Chapter Eight: Adult Films and Celebrities

The next day, Little Gold caused no trouble. Le’er was a bit puzzled; although he had scolded the little snake Jin’er, could it really understand his words?

Several days passed without incident. Little Gold remained unseen during the day, and at night, when Le’er was already asleep, he didn’t know when it returned. Yet every morning, just like in Xiasha Village, he would wake to find it coiled around his neck, flicking its red tongue and licking his face. From Zhong Village to Dashi, the area was all mountains and forests; most likely, just as before, Little Gold had gone off to play in the woods.

Le’er’s worries eased.

Six days had gone by, each spent carrying steel bars. Le’er endured it, but Gang Mengzi was beginning to falter. Heaven seemed to show them some mercy, for just as he was thinking of a break, a heavy rain began to fall.

There was no work on the construction site in such weather, as safety accidents were a real concern.

“Le’er, today’s our chance to go out and have some fun,” Gang Mengzi could barely contain his excitement.

“Where would we go?” Le’er wanted to play too, but he didn’t want to spend money. After a day’s hard labor, he earned a mere thirty-five yuan, and after food and drink, barely twenty remained—spending it pained him.

“How about we go watch a movie? Liu Xi says there’s a great spot, with some really exciting films,” Gang Mengzi grinned broadly. “And it’s not expensive, just eight yuan each.”

Liu Xi was their coworker, a man from Guizhou who got along well with Gang Mengzi; they often hung out together.

“Eight yuan each, and you call that cheap?” Le’er frowned. “I don’t want to go.”

“My treat today, you don’t have to spend a cent.” Gang Mengzi, having relied on Le’er for food and shelter these past days, was already feeling guilty.

“And where did you get the money?”

“I asked Brother Qiang for a hundred yuan. We’ve worked six days, that’s over two hundred already.” Gang Mengzi was a bit annoyed. “It’s my own money, but he still muttered and complained. He’s really something, and we’re from the same village too… Hmph!”

“Even with money, you shouldn’t waste it,” Le’er was a bit tight-fisted when it came to money. If you weren’t in charge, you wouldn’t know how precious rice and firewood were. Gang Mengzi didn’t care much about money, but Le’er had been fending for himself since he was fourteen and knew its value.

“What’s the harm? Back home, even a penny was kept under my father’s watch, but now, I’ve earned this with my own sweat—why shouldn’t I use it? Come on, let’s go have some fun.”

Le’er could only follow him out. Leaving the alley, they gathered Liu Xi as well. Liu Xi was older than both of them, already twenty-one, and had been drifting around Guangzhou for five years. He was what people called a “rascal,” wandering from place to place, sometimes stealing, sometimes loafing around, only settling at a construction site for a month or two when he ran out of options. Once he had enough money, he moved on again.

The place Liu Xi brought them to was, of course, not the sort of place you’d call decent—a basement video parlor showing Japanese adult films. Liu Xi was a seasoned hand, but for Le’er and Gang Mengzi, country boys through and through, the experience was overwhelming. Their blood surged, breathing became shallow, and their bodies responded instantly.

“Here, have a cigarette,” Liu Xi offered. The place had private rooms, so they could talk quietly without disturbing anyone. Le’er had never smoked before, but in his excitement, he accepted and took a drag, immediately choking and coughing.

Smoking calmed their nerves a little, but soon enough, their blood was pounding again. Gang Mengzi unconsciously grabbed himself, his face flushed. Sha Le’er couldn’t take it either, feeling the heat and moisture spread below. He desperately wished he could find a woman.

Two hours later, the three of them emerged from the parlor.

“Well? Wasn’t that something?” Liu Xi smirked.

“It was wild, insanely wild. If only I could do that, it’d be even better,” Gang Mengzi was still caught up in the excitement; Le’er had calmed a bit, but not much.

“Damn… those women… aren’t they just shameless? Their skin is so white... it dazzles you. So beautiful, so wanton, it’s just wild… But how can women that beautiful do such things?” Le’er was still reeling from the shock, unable to detach himself.

Everything in those films overturned their experience of the world. In mountain villages, men and women might joke around, but such things were unimaginable.

“You two are so green. What’s the big deal? They’re only doing it for money,” Liu Xi laughed at their naivety. “As long as you can pay, women will do anything, even in broad daylight.”

“What are you saying?” Le’er stared at him. “Are there really such shameless people in the world?”

“Brother, you’ve just never seen the world. This place is crazy—people will do anything for money. If you want, I can take you to experience a real woman, any way you please, all the tricks, any position, as long as you have cash.”

Liu Xi grinned, playing the experienced guide.

“I’m not going,” Le’er tried to suppress his desire, though watching the film had set him ablaze. He wasn’t like Gang Mengzi, who acted without thinking of consequences; Le’er always considered things more deeply.

“Brother Liu Xi, I want to go. Will you take me?” Gang Mengzi’s face was flushed, his eyes shining. “But… I don’t have much money…”

“It doesn’t cost much, fifty yuan is enough for something basic. Of course, if you want something really special, that’s not enough,” Liu Xi was happy to play the mentor.

“Gang Mengzi, you’d better not go either. Don’t ruin your reputation—do you still want to get married someday?” Le’er hoped Gang Mengzi wouldn’t fool around. His uncle had made him promise to look after Gang Mengzi, and if something happened, what would he tell the family?

“Don’t worry, Le’er,” Liu Xi laughed. “We’re all young, out in the world. These things happen all the time. Really, how many men don’t go looking for women? Unless there’s something wrong down there. If you pay for it, who cares?”

“What do you mean? Are you saying there’s something wrong with me?”

Le’er was angry.

“Uh… I don’t mean you…” Liu Xi chuckled awkwardly. “You’re fine, brother, definitely fine.”

Unable to control Gang Mengzi, and unwilling to try any longer, Le’er walked home, feeling stifled. As he passed a newsstand, he heard a crowd talking.

“That damned snake showed up again—so scary!” a pretty girl said to her boyfriend as she read the paper.

“That little snake is really something—it went to the plaza to hunt birds again, and it’s already eaten two valuable thrushes. It’s got money in its belly, not birds—those two are worth over ten thousand yuan! That’s some expensive taste. With that money, just think how much good food we could buy,” the boy replied.

“You glutton, are you going to learn from the snake?” the girl teased.

“If I were that snake, I’d eat you first. The old men deserve it for taking their birds out there,” the boyfriend laughed, slipping his arm around her waist. “But that snake is impressive—look at this picture, it’s golden with a crown on its head, bold as anything. I’ve never seen a snake like that.”

“How can you say that? If those old men didn’t take their birds out, why keep them at all?” the girl retorted. “There’s an old man next door to me who hasn’t dared take his bird out for days—just stays home with the cage covered up, and his thrush is getting bored. The snake is clever—if no one takes their birds out, it doesn’t appear. Five or six days went by, and the old man thought the snake must have gone elsewhere, so he finally dared to go out. Then the snake showed up again.”

“Exactly! That snake is amazing. Look at it in the cage, eating birds without a hint of fear,” the boy said, laughing. “It’s in the paper now, a star! If this keeps up, the police will have a lot on their hands.”

“Next time, the police might use force to kill it. Loads of people are protesting—if they don’t kill it, everyone’s scared.”

“A snake like that must be a protected species—they won’t kill it.”

“But they can’t let it threaten people’s lives.”

Le’er didn’t want to listen anymore. He bought a paper for one yuan. There on the page was a clear photo of Little Gold in a cage, calmly eating a bird. The article described the snake’s recent misdeeds and warned everyone to be careful, not to get close, and to beware of being bitten.

Reading the paper, Le’er didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. That damned Little Gold—if it kept causing trouble, it would surely die! Would people let it go? The police would certainly find a way to kill it.

Nothing in this world could stand against humans; even if a demon appeared in the land of men, it would only end up destroyed. Le’er lost all interest in wandering the streets and hurried home to see if the little snake had returned.

He needed to warn those who knew the truth never to let anything slip about Jin’er.

He regretted bringing Jin’er here.