In the late autumn of 1972, by the river in Fuyuan County, Heilongjiang Province. Two young men stood on the bank of the river, looking at the Ussuri River, shrouded in morning mist. They are the educated youth Zhang Qiming and the black tiger, who are preparing to set off to fish. No one could have imagined that this ordinary fishing trip would involve them in an international dispute and even change the trajectory of their lives.
【The life of educated youth in the Great Northern Wilderness】
The hard years of the educated youth
In the 70s of the last century, millions of urban youths were sent to the countryside to start their careers. Some of them came to the Great Northern Wilderness of Heilongjiang and faced a strange and difficult environment.
Zhang Qiming and Black Tiger are two of them. They had to get up before dawn every day, wear heavy cotton clothes, and brave the cold wind to do farm work. In summer, you have to endure mosquito bites and humid heat. Although it is hard, young people always have endless energy. In their free time, their favorite thing is to go fishing by the river.
Slowly, they learned fishing skills with local fishermen. The Black Tiger, in particular, was born a good water player and quickly mastered various fishing doorways. Gradually, they were no longer satisfied with fishing on the shore, and began to drive small boats to the center of the river to cast nets.
Once, an old fisherman in the village caught a big fish weighing hundreds of pounds. This incident was spread in the village, and it also made Zhang Qiming and Black Tiger yearn for it. They secretly vowed that one day they would catch such a big guy.
【Departure Fishing】
A fateful adventure
That morning, Zhang Qiming and Black Tiger prepared to set off fishing as usual. But the black tiger was extremely excited: "Lao Zhang, I always feel that today is not ordinary, maybe I can meet a big fish!"
Zhang Qiming smiled and shook his head: "You, you're daydreaming again."
The two rowed a small boat and sailed towards the center of the river. The morning mist gradually dissipated, and the sun shone on the river, sparkling. The black tiger carefully observed the movement on the surface of the water, and suddenly shouted: "Look! Over there!"
In the distance, a huge fin broke through the water and quickly disappeared.
"Oh my God! A big fish!" Zhang Qiming was also stunned.
The two of them immediately turned the bow of the ship and headed in that direction. They carefully cast their nets for fear of alarming the big fish.
Suddenly, the nets sank so violently that they nearly overturned the boat.
"Hit!" The black tiger shouted excitedly, "Quick, help me pull the boat!"
The two of them work together against the giant in the water. The fish was so powerful that it dragged the boat across the river. Before they knew it, their boat had sailed towards the center of the river.
【Accidental Crossing of the Line】
A risky move
Just as the two of them were concentrating on dealing with the big fish, the black tiger suddenly realized that something was wrong: "Lao Zhang, are we... Crossed the line?"
Zhang Qiming came back to his senses and looked around. They had reached the center of the river, which was where the Sino-Soviet border was located.
"Oh no, it's a big problem." Zhang Qiming's face turned pale.
But the black tiger didn't think so: "It's all here, can you still give up?" Besides, who can see us?"
At this moment, the roar of a motor was heard in the distance. A Soviet patrol boat was approaching them.
"It's over!" Zhang Qiming exclaimed.
The black tiger was calm: "Don't panic, let's pretend not to see it and continue fishing."
The two of them hardened their heads and continued to fight the big fish. The patrol boat was getting closer, and the soldiers above had begun to shout loudly.
Suddenly, a huge wave hit, the boat lost its balance, and the two fell into the river.
The icy river water instantly soaked his whole body, and Zhang Qiming struggled desperately to surface. He saw that the black tiger was also struggling not far away, and the big fish had long since disappeared.
[Dramatic Twist]
The line between life and death
Just when the two thought they were going to die, the soldiers on the Soviet patrol boat unexpectedly launched a rescue. They threw down the lifebuoy and pulled the two onto the boat.
Zhang Qiming and Black Tiger trembled and didn't know what to do. A man who looked like a chief said in blunt Chinese: "You have crossed the border illegally, come with us."
The two were taken to a military base on the shore. After a brief interrogation, they were put in a rudimentary cell.
"It's over." Zhang Qiming said in despair, "We may have to be locked up here for the rest of our lives." "
The black tiger looked unusually calm: "Don't worry, it's not that simple. Our country will definitely come to our rescue. "
Sure enough, it didn't take long for them to hear hurried footsteps outside.
The door to the cell was opened, and a middle-aged man in a suit entered. He spoke to the guards in fluent Russian, then turned to the two and said, "I am a diplomat at the Chinese embassy in the Soviet Union. You can go home. "
【Unexpected Ending】
The return of a man
Zhang Qiming couldn't believe his ears: "Really? Can we go?"
The diplomat nodded, "Yes, but—" he stopped talking.
"But what?" Black Tiger asked.
The diplomat took a deep breath: "Your friend, who was seriously injured after falling into the water. Although Soviet hospitals tried their best to save the life, it was never..."
Zhang Qiming was struck by lightning and sat on the ground. He remembered that the black tiger hit the side of the boat when he fell into the water, and he didn't think it was too serious at the time. Who would have thought...
In the next few days, Zhang Qiming was in a daze. He was arranged to return to China in a diplomatic vehicle, while the remains of the black tiger were loaded into a coffin and transported by another vehicle.
On the day I returned to my hometown, the whole village was boiling. People gathered around Zhang Qiming and asked what was going on. But when they saw the coffin that followed, everyone was silent.
Today, the relationship between China and Russia is no longer what it used to be. The Ussuri River is no longer an icy boundary, but a link between the two countries. But for Zhang Qiming, that fishing experience will always be an indelible pain in his heart.
In the dead of night, he would always think of that foggy morning, the excited smile of the black tiger, and the huge fins that suddenly appeared on the river. If at that time they had not greedily chased the big fish, if they had realized in time that they had crossed the line ... Maybe the ending would have been completely different.
This story may make us more cautious about every choice we make in life. Because you never know what kind of life trajectory a seemingly trivial decision will take you.