The man took out his stubby pistol and fired three flares into the sky above the opposite bank, where the red flag stopped waving and a bunch of little black men began running around on the silvery surface of the river.
Lu Liren looked at his watch. “Launch the raft!”
The two soldiers loosened their grip on the ropes, as Zunlong pushed off with his spade and the soldiers began swishing their spades in the water. The raft eased out into the river and quickly turned sideways as the current dragged it downriver. As if flying a kite, the two soldiers on the dike fed out as much of the ropes as they could.
On the opposite bank the men stared anxiously at the raft. Lu Liren took off his glasses and gave them a quick wipe with his sleeve; he had a faraway look in his eyes, which were circled with white rims, like one of those birds that feed on loaches. He draped the cords that served as shafts for his eyeglasses over his ears, which had already been rubbed raw. Out on the river, the raft turned sideways; lacking experience in raft navigation, the soldiers wielded their spades this way and that, sending murky water splashing onto the raft and soaking the clothing of everybody aboard. Babbitt, his hands still bound, cried out fearfully; Sixth Sister held on to him for dear life. From where he stood at the rear, Zunlong shouted, “Easy there, men, easy. Stop flailing like that, work together, that’s the key!” Lu Liren fired a couple of shots in the air, and the soldiers’ heads jerked up. “Follow Zunlong’s cadence, work together!” Zunlong said. “Easy there, men, on my count: one-two, one-two, one-two, nice and easy, one-two
The raft eased out into the middle of the river and spurted downstream. Babbitt and Sixth Sister let the waves wash over them. The two soldiers holding the ropes shouted, “Commander, there’s no more rope to let out!” By then, the raft was a good hundred yards downstream, and the rope was taut as a wire. The soldiers wrapped the ends around their arms; the ropes bit deeply into their flesh. They were leaning so far backward they were nearly lying down, and their heels began to slip in the mud; they were suddenly in danger of being dragged down into the water. They screamed as the raft began to tip to one side. “Hurry up, start running!” Lu Liren shouted. “Run, I said, you bastards!” Stumbling at first, the two soldiers took off running, as the men at the foot of the dike scrambled to get out of the way. A bit of slack opened up, and the raft recommenced its rapid descent downstream. Zunlong kept shouting his cadence, as the soldiers on the sides bent at the waist and rowed with all their might, their movements gradually coming together, so that as the raft continued downstream, it also moved closer to the opposite bank.
A moment earlier, when the raft was in danger of tipping over, and all eyes were on the river, Sima Liang had put down his bowl and said softly, “Dad, turn around.” Sima Ku, who was still chewing his flatcake, turned to face the river. Sima Liang ran up behind him, took out a little bone-handled knife – the one Babbitt had given to me – and began cutting the rope that bound his father’s hands, concentrating on the part closest to his body, and not all the way through. While he worked on the rope, Mother prayed loudly, “Dear Lord, show us Thy mercy and see my daughter and son-in-law safely across the river, dear merciful Lord.” I heard Sima Liang whisper, “You can break the rope now, Dad.” He then turned, quickly slipped the knife back into his pocket, and picked the bowl up again. Laidi continued feeding Sima Ku. Meanwhile, the raft, which was now several hundred yards downstream, eased up to the opposite bank.
Lu Liren walked over and glanced scornfully at Sima Ku. “You’ve got quite an appetite.”
Sima Ku muttered as he chewed, “My mother-in-law made them with her own hands and my sister-in-law is feeding me, so why wouldn’t I eat? I’ll never have another chance to eat this much food and in this manner again. How about some paste?”
Laidi squeezed the tip of the scallion out beyond the edge of the flatcake and dipped it in the bowl of paste Sima Liang was holding, then held it up to Sima Ku’s mouth. He took an exaggerated bite and chewed hungrily.
Lu Liren shook his head scornfully and walked over to where we were standing. Mother picked up Shengli and held her in his arms. The baby cried and fought to get free; Lu Liren backed up awkwardly. “Brother Sima,” he said, “I envy you, but I can’t be like you.”
Sima Ku swallowed the food in his mouth. “That’s an insult, Commander Lu. You’re the victor, which makes you king. You’re the cleaver and I’m the meat. You can slice me up or chop me to pieces, and still you mock me.”
“I’m not mocking you,” Lu Liren said. “The truth is, when you get to headquarters, you’ll have a chance to atone for your crimes. But if resistance is all you can manage, I’m afraid you won’t like the outcome.”
“I’ve lived a good life, with plenty of good food and good times, and I’m ready to die. But I’ll have to leave my children in your hands.”
“You can rest easy on that score,” Lu Liren said. “If not for the war, you and I would be proper relatives.”
“You’re an intellectual,” Sima Ku said, “and what you say sounds almost sacred. But being relatives like that can only come from sleeping with certain women.” He laughed, yet I noticed that his arms didn’t move.
The soldiers holding the ropes returned. On the opposite bank, the oarsmen-soldiers and the prisoner escorts were hauling the raft back upstream. After they’d gone some distance, they began rowing back toward us. This time they made good speed, now that they’d had practice, and were better coordinated with the two soldiers on this side. They sped across the river.
“Brother Sima,” Lu Liren said, “mealtime’s almost over.”
Sima Ku belched. “That’s enough for me. Thanks, Mother-in-law. You too, Sister-in-law and Yunii. Son, you’ve been holding that bowl all this time. Thank you. Feng, Huang, be sure to listen to your grandmother and aunt. In a pinch, go look up Fifth Aunt. Everything’s going her way these days, while your father has fallen on hard times.
Little Uncle, grow up good and strong. You were your second sister’s favorite. She often said that Jintong is going to be someone special someday, so show us she was right.”
My nose began to ache out of sadness.
The raft nudged up to the bank; the head of the prisoner escort team, a confident-looking man, was seated in the middle. He jumped ashore and saluted Lu Liren, who returned the salute. They shook hands like old friends.
“Old Lu,” the man said, “you fought well. Commander Yu is delighted, and Commissar Song knows all about it.” He took a letter out of the leather pouch at his belt and handed it to Lu Liren, who took it and tossed a silver pistol into the man’s pouch. “Here’s a war trophy for little Lan.” “I thank you for her,” the man said. Lu Liren then said, “Hand it over.” The man froze. “Hand what over?” “The receipt for the prisoners.” The man fished around in his pouch for pen and paper and wrote out a hurried receipt, which he handed to Lu. “You’re very meticulous,” he said. Lu Liren laughed. “No matter how clever the trickster monkey is, he can’t outwit the Buddha.” “Then I must be the trickster monkey,” the man said. “No, I am,” Lu replied. They slapped hands and laughed. Then the man said softly, “Old Lu, I hear you got your hands on a movie projector. Headquarters knows about that too.” “You folks have long ears,” Lu said. “When you go back, tell your superiors we’ll send it over with a projectionist once the flood-waters subside.”
“Damn,” Sima Ku said under his breath. “The tiger kills the prey just so the bear can eat.”
“What did you say?” the escort officer asked, clearly displeased.
“Nothing.”
“If I’m not mistaken, you’ll be the famous Sima Ku.” “In person,” Sima said.