Personal security

Chapter 8: She is the bride

The afterglow of the setting sun fell on the ground from the tall and dense branches and leaves. Zhao Jianhui and others abandoned the car and walked for about two hours. Although the speed on the trail between the jungles was not very fast, it was estimated that the minimum distance was more than ten kilometers. At the foot of the mountain in the distance, you can already see several rows of very simple bamboo huts built at the foot of the mountain. This is what Kunchai calls a modern military base.

In the distance are rolling mountains and endless thick jungles. Even near the base, there are a large number of trees and plants growing crazily, and everything is lush and green. Between rows of bamboo buildings and huts is a training ground that can accommodate nearly a thousand people. There are stilt-like observation towers standing at the four corners, and radar antennas are set up on several commanding heights.

On the huge playground, hundreds of "soldiers" wearing various camouflage hats and changed-color jungle camouflage uniforms with guns in their hands were shouting slogans and practicing hard under the leadership of the leader. Zhao Jianhui took a few glances with a professional eye and concluded that this was a ragtag group of people thrown together. It could be seen by just looking at a few of their simple tactical moves that these people rarely had strong professional qualities.

In addition, there are several airborne combat vehicles and light tanks parked on the edge of the playground. Judging from the rusty appearance on them, I don't know when they were captured by the government forces. It is probably because they lack fuel or no one knows how to drive them. It looked like it hadn't moved its nest for a long time.

Anwenna's husband, Bancha, seemed to be very happy here, and people kept saying hello along the way. Zhao Jianhui and others followed his stretcher and walked in. No one came to ask what these people were doing.

After turning around the rows of bamboo buildings in front, what surprised Zhao Jianhui and others was that there were five or six small brick buildings hidden among the green trees behind. This place is like a small modern city surrounded by dense jungle. The suburbs are densely forested, and ancient tree saplings grow staggered. The green leaves cover the sky and cover the ground, shining with green light, like a green ocean. The urban houses are a combination of European style and Amazon-style wooden structures, which is rich in charm and beauty. The streets are wide and clean, and there are flowers in front and behind the houses.

Although those buildings are relatively old, they still look very dazzling, as if these things should not be here at all.

Of course, there are also slums not far away. The dirty walls are spray-painted with messy graffiti. The low-rise bungalows built with red bricks are dilapidated and old. Some barefoot children even walk in the open spaces in front of and behind the houses. It was a noisy fight in the middle of the road, having a great time.

Searching the memory carefully, Zhao Jianhui suddenly understood that these houses must have been built during the British rule. It is very likely that this place was originally a drug processing factory, but it was occupied by Kunchai and then used as waste. .

Finally, we walked into the front of a few beautiful-looking buildings. The entrance to this place was relatively heavily guarded. The "soldiers" in camouflage had a serious atmosphere and were armed with live ammunition. There were sandbags piled up at the entrance of the compound and the barbed wire fence was pulled. When a group of people approached, a guy with a gun took a few steps forward and reached out to stop Da Liu and Ma Hongchen who were carrying a stretcher in front of them.

A guy who was pointing the way next to the stretcher walked up and whispered to the man. With a wave of her hand, she called her companion to come over and take the stretcher, and carried Bancha inside.

The man with the gun came over and bent over An Wenna, leading her, Zhao Jianhui and others into a place that was roughly similar to a guest house. The rooms here were in good condition, clean and tidy, and well decorated. It's in place, with bathroom and toilet, and TV in the room. Zhao Jianhui opened it and looked at it, but found that he could only receive four stations. The man gave him a helpless expression and warned: "Stay in the room and don't move around. Someone will take you to dinner later."

After the guy left, Tu Xiong put his face against the window and looked out, lowering his voice and saying: "Are we really going to attend that Kunchai wedding? Aren't you looking for some poisonous butterfly? Why? Are you wasting your time here?"

Zhao Jianhui said: "It will get dark soon. It's not like you don't know the dangers in the jungle. We don't care. What about Xiaotian who doesn't understand anything? Besides, where can you catch him in the dark and midnight?" Butterfly? It’s good to be able to come in today, but if you want to catch butterflies, you’ll have to do it during the day.”

It wasn't until the sky gradually darkened that Anwenna walked in with a strange man. This woman was about forty-five or six years old. She stood straight, wore glasses, and stared at Zhao Jianhui, Tu Xiong and others with piercing eyes. "Brother Zhao, this is Colonel Bonzo sent by General Kunchai. He is responsible for everything you have here. Tomorrow Colonel Bonzo will take you to purchase goods until you are sent out." Anwenna pointed. This person introduced Zhao Jianhui.

"Hello, Colonel Bonzo, may I trouble you." Zhao Jianhui smiled and stretched out his hand. The man said coldly: "You're welcome, I work for money. Please restrain your men from running around. Martial control is implemented here. If there is any misunderstanding, it will be very dangerous. Now please follow me Come, the general’s wedding banquet is about to begin.”

Zhao Jianhui smiled and nodded, and hinted to Tu Xiong, who then took out a red envelope and stuffed it into Bangzo's hand. Bangzo squeezed it with his hand, then nodded and smiled: "It seems that you are a wise man. If you want me to provide help, I will try my best to do it if you need any conditions. There is no free lunch in the world. You are on the right track."

After greeting Sun Liyun and others in other rooms, everyone followed Bangzo to the red house in the center. Along the way, Tu Xiong and Zhao Jianhui secretly observed the terrain, while Guo Tao walked at the back, and he and An Wenna hooked their heads and talked about something.

Soon, everyone walked into the red building in front. Bangzo, the leader, turned left, pushed open a door, and heard the noisy voices inside.

This hall may have been a church. The windows on the upper circle and the lower part are two or three meters high, and there are some reliefs of the myths of the Christian church carved around the walls. But now there are no images of Jesus and crosses. From the door to the front platform, there are four rows of long tables. The front platform is covered with crimson carpets and flowers are tied around.

The long table is already full of people sitting side by side. At a glance, there are at least one or two hundred people. Everyone is talking excitedly, and the noise is so loud that it is almost impossible to hear what people are saying two or three meters away.

According to the traditional customs of Myanmar, before marriage, both parties have to go through a long period of "mutual acquaintance". If a young man wants to marry a girl, he will tell his parents about his feelings, and then the man will send someone to the girl's family to propose marriage. If the girl's parents do not object to this marriage, the young people will live together.

But this does not mean that the couple has started their life together, it is just the "acquaintance stage". After two or three years, if the young man and woman find that the other party has not changed their original intention, they will consider getting married.

Before the wedding, a fortune teller should be asked to choose an auspicious day and determine the wedding date. According to tradition, a person of high moral character and prestige is invited to be the "clerk" at the wedding. All activities of the wedding are conducted under the auspices of the clerk. First, a chanting ceremony is held. The clerk invites the bride and groom to come out with warm and cheerful music accompaniment. The clerk chants sutras and worships Buddha. The bride and groom worship Buddha, Dharma, monks, parents, and teachers together.

After the chanting ceremony, the clerk begins to praise the kindness of the parents of the bride and groom, and the bride and groom accept the blessings of both parents. After the blessing, the clerk introduces the bride and groom and their families. Then, the clerk puts the groom's right hand on the bride's right hand, or puts the groom and bride's right hands into a silver basin filled with perfume, so that the groom and bride's right hands are connected in the water, and blesses the groom and bride to be as fragrant as flowers and as cool as water.

Then the clerk uses clean holy water to perform clerkship for the bride and groom. Finally, the guests give congratulatory speeches, and the clerk announces the end of the wedding. At this time, the drums and music were loud, and the guests were enjoying the wonderful performances while tasting delicious food. The whole wedding hall was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Kunchai is 58 years old this year, and this is his 18th marriage. But the wedding ceremony was still very lively, and it was completely in accordance with the rules.

Zhao Jianhui and others found a corner and sat down. Not long after, the person who served as the master of initiation announced the start of the wedding. The one or two hundred people in the hall suddenly became silent, and most of them bowed their heads and clasped their hands together, following the master of initiation to recite the scriptures silently. Zhao Jianhui and several others also followed the others and clasped their hands together in front of their chests. They really didn't know what to recite in their mouths, so they just muttered along.

When the chanting ceremony was over, the bride and groom in red wedding clothes stood up from the ground, turned their faces to the audience with a smile.

Seeing the appearance of the bride, Zhao Jianhui couldn't help but be shocked. This person looked like the Nong Lan he had dealt with before. The nose, eyes, and eyebrows looked exactly like the same person. Although the bride also had a smile on her face, Zhao Jianhui could still see that her eyes were a little empty and stupid with his sensitivity.

Neither of them had parents or elders to attend the wedding, so the ritual of the master praising their parents' merits and kindness was not necessary. Instead, this item was skipped and they went directly to the next level.

Two girls in pink dresses brought up a large silver basin. The master was already standing between the bride and groom, holding one hand of the bride and groom with both hands, and was about to put their hands into the silver basin.

At this moment, one of the guests sitting in the middle row yelled, followed by a gunshot, and Kunchai on the stage screamed "ah" and fell down with his hands covering his chest.