The bamboo raft swayed precariously across the border river. The water felt like it had just been pulled from an ice cellar; a bone-chilling cold crept up from the soles of my feet. I glanced down—good heavens, the raft was leaking! Water was bubbling up, quickly submerging my ankles.
My heart skipped a beat. I gripped the gunwale tightly, the veins on the back of my hands bulging. It was pitch black all around, the only sound the eerie rumble of the flowing water, as if some monster lurked beneath the surface.
Suddenly, several beams of flashlight shone from the opposite bank, a ghastly white, flickering in the darkness like will-o'-the-wisps. Everyone froze instantly, holding their breath, their breathing barely audible. I felt my heart leap into my throat, thinking, "Please, don't let us be discovered!"
At that moment, a boy nearby, clearly terrified, trembled violently, whimpering. The snakehead, A-Wu, already extremely tense, turned pale upon hearing the cries. His eyes widened, and he cursed, "Damn it!" Then, he kicked the boy into the water.
"Splash!" A muffled sound followed as the boy fell into the river, splashing water everywhere. He thrashed about desperately, his hands flailing in the air, screaming, "Help!" His cries were especially chilling in the quiet night.
I was stunned. That was too cruel! Instinctively, I reached out to pull the boy up, but A-Wu turned and glared at me fiercely, his eyes like knives, making me pull my hand back. A-Wu lowered his voice and said viciously, "Anyone who dares to make a sound will suffer the same fate as him! Don't you want to live?"
The boy struggled in the water, barely managing to grab the edge of the bamboo raft. His fingernails dug into the cracks in the bamboo, and he pleaded tearfully, "Brother Wu, pull me up! I'll never do it again!" A-Wu, however, remained indifferent, stepping on the boy's hand. The boy screamed in pain, released his grip, and sank again.
I watched the boy sink little by little, my heart pounding with anxiety, but I dared not disobey A-Wu. The river water was icy cold. The boy thrashed around a few times, then fell still. My heart felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer; I was filled with fear and sorrow, but there was nothing I could do.
Only when the flashlight beams on the opposite bank gradually moved away did A-Wu finally say, cursing, "What are you all standing there for? Start paddling!" I snapped out of my daze and frantically joined the others in paddling the bamboo raft. My heart was heavy, wondering if the boy was truly gone.
A moment later, the bamboo raft struck the mudflats, and we quickly jumped off. My knee slammed into the gravel the moment my foot touched the ground; "Ouch!" I gasped in pain. Looking down, I saw a large gash on my knee, a bloody mess, blood and mud dripping down.
Before I could recover from the pain, a dog barked fiercely behind me, "Woof woof woof!" A-Wu's face changed, and he hissed, "Oh no, it's a patrol dog! Run!"
I gritted my teeth, enduring the excruciating pain in my knee, and limped after the others. The barking grew closer, feeling like it was about to bite my heel. I was terrified, thinking, "Please, please don't get caught, or it's all over!"
I don't know how long I ran, but finally, I left the dog behind. I was so exhausted I couldn't run anymore. I collapsed to the ground with a thud, gasping for breath. My body was cold and aching, and my knees were throbbing with cold sweat.
Recalling that life-or-death moment on the border river, the boy's desperate eyes and A-Wu's ruthlessness, a wave of fear washed over me. I'd only just arrived in China and already experienced something so terrible; who knew how many more hardships and dangers awaited me in the days to come? But I knew I had no way out. No matter what, I had to grit my teeth and persevere. I had to make something of myself and give my family an explanation.