react violently.

"Don't move! Move again, and I'll kill you!" The young police officer suddenly drew his sidearm, and his shout startled Cheng Dong so much that he almost lost his mind.

"Boss, I just wanted to offer you a cigarette, that's all..." Cheng Dong's explanation was rather weak and unconvincing.

The barking of the police dogs completely drowned out his voice.

"Stop talking nonsense! Hands on your head! Get out of the car! Submit an inspection!" The young police officer pressed a gun to Cheng Dong's head, while the armed police cooperated well, opening the front and rear doors. An impatient police dog leaped into the back of the car.

This doesn't look like an anti-smuggling operation; it's clearly an arrest of armed drug traffickers!

Cheng Dong's mind was buzzing. He didn't dare to say anything more and could only cover his head with his hands and crawl out of the car.

Seeing Cheng Dong obediently crouching on the ground with his head in his hands, the young police officer asked sternly, "What's in the car? Where did you leave from and where are you going? Are there any people traveling with you?"

This barrage of questions made Cheng Dong tremble all over. He stammered, unsure of what to answer.

While Cheng Dong was being questioned, the police dog was also busy. This purebred German Border Collie pulled all the large boxes of cigarettes in the carriage to the ground and then dismantled them one by one.

Seeing the cigarettes that had been neatly packaged and ruined, Cheng Dong's heart broke. These goods represented nearly two months of his hard work!

"Besides these smuggled cigarettes, are there any other contraband items in the car?" the young police officer asked again.

"Sir, I... I'm just a truck driver, I haven't done anything illegal. You've got a gun and a police dog, are you treating me like a wanted criminal?" Cheng Dong looked up at the law enforcement officers and argued.

"Whether someone is a wanted criminal or not, we can find out with a simple check. Now, I'll ask you one more time: besides these smuggled cigarettes, are there any other contraband items in the car?"