Chapter 20: The Road Ahead is Treacherous

Not long after, Ermao woke up. He hadn't slept well on the tree, constantly worried about falling off. Additionally, the mosquitoes were relentless without the protection of smoke to keep them at bay, and they buzzed around him, filling the air with their sound.

Looking down at the ground, he saw that the dog was still lying there, being tormented by the mosquitoes, which had also not spared it. The dog was shaking its head and wagging its tail in an attempt to shake off the insects.

The surroundings were still dark, and Ermao dared not climb down. To avoid the mosquitoes, he decided to leave his belongings at a lower spot and climbed higher up into the tree.

Once high enough, Ermao began snapping off branches. At first, he only intended to break the branches to allow the mountain breeze to blow through, but then he had an idea. He could use these branches to build a platform for himself, so he set to work. After a while, he had created a square platform about three feet on each side, with large branches behind it for support. Now he could sit comfortably without fearing a fall.

What surprised him most was that without the dense leaves blocking the way, the mountain breeze blew directly to him, cooling him down and keeping the mosquitoes away.

Finally settled, Ermao thought about the Cripple. Over the years, the Cripple had taught him so many things, some of which Ermao had enjoyed learning on his own, while others were lessons the Cripple had forced him to learn. Climbing trees was one of them. In the past, to get Ermao to learn, the Cripple had often used a small stick to hit him under the tree.

Thinking of the Cripple, Ermao sighed deeply, wondering where he was now and whether he had reunited with his companions.

Before long, Ermao fell asleep again. But since he was high up in the tree, he did not sleep soundly, always worrying about falling. He woke up several times throughout the night. It wasn't until he came up with the idea to untie the rope around his waist and tie himself to a branch that he could sleep for a short while.

The summer days dawn early, and by the time it was five o'clock, the sky had already brightened. Ermao climbed down from the tree, packed up his things, and prepared to continue his journey.

It was only then that he got a good look at the dog under the tree. It was a stray, malnourished and covered in patches of missing fur. Most of its body was bald, with some grayish-white fur left around its neck and legs.

The dog was wary of people. As soon as Ermao climbed down from the tree, the dog moved away. While Ermao packed, the dog watched him from a distance. Once Ermao shouldered his belongings and began to walk, the dog silently followed from behind.

Noticing that the dog had been following him, Ermao stopped and turned around. He intended to wave it off, but then he suddenly remembered that it was a stray dog. Where would its "home" be?

When Ermao turned around, the dog instinctively tried to run away, but then noticed that Ermao meant no harm and wagged its tail.

After a brief hesitation, Ermao decided to adopt it. Although it was a stray, the dog seemed smart. The road to Liangzhou was long, and having the dog with him would at least give him some company.

Making up his mind, Ermao squatted down and took out a piece of burned bread from his bag to lure the dog. The dog cautiously approached, but remained wary, never coming too close.

As the dog got closer, Ermao saw something that made his heart ache: the dog was covered in numerous small blood-sucking ticks. Though small, these ticks were deadly, and if left untreated, the dog would likely have perished in a few days.

Ermao wanted to help the dog by removing the ticks, but the dog remained too cautious, never allowing him to get too close. He had no choice but to give up for now. The dog had obviously been beaten before and was still fearful of people.

When Ermao set off again, the dog continued to follow, but now it was closer, only about five or six steps behind.

As they walked, the number of people on the road increased, some on horseback, some in carts, and some carrying burdens on their shoulders. Although the world was unstable, this was still an official road, and few dared to commit crimes along it.

Approaching midday, a peddler came up behind them. He was around forty, reeking of alcohol.

"Little brother, traveling alone?" the peddler asked, trying to make conversation.

Ermao turned his head and glanced at him. Over the years, he had seen all kinds of people while following the Cripple. He had learned to read people well, and the moment he saw the man with a red nose and rat-like eyes, he knew he wasn't a good person.

Despite his young age, Ermao was experienced in the ways of the world. He smiled casually, "Yes, I'm alone. No companions."

The peddler seemed surprised by the answer. He pointed to the stray dog behind Ermao. "That dog isn't yours, is it?"

"What's it to you, whether it is or isn't?" Ermao replied, his tone not friendly.

The peddler chuckled. "If it's not yours, we could catch it. Though it's skinny, it's still got a bit of meat left on it." He patted the wine bottle on his waist. "I've got some liquor here. I could share some with you."

Ermao stopped and frowned. "It wasn't mine before, but it is now."

Seeing the coldness in Ermao's tone, the peddler was irritated. However, after sizing up Ermao, he noticed the hilt of a knife sticking out of Ermao's bundle. He thought Ermao might be skilled in martial arts, so he didn't dare provoke him further. Instead, he awkwardly apologized and quickly left.

Ermao watched the peddler walk away before turning around and speaking to the dog that was still watching from a distance. "I saved your life, you owe me a favor."

The dog didn't respond, instead going to the side of the road to relieve itself.

Under the scorching midday sun, Ermao found a pine grove to rest. The dog lay nearby, panting.

Ermao had a large gourd with water. Seeing that the dog was thirsty, he took out a ceramic bowl and poured some water for it. However, the dog was still wary of him and quickly backed away when he approached.

Ermao had no choice but to leave the bowl behind and return to his spot, lost in thought. He was thinking about the Cripple, who had always taught him to treat others as potential threats until he understood them. The dog was just doing what the Cripple had taught him.

After a while, the dog returned to drink the water. Seeing the ticks on its body, Ermao felt disgusted and wished he could immediately remove them, but the dog still didn't trust him enough to come close.

Since he had enough food, Ermao took out another piece of burned bread, ate half, and then gave the other half to the dog. To gain the dog's trust, he broke the bread into smaller pieces, gradually shortening the distance between them.

By the time he had finished feeding the dog, it had come closer, but Ermao didn't rush to touch it. He knew that if he reached out now, the dog would likely run away. He had to be patient.

After resting for a bit, Ermao packed up the ceramic bowl and resumed his journey, with the dog following close behind.

Having learned from the previous day, Ermao didn't wait until sunset to find a place to rest. Soon, a village appeared ahead. Ermao initially thought of stopping near the village, but then decided to move further away. He was more afraid of bad people than wild animals.

Although Ermao carried a fire starter, he didn't dare make a fire without the Cripple by his side, since the light from a fire could expose his location. People might not always be friendly, and he didn't want to take unnecessary risks.

Luckily, Ermao had prepared for sleeping outdoors, and he had gathered plenty of wormwood along the way. The herb could help keep the mosquitoes away. He and the dog spent the night like this.

The next morning, they continued on their way. The dog stuck close to Ermao, but Ermao didn't rush to reach out. He simply walked at a quick pace, allowing the dog to follow.

Around midday, they came upon a river. Some rivers had wild grasses growing along the banks, but this one had clean sandbars on both sides.

Ermao set down his bag and washed his face in the river. While the dog drank, Ermao carefully approached it and gently petted it. This time, the dog didn't resist. Ermao took the opportunity to continue petting it, slowly building trust.

Once Ermao felt that the dog trusted him enough, he went to find a smooth stone and began removing the ticks from the dog's body. The dog knew Ermao was helping and lay still while he worked.

It took over half an hour, but eventually, Ermao had removed all the ticks—over two hundred in total. He tried several names like Huzi, Wangcai, and Laifu, but the dog didn't respond to any of them. Ermao then decided to give it a name: Guolai, since the dog seemed to understand the command "come here."

Despite being emaciated, the dog's belly was not sunken, suggesting it might be pregnant.

The sandbars were clean and dry, so Ermao spread out his belongings to dry in the sun. He also dug a small hole in the sand for water to collect.

Once he finished these tasks, Ermao took a bath in the river. The dog stayed nearby, watching him.

Ermao knew how to catch river clams and fish—skills the Cripple had taught him. Thinking back, the Cripple had likely known long ago that one day he would leave Ermao and had taught him these skills to ensure he could survive on his own.

Ermao caught some clams and made a fire on the sandbar to cook them. He also used the fire to dry his bread, since the humidity in the summer could cause it to mold. Additionally, he used the ashes to wash his hair—something most poor people did, since only the wealthy could afford soap.

After the dog finished eating, Ermao took it to the water's edge to clean it. The dog's condition was severe, and after washing it, a lot of dead skin came off, leaving the dog almost completely bald.

Ermao carefully applied some wood ash to the dog's skin, a folk remedy for treating scabs.

Once he had finished, he filled his gourd with water from the sandpit and continued his journey with the dog.

After walking a few miles, they came upon a village. Something was going on there, as there was shouting and commotion, with chickens and dogs running around.

Although Ermao didn't know what was happening, he knew it was best to avoid getting involved. As he quickly passed by, a group of officials emerged from the village, leading a group of prisoners.

Seeing Ermao, the leader immediately pointed at him. "There's another one, grab him!"

At this moment, Ermao had no idea what was happening, but he knew they were referring to him. There was no time to run, so he had to act quickly and cleverly to deal with the situation.

The leader ordered one of the soldiers to chase after Ermao.

Ermao, noticing two key details—the people being arrested were all young, and an old woman at the back was crying about losing her last son—quickly deduced that the officials were conscripting labor.

In a split second, Ermao had an idea. He stepped back a few steps, hid from their view, and threw a handful of cowrie shells into the grass nearby.

The soldier, thinking Ermao was trying to run, hurried toward the sound, only to find that Ermao hadn't escaped.

As the soldier approached to grab him, Ermao quickly handed over his money pouch and whispered, "Please spare me, I'm blind."

The soldier initially sneered, but when he looked around and realized the spot was out of view from the north, he took the pouch and stuffed it into his own pocket. He yelled back, "Damn it, how is he blind?"

Ermao breathed a sigh of relief. He had gotten away with it, and the soldier seemed to believe his story.

The soldier then warned, "We're heading east, stay out of our way."

Before Ermao could reply, the soldier kicked him into a nearby ditch, shouting, "Blind bastard, stay out of the way."

The ditch was deep, filled with weeds and bushes. After falling in, Ermao lay still, not daring to move. When the soldiers finally left, Ermao cautiously climbed out of the ditch and searched the grass for the cowrie shells he had thrown earlier.

He found six of them, but he knew there were more he had lost. There was no time to search further—had he handed over a bag of money instead of the shells, the soldier would have thought he was hiding more money. By giving up the pouch, he had made it seem like he was empty-handed.

Though he had narrowly escaped, Ermao couldn't shake the fear. The road ahead to Liangzhou was long, and he was alone. He knew the risks were great, and he needed to be even more careful.