II. Ghost City Jiangling
The dawn here is eerily quiet, though this phrase could be used to describe many places, but applying it to Jiangling would be absurd. In Jingzhou District, the roosters seem very lazy, but Mr. Pig is quite diligent. However, the roosters in Jiangling change people's negative impression of chickens; they crow very diligently, although no one knows whether their motivation is to find dignity in front of hens or to make the roosters of Jiangling famous in the greater Jingzhou region. Anyway, this group heard the rooster's call very early. Only a few strong ones were woken up by the rooster, and the rest got up as soon as they heard the rooster crowing. As the saying goes, "A day’s plan is made in the morning," walking in the early morning is indeed a kind of enjoyment. Although none of them have received any military training, all the big and small bags were on their shoulders before six o'clock. One's mood is greatly influenced by the environment; the same scenery can evoke vastly different feelings between night and morning. It was almost time to leave, so they looked back a few times. Immediately, they praised the hardworking roosters here, then set off on a new journey. The next stop was the county town of Jiangling.
At some point, they realized that this group actually didn't need to be divided into teams. Once they started walking, they naturally split into three standard groups. Peng Jia usually likes to walk at the front. Looking at his small, thin figure, one might think of the famous Sun Wukong, except he doesn’t have a hand free to hold a stick. A few days later, when he also felt difficulty walking and picked up a branch, he looked more like Daoist Peng. Dividing Sun Wukong out, Zheng Lü became Sha僧, not talking much and liking to lower his head and walk forward. His hands were hanging vertically all day, resulting in the peculiar sight of his hands getting tired before his feet. Zhang Wen belonged to the carefree school; making his hands immobile all day would be torture for him. Initially troubled by the water bottle and bag in his hands, he came up with a clever solution: tying everything onto his backpack, miraculously freeing both his hands. Thus, only Zhang Wen could update his mood and send text messages while walking. Not having bought a hat initially, he carried a paper fan that could be shaken, which, upon returning, was completely broken but had been a great contributor. Actually, in the Jiangling area, being able to keep your hands free has a deeper meaning—it means you can eat watermelon while walking, which is truly enjoyable. Fan and Zhou Liang seemed to stop and start the most frequently. As they put it, walking in front meant worrying about losing those behind, and walking behind meant worrying about those in front taking the wrong path. Saying such things was indeed stylish, like easily accelerating and decelerating, freely moving between the front and back, befitting someone who had already walked through here last year.
On the main road of Jiangling County, the view of "ape cries on both banks without stopping" is probably something we won't see. But since apes are too unfamiliar, a familiar animal appeared instead—its scientific name is “cow.” Don't be surprised; it was mentioned earlier that in Jingzhou District, all that was seen were “four unlike” creatures, and now fully developed cows were finally spotted. Further along the road, looking to the side, they saw watermelon peels and were excited for a moment, but upon closer inspection, it turned out that the cows here had watermelons to eat, indeed fortunate. This year, with heavy rains in the south, the water buffalo was sharply eating watermelons submerged in water, its posture even more carefree than Zhang Wen's.
Mentioning these cows again and the gray sky that seemed ready to cry brought to mind a high school reading passage called "A Picture of Smoke Rain and Cattle Egrets." It evoked a feeling of being enveloped in misty rain in Jiangnan. To complete the elements needed here, it wasn't long before light rain began to fall, giving the country roads ahead a misty feeling. The distant mountains and waters floated in the fog, appearing and disappearing, sometimes feeling like seeing mirages over the sea, sometimes like seeing the fairy mountain of Penglai far away. These mountains and waters were full of spirit, filled with a lively color everywhere. In rural areas, there were large areas of windbreak trees. These neatly aligned tall trees were like soldiers guarding the fields and small villages. These soldiers were shrouded in misty rain, looking from afar as if they were heavenly soldiers lined up, or like a formation welcoming this group of people. Occasionally, birds similar to egrets would gracefully float past them, between the mountains and waters, but sometimes solitary birds struggled to rise and fall in the air. Initially, the temperature was a bit high, but after a little rain, it began to drop, allowing them to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Faced with such a painting, those in front were already poetic, happily thinking about what kind of poems Su Dongpo would compose at such a time.
This group continued to slowly walk within this picture. Ten people, ten umbrellas, but only nine flowers bloomed in the air. In the drizzle, Zhang Wen still disliked using an umbrella, enjoying the feeling of the rain falling lightly on his body, a feeling of closeness to nature. Moreover, due to his unique experience of taking cold showers for several years, the heat inside his body dissipated quickly in the rain, drying as soon as it touched him. Later, the wettest part of his body was sweat-soaked rather than rain-soaked, which was indeed strange.
“Liu Peng, give me your phone.” An excited and urgent voice came from the front. Zhu Wenwen had discovered a beautiful lotus pond. The pale pink lotuses and light green lotus leaves complemented each other beautifully. In the drizzle, the flowers and leaves seemed to nod frequently, as if smiling, charmingly and brilliantly. They walked leisurely in the rain, resting whenever they were tired. When they ran out of water, they borrowed some from nearby residents, who were very friendly and kindly entertained them, which was comforting.
At this point, Zheng Lü began to notice some small problems. First, he found that his shoes could already raise goldfish. Fortunately, he seemed to have backup equipment. Then, he found that almost everything in his backpack was wet, which was somewhat serious, so he had to repackage everything with bags while seeking shelter at a farmer's house. Next, there is a difference between hands and feet. Feet can endure arduous struggles against gravity for the final victory, but his hands had been hanging all afternoon, and the feeling was "like drinking water, the warmth and coolness known only to oneself." Finally, the key problem was directed at Brother Dong. Brother Dong said, "First, survival; second, subsistence; third, development." Although conditions were tough, Comrade Zheng Lü didn't worry too much about survival. The heavy rains in the south had nothing to do with this, so ensuring food was the top priority. Mr. Zheng wasn't used to eating dry rations, and his stomach was always hungry. Looking around, there were no signs of supermarkets, but in the rain, every so often, someone would be selling watermelons under a tent, a scene that was somewhat heroic. Therefore, he had to conspire. Because buying a watermelon alone was unrealistic, especially since he couldn't even spare half a finger. He then approached Zhang Wen. Before the trip, he barely knew this guy, but after two days together, they felt familiar. At least, he should be more familiar than the waterlogged watermelons. Zhang Wen had a head full of novel ideas and was always open to new thoughts. Eating watermelon sounded interesting, so why not? Fortunately, his hands were free; he could hold a piece of watermelon in each hand, use another hand to carry something and hold an umbrella, allowing others to eat while walking. This idea was good and met with little resistance in practice. Eventually, Zheng Lü managed to eat one-sixth of the watermelon. Clearly, the four people ahead could only wait, and when Zhang Wen casually threw the last watermelon peel into the field, they could already see the county town of Jiangling.
An important thought of Brother Dong was "surrounding cities from the countryside." So one can imagine how excited the Red Army must have been when they finally saw Tianjin or Beijing after being in the countryside for so long. However, this group had slightly different thoughts. On one hand, some had wounds on their feet and hoped to reach the town soon, as the rain wasn't gentle anymore. On the other hand, looking back at the path they had come from, it was misty and green, dreamlike and unforgettable. Entering the town meant bidding farewell to that feeling, and they were somewhat reluctant to let go. Whether to let go or not, the road was underfoot and had to be walked. Goodbye had to be said, regardless of how disheveled they were or how interesting it was, the city of Jiangling was right in front of them, needing a break. At least, they had to change the conditions suitable for raising goldfish to ones suitable for cacti. Also, they had a tourist-like attitude towards Jiangling, but...
After entering Jiangling, they stayed in two small hostels. At this time, Peng Jia was pondering. Perhaps Peng Jia was too thoroughly revolutionary-minded, thinking that if they had come hiking, staying in a hostel was meaningless. In his heart, he wanted to find a place similar to where they stayed the previous night and just pitch a tent. Whether because he watched too many ancient martial arts films or wanted to try something new, he seemed eager to live like Robinson Crusoe for a couple of days. However, he soon discovered a small issue, which wasn't small in this context. For example, in Brother Dong's era, traveling in the mountains meant hunting rabbits and wild chickens, drinking river water directly, fishing with a line, and cooking fish over a fire, resembling travel in ancient martial arts films. Now, they learned from locals that even bird hunting was illegal, the river water couldn't be drunk, and it was infested with blood flukes—like being in prison! Going hunting? Understanding some differences afterward, Peng Jia's mind opened up. Times change, and things that need to change still must change.
After washing in the inn and solving the shoe problem—after all, it's better to have an environment suitable for cacti rather than goldfish—they finished dealing with matters and realized they were hungry. This feeling is quite common, like when you're engrossed in work and don't feel tired, but once done, you suddenly collapse from exhaustion. Apparently, the name Jiangling, like Jingzhou, carries significant historical importance and grandeur. Since they were from Jingzhou, they deeply understood that the devaluation of this place's name was no slower than the devaluation of the US dollar. Thinking about the name Jingzhou, it dates back to Emperor Shun dividing the land into nine states, one of which was the famous Jingzhou. During the Three Kingdoms period, it was even more remarkable, but ultimately, the glory faded, and today is not what it once was. So, they didn't have high hopes for the castle of Jiangling. Zhang Wen was starving and just wanted to find some rice or steamed buns to eat. Since they didn't have high expectations, they went out relatively cheerfully.
Upon exiting, they didn't see their ideal street of snacks and were a bit disappointed. Naturally, they circled the small city like JJ Lin, their eyes gleaming occasionally. Seeing a few "pavilion" characters from afar, they approached only to find hotels. Getting closer revealed what seemed to be six-star establishments, and there were several similar-looking six-star hotels in various places, which greatly surprised them. They thought Jiangling might be a place hiding dragons and tigers, perhaps filled with rich people. However, they only saw the hotels, no one entering, and no one leaving, which was even stranger. The four continued walking on the empty streets, with clouds occasionally drifting across the sky and shadows occasionally appearing on the ground. Then they saw chess clubs and music rooms, numerous artistic domains, but the music rooms felt like they were for ghosts, as there was no human presence. Liu Peng saw this art and was speechless, as art can't be eaten, and the symphonies his poor stomach played were more melodious than those in regular music rooms. He was speechless because circling the city for an hour failed to find a place with buns. Occasionally finding a restaurant, asking inside revealed that a plate of eggplant cost nearly ten yuan, causing Zhou Liang to angrily leave, repeating his famous saying, "Backwater, exorbitant prices." Zhang Wen became interested in the structure of this city, wondering how it functioned with so many high-end hotels but no people, small shops with prices high like post-war Germany, and every few steps encountering some bureau or office, with the police station being the most common. There was no commercial atmosphere, and some buildings were bizarre. From an economic perspective, these signs indicated impending bankruptcy. So, what kind of people were inside these houses? Walking further, he remembered a movie, "I Am Legend." In America, all of New York got infected with a strange virus, and either fled or died. The monsters in the city feared light and hid in dark houses, coming out only at night. The person wandered alone during the day and hid in a special lab at night. Zhang Wen felt the daytime here had some resemblance to that, causing him to shiver involuntarily. Still hungry, a strange sensation arose, and he stopped wanting to study the city's structure. All that remained in his mind was one word—eerie!
"I think we can help promote this city. If Zhang Yimou wants to shoot a ghost movie, just tell him to come to Jiangling, saving costs!" Zhou Liang spoke up. Most agreed with Zhou Liang's insight. Master Zhou Liang wasn't satisfied, continuing, "Tonight, I'll write a blog post titled 'Ghost City Jiangling'!" This idea was roughly the same as Liu Peng's, unspoken but shared, and Zhang Wen was pulled in as well.
In the distance, a landmark building appeared, causing Zhang Wen great disappointment, as its appearance proved that these four gentlemen had heroically spent an hour circling this ghost city without finding anything to eat. Zhu Wenwen innocently asked Liu Peng to bring her a "tomato something covered rice." Zhang Wen chuckled bitterly—what covered rice? Being able to eat steamed buns would be nice! Then he saw what seemed to be a snack stall ahead and curiously walked toward it. His emotions were complex—if there was nothing, it would simply be disappointing, not complex. The complexity lay in the fact that there were no buns, steamed buns, or noodles, but surprisingly, there were corn cobs left. Without hesitation, he ate a corn cob and learned from the boss that there were no buns in this area, and if he wanted to find them, he'd have to... Zhang Wen felt a bit disheartened, thinking it was unfortunate to be hungry in the city at noon, so he reluctantly turned back. Suddenly turning around, a classic and beautiful poem came to mind—"Among thousands of people I searched for her, suddenly looking back, she was there where the lanterns dimmed." It needs to be clarified: first, this has nothing to do with Li Yanhong or Xin Qiji; second, the probability of seeing an elephant was higher than seeing a beauty, as there were no people, let alone beauties; third, following Holmes' logic, eliminating all impossibilities leaves the only possibility. There was no one there just now, but now an old man appeared—not a miraculous encounter with a transcendent master from Jin Yong's novels. The old man had no weapon, only a small cart, and on the cart were the steamed buns Zhang Wen had been longing for. Reflecting on how difficult it was, at the last moment, someone pushed a cart with steamed buns over. Thinking about it further, it seemed incredible, as the person was strange, like a village maiden transformed by the White Bone Demon, arriving and disappearing like smoke. But Zhang Wen didn't act like Sun Wukong; he grabbed two bags of buns and returned. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed illogical. "For the first time, I felt steamed buns were so delicious, and for the first time, I felt a city so eerie!" Such thoughts arose in Zhang Wen's mind, truly feeling like floating in a "City of Illusions." Recalling the dreamlike scenes of the morning, this day really left him questioning whether it was Zhang Wen dreaming of butterflies or butterflies dreaming of Zhang Wen, or if someone else simultaneously dreamed of both Zhang Wen and butterflies.
Returning to the hostel, everyone was silent, probably savoring this unique eeriness and dreaminess, or perhaps thinking of friends far away. Phones were still a major source of entertainment, not for any other reason but because the mood was so unique, bringing a unique silence. The afternoon passed quickly, and they decided to have a proper dinner at a small restaurant. Based on their painful lessons from the afternoon, they dared not wander aimlessly to find a place. Most realized how wonderful and prosperous the area near Yangtze University was. They made a suggestion based on this theory: restaurants in different places may vary, but those near schools should be similar. Upon discovering that Jiangling Middle School wasn't far, they rushed there and found comfort in a place reminiscent of Yangtze University. This revolutionary achievement was the crystallization of wisdom, hard-earned! They naturally devoured everything, and Zhang Wen, with foresight, likely ate enough for the whole next day, beginning to exhibit camel-like endurance, trying to eat one meal and not be hungry all day. Those who finished first went to see Jiangling Middle School, leaving three at the table. "A bottle of beer? While the boss isn't here." "Sure! Let's finish it together." Thus, Liu Peng and Zhang Wen produced two empty bottles. Afterward, they also went to Jiangling Middle School, learning about the education situation in Jiangling County and the current state of this middle school, which shocked them greatly, legends aside.
Initially, they planned to check out the night market of Jiangling in the evening, but after the afternoon ordeal, who had the mood? Indeed, in the evening, they found something different from what Zhang Wen had imagined in the afternoon. After all, this wasn't New York. The day was similar, but the night was different. Jiangling was empty during the day, and at night, unlike the New York in "I Am Legend," there weren't even ghosts here. Shopping seemed to be a natural inclination for girls, and a few insisted on going to the supermarket to buy something. To avoid ruining the mood, Zheng Lü and Peng Jia were sent to guard, while Liu, Zhou, and Zhang went to the internet cafe as scheduled to mourn this ghost city. In reality, mourning the ghost city wasn't much, but the people on QQ seeing Zhang Wen were startled as if they saw a ghost. Many cared about this ghost's journey but didn't want to say it outright, so they spoke nonsense. Luckily, Zhang Wen was now "seeing ghosts but not ghosts," finding ghost talk easier to hear than human talk, so he accepted all ghost talk and human talk.
Exiting the internet cafe basically marked the end of the day. Zhang Wen glanced at the night sky, hoping to see stars and the moon, but was greeted with endless darkness. Even if he couldn't experience Li Taibai's loneliness and elegance of "raising a cup to invite the moon, becoming three with my shadow," at least he could bless those far away with Su Dongpo's "wishing us longevity, sharing the beauty of the moon miles apart." Some things will always be cherished, some feelings awakened by the moon, and some memories harder to forget than stars and moons!
Returning to the hostel, his mind seemed bustling yet extremely calm. Liu Peng miraculously dried his clothes eighty percent, implying that he would face an even emptier darkness in dreams. Zhang Wen gave his bed to them, took a mattress, and lay on the floor, seemingly spending a dreamless night...
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