青兒和盧正鋼走了整整一個上午，腳上的棉鞋早已被雪水浸透，褲腿上也結了一層冰。
翻過一道山梁後，青兒忽然停下腳步，伸手指向遠方。
「到了。」
盧正鋼順著她手指的方向望去，只見山腳下的樹林邊，隱隱升起一股青灰色的炊煙。被風吹得在屋子上空飄散，好似一幅潑墨水彩畫，在白雪覆蓋的世界裡顯得格外醒目。
兩人精神一振，加快了腳步。
又走了半個多時辰，一座低矮的木屋終於出現在眼前。
木屋很舊，全部松樹原木搭建，屋頂壓著厚厚的積雪。院子裡堆放著像小山一樣，劈好的木柴，外面的曬衣繩上， 掛著幾條已經凍硬的大馬哈魚。
青兒剛走到門口，就聽到屋裡傳出一陣劇烈的咳嗽聲。
緊接著，房間門被推開。
一位頭髮花白的老婦人慢慢走了出來。青兒和盧正鋼走了整整一個上午，腳上的棉鞋早已被雪水浸透，褲腿上也結了一層冰。
翻過一道山梁後，青兒忽然停下腳步，伸手指向遠方。
「到了。」
盧正鋼順著她手指的方向望去，只見山腳下的樹林邊，隱隱升起一股青灰色的炊煙。被風吹得在屋子上空飄散，好似一幅潑墨水彩畫，在白雪覆蓋的世界裡顯得格外醒目。
兩人精神一振，加快了腳步。
又走了半個多時辰，一座低矮的木屋終於出現在眼前。
木屋很舊，全部松樹原木搭建，屋頂壓著厚厚的積雪。院子裡堆放著像小山一樣，劈好的木柴，外面的曬衣繩上， 掛著幾條已經凍硬的大馬哈魚。
青兒剛走到門口，就聽到屋裡傳出一陣劇烈的咳嗽聲。
緊接著，房間門被推開。
一位頭髮花白的老婦人慢慢走了出來。
老人看上去已經年紀很大，身材瘦削，頭髮全白，腰板卻挺得筆直。她穿著一件舊狐狸皮坎肩，皮上的毛都快磨光了。 腰間繫著布帶，手裡拿著一根磨得發亮，差不多三尺長的東北銅頭旱煙袋。
看見青兒，老人臉上立刻露出燦爛笑容。
「哎呀， 妳就是青兒吧？ 老張頭給我捎信了， 這幾天我一直等你們來。 真是實誠的傻孩子， 也不挑個好天， 這麼大的雪， 累壞了吧， 快進屋暖和暖和。 」
老人家快人快語， 把二人讓進屋子裡。
青兒笑著答應了一聲， 把身邊的盧正鋼介紹給王奶奶， 老人盯著他看了有一分鐘， 說了一句話：「真是個好小子， 青兒，妳真是好眼光。 」
青兒臉紅了， 說：「 王奶奶， 您說什麼呢？您可別誤會， 我們就是朋友， 為了調查歷史， 才走在一起的。」
王奶奶哈哈大笑， 說： 「奶奶不誤會， 不過奶奶看， 你們真是般配的一對兒， 現在是朋友， 保不准以後呢， 是不是？」
青兒看了看站在旁邊的盧正鋼， 盧正鋼笑了笑， 沒說話， 青兒的臉紅了。
王奶奶是個痛快人， 說話中氣十足， 如果光是聽聲音， 沒人會相信這是一個年過古稀的老太太。 她用震耳的聲音說：「你們能來， 我真高興， 這麼大的雪， 就不要走了， 在我這兒多待幾天， 奶奶給你們包酸菜餃子吃。」
青兒和盧正鋼把屋子裡環視了一下， 外面看房子不大， 但是裡面是一明兩暗的三居室， 中間是做飯的灶間， 東西兩邊住人。
王奶奶把他們讓進東邊一間， 看來那是她的臥室， 就是一個大通舖火炕。 屋子裡最顯眼的就是牆上掛著的一桿獵槍， 雖然看上去很舊， 但是擦拭的一塵不染， 看得出來主人對它十分愛惜， 保護的很好。
房間裡擺設十分簡單，一張木桌，兩條長凳，一個舊炕櫃，
「王奶奶， 您老人家現在還進山打獵呀？ 」青兒因為看到那桿獵槍不由地問道。
「不常去了， 人老了， 跑不動了。 立冬前進山打了幾隻野兔， 山雞， 還打了一隻狍子， 這些肉也夠這個冬天吃了。 今天奶奶就給你們包酸菜狍子肉的餃子。 」王奶奶說。
王奶奶先給兩人各倒了一碗熱水， 她說：「奶奶也沒有什麼好東西招待你們， 。。。。。 」 然後就把一小笸籮榛子， 拿出來讓他們吃。
她又出去，在中間做飯房間的柴火灶裡添了幾根松木柴，這個柴火灶裡連著東西兩間房子的火炕，它一燒起來， 兩邊的火炕就熱了， 房間也變暖和。
盧正鋼把背包放到桌上， 從裡面拿出兩包從山下供銷社買來的水果糖。他把糖遞給王奶奶， 說：『 大山裡也沒有什麼好東西， 這點水果糖， 給您老人家吃了解解悶兒。』
老人見此，立刻笑了說：「看看你們這兩個實誠孩子，那麼客氣幹嘛？還帶東西來。我一個孤老婆子， 又不是小孩， 吃什麼糖呀，你們帶回去自己吃吧 。」
青兒笑著接過老人推回來的水果糖， 幫她放到炕櫃裡。
「您老人家留著慢慢吃， 冬天冷， 吃糖能抗寒， 還解乏。」
老人高興地點點頭，也就不再推讓。
坐定後， 王奶奶問道： 「聽老張頭傳話， 說你們要調查當年老毛子禍害咱們中國人的那些事？ 這麼多年過去了，我現在想起來都頭皮發麻， 現在誰還想那些傷心事呀？」
青兒說：「 王奶奶， 當年老毛子害死咱們那麼多人， 這筆帳還沒跟他們算呢， 可是現在就有人希望我們把這些事忘掉。 我們調查這些事， 就是不想讓那麼多人的鮮血白流。 我們要把這些事， 告訴全中國人民， 告訴全世界人民， 讓大家都知道， 老毛子，當年的俄國人， 他們有多壞， 和他們相處， 我們時刻都要提高警惕。 」
王奶奶聽後半天沒說話， 看得出來， 因為提起往年多傷心事，老人家的情緒低了下去。 過了好一會， 她才開口道：「 這些事情過去幾十年了， 現在人們很少提它。 你們今天大老遠， 冒著大雪跑過來，就為這， 那一定是很重要的事。 你們問吧， 我什麼都告訴你們。 你們說得對， 咱們中國人的血不能白流， 要讓大家都知道， 那些老毛子王八犢子，當年幹了多少傷天害理的事。 」
王奶奶把旱煙袋鍋裡裝滿旱煙絲，用火鐮打火點燃，狠狠地吸了一口，一縷淡藍色的煙霧緩緩升起，散開。
老人眯著眼睛思索， 面容嚴肅，等了好一會才說：
「老張頭告訴我你們想知道，當年我是怎麼逃出老毛子毒手的， 那我就從頭說起。 出事那年我才十六歲，那時候我長得可俊了， 是方圓幾十里， 出了名的大美人， 現在可是老的沒人樣了。」
青兒接口說：「您現在也很俊呀， 還是個大美人。」
老人聽後笑了，笑得渾身亂顫， 腰都彎下去了。 她說：「 你這個孩子可真會說話， 不過我愛聽。 」
老人接著說：「我們家那時候住在黑龍江左岸的博爾多屯。那地方當年熱鬧得很，有人種地、有人打魚、有人釀酒、還有做買賣的，開飯館的， 風水寶地呀！」
老人伸出枯瘦的手，在空中比劃了一下。
「當年那個地方可美了。 夏天站在江邊看，一片片莊稼地望不到頭。大豆、小麥、高粱，玉米，風吹過去，像海浪一樣。那時候的人，都知道自己住在大清國。 博爾多屯， 是大清國管轄的地界兒，祖祖輩輩都住在那裡，那裡就是我們自己的家。」
說到這裡，老人停住了。外面的寒風掠過屋頂，發出低沉的呼嘯。
老人臉上的笑容慢慢消失了，她吸了一口煙，沉默了很久，才緩緩開口：
「後來，老毛子的兵來了。」
屋裡的空氣似乎一下子變得沉重起來，青兒打開筆記本，盧正鋼也拿起鉛筆， 準備做紀錄。他們對視了一眼，都沒有說話。
老人停了一會兒，聲音低沉而緩慢：「那一年應該是大清光緒二十六年， 又叫庚子年。我當時十六歲，已經有了婆家，再過兩個月，就要出嫁。」
「可是誰也沒想到老毛子的兵， 突然闖進屯裡，一個個凶神惡煞， 進了屯，二話不說， 不分青紅皂白，見東西就搶， 見人就殺， 開槍打死的，刺刀刺死的。 見屋子就點火燒，把好端端的一個屯子， 變成人間地獄。」
「我原來站在家門口， 我爹見大事不好， 就把我拉回屋裡。 我們還沒有時間商量好如何躲藏， 毛子兵就已經闖進我家門。 我看得很清楚， 一個大個子毛子兵， 直接開槍把我父親打倒在地。 另外一個小個子毛子兵， 見我長得好看，又是個小姑娘， 好欺負，就發了壞心。
他 嘴裏嚷嚷著：” Эта маленькая девочка — красивая.，。。。。。“
中國話就是 ：” 小姑娘， 漂亮 ，“ 然後就把步槍放下， 伸手來抓我。
我見他不懷好意， 哪能讓他抓住， 轉身躲過他伸出來的爪子， 出門就跑。 憑藉平時滿山遍野和爸爸，爺爺， 鑽深山老林，趕山打獵練就的身手， 跑出院門， 就向山裡跑。 身後的毛子兵肯定大怒， 等他回身拿起步槍，要開槍打我時， 我已經跑得不見影了。
我跑了， 撿了一條命， 但是整個屯子，男男女女， 老老少少， 一千多口人， 後來幾乎都被毛子兵殺了， 房屋幾乎全被燒毀， 東西， 牲畜都被搶光。 夜裏我不放心家人，偷跑回屯子， 看到的慘象， 讓我這一輩子都忘不了。
老毛子兵看來是鐵了心， 要把博爾多屯的人殺光， 我回到屯裡， 街上到處都是屍體， 男人， 女人， 老人， 小孩， 原來上千人口的大屯子， 我沒看到一個活著的人，。。。。。
我回到屯裡， 整個屯子除了死人， 就是被燒塌的房子。 後來我才知道， 老毛子嫌開槍殺人太麻煩， 他們把剩下來不及殺的人， 不管男女老少， 通通往黑龍江裡趕， 不走就開槍打死， 刺刀刺死。 到了江邊， 他們把所有的人趕進江中， 讓水把人淹死。 有會水的人， 想浮水逃命， 老毛子就用槍打。 當時我們屯有上千口人，最後活下來的不到十個人， 我是僥倖活下來的人之一
王奶奶說到這裡，停了下來， 深深地吐出一口氣， 眼圈紅了。
她把煙袋在鞋底上磕了磕。淚水無聲地流了下來 。
（未完待續）Qing'er and Lu Zhenggang had been walking the entire morning. Their cotton shoes had long since been soaked through by melting snow, and a thin layer of ice had formed around the bottoms of their trouser legs.
After crossing a mountain ridge, Qing'er suddenly stopped and pointed into the distance.
"We're here."
Lu Zhenggang followed the direction of her finger. At the edge of a grove beneath the mountain, a thin plume of bluish-gray smoke rose quietly into the air. Blown by the wind, it drifted above a lonely cabin like the brushstrokes of an ink-and-watercolor painting, standing out vividly against the endless white landscape.
Their spirits lifted, and they quickened their pace.
After walking for another half hour or so, a low wooden cabin finally came into view.
The cabin was old, built entirely of pine logs, its roof buried beneath a thick blanket of snow. A mountain of neatly split firewood stood in the yard, while several frozen chum salmon hung stiffly from the clothesline outside.
As Qing'er reached the gate, she heard a fit of violent coughing coming from inside the house.
A moment later, the wooden door opened.
An elderly woman with snow-white hair slowly stepped outside.Qing'er and Lu Zhenggang had been walking the entire morning. Their cotton shoes had long since been soaked through by melting snow, and a thin layer of ice had formed around the bottoms of their trouser legs.
After crossing a mountain ridge, Qing'er suddenly stopped and pointed into the distance.
"We're here."
Lu Zhenggang followed the direction of her finger. At the edge of a grove beneath the mountain, a thin plume of bluish-gray smoke rose quietly into the air. Blown by the wind, it drifted above a lonely cabin like the brushstrokes of an ink-and-watercolor painting, standing out vividly against the endless white landscape.
Their spirits lifted, and they quickened their pace.
After walking for another half hour or so, a low wooden cabin finally came into view.
The cabin was old, built entirely of pine logs, its roof buried beneath a thick blanket of snow. A mountain of neatly split firewood stood in the yard, while several frozen chum salmon hung stiffly from the clothesline outside.
As Qing'er reached the gate, she heard a fit of violent coughing coming from inside the house.
A moment later, the wooden door opened.
An elderly woman with snow-white hair slowly stepped outside.
She was obviously well advanced in years. Though thin and frail, she stood remarkably straight. She wore an old fox-fur vest whose fur had nearly been worn away with age. A cloth sash was tied around her waist, and in her hand she carried a polished Manchurian brass-tipped tobacco pipe nearly three feet long.
The moment she saw Qing'er, her face broke into a radiant smile.
"Oh! You must be Qing'er! Old Zhang sent word ahead. I've been waiting for you these past few days. What an honest, silly child you are—you didn't even wait for better weather. Such a heavy snow! You must be exhausted. Come inside quickly and warm up yourselves .
Speaking briskly in her straightforward manner, the old woman ushered the two of them into the house.
Qing'er smiled and answered softly before introducing the young man beside her.
"Grandma Wang, this is Lu Zhenggang."
The old woman studied him for nearly a full minute before finally nodding with satisfaction.
"What a fine young man. Qing'er, you've got good taste."
Qing'er's face immediately flushed.
"Grandma Wang, what are you talking about? Please don't misunderstand. We're just friends. We've come together only to investigate history."
Grandma Wang burst into hearty laughter.
"Oh, Grandma isn't misunderstanding anything. But if you ask me, you two make a perfect pair. You're friends now—but who knows what the future may bring?"
Qing'er glanced at Lu Zhenggang. He simply smiled without saying a word. Qing'er's cheeks grew even redder.
Grandma Wang was an open-hearted, straightforward woman whose voice was still full of strength. Had one only heard her speak, no one would have believed she was already well past seventy. In her booming voice she said, "I'm so happy you've come. With snow this heavy, don't think about leaving today. Stay here for a few days. Grandma will make sauerkraut dumplings stuffed with roe deer meat for you."
Qing'er and Lu Zhenggang looked around the house. From the outside it appeared rather small, but inside it consisted of three rooms. The kitchen occupied the middle, with living quarters on both the east and west sides.
Grandma Wang led them into the room on the east side, which was evidently her bedroom. It contained one large heated kang that stretched across the room. The first thing that caught the eye was an old hunting rifle hanging on the wall. Though aged, it had been polished until it was spotless. It was obvious that its owner treasured it deeply and had taken excellent care of it.
The furnishings were extremely simple: a wooden table, two long benches, and an old kang cabinet.
"Grandma Wang," Qing'er asked after noticing the rifle, "do you still go into the mountains to hunt?"
"Not very often anymore," Grandma Wang replied. "I'm getting old, and these legs don't carry me the way they used to. Before winter set in, I went into the mountains and brought back a few hares, some pheasants, and a roe deer. That'll be enough meat for the whole winter. Today I'll make sauerkraut dumplings filled with roe deer meat for you."
Grandma Wang first poured each of them a bowl of hot water.
"I don't have anything fancy to offer my guests..." she said with an apologetic smile.
Then she brought out a small basket of hazelnuts and invited them to help themselves.
She then stepped out to the middle kitchen and added several pine logs to the wood-burning stove. The stove was connected to the heated kangs in both side rooms. Once the fire was burning, the kangs gradually warmed, and soon the entire house became comfortably warm.
Lu Zhenggang placed his backpack on the table and took out two bags of fruit candies that he had bought at the supply cooperative in the village below the mountain. Handing them to Grandma Wang, he said, "There isn't much to buy up here in the mountains. Please accept these fruit candies—they may help brighten your day."
The old woman smiled the moment she saw the candies.
"Look at you two honest children," she said. "Why be so polite? You even brought me gifts. I'm just an old widow, not a little child anymore. What would I do with candy? Take it back and enjoy it yourselves."
Smiling, Qing'er accepted the candies Grandma Wang tried to return and quietly placed them inside the kang cabinet for her.
"Please keep them, Grandma. Winter is cold. A little candy helps keep you warm and gives you energy."
Grandma Wang nodded happily and no longer insisted.
After everyone had settled down, Grandma Wang asked, "Old Zhang sent word that you've come to investigate what those Russian devils did to our Chinese people all those years ago. It's been decades now, yet every time I think about it, my scalp still tingles. Who still wants to remember such heartbreaking things?"
Qing'er answered, "Grandma Wang, those Russian invaders killed so many of our people, and that debt has never been settled. Yet now there are people who hope we will simply forget what happened. We are investigating these events because we refuse to let the blood of so many innocent people have been shed in vain. We want to tell all the people of China—and people throughout the world—what really happened, so everyone will know how cruel those Russian invaders were. As long as we deal with them, we must always remain vigilant."
Grandma Wang remained silent for a long time after hearing Qing'er's words. It was obvious that old memories had stirred deep sorrow within her. After quite a while, she finally spoke.
"Those things happened decades ago. People hardly mention them anymore. Yet the two of you came all this way through such heavy snow just for this. Then it must truly be something important. Go ahead and ask whatever you want. I'll tell you everything I know. You're right. The blood of our Chinese people must not have been shed in vain. Everyone should know what those damned Russian devils did to us in those days."
Grandma Wang packed the bowl of her long tobacco pipe with homegrown tobacco, struck a spark with her flint, lit it, and took a deep draw. A thin ribbon of pale blue smoke slowly curled upward and drifted through the room.
The old woman narrowed her eyes, lost in thought. Her face grew solemn. After sitting quietly for a long moment, she finally began to speak.
"Old Zhang told me you wanted to know how I escaped from the hands of those Russian devils. Then I'll begin at the beginning. I was only sixteen when it happened. Back then I was considered one of the prettiest girls for dozens of miles around. Now..." She smiled bitterly. "Now I'm just an old woman beyond recognition."
Qing'er immediately replied with a smile, "You're still beautiful, Grandma Wang. You're still a great beauty."
The old woman burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that her whole body trembled and she bent forward at the waist.
"You really know how to make an old woman happy," she said. "But I do love hearing that."
The old woman continued, "Back then our family lived in Boldodo Village, on the left bank of the Heilongjiang River. It was a lively place in those days. People farmed, fished, brewed wine, ran shops, and opened restaurants. It was truly a land blessed by Heaven."
She slowly stretched out her thin, weathered hand and gestured through the air.
"It was a beautiful place in those days. In summer, if you stood on the riverbank, you could see fields stretching farther than the eye could reach. Soybeans, wheat, sorghum, and corn swayed in the breeze like waves upon the sea. Back then, everyone knew they were living in the Great Qing Empire. Boldodo Village lay within Qing territory. Generation after generation had lived there. It was our home."
At that point, the old woman fell silent. Outside, the cold winter wind swept across the roof, carrying with it a long, mournful howl.
The smile slowly faded from Grandma Wang's face. She drew deeply on her pipe, remained silent for a long while, and then slowly said,
"Then... the Russian soldiers came."
The atmosphere inside the room suddenly grew heavy. Qing'er quietly opened her notebook, while Lu Zhenggang picked up his pencil, ready to record every word. They exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.
After another long pause, the old woman began again in a low, measured voice.
"It was the twenty-sixth year of Emperor Guangxu's reign—the Gengzi Year, 1900. I was sixteen years old then. I was already engaged, and in another two months I was supposed to be married."
"But none of us ever imagined that the Russian soldiers would suddenly storm into our village. They looked like demons. The moment they entered, they asked no questions and showed no mercy. They looted everything they could lay their hands on. They killed anyone they saw—some were shot, others were run through with bayonets. Then they set the houses on fire, turning a peaceful village into a living hell."
"I was standing outside our house when my father realized something terrible was happening and pulled me back inside. We hadn't even had time to decide where to hide before the Russian soldiers burst through our door. I saw everything with my own eyes. A tall Russian soldier raised his rifle and shot my father to the ground without a word. Another, shorter soldier noticed that I was young and pretty. Thinking I would be easy prey, he suddenly had evil intentions."
He shouted in Russian,
'Эта маленькая девочка — красивая...'
"In Chinese, that means, 'The little girl... she's beautiful.'"
Then he laid down his rifle and reached out to grab me.
"I saw at once what he intended, and there was no way I was going to let him catch me. I twisted away from his outstretched hand and ran for the door. Ever since I was little, I had followed my father and grandfather deep into the mountains, hunting through the forests. Those years had made me swift and agile. I dashed out of the yard and ran straight toward the mountains. The Russian soldier must have flown into a rage. By the time he snatched up his rifle and tried to shoot me, I had already disappeared from sight."
I escaped and saved my life. But nearly everyone in the village—men and women, the old and the young, more than a thousand people—was later killed by the Russian soldiers. Almost every house was burned to the ground, and everything of value, including the livestock, was looted. That night, unable to stop worrying about my family, I secretly returned to the village. The horrors I saw there are something I will never forget for as long as I live.
The Russian soldiers seemed determined to wipe out every person in Boldodo Village. When I returned, corpses lay everywhere along the streets—men, women, the elderly, and children. In that large village that had once been home to more than a thousand people, I did not see a single person still alive...
When I returned, the entire village held nothing but dead bodies and the charred ruins of collapsed houses. Only later did I learn that the Russian soldiers had found it too troublesome to shoot everyone one by one. Those they had not yet had time to kill—men and women, the old and the young alike—were driven toward the Heilongjiang River. Anyone who refused to move was shot or stabbed to death with a bayonet. At the riverbank, they forced everyone into the water and left them to drown. Those who knew how to swim and tried to escape were shot in the river. Our village had more than a thousand people, but fewer than ten survived. I was one of those who escaped death only by sheer fortune.
When Grandma Wang reached this point, she suddenly stopped. She let out a long, heavy breath, and her eyes turned red.
She tapped the bowl of her tobacco pipe against the sole of her shoe. Tears began to flow silently down her face.
(To be Continued)
