Without caring to speak, we ran toward the direction of the boat. After several rounds of pushing and shoving, we had already plunged into the chaotic crowd. Amidst the crush, the two of us gradually made it to the side of the boat, but there was no sign of Henry Clark and the others.

Three Japanese planes, flying in a V-formation over the seaside, didn’t drop any bombs or strafe with machine guns. They flew straight toward Fuzhou, but the fear of Japanese planes hadn’t dissipated. All around, people were crying and cursing, venting their anger—cursing the Japanese for their cruelty, cursing the Nationalist government for its incompetence, cursing the heavens for turning a blind eye... I saw the gangplank right beside us and thought to myself, no matter what, there are rules among the sea smugglers on the boat—they wouldn’t dare to act so recklessly. Once we got on board, we’d be safe. I grabbed her hand tightly and pulled her toward the boat.

I didn’t know why, but after pulling her a few times, I clearly felt a hint of hesitation from her. Looking back, I saw her staring at this black-hulled boat, as if she had a deep taboo about it. But with the crowd pressing from behind and my forceful pull, she was pushed right up to the edge of the gangplank. Just as I was about to step onto the boat, the gangplank suddenly retracted, pulling back.

The few people crowded at the front immediately lost their footing and fell into the sea. I stopped abruptly and managed not to fall in. Looking up, I saw a man on the boat laughing heartily—a burly, bearded fellow, who, along with a few others, had pulled the gangplank back onto the deck. Before I could ask, he started cursing at the crowd: “What the hell are you yelling for? If you keep shoving like this, you’ll all end up in the water! Line up one by one and hold up your smuggler’s coin, or else swim to Nanyang yourselves!”

This bearded sea smuggler stood on the boat, wearing a sleeveless, collarless shirt that exposed his hairy chest, and a pair of baggy shorts below, looking fierce and menacing.

But his words had no deterrent effect at all. Before he finished speaking, the crowd on the beach still surged toward the boat in a dark mass. Those at the back couldn’t see that the gangplank had been pulled away and kept pushing forward, causing several more people at the front to be squeezed off into the water. To avoid falling into the sea, those near the boat started grabbing the ropes and climbing up. I was relatively thin, and holding the woman’s hand, managed to stay away from the very edge of the crowd.

Seeing people swarming over, the smugglers on the boat began swinging their tridents to drive people away. Each trident had three sharp barbs with backward hooks—one hit would leave a bloody gash. With a sweep, everyone on the ropes fell into the sea, splashing seawater all over my face.

“Didn’t you hear what I said? Are you deaf? One at a time! Otherwise, none of you are getting on!” the bearded man shouted at us. Those in the water struggled to climb back onto the boat, but as soon as they got close, they were beaten back by two of the men and had to swim back to shore, cursing as they went: “Damn you, I paid and you still won’t let me on! Do you know who I am?” “I don’t care who you are—even if you’re Chiang Kai-shek, you’re just another refugee to me! If I want to crush your balls, what can you do about it?” The bearded man spat into the sea again and looked at us. “Who the hell still wants to shove?”

Only then did the people on shore quiet down. I helped pull some of the people in the water back up, still hearing them mutter curses under their breath. The bearded man shouted again from the boat: “Listen up! I don’t care if you were some big shot before—here on the Fuchang, you’re just ‘cargo’ to Lord Jiao. If I’m in a good mood, I’ll feed you; if I’m not, I’ll feed you to the fish, or to the turtles if I feel like it! Got it?” Seeing no one dared to speak, he sneered, raised the gangplank, and said, “Back up thirty feet before you come aboard!”

A few smugglers leapt from the boat to the shore, waving their tridents wildly. Everyone was so frightened they backed away, opening up a space on the beach. I shielded the woman and kept retreating until we were thirty feet away. Then the bearded man set the gangplank back onto the shore. “Load the cargo!”

The crowd slowly loosened up. One person went up to the boat first, and seeing the smugglers didn’t attack, others gained the courage to move forward. Gradually, the crowd quieted down. I looked back but still couldn’t see Henry Clark and the others. It seemed the earlier chaos had completely scattered the group, and I couldn’t help but feel relieved.

I turned to comfort the woman, “Don’t be afraid, once we’re on the boat, it’ll be fine.” She nodded gratefully. Soon it was our turn. I breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Annie toward the ladder hanging from the boat, but a pair of hands stopped us.

“Pretty boy, five silver dollars!” the bearded man shouted at me.

I was a bit stunned and explained, “I just got off the boat. I already paid the fare.” As I spoke, I reached into my bag to show him the coin, but my hand found nothing. My mind went blank—could I have lost it in the crowd just now?

Seeing my hand in my bag but not producing anything, the bearded man suddenly grinned. “You’re out of luck, kid.” He shoved me and said, “You want to get on, you pay. No smuggler’s coin, then get lost.”

Still holding onto a sliver of hope, I shouted, “I just got off the boat! Someone can vouch for me!” I turned to look for the smuggler who had guarded the gangway earlier, thinking that even if I couldn’t find him, with so many passengers on board, surely someone would speak up for me.