Tianzhu: The Record of Foreign Stories in the Republic of China

Chapter 19 Rat Killing (5)
He moved his body, trying to sit up, but his head hit the coffin lid with a "boom", and the pain made gold stars flash in front of his eyes, and it took him a long time to recover.I had no choice but to support my body with my elbows, and lay down slowly again.The coffin suddenly became extremely hot, like a steamer in the middle of a fireball.He knew that it was already noon, although it was already autumn, but the autumn tiger was raging, and the noon sun was still scorching. Although he was lying in the coffin under the ground, he still felt the unbearable heat and was sweating profusely.Just when he was getting unbearably hot, the temperature in the coffin gradually cooled down, and there were again dense bird calls outside—all birds returning to the forest, it was getting late.

This is the second night since he was buried alive, will Yao Waquan come to rescue him?Still with great hope he waited patiently.Time passed by, the sound of birds outside gradually stopped, and the owl's strange hooting became more and more piercing. He listened quietly, but there was no sound of digging with an iron pick as he expected to hear outside.His heart began to sink little by little.

At some point in the night, he suddenly felt a severe pain in his stomach. At first he thought it was because he was suffering from heatstroke, but later he realized that it was because he was hungry.But the bunch of steamed buns he brought into the coffin had already been eaten up yesterday evening, so where is there to eat now?

He shook the kettle in his hand, there was still half a pot of cold water in the kettle, he took two sips of cold water vigorously, feeling cold in his stomach, but he was still very hungry.Subconsciously, he groped into the coffin, hoping to find some crumbs of steamed buns, but accidentally touched the dead chicken that had already rotted and smelled.The flesh of the dead chicken had long been eaten away by maggots, leaving only a handful of chicken feathers and a few bones, with a layer of slimy maggots wriggling on the bones.His heart was blocked, and he was so sick that he almost vomited.

But in the coffin, apart from these stinking chicken bones, there was nothing else to eat.He hesitated for a while, and finally gritted his teeth, grabbed a handful of chicken bones, including the hair and maggots, and sent them to his mouth together.As soon as he reached his mouth, a foul stench rushed straight into his nostrils, his stomach convulsed, and a stream of acidic water gushed up.He frowned, stuffed the chicken bone into his mouth abruptly, and chewed vigorously.After eating a handful of chicken bones, my stomach seemed to feel better, so I grabbed another handful of chicken bones and stuffed them into my mouth.

He didn't know what happened outside, why did Yao Waquan not come to rescue him as promised?He secretly made up his mind that no matter what, he must live on. Only by living can he wait for his apprentice to save him.Thinking of this, he suppressed the disgusting feeling in his heart, and forcibly ate the pile of chicken bones crawling with maggots.

After filling his stomach, he felt that his body finally regained some strength, his eyes gradually adapted to the surrounding dark environment, and he could faintly distinguish the situation inside the coffin, his ears became more sensitive, and he heard the chirping outside again. Birds chirping—another night passed.

Yao Waquan still did not come.

This is already the third day since he was buried underground.

Ma Shiqi was in the dark coffin, and could only tell the time by feeling the stuffiness inside the coffin and hearing the cries of owls and birds outside.After eating the chicken bones last night, he groped to pick up all the maggots in the coffin and ate them up this afternoon. There was no more edible food in the coffin.Worst of all, the water in the kettle was also drained.If Yao Waquan didn't come to rescue him this night, he would really have to die here.

But on the third night, Yao Waquan did not come.

On the fourth night, no one came...

On the fifth day, Ma Shiqi suddenly heard a crackling sound coming from the outside of the coffin wall. When he turned his head to look, he saw a hole the size of a bowl had been bitten into the coffin wall. With a dagger in his mouth, he got in at once.Shu understood human nature, he knew that the "Shu King" was here to save him, he was overjoyed, picked up the dagger and waved it against the coffin wall, unexpectedly it was a sharp knife that could cut iron like mud, only two or three times, the thick knife was cut. A big square opening was cut out of the thick coffin wall, and a few more diggings made a big hole in the graveyard where the soil was piled up.He got out of the hole and was just about to take a breath when suddenly a person flashed out from behind a big tree beside the grave.He took a closer look and recognized that this person was none other than his good apprentice Yao Waquan.He was just about to ask Yao Waquan why he didn't come to rescue him for so long, but Yao Waquan suddenly pulled out a gleaming horn knife from his sleeve, and stabbed him in the chest...

He let out an exclamation of "ah", and opened his eyes suddenly, only to find that he was still lying in the dark and stuffy coffin like a dead body. Everything just now was just a dream.For two days and two nights, he hadn't eaten a grain of food, and only drank a few sips of his own urine. He was already on the verge of death. Could the dream just now be a flashback before he was about to die?

He sighed softly, and was about to close his eyes and fall asleep again—he knew that he would never wake up again if he fell asleep this time—suddenly, "click, click", "click, click", he heard There was a slight noise coming from outside the coffin wall. It turned out that it wasn't completely a dream just now, at least the "click" sound he heard was real.

He was overjoyed: Could it be that kid Wa Quan came to rescue me?But when I listened carefully, it didn't look like much. "Kacha Kacha", "Kacha Kacha", the sound has been ringing unhurriedly, it sounds like something is biting the outer wall of the coffin.Just as he was startled and suspicious, he suddenly saw fine sawdust falling from the cracks in the coffin wall.Not long after, a fist-sized hole was bitten out of the gap, and there was a creaking sound from outside the hole.His heart skipped a beat: Could it be that his rats really came to rescue him?
Before he could think about it, he heard a "hula la" sound, and four or five mice came in from the hole that was bitten through.He took a closer look, but it was a few gray-headed and gray-faced wild hamsters, not his white mice, and he couldn't help feeling disappointed.But I was overjoyed immediately: No matter what, having mice means having food, isn't it?He took a breath, and was about to turn over and sit up and beat these mice to eat, but after thinking about it, even if these little hamsters ate their fur and skin together, they would be hungry for two or three days. For him, it's just a drop in the bucket, and it won't do much.Besides, I ate these mice today, what about the next meal, tomorrow?

He frowned and thought for a while, then suddenly had an idea in his mind, gritted his teeth, and decided to gamble on these five little hamsters.

The five little hamsters got in through the hole and slid down the inner wall of the coffin, all falling on him.After making up his mind, he closed his eyes, held his breath, pretended to be a corpse, and lay motionless, allowing them to spoil his body.It seemed that those little hamsters were veterans who often sneaked into coffins to eat corpses, and they were not afraid of life at all. When they got in, they didn't expect that there was a big living person lying in the coffin this time.They lay on Ma Shiqi's body, looked here and there, sniffed here and there, squeaked on him for a while, and finally crawled along his neck and onto his face .

Ma Shiqi suddenly felt a heat on his face, it was some mouse that urinated heavily on his face.He held his breath and didn't move.The mice sniffed at his face, but they didn't know whether it was because there was no clothes on his face, which made it easier to eat, or because the meat was tender and delicious. All five mice opened their mouths at the same time, showing their sharp teeth. Biting on the face.Ma Shiqi shivered in pain, and couldn't help shaking slightly.

The five hamsters were startled suddenly, they all turned their heads and tried to leave.Ma Shiqi screamed that something was wrong, he clenched his teeth, resisted the pain like a knife on his face, and tried to calm himself down.The mice waited for a while and saw that there was nothing unusual, so they were relieved. One mouse tried to bite him on the face again, and a piece of flesh the size of a fingernail was bitten into its mouth.This time Ma Shiqi was mentally prepared, holding back the pain with a tense face, without even frowning.The mice had a false alarm, then screamed "Zhi Zhi" and began to bite on his face.

Ma Shiqi was so painful that his heart twitched, but for his own plan, he lay there like a zombie, letting the mice bite and humiliate him.

The five hamsters "flavoured" his face and pulled a pile of rat droppings on his body, then climbed up his body, jumped into the hole, and got out contentedly.

As soon as they left, Ma Shiqi couldn't bear it anymore, covered his face tightly, and moaned in pain.His face was deep and shallow, with pits and hollows, which had already been bitten to pieces by the rats, and blood flowed all over his face. Fortunately, the rats didn't know that a dead person wouldn't bleed so much after being bitten by them.The sharp pain on his face also cleared up Ma Shiqi's bewildered mind.Having dealt with rats all his life, he has already figured out the habits of rats. He knows that after these five rats eat and go back from him, they will definitely spread the news, and it will attract more rats in a short time. .Only when enough rats get into the coffin, can he escape from the coffin with the help of the rats.

He was afraid that the rats outside could hear his voice. Although his face was bloody and painful, he only groaned a few times before clenching his teeth and holding back forcibly, maintaining his original posture, lying like a real corpse. There, waiting quietly, waiting for the mice to come again.

The tired bird returned to the forest, and there were noisy bird calls outside again, and he finally survived the fifth day. ",,..." The owl's sharp, short, creepy cry soon spread into the coffin again.He knew it was already dark.In the dark night, it is the time when the mice are active.He waited patiently, waiting for more mice to arrive.

But the time passed by every minute and every second, and it was estimated that it was late at night, but there was no sound outside except for the strange cry of the owl.I don't know how long I waited, the hooting of the owls gradually faded away, and the cheerful chirping of the birds sounded again. It was already the morning of the sixth day, and still no mice came again.

His heart sank again: Could it be that my calculation was wrong?Are the mice gone forever, never to come back?If I had known this, I should have caught those five mice and fed them yesterday. No matter what, it was better than being a starving ghost.Just as he was feeling remorseful, he suddenly heard a loud "squeak" sound from outside the coffin wall.His heart, which had almost stopped beating, seemed to be stabbed suddenly by a needle, and it started beating suddenly—he suddenly understood that owls only eat mice, and they can be regarded as the natural enemy of mice. The owl is hooting outside, no matter how daring a mouse is, it dare not come out to move around blatantly.

A few more pieces of sawdust fell in, and the mouse hole on the coffin wall was bitten bigger again. With a bang, a large group of mice came in. The five little hamsters who were leading the way were the five little hamsters who came here yesterday. , followed by twenty or thirty companions, the small ones are only the size of an egg, and the big ones are more than a foot long.

Although it was pitch black in the coffin, Ma Shiqi could see it clearly, and he felt a secret joy in his heart. Before the mouse came to bite him, he suddenly turned over and sat up, slapped, slapped his palms up and down, just a few After working hard, he beat the five little hamsters who ran in the front to the ground, finally avenging yesterday's disgrace.

Seeing that he suddenly came back to life, the remaining 20 or so mice rushed to the entrance of the cave in shock, trying to escape in the chaos.But the mouse hole was about two feet high from the bottom of the coffin. If Ma Shiqi was lying flat in the coffin, they would still be able to climb up if they stepped on him. Where else can I climb up?Without saying a word, Ma Shiqi took off his two cloth shoes and held them in his hands, chasing and beating them. The space in the coffin was cramped, and the rats had nowhere to hide, only to be beaten.It didn't take much effort, the coffin was littered with corpses, and the twenty mice were almost wiped out. In the end, only three big hamsters over one foot in length were left, and they all curled up in a corner in fright, huddled together, Li Wei was afraid and did not dare to move.

Ma Shiqi picked up his shoes and made a gesture to hit him.The three big rats had nowhere to hide, screaming "Zhizhi", waiting to die.Ma Qining couldn't make a move, and suddenly shouted: "You three rats, if you obey me obediently, you will not die." He makes a living by taming rats, and in this way, he has a condescending deterrent to the rats momentum.The three hamsters trembled all over, their bones limp and tendons were so frightened, they all bent down, not daring to move.

Ma Shiqi nodded slightly, stretched out his hands, and grabbed the tops of the three hamsters.Suddenly hearing a strange cry of "Zhi", a hamster who was not willing to surrender suddenly jumped up, bared its teeth, and bit the back of his hand.Ma Shiqi was well aware of the nature of rats, so he took precautions, picked up his shoes, and decisively slapped the hamster down on the head.Just hearing a "pop", the hamster's brains burst out immediately, and it fell dead on the ground.The remaining two rats were frightened out of their wits, shaking like sifting chaff, and prostrated themselves on the ground, how could they dare to resist at all?
Ma Shiqi looked at the two big hamsters surrendering at his feet, but he was still a little worried.Because my escape plan will all fall on these two hamsters, if I accidentally get escaped by them, I will lose even the last chance of escape.Then he tore off two strips of cloth from the hem of the gown, tied the necks of the two hamsters respectively, and tied the other end of the strips to his trouser waist.

After finishing all this work, I was about to breathe a sigh of relief when I suddenly felt dizzy in my head, my hands and feet went limp, and there was a "plop" like a dead mouse, lying in the coffin.He was startled, and only then remembered that he hadn't eaten for three or four days. Although he had gathered and annihilated these rats in one go, once he relaxed now, his body would no longer be able to hold on.

He hurriedly grabbed a dead mouse, bit it, and sucked it vigorously. A stream of rat blood flowed into his throat. Although it had a fishy smell, to him who was thirsty and was about to dehydrate, it was no different from the dead mouse. Fine nectar jade liquid.He sucked up the rat's blood, then tore off the rat's skin with his teeth, and ate the rat meat inside.Drinking blood like this, drank the blood of four mice, and ate the meat of four mice, only then did I feel that my whole body regained some strength.

He counted carefully, and there were 28 dead mice on the ground, enough for him to eat for a few days.But after the rat died, the blood on his body would gradually coagulate. After a long time, it would be difficult for him to drink rat blood to quench his thirst.So I sucked all the blood from the mice just after they died, spit it into the jug, which was half half full, and diluted it with my own urine to prevent it from congealing after a long time. Ready to drink.

At the same time, he also felt that since the mice came in and out of the coffin, even the air was not as stuffy as it used to be. It must be because the mouse holes in the coffin wall led all the way to the outside of the tomb, because there was a steady stream of fresh air coming in. will feel much more comfortable.

With all the food and drink ready, Ma Shiqi began to domesticate and train the two big hamsters he had tamed.He first taught them to listen to some simple commands. For example, if he said "go", the two mice would move forward; The password, ranging from a chestnut on the head, to a shoe board.

Then they were starved for a whole day, and at night, more than [-] dead mice were piled up under the mouse hole on the coffin wall as a step, and two big hamsters were asked to climb up to bite the coffin wall by stepping on the corpse of their companions. The hole widened further.Whichever hamster bites the fastest will reward it with a small ball of white and tender rat meat.

But the effect of this approach was not obvious. The two hamsters had been hungry all day, and they seemed weak when they started working. No matter how much he shouted and punished, they couldn't cheer them up.After working hard for most of the night, it only enlarged the mouse hole by a circle or two.

(End of this chapter)