I couldnt find him, I swear, I searched every nook and cranny of that mountain top, its not big, there are only a few places where someone can hide. I believe Cha Wenbin wouldnt play hide-and-seek with me, I even shouted, the shout was loud enough for the fat guy below to hear clearly, but he, I didnt receive any message from him, its as if he vanished into thin air.

  Here, a solitary stone mountain rises from the ground, with an inverted trapezoidal shape, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The mountain is nearly 100 meters high, with no roads around it, and both sides are smooth stone walls. Im searching at the top, while Fatso and Xiaobai are searching below.

  Until it was dark, until the second day, I was shouting and searching in that small area, until my throat was hoarse, until I didnt even have the strength to stand up, finally Fatso climbed up and dragged me back.

  Nothing could be more desperate than this result, he disappeared, I couldnt find any reason for his sudden departure. We came together from the distant south to the icy north forest, we were a village, once classmates, we were all descendants of those classified as black five categories, and in that difficult period, we were also comrades-in-arms and brothers who shared hardships!

  That year was destined to be an extraordinary one, perhaps from spring it had been foretold that many great things would happen.

  Cha Wenbins disappearance caused a stir in the village. As a educated youth assigned to the local branch secretary, the loss of one person was a big deal, especially since he was the descendant of a feudal superstition and a stinky old nine. Some people said he had escaped on his own, while others said he had committed suicide out of fear of punishment. In any case, if youre alive, you should show your face, and if youre dead, you should leave a corpse; otherwise, it would be impossible to account for him to the higher-ups.

  I remember it clearly, that afternoon we returned to the village in a state of despair. Miao Lao Die was informed of the situation and immediately reported it. The branch secretary sent someone to send a message, hoping that the organization could go to western Zhejiang to understand the situation. Of course, I hoped as he thought, Cha Wenbins final whereabouts were that he had run back to his hometown.

  The second thing was that the village militia, hunters and young men were immediately organized to enter Xishan fully armed with dogs, guns and trumpets. At this time, I, Pangzi and Yuan Xiaobai were already being given special attention, locked in the commune warehouse in Tunzi, with someone guarding us. In front of us was a piece of paper and a pen, which was called writing materials, asking us to explain the ins and outs of the matter. Because of our identities, this matter had escalated from a missing person case to a political level.

  I clearly remember that day was March 8th, because it was International Womens Day. In the afternoon, I was summoned by the deputy team leader in charge of political education from the production team for a private conversation. He was an official dispatched from the county government, around thirty years old, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. The cigarette in his hand was already his eighth one, but I hadnt written a single word. He demanded that I write down that Cha Wenbin had fled in fear of punishment and asked me to confess the specific direction he had escaped to and his plans. I knew that if I wrote it, Cha Wenbin would be finished for life.

  Four hours later, the deputy captain had completely lost his patience. During this time, he talked about national strategy and the survival of the nation as if I was Dai Li in person, Chiang Kai-sheks right-hand man. My answer was only three words: I dont know!

  When he finished his last cigarette and stamped out the butt on the ground, I saw that his hair was about to stand on end.

  I saw him walk out of the gate and then yell at the militia guard: "Tie up this traitor suspect, send him directly to the county tomorrow!"

  Then I heard him shouting: "Oh heavens! Run quickly!"

  I turned my head towards the door and suddenly the originally gloomy sky turned red. The tiles on the rooftops in the distance, the wheat stalks drying in the sun, the fence outside the house, a dog and several chickens all turned red. A loud "rumbling" sound rang in my ears, as if an airplane had just flown over my head. The next second, I heard the loudest explosion in history, much louder than the dynamite used to blast rocks in the mountains back home. The shockwave directly blew off the roof, and I heard the tiles falling to the ground one after another. The table in front of me, the stool I was sitting on, and the entire earth were all shaking at that moment.

  Is this an earthquake? Thats what I thought in my mind.

  "Xiao Yi! Run quickly! It seems like somethings happened!"

  I looked up and saw that Fatso and Xiaobai were rushing over in a flurry, the two of them had just been locked in the adjacent wall of the original warehouse where wheat was stored.

  As soon as I walked out of the gate, I saw flames everywhere outside, the old people in the village crying and shouting, women and children screaming, beasts rushing out of their enclosures and running wildly all over the place, mules and pigs even colliding with each other while running.

  I dont know what happened, about a hundred meters away from me, the cadre who interrogated me just now was lying on his back. There was a hole as big as a washbasin on his back, and the blood had already dyed the surrounding area red, while his clothes were still smoldering with flames and smoke, and his body was still twitching slightly.

  It was chaotic, in just a few short seconds, I didnt know if there were others like him. I heard several old people crying and shouting: "Run quickly! The little Japanese devils are back, dropping bombs from the sky!"

  "Is a fight going on?" Fatso shouted at the old man who was holding a sheep in his arms. The old man didnt pay attention to him, I saw him running towards the back mountain in a flash, where there is an air raid shelter built for defense against the Soviet nuclear war back then.

  I was stunned at the time, could it be that what the cadre said earlier had come true? He had just said to me: "If Zhen Wenbin is a traitorous spy, do you know how much disaster he will bring to our motherland?"

  "Look quickly!" Yuan Xiaobai shouted at us.

  Along the direction she pointed, I saw a huge and bright fireball with a long tail flying towards the back of the mountain, followed by the second and third ones...

  Fireballs were flying everywhere in the sky like firecrackers, some big, some small, and some close enough to hear a sharp "whooshing" sound. The explosion sounds, impact sounds, and rumbling sounds made the entire sky turn red. I was just a 16 or 17-year-old boy, what could I do? I could only stand there stupidly, staring blankly at this sudden chaos.

  Yuan Xiaobai pulled on my shoulder and jumped up and down, shouting: "Meteorite! Its a meteorite! Oh my god, is the end of the world coming?!"

  Just as we were talking, another fireball fell down, not far from us. I saw with my own eyes that the house was reduced to ashes like a miserable rag, and the explosion shockwave swept across my face, scorching hot.

  Fat boy pulled me, his strength was great, until he dragged me to the ground, I just rolled over and reacted. Run, towards the back mountain, the three of us joined the fleeing crowd.

  Everywhere in the air raid shelter were people wailing, those who had been injured by collapsed houses, those who had been scalded by fire, and those who had been shaken. The ones left here are all elderly and children, young and strong adults have basically gone to search for mountains. If everyone in the village was there, todays loss would be immeasurable. From a certain perspective, Cha Wenbins disappearance saved many people.

  Yuan Xiaobai was bandaging those people, and I leaned against Fatso, wondering how he was doing.

  In the evening, someone came to inform us that the search party had returned. We all gradually went back to the village. After a simple count, at least two-thirds of the houses were destroyed. Eight people died on the spot, and more than 20 were injured, all of whom were elderly people and women. Fortunately, there were no children among them.

  In the very center of the village, there was a large pit with a diameter of over five meters. The pit was still emitting thick smoke and a choking smell of burnt offerings wafted everywhere. At that time, in rural areas, grain was the most valuable thing, and it was as if heaven still had some mercy on us - the warehouse where we were imprisoned was still intact, and the grain was all there. For people from the mountains who had just gone through turbulent years, at least being alive was stronger than anything else.

  The people whose houses were destroyed were concentrated in the warehouse, and the three of us educated youth went to Miaos house, which was still good.

  Unfortunately, Old Qiu had passed away. When people opened up his house, the black cat was also gone with him. As a militiaman tried to straighten out his bent body, I heard a meowing sound. It was a small kitten, only as big as a palm, crying out in hunger. As it struggled free from Old Qius arms, it darted straight towards its mother and rubbed its little head against the already cold body of the mother cat. Finally, with great difficulty, it found its mothers nipple and sucked on it...

  Facing such a scene, I cried, Yuan Xiaobai also cried, and I seemed to hear the sobbing of Pangsuo. Many people cried. Some people were pointing at the sky and scolding, while even more people rushed towards another collapsed house...

  The little cat was gently picked up by Yuan Xiaobai, she gently stuck the little cat to her face, and the cat licked away her tears with its tongue.

  She gently said to the cat: "Dont be afraid, little thing, from now on, let me take care of you, okay?"