Since the travel agencies of Vladkoles carried help only to Suifenhe, Tanya had to look for another company. Travel agency "Vladparkovka" was engaged in tours to Harbin. Travel conditions were the same. For a minimum fee of five hundred rubles, tourists were taken to Harbin, fed with free breakfast and dinner, taken on excursions, and at the finish line, Suifenhe - the border, tourists dragged all the same help bags. The leader of the group, unlike Varvara, was very calm and restrained; instead of a thunderous briefing on the bus, the tourists were given a safety note and asked to sign after reading. The journey began with an adventure. Near the village of Uglovoe, the bus stopped and the driver let five people in. They were the leader of the group and four tourists. All five knew each other well, apparently, the travel agency was located somewhere in the village. The loud laughter of the girls and swearing briefly dispersed the sleep of the other passengers, but after a few minutes everyone again fell into a sleepy state. It was dark outside, the bus left early. The backlight of advertising flickered before my eyes, merging into one continuous strip. Kalina just dozed off, when suddenly the bus jerked sharply and stopped. Near the door of the bus, two traffic police officers were standing, waving sticks, next to them, a man of indeterminate age was shifting from foot to foot. The driver opened the door.
“Hello,” one patrolman saluted, “are there representatives of the Marianna travel agency here?”
“Yes,” came a voice from the back seat, “I'm the leader. What's the matter?
“The fact is that this man,” the patrolman gestured at the disheveled person, “claims that you have fraudulently lured his wife on a tour and intend to sell her into slavery.
A gasp of surprise passed through the bus. Sleep was taken away from the passengers.
- I AM? - the leader was surprised, approaching the patrolman, - into slavery?
- You, - a stream of profanity burst into the bus, - Sonya, why did you kidnap my wife?
“No one abducted me,” a thin voice rang out from the same back seat, “you yourself yesterday ...”
The man squeezed past the patrolmen and the leader into the bus, made his way to the last seat in three steps and grabbed his wife by the hand:
“Home, home, home,” he repeated, not listening to what the girl was telling him, “I don’t know anything, home!”
Girlfriends grabbed the girl with a squeal and began to tear her away from her husband. A lot started. The patrolman tried to restore order, but where is it!
In the dump it was impossible to understand who was who. Finally, the patrolman fished the husband out of the pile and dragged him to the exit.
The female population of the bus buzzed after the men, calling her husband a slave owner and ... The epithets were different, but they all boiled down to the fact that they did not give free rein to a Russian woman.
“You yourself,” the girl shouted in a tearful voice, “yesterday gave me money for the road and made a list of what I need to buy!” What did you forget? Yes, in the morning with a hangover and you will not forget such a thing!
The husband reacted to the last words with lightning speed, he again began to break into the bus, kicking the doors. The driver stood up to protect his native transport. The scolded husband rushed at the driver with his fists. The case ended with the patrol officer, apologizing, asking his wife to write a statement that no one had kidnapped her and she was going to the Republic of China voluntarily. The girl wrote. The leader returned to her lambs in the back seat, the husband knocked on the wall of the bus several times from impotence, the door closed, and the bus drove on.
When we were approaching Ussuriysk, the bus was again stopped by a traffic police patrol. Kalina did not understand what the problem was: either the driver had something wrong with the rights, or the license ended, but the driver was forbidden to move on. The group leader tried to explain that if they didn't make it to Suifenhe on time, the Suifenhe-Harbin train would leave without the group. The patrolman just shrugged his shoulders: the law is the law. An hour later, another driver arrived and the road to the border again began to spread before the eyes of travelers. Two hours have passed. Kalina looked longingly out the window. Once again, the same thing. The same road, the same rickety houses. Endless deja vu. Now Tanya will wake up and start persuading Kalina to be more cheerful. And so on all the way. Tanya is sleeping, Tanya is pushing Kalina. Tanya is sleeping ... Kalina looked at her friend, but it turns out that Tanya had not slept for a long time, the curious woman was already all over, trying to make out the passengers who got on the bus in front of the thorn. Passengers were sitting in the back and arguing about something temperamentally. It was hard to hear, because they were arguing in a whisper, but no less furiously for that.
- Kalina, well, Kalin, listen to me! Did you see those passengers who got on Pogranichny?
- I didn’t see anyone, leave me alone Tanya!
- Well, these are those ... Do you remember I told you about the husband and wife who decided to get a visa at the border?
- Well, I remember what?
So, I think they are!
- Who are they?
Kalina, why are you slowing down? The passengers I told you about are on the bus with us. If you turn your head to the left, you will see the edge of the passenger's fur coat,maybe all of it!
- Yes? - Kalina became interested and tried to do the experiment that Tanya advised. The experiment was partially successful: she definitely saw the fur coat, but not the passenger.
The excitement of Tatyana's news quickly subsided, and Kalina crossed the Russian border in the same dull, dreary state.
The temperamental couple got off the bus before anyone else. While the leaders were collecting their tourists, while they were counting and building, so that the strict Chinese border guards had nothing to complain about, the couple launched a stormy activity. They wandered around the Chinese customs office and looked for those who were supposed to make them a visa. But again, they were out of luck. This time, the failure occurred because they were on their lunch break. Kalina and Tanya were the last to stand, and before them, in all its glory, an action called "Issuing a visa at the border" unfolded.
“Listen,” the woman began to blame her husband, “what are you doing to me? I asked this time to make a visa at the embassy! What did you answer me? A bullet doesn't hit the same place twice! Is it cheaper to make a visa at the border? That's cheap!
“But this shouldn’t have happened,” the man justified himself, “now everything will be fine!” Now a girl, the head of the visa department, will come, open the door of this damned department and make us a visa! We will cross the border and drive on, and you will calm down and not scream!
- She will come, but not she, but he! Look, there's that man in uniform who dragged us out of here last time, and he's coming towards us!
“Man,” the husband rushed to the representative of the authorities, “we need to get a visa, but it’s closed here!”
The husband took out an invitation from his pocket and raised it to the nose of the Chinese. He carefully read and shouted something, a bunch of Chinese ran in, they twisted the invitation this way and that. There was such a hubbub, as if the customs officers were seeing such a piece of paper for the first time in their lives. Finally, the one who last time saw the unlucky couple out decided to repeat the attraction called "Unwanted Tourists" and made a sign to his assistants. The woman shouted at the whole customs. Some Chinese ran up, at the very least spoke Russian, and began to explain that it was now a lunch break. And while this break lasts, tourists without a visa cannot be in the territory of customs. The woman broke away and sat down on a chair that stood near the visa office. The Chinese tried to lift her up, but she struggled and shouted to her husband:
- We'll wait here. Lunch is over and we'll be the first!
The couple, of course, were taken downstairs, probably to the bus that was taking the tourists back to Russia.
Tanya and Kalina looked at each other, this time it was not at all funny, and even very insulting. We were in Suifenhe in half an hour. The group leader warned that the train to Harbin leaves at twenty-one-thirty, and therefore tourists should be in the hotel lobby at nineteen o'clock in order to have time to have dinner before leaving. There were a lot of tourists, so they all allocated three rooms. These were the so-called transit numbers. In these rooms you could rest, even take a shower if you wanted. One room was designed for four to six people. Tanya invited Kalina to go to a Buddhist temple. Kalina shuddered at the idea, but said nothing. We got up early before leaving, so Kalina decided to sleep, and Tanya went along her favorite route: the subway, shops, boutiques. Before leaving, she told Kalina:
- Oh, you, a friend is still called! There is no tourist romance in you! To think, to come to such a city, to such a distance, and go to bed! Maybe you'll change your mind and come with me?
— No, Tanya, I feel bad!
- Allergies again?
- Not. Lately, I've only been allergic to certain smells. This smell is like a harbinger of trouble, or, how can I put it more precisely ... This smell is like a visiting card of a bad person! And here, in Suifenhe, it just smells like China! I am fine with this scent.
- How difficult everything is for you! Well, Kalinusha, when will you live easier? Just smile at the sun and good people! Well, come with me - there is such grace on the street! The end of May is in the yard!
- Tanya, well, we still work up, five days ahead! Can I still sleep?
Tanya left, and Kalina lay and could not sleep. Suddenly she was touched by Tanya's words. Is everything really so hopeless, and Kalina's whole life seems gray and boring from the outside? But she, Kalina, wants to live a real life! Wants violent passions, great love! Instead, he goes to Suifenhe again and again as a helper! But, on the other hand, it cannot be that everyone who rode with Kalina on the bus led the same boring and joyless life, which means that ... Kalina was completely confused and, not finding an argument against her arguments, quietly fell asleep. She woke up from the triumphant cry of Tanya:
- Kalinka, get up, I found everything! I bought everything!
Kalina from sleep could not understand where they were. The room was dark in the evening. Tanya guessed to wake Kalina, but turn on the light - no! Or rather, Tanya simply did not stick the magnetic card into the slot. And while the card is not in place, the light will not turn on. Ta key cardshe held in her teeth, and her hands were busy with bags. Finally, Kalina figured out where she was and with whom, and, getting up, took the heavy bags from Tanya's hands.
— What did you find? What did you buy? And what time is it now, - looking out the window, Kalina said in alarm, - have I really slept all day?
“Exactly,” Tanya laughed happily, smacking her friend on the cheek, “you overslept everything, sleepy-drowsy!” I even managed to miss you! And I bought everything you had in that bag! Bargained till blue in the face! Now you pay off your debts and you will rest! You think I don't know how you don't like to come here! Go wash up! There's an hour left before dinner!
On the train, Kalina got the third regiment. Tanya from her second shelf tried to call Kalina several times, but the woman pretended to be asleep. But in fact, Kalina did not feel like sleeping at all, she slept during the day. The train was going softly, no joints and jerks, as in our long-distance trains. When they entered the car, the beds were already made. There were slippers in front of each shelf. A handsome tall Chinese man in the uniform of a conductor walked around the car and put the passengers' shoes in a line. All night long he scurried around the car, picking up something, sweeping, correcting. The manager warned that the conductor would take the tickets and give plastic cards in return. In the morning everything happened exactly the opposite. The conductor took the cards and gave the tickets. Tickets had to be cherished like the apple of an eye, otherwise they might not be let out of the station. Tanya complained that the Chinese were noisy, sang all night and did not let her sleep, she was gloomy and taciturn. Kalina, on the contrary, did not hear or feel anything. She thought that she would not fall asleep after sleeping all day, but unexpectedly for herself, she fell fast asleep to the soft rocking and clatter of the wheels.
Harbin welcomed the travelers with soft, almost summer warmth. Kalina agreed in advance that she and Tanya would be accommodated in the Gloria Hotel. Since this hotel was quoted quite highly, she had to pay extra, but a very small amount. So insignificant that she did not even begin to talk about this additional payment to Tatyana, to whom she already considered herself indebted. The hotel, indeed, stood right next to the Sungari embankment.
The rest of the tourists stayed in the center, at the Plaza Hotel. The head of the group warned that the women were given an hour to rest, after which they would be picked up. The excursion program was so intense that by the end of the day Kalina had little to think about. The last number on the program that day was the TV tower. Tour guides lifted tourists higher and higher, from one level of the tower to another. At first, the group was taken up in an elevator, but the moment came when they had to climb on foot. The elevator was no longer going up. Tanya took pictures of everything. Finally, we climbed so high that it was even scary to look, and the guide offered to walk on the glass that went around the TV tower in a circle. The glass was armored, but that didn't make it any less scary. It feels like you are going to walk through the air over the abyss. Tanya walked along the glass path, but Kalina, of course, did not. Below were green golf courses. When they boarded the bus to go back, Kalina warned the group leader that they would not go on an excursion tomorrow. Tanya was terribly surprised, Kalina did not tell her anything, she was playing for time! And now, according to Tatyana, she behaved quite strangely! Tanya did not aloud challenge Kalina's decision, but looked so expressively that Kalina shivered and realized that there would be a showdown. After dinner, the friends were taken to the hotel. Tanya was silent, going up in the elevator, she was silent, and walking along the corridor to the room. Kalina was frightened: the storm was going to be serious! But, entering the room, Tanya also said nothing. She lay down on the bed, in what she was, and clicked on the TV remote control. Kalina saw her friend for the first time in such a state, and therefore did not know how to behave. The point, probably, was that for the first time in her life, Kalina showed some kind of initiative. The storm hit Kalina's head at a time when she least expected it. Coming out of the shower, she stumbled upon Tanya, who was waiting for her outside the door:
- So that's it? - a friend screamed right off the bat, - You have secrets from me, right? I am for you... I am with you... And you?
Tanya did not have enough words, so she simply returned to the room and began to beat on the pillow to give weight to her words:
“You and I have gone through so many troubles, and you are doing this to me!” Did I stole your man or stole what? Where did secrets come from? And why did you think you could make decisions for me?
Kalina could have said a lot to Tanya in response, but she did not. She just took out a letter and gave it to Tanya. Not believing her eyes, Tanya re-read the note three times. Then she asked in a whisper:
"And why didn't you tell me anything?"
"I didn't mean to involve you in all this!"
“Why did you say it now?”
— I was scared!
- Okay, this topic is closed! What are we going to do now?
- I dont know.
“But I know. Look, I've got it all! You are standing at the monument, waiting for a Chinese woman, andI'm off to the side and watching you. And as soon as she approaches you, and you go with her, I will follow you!
- Will not work.
- Why?
- I don't have a photo.
- Where is she?
- Probably stayed at Igor's house. There was no photo among Katya's things that she brought with her from Igor's house!
“You should have told these people who will be waiting for you tomorrow!”
And how would I tell them about it?
Yes, sorry, I didn't think of that! Too bad I had such a great plan!
“Tan, nothing would have come of it anyway!”
- Why? I've thought of everything!
- Most likely, the Chinese woman who will come for me will prepare some kind of car for further movement. As far as I saw and heard today, Harbin is a big city!
- So what! I'll catch a taxi too and...
- So what?
Yes, I didn't think of that! I don’t know Chinese and I can’t explain to the driver what he needs to do and who to follow! So what are we to do?
“Maybe… Of course, I don’t have the right to ask you, especially after today… But if you agreed…”
- Stop pulling rubber, lay it out! What did you come up with?
“And you and I would be calmer if we went to this monument together!”
- But how ... It is unlikely that they will be happy that you did not come alone!
“Anyway, I don’t have a photograph with me, so one more fault, one less ...
While the friends were standing near the monument, they received a huge number of proposals of various properties. They were offered to take a picture, go on a boat along the Sungari, buy a balloon, buy devil's horns that glow in the dark, and also buy a girl or a boy for the night. Unlike yesterday, the weather was disgusting. It was overcast, it was raining lightly and it was blowing heavily from the Sungari. Girlfriends did not stand for half an hour, but already froze. Tanya offered to run to the room for hats, fortunately, there were ten steps to the hotel, but Kalina grabbed her with a stranglehold. It seemed to her that Tanya had only to take a few steps, and the most terrible things would immediately begin to happen to her, Kalina! Tanya stayed. Walking around the monument, she scolded those who sent the letter with her last words. The women held out for another half an hour and rushed to their room to warm up. Flying into the hotel lobby, Kalina looked around anxiously. Despite the fact that no one approached her, something was still brewing! Some threat hung in the air. Scolding herself for being suspicious, Kalina followed Tanya into the elevator. But when they got out of the elevator and there were a few steps to the room, Kalina stopped Tanya, who had already pulled out the magnetic key.
- Wait! Let's call kunya! Let her enter the room with us! There's something happened!
- Yes, what are you? And if everything is in order there, how will we look like?
- Sorry, everyone! Let's just say she misunderstood us! Tanya, we can't go in there! I smell!
- What smell? Kalinka, I'll go completely crazy with you! What else smell? We haven't even opened the door yet!
Tanya, look at my eyes! I'm already in tears! And the skin on the chin itches! Let's call kunya, huh?
- OK then. Let's call.
Kunya was shouted for a very long time, together and one by one. Finally, she appeared.
While they were shouting, Tanya had a plan. When the kunya approached, Tanya pantomimed that the door would not open. She pointed to the key and the door. Kunya put the key to the lock with a smile and the door, of course, opened with a loud click. Kunya turned to leave, but Kalina's loud cry stopped her!
Everything in the room was upside down and ripped open. Pillow stuffing covered the floor like snow. Everything was taken out of the bags. And the most annoying thing was that all the purchases that Tanya bought in Suifenhe were ruined. All the clothes were torn at the seams, the shoes were cut, their uppers were separated from the soles, souvenirs were broken and broken. Cooney's eyes popped out of his head. When Tanya approached with the question of who she let into the room, the kunya simply shook her head and ran away. A few minutes later the manager came running. For about ten minutes, the administrator and Tanya yelled at each other without understanding a word. Finally, the administrator guessed to invite an interpreter. When the tourists could not be blamed for the fact that the debacle in the room was their fault, the administrator apologized. He promised that he would do everything possible to repair the damage and liquidate the pogrom committed by an unknown person in a short time. Tanya said that she would not live in this room. The administrator wanted to object, but, looking at the woman ready for new military operations, he thought and agreed. The women were moved to a suite.
Having laid out the few things that remained intact, Tanya and her friend got together to take a walk along the Sungari embankment, but Kalina had other plans. Referring to poor health, which was partly true, she saw Tanya and resolutely went out into the corridor and went ... to room 712. This was the number of the room they had just moved from, it had not even been cleaned yet. The door was still open. Kalina busily entered the room, deciding to herself that if someone asked if she wasif she does, she will confidently answer. Kalina's answer had already been prepared for a long time. She will answer that she is looking for her thing, which she apparently overlooked during the collection. But no one was in a hurry to enter the room. Kalina sat down in a chair and concentrated. There were many people in the room, many smells hovered here, but one smell, the smell of evil, interrupted all the smells. This is despite the fact that the room was aired several times. Actually the window was open now, but the smell was not going to go anywhere. True, he was barely felt at the window, but was especially strong at the front door. In the bathroom, the smell completely disappeared, which would hit Kalina's eyes as soon as she returned to the cramped corridor. Her eyes watered with such force that Kalina almost stopped seeing anything through her tears. Slightly catching her breath at the window, the woman gathered her strength and ... She followed the trail of the smell. When she left the room, she felt that the smell had not gone away. He hung in the air. Kalina twisted cough, but she stubbornly followed the smell. The smell ended at room 710, but to find it, Kalina had to walk a full circle around the floor where the rooms were located. Approaching the 710 number, Kalina hesitated for several minutes, raised her hand to knock on the door, but did not dare. She even moved a few steps away from the room, deciding to go back to her new room, but forced herself to calm down, focus, and again went to the door. There was someone behind the door, Kalina felt it right away. The smell got stronger, then moved away. But as soon as Kalina knocked, the smell thickened in one place, near the front door. It was as if the one who was behind the door hid and painfully thought whether to open or not open to an uninvited guest. Kalina knocked again, she even hesitantly asked the one who was supposedly outside the door to open the door. But the room was quiet. Then, suddenly, the smell began to recede, as if the man who had just been standing at the door decided to leave on tiptoe and hide in the depths of the room. Kalina knocked a few more times, already realizing that it was useless. The one who was in the room firmly decided not to open the door. A kunya approached Kalina. They spoke at the same time, each in their own language. And at the same time they were silent. The Chinese woman laughed. Then she said something again, pointing to Kalina, to number 710 and to the suite. It dawned on Kalina, probably the duty officer decided that the Russian woman had mixed up her new number and was now breaking into other people's doors by mistake. Kalina, as best she could, tried to dispel the delusion of the Chinese woman, but she did not succeed. Kunya did not understand anything and laughed again. With a wave of her hand, Kalina moved in the direction of her room. Turning around for the last time, she saw that the smell oozing from under the door of room 710 had also acquired color. The color was dark red, almost purple. It was already too much! Kalina shook her head and closed her eyes for a second. When she opened them again, the color disappeared, but the smell continued to ooze from under the door and acquired such a disgusting shade that the woman realized she had to get out of here, otherwise something terrible would happen. What Kalina did. Rushing into her new room, Kalina turned on the air conditioner at full power and rushed to the bathroom, hoping to wash off the vile smell. When she returned to the room, the smell was almost gone. Feeling that she was deadly tired, Kalina decided to rest a bit. She experienced unpleasant sensations about ten minutes later, when there was a knock on the room, but, thank God, Tatyana was at the door. Trying not to show her fear, Kalina opened the door and quickly returned to the warm bed. By the time Tanya undressed and went into the room, Kalina had already put on a mask of equanimity and smiled at her friend.
In the evening the leader of the group arrived. Having sympathized with the tourists, she asked how much they estimate the damage. Tanya named the amount that she spent running around Sunka, but the leader winked at her friends and named the amount twice as much as the one that Tanya named. For moral damage, the woman emphasized. This is where they stopped. Natasha (that was the name of the leader of the group) asked if the women would go on an excursion tomorrow. Having received an affirmative answer, she winked again at her friends and left, reminding them that in fifteen minutes she was waiting for them downstairs. Dinner was planned at the Hans restaurant. As the women found out, the second excursion day was as busy as the first. They missed a trip to the Window on Europe park, the science and technology museum, the aquarium, a visit to pearl and silk factories, and a tea ceremony. And they also deprived themselves of a visit to the tiger safari park. During dinner, tourists excitedly shared their impressions. Tanya looked sadly at Kalina and shook her head. Kalina immediately felt guilty. She then knew how Tanya loves all sorts of excursions. According to the program, one more day was excursion, and the fourth day was considered free. On this day, tourists usually walk and shop. But back to the third day. On this day, the friends, together with the group, visited the Buddhist monastery, the children's park of culture and recreation, andrke "Sunny Island". The first point of the program was the Buddhist monastery "Zilesi".
On the gates of the monastery there was a sign "No photography allowed". Roma, who accompanied the group throughout all the days, did not fail to point out this sign to the tourists. Kalina whispered to Tanya to put the camera away, but Tanya just laughed and uncovered the camera.
“What nonsense,” she said, “you can take pictures in Sunka, in Hunchun too, but you can’t here!”
- Tan, how is it, you see - the sign is drawn: a camera crossed out with two lines! You can't - you can't!
“I am a free man,” Tatyana tossed her head proudly, “and no badges can tell me!”
- Well, well, well! - Kalina agreed, - do not be angry, if you want to take pictures - take pictures!
The Buddha statue was taller than all the surrounding buildings. There was something effeminate in her, and her hairstyle resembled the hair of the famous singer Iosif Kobzon in his youth. The Buddha looked stern, but did not cause fear. The Buddha's hands were busy. One hand was a bowl, and the other ... However, the other hand was empty, but not just empty, but with a hint! The palm was turned so that I wanted to put something into it. And each person wanted to invest something of his own: to whom a coin, and to whom life itself. But, fortunately, the Buddha was, as already mentioned, very tall, two meters, and it was difficult to reach his palm.
A huge golden Buddha with an inverted swastika on his chest beckoned to open the camera and click, and Tanya, of course, could not resist. After taking a few shots, she stepped back to get into an even more comfortable position, but ran into an orange-robed monk who had come up behind as quietly as a shadow.
“You can’t take pictures,” the monk said quietly, “Buddha doesn’t want to!”
“Well, well,” Tanya immediately agreed, winking at Kalina, “I won’t!”
Kalina knew what her friend's wink meant. It meant that Tanya gave consent for fun. That is, under the pressure of circumstances, he seems to agree, but still remains of his opinion.
The monastery stood on a flat place, there was no need to go up and down anywhere. Together with all the pavilions, temples and other religious buildings, it occupied a vast territory: seventeen thousand square meters. Many courtyards, connected by one line, stretched from south to north.
Otherwise, everything was the same as in Suifenhe and Hunchun. Tourists threw coins into the gray, decorated with intricate patterns, pagoda, beat the bell so that the gods would grant family happiness, lifted some kind of log from a stand resembling goats for sawing. Our friends also tried to keep up with the others.
To Tanya's surprise, Kalina, always so indifferent to souvenirs, suddenly rushed to pick up all kinds of Buddhist souvenirs: rosaries, Buddha figurines, all kinds of pendants, turtles and crystal balls, bells and incense sticks.
Tanya just opened her mouth in surprise, not understanding what had suddenly happened to her friend!
The monastery was divided into several courtyards, which were connected through pavilions and gates. It was founded by a disciple of the famous monk Tian Taizong - Yan Xuif. Roma told the tourists about this at the very beginning of the tour. Moving further and further into the depths of the monastery, Kalina wanted to ask him a few questions, but Roma was no longer around. He imperceptibly disappeared among the orange robes of the monks and left on some business of his own. Going from courtyard to courtyard, Kalina and her friend did not cease to be surprised. There were statues of Buddha in every courtyard. They were all different: Buddhas symbolized the past, present and future. The Chinese asked some for strength and happiness, others for money, offspring and something else of their own, secret. Finally, in one of the courtyards, the girlfriends stumbled upon the Buddha, who helped the women. This place was especially crowded. Pregnant Chinese women, women with children, grandmothers, young girls, little girls - they all came to bow to their Buddha and ask for something. The life of the Chinese is hard and difficult. And this work begins from childhood. A schoolboy's day starts at eight-thirty and ends at seventeen or seventeen-thirty. After classes, parents grab the kids in an armful and take them to additional classes: music, choreography, English. Only at twenty-one o'clock the child is at home. But he still has to learn the lessons for tomorrow. Such a tense rhythm of life for all schoolchildren, even for first-graders. There is absolutely no indulgence for the young age of disciples.
“I don’t understand,” Roma suddenly got angry, appearing out of nowhere, “why don’t you ask questions?” I have already told you so much, but you are silent! Are you not interested?
Shocked by the unexpected outburst of emotions, the girls looked at each other.
“Listen, you’re a teacher,” Tanya whispered in Kalina’s ear, “so ask him about something!” You see, the man is angry!
“Roma, I’m sorry,” Kalina cleared her throat and tried to correct the awkward situation, “I had a lot of questions, but it was inconvenient for me to interrupt you!”
“That’s wrong,” Roma said instructively,- I'm here to tell, and you - to ask!
“Well, okay,” Kalina agreed, “I’ll ask!” I want to ask about your children! How are their holidays? Do they take a break from their school work?
- No, - answered Roma, - children study even more during the holidays than during the school year.
Kalina exchanged glances with Tanya and rushed into battle.
“But you must admit that this is not right! Children can develop neurosis! The child should have a good rest after a hard school year!
“There are many of us,” the young man patiently explained, “and everyone strives to break out to the top in order to survive. And this can be done only if you get a first-class education and enter a prestigious institute.
Roma finished his explanation and went to the other tourists.
Near each Buddha there were vases with fruits and dishes with sweets. Leaving offerings to the gods, the Chinese pave their way to paradise.
And heaven for the Chinese is a place where you can do nothing. A place where rivers of honey flow, trees glitter with gold, and the air is filled with music and incense.
Behind a high wall of red brick, many Buddhist buildings were concentrated. You could go anywhere. Tanya took a closer look at the Chinese who came to bow to their god, and noticed that they were trying not to step on the threshold of the temple. However, the paint on the threshold was still erased. Kalina suggested that this was due to the fact that foreigners do not know the rules of the monastery and boldly step on the threshold, but she herself, approaching the next pavilion, carefully stepped over the threshold.
Tanya was attracted by a small temple under the weather tower, and she pulled Kalina along with her. The woman went inside and immediately regretted doing so. Glancing at her friend, she was stunned: there was no face on Kalina. Girlfriend stood pale, sweat streamed down her temples. In Tanya's opinion, there was nothing terrible in this temple, but Kalina had a different opinion. Inside the temple was a kind of art gallery. There were paintings on the walls, painted on silk. And each was a reminder that all the sins that a person committed during his lifetime will certainly be considered at the highest council, and the person will be punished. Looking closely at the plots and the thoroughness with which the details of punishment and torture were written out, Tanya also became terrified. These were scenes from hell. In the paintings, people were tortured, hung by the head, their heads were clamped in a special wooden collar-rack. The girls especially got it in these pictures. Naked girls were beaten, tortured, kicked. Each picture was attached to its own Buddha, so to speak, responsible for a certain sin, or for releasing it. Buddhas were present at the eradication of vices with various facial expressions. But mostly they were enlightened Buddhas who were little moved by what was happening in the pictures.
The Chinese contemplated these frightening creations to soothing meditative music. Tanya brought Kalina out in a semi-conscious state.
- Well, what about you? Haven't you seen pictures before?
- There is no such!
- Kalinka, why are you so excited? Well, terrible pictures, even though so much silk was spoiled in vain, but these are just pictures!
“I’m sorry, as always, I’m only spoiling everyone’s mood!” But it suddenly seemed to me ... I have already seen some of these pictures ... I don’t remember when, where, but ...
Kalina was silent for a long time, Tanya waited for her friend to speak again, and then waved her hand and silently pulled Kalina out of the temple.
When they entered the pavilion, where there were golden statues of five hundred servants of the Buddha, Kalina stopped, as if rooted to the spot in front of the many-armed goddess with a stern face standing in the center of the pavilion. Actually, the goddess had many faces. The heads towered one above the other, and the higher the head, the smaller it was. The statue of the multi-armed goddess was also cast in gold. Tanya glanced sideways at Kalina, even called out to her, but her friend did not even turn her head in response. Shrugging her shoulders, Tanya went to the left to find out why the Buddha had so many servants. Each gilded statue had an object in its hands. The statues were arranged with the letter “P”, and at first Tanya diligently photographed them, but already on the twentieth servant of the Buddha she became bored, and she covered her camera. Tanya wandered around the pavilion for about twenty minutes, but when she returned to the beginning of the tour, it turned out that Kalina was still standing in front of the many-armed goddess. Rather, she was no longer on her feet, but on her knees. Near the statue were two slanted pads left here specifically for kneeling. Kalina stood on one of them. Tanya called her friend several times, but Kalina still did not hear anything. Tanya was worried. Coming close, she shook Kalina by the shoulder. It took about a minute before Kalina came out of her strange state and looked at her friend.
- Well, what happened to you? - Tanya asked, leading Kalina into the sunlight, - I called you, called, but you were silent!
- What happened to me? - Kalina was surprised, sleepily blinking her eyes, - you went somewhere deep into the pavilion, and I went up to the many-armed goddess. That's all. Why are you back so quickly? I just had a lookGoddess in the eye, and then you're shaking me! Not even a minute has passed!
- Wow, - Tanya was confused, - a minute has not passed! I walked around the pavilion for twenty minutes and brought you to your senses for another ten minutes!
- Are you kidding? - Kalina smiled uncertainly, - we just entered the pavilion!
“I’m not joking,” Tanya seriously confirmed her words, “but I’m not going to prove anything to you!” It's useless, it's like you fell asleep or daydreamed.
- I do not remember anything! - Kalina was surprised, - But since you say that half an hour has passed, then it is so, although it is still strange! Okay, where are we going now?
- Natasha said, we are going to the Buddha, and we are going to the park. It's just thirteen-thirty, half an hour has passed!
— Oh, look, a whole line of monks, would you like to take a picture of them?
- Yes. Of course, now I’ll just remove the lens cap! Oh, what a mess I am, - Tanya shouted, bending over the camera that she dropped, - and half a year has not passed since I bought this camera, and now ...
“Tanya, don’t be upset,” Kalina rushed to the aid of her friend, carefully lifting the camera from the ground, “maybe everything will be all right!” Maybe he wasn't badly hurt!
“I’ll try now,” Tanya said hopefully, but the miracle did not happen, something in the camera broke.
“Tan, Tanechka,” Kalina rushed to comfort her friend, “don’t be upset!” Do you want me to buy you a camera? Here in China, all the equipment is not expensive! Well, do you want?
“You can’t buy such a camera here! And I still haven't paid off my loan!
“Tan, don’t,” Kalina tried again to console her friend, but Tatyana interrupted her:
“I understand,” she suddenly cried out, “this is because of the ban!”
- What ban? Kalina was surprised.
- It was impossible to take pictures, but I took pictures and now the payback ...
“What nonsense,” a friend tried to challenge Tatyana’s conclusion, “it’s just that there was no strap on the camera. Look at other tourists, they put their hand into the strap and, well, click frames! If you have a strap in your hand, you will never drop your camera!
“No,” Tanya interrupted her friend again, “I don’t like this Buddha and I don’t like this monastery!”
“Tanya, don’t, don’t blaspheme!” - Kalina was frightened, - of course, this is not our god, but it is still a god! You're right, it's just a coincidence!
- Well, well, - looking around, Tanya suddenly agreed, - I won’t say such words anymore, but ... But I’ll still remain with my opinion! Man must have free will! I came here to rest, and I can do whatever I want, and no one: neither a man nor a Chinese god has the right to forbid me something!
— Ek you disassembled! - Kalina clicked her tongue in anguish, - let's go to the Buddha, you are my free one! And then the group, probably, was already waiting for us.
The girlfriends were in no hurry: when they ran up to the Buddha, only Natasha was standing near the statue. And only twenty-five minutes later the group moved to the park, which was very close to the monastery, literally a few steps away. Next to the park of culture and recreation was a cemetery-memorial to Soviet soldiers. Peering through the bars of the fence, Kalina saw that the cemetery was clean and well-groomed. As Kalina found out, the cemetery gates open to visitors only once a year - on May 9th. The rest of the time the cemetery is closed to the public. Those who wish can leave flowers near the fence, but there is no guarantee that these flowers will be brought in and placed at the foot of the graves. Suddenly, Kalina became agitated, and, not understanding why herself, she asked Roma if they make exceptions for those who really want to visit the cemetery? Roma looked at the strange tourist, thought, and refused. We entered the park, Roma said that earlier the entire territory of the park was occupied by a cemetery, and now there are attractions here. Seeing them, Tanya immediately calmed down, forgetting about her sadness and about the camera, she rushed into the thick of things. There were a great many attractions, both very simple and breathtaking. Tanya ran from one attraction to another, stood in line, waved to Kalina from a bird's eye view. On one particularly intricate attraction, she even lost her sandal. The sandal fell from a height and almost landed on the head of an important gentleman. Kalina cringed, she decided that now a sea of unflattering epithets would be shed against her friend, but the Chinese only laughed and waved his hand to Tanya, who was screaming with delight. Kalina conscientiously followed her friend, but did not ride, but sat quietly on a bench and waited for the extreme sports. The tour of the park was designed for three hours. Kalina had fun and enjoyed with her friend, but, so to speak, in absentia. No matter how her girlfriend persuaded her, Kalina categorically refused to ride on any, even the simplest attraction. Several times the friends ran into other tourists from the group. The tourists were steamed, happy and crazed from incessant fun. Kalina was drawn in the direction of the cemetery left behind the fence. She understood the stupidity of her desire, but she could not help herself. Finally, Tanya persuaded her friend to ride at least on the Ferris wheel. From a bird's eye view, the park was very clearly visible, booDdia monastery and cemetery. Suddenly, Kalina's mood deteriorated. She held back for a long time, afraid to spoil all the fun again, but at some point she could not resist and sobbed.
- You got scared? - Tanya asked, wiping her friend's tears, - be patient, we are already going down!
- No, - Kalina sobbed, - I'm not afraid!
- Then what is it? - Tanya was surprised, - Did something happen?
- Yes. But it didn’t happen now, but much earlier, - Kalina explained, leaving the attraction booth.
- I do not understand something. Explain!
There used to be a cemetery on the site of the park! This is... I just have no words! It seems to me that I hear voices, they reproach those who now walk around the place where the burials used to be.
- So you because of this? - Tanya drawled disappointedly, - We used to have a cemetery in Vladivostok on the site of Pokrovsky Park!
“But everything is different with us now, but here…”
- Well, okay, Kalina, don't do it like that! Look, Natasha and Roma are waving to us, we must go to the exit! How quickly three hours flew by! It's a pity the camera broke, I would have clicked such photos here!
After the park of culture and recreation, we went to another park, "Sunny Island". He stood on the other side of the Sungari. And they got to this park along an intricate bridge. Roma said that this magnificent bridge was designed by a woman and, probably, that is why it looks like scissors, because most often women work with scissors. Before the revolution and before the arrival of the Soviet liberating army, there were dachas of wealthy Russian Harbin residents on this bank of the Songhua River. The Chinese carefully preserved this place, and it was now called the "Russian Village". Exasperated and tired, tourists returned from the meadows of the hospitable island of the sun in the cable car cabins, dreaming only of a good dinner and sleep. But the guide Roma announced that the excursion program was not over for today. The cable car cabins carefully lowered the tourists to the ground, and Kalina saw that they were not far from the hotel, but only sighed, looking at her tired legs and, together with everyone, got on the bus.