novelSusiti Chapter 3 The Situation in Luzon
Chapter 3 The Situation in Luzon
"That's more like it!"
Chen Feng stomped hard on the severed braid in the gravel, crushing the broken hair beyond recognition, but he felt that his breathing became easier.
Seeing that he did nothing else besides cutting his hair, the foreign woman stopped backing away, but remained wary.
"Here you go!"
With a flick of his wrist, Chen Feng sent the dagger flying with a whooshing sound, embedding itself firmly in the gravel at the foreign woman's feet. Half of the blade remained embedded in the earth, trembling and gleaming coldly.
"rude!"
The foreign woman gritted her teeth and cursed under her breath. She squatted down, pulled out a dagger, and gripped it tightly in her hand, her eyes still filled with fear.
Chen Feng curled his lip, too lazy to pay attention, and turned to see Wang Muning comforting the crying Wu Dequan, so he walked straight into the woods.
I wonder if those two little devils swam to shore or not?
Hopefully, this isn't some deserted island!
I'm afraid of ending up like Robinson Crusoe, stranded on a deserted island for twenty-eight years; that would be worse than death...
Will you stay in Luzon to find a way out, or look for an opportunity to return to your homeland?
Chen Feng's mind was filled with thoughts. His footsteps were uneven as he stepped on the fallen leaves. The cracking sound of the dry branches breaking was incessant. The air was filled with a damp, rotten smell, making it hard to breathe.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the sound of the waves had long since disappeared, and only the occasional bird calls could be heard in the forest, creating an eerie silence.
It seems the only solution is to find a way to catch fish.
Without bows and arrows or firearms, even if there are wild animals, they may not be able to be captured.
Chen Feng shook his head and was about to turn back when he suddenly heard faint voices in the distance:
"Awen, go check out the port tomorrow."
"Awu, are you crazy? There's a war going on over there. Going there is just asking for death!"
......
His accent was a bit strange, and his voice sounded somewhat immature.
Chen Feng's face lit up with joy. He reached out and pushed aside the branches blocking his path, hurrying towards the source of the sound.
Before long, the forest opened up, and a small stream appeared before us, where two boys of about fifteen or sixteen years old were resting on a blue stone.
Both men were of medium build, with neat short hair, carrying short bows, and wearing patched quivers at their waists.
Before the bluestone lay the corpse of a monkey, an arrow stuck between its eyebrows, its fur soaked in blood, and it was already lifeless.
"Excellent archery skills!" Chen Feng couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Who?"
The boy called Awen suddenly stood up, instantly raised his short bow, nocked an arrow, and pointed the arrowhead directly at Chen Feng, his eyes wary.
Another boy pulled a dagger from his leg, bent slightly, and was tense all over, as if he might pounce at any moment.
Chen Feng quickly stopped, spread his arms to indicate he meant no harm, and said in a deep voice, "My name is Chen Feng. I was shipwrecked and ended up here. May I ask your honorable names, brothers?"
Upon hearing the familiar Mandarin, the two boys simultaneously relaxed.
Awen put away his shortbow and replied, "My name is Zhang Xiuwen, and this is my younger brother, Zhang Xiuwu. Where are you from? Judging from your accent, you're not from around here."
Chen Feng had nothing to hide and said frankly, "I came to Luzon from Tianjin by ship to visit relatives, but I didn't expect there to be fighting in Manila. My ship was hit by a stray bullet, which is why I ended up here."
"What kind of place is Tianjin?" Zhang Xiuwu asked curiously.
Before Chen Feng could answer, Zhang Xiuwen sneered, "I told you to study, but you wouldn't listen. You don't even know where Tianjin is."
"Then where do you think it is?" Zhang Xiuwu retorted defiantly.
Zhang Xiuwen, head held high, said smugly, "North of Luzon is Taiwan, further north is Fujian, and even further north is Tianjin!"
this......
You didn't study very hard, did you?
Chen Feng suppressed a laugh and followed his words, saying, "Young man, you're right. Tianjin is indeed north of Fujian."
Zhang Xiuwen patted Zhang Xiuwu on the shoulder: "Little brother, just stay home and study tomorrow. Don't even think about going to Manila."
"Hmph! You were just born a little earlier than me..."
......
The two brothers immediately started arguing, and it went on and on.
Chen Feng, impatient with their bickering, interrupted, "Young men, how far is it from here to Manila?"
"If we take the main road, it's a day's journey. I can lead the way," Zhang Xiuwu answered first.
"You're supposed to lead the way? The road is so wide, how could we possibly get lost?" Zhang Xiuwen retorted to his younger brother, adding, "He said it takes a day to get from our house to Manila, which is more than half a day from here."
Less than forty kilometers.
Thankfully, they didn't end up in a remote area!
Chen Feng secretly rejoiced, then interrupted the two brothers who were about to argue again, asking, "I have a few more companions on the beach. Could you two wait for me a moment and take us with you?"
"Are there any indigenous people?"
"We're not bringing any natives!"
The two brothers shouted at the same time.
Chen Feng shook his head: "There were no natives, only one foreign woman, two foreign men, and me, making a total of five Chinese."
"Okay, we'll wait for you here."
"I'll go with you."
The two brothers spoke at the same time.
Zhang Xiuwen glared at his younger brother and changed his mind, saying, "Then you go with him to take a look, but be careful."
"It's less than a mile, don't worry!"
Chen Feng was happy to have someone accompany him, as it would allow him to learn more about Luzon.
Along the way, Zhang Xiuwu told us that there are currently three major Chinese families in Luzon. The most powerful is the Zheng family, who migrated there in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and are said to be descendants of Zheng Zhilong.
Secondly, there is the Wang family. After several massacres of Chinese people, they became very secretive about their origins, and had long since changed their customs, learning foreign languages, wearing Western clothes, and following the Spanish authorities in everything.
The third is the Shi family, who have only been in Luzon for a few decades. They are said to be remnants of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom who migrated here to escape persecution by the Manchus.
Inside Manila, although there were conflicts between the Chinese and the indigenous people, they had not yet reached the point of resorting to violence; but outside the city, the two were sworn enemies.
The Chinese are hardworking and wealthy, while the indigenous people are lazy and poor, leading to constant conflicts.
According to Zhang Xiuwu, if they encountered a single native, they would not hesitate to shoot arrows and kill them.
"Aren't you afraid of the authorities?" Chen Feng asked.
Zhang Xiuwu gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "What's there to be afraid of? In this desolate wilderness, if we encounter a few natives, we'll all die anyway."
"Then you still dare to sneak out to hunt?" Chen Feng pushed aside the bushes blocking his way, and the beach came into view.
Zhang Xiuwu scoffed, his eyes gleaming with youthful arrogance: "Cowards don't deserve to live!"
"Well said!"
No sooner had Chen Feng finished speaking than Wang Muning rushed over, her voice trembling with tears: "Senior brother, where have you been? Why are you only coming back now!"
"This is Zhang Xiuwu, a friend I met on the way." Chen Feng gently rubbed her forehead.
"Is this your junior sister?" Zhang Xiuwu asked with a smile, his eyes filled with curiosity.
Upon being exposed as a woman, a flicker of panic crossed Wang Muning's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and nodded, saying, "Hello, Brother Zhang, I am Wang Muning."
"Hello!" Zhang Xiuwu smiled and nodded in response.
At this moment, the two Chinese men noticed Chen Feng's short hair, and their expressions changed drastically.
One of the burly men walked straight over, adopted an official tone, and sternly demanded, "How dare you! You actually cut off your queue? Don't you want to live?!"
"None of your business!" Chen Feng glared at the man.