Half-breed Xi. Return from the Chinese city of Hun

Nastya returned to the city alone. The convoy with which Anastasia set off was well protected, and mother was not afraid for the safety of her daughter. Hye was unable to come with her daughter. She promised that she would come to Vladivostok in two months. In the evening, the girl appeared in the Korean settlement. However, less than a day later, the news reached the girl's ears that the Honghuzi were again looking for her. The trouble started again. And they were looking for her, like two years ago, and threatened to burn down the entire Korean settlement if her relatives did not give her up. Anastasia was forced to flee at night from the Korean settlement. An hour later, she was already standing near the house where Toli and Eneko lived. She hardly made her way past the military cordon separating Millionka from the central part of the city. Father Tolya and Eneko did not open for a long time. Everyone was frightened by the latest events that took place in the city. When, finally, they figured out who was standing at the door, the house began to turmoil. Everyone was happy about Anastasia's arrival, even the stern father of the children, Torah. The children didn't sleep until midnight. There were many funny exclamations and memories. In the morning, Toli went to Elena. Elena sent one of the servants for Grisha. Xia-lin couldn't come, her father got worse and worse. She asked not to go down into the dungeons without her. Two days passed before the guys were able to get together. Pavel was waiting for his friends at the entrance to the catacombs. Victor was not in the city. He again went for a cargo of contraband to China. The guys gathered at the entrance to the catacombs when a servant came running and said that Elena and Grisha were being called home by Larisa's father. Friends were alarmed and decided to go to the house of Elistrat Fedorovich all together. An unfortunate event has occurred. The nanny came running and said that Sophia was sick. The girl screamed in unconsciousness and asked for more candy. Grisha briefly told Anastasia about the events of his sister's abduction. Grisha said that the girls were again confused and Sofia was mistaken for Larisa. When the girl came to her senses, she explained to the man of Asian appearance, it seems that it was the same Japanese who abducted Larisa two years ago, that she was Sofia, and not Larisa. It was surprising that the man believed the girl very quickly. The Japanese even gave Sonya a candy.

“Sonka,” Grisha then asked his sister, “where have you been?”

“The man with the yellow face made me leave with him. He called me Larisa. When I corrected him and said that my name was Sophia, he did not believe me at first.

- Did he offend you?

- No, on the contrary, he gave me a round sweet candy, and then gave me another drink to drink it. After that, my tummy hurt, and then everything went away.

Did you run away from this man?

No, he let me go. And he ordered to quickly return home.

- Did the man think that you were Larisa?

- No, I convinced him that I was Sophia, then he gave me another candy and a bottle of fruit drink. And he told me to come home as soon as possible. He said that when I come home, I must definitely treat Lariska with this candy and fruit drink.

- And you?

- What am I?

- Did you treat Larisa with candy and fruit drink?

- No, what else, on the way home, I went to Peter and Katya. I gave Katerina a candy, and Peter got a fruit drink. Lariska is doing well. Will do without candy.

— What happened next?

“Then I went home. On the way, I met the police. They wanted to take me home. I ran away. What am I, little one? Can't find my way home? They don't let Larka out of the house, but I know the city well and will never get lost

And now Sofia is sick. She rushed about, called her grandmother and asked for candy. A doctor was called, but the military did not let anyone outside Millionka. The children knew the shortcuts and volunteered to help. However, where children could pass, an adult, a doctor, could not pass. Then Grisha offered to carry Sophia through the catacombs and from there to the house of Elistrat Fedorovich. The plan was not very good, but it was the only way to help Sonya. Soon the little girl was already far from Last Street. Sofiyka came to her senses at the very moment when the children began their descent underground. Suddenly, she began to resist and struggle out of her brother's arms. But then she went limp again and lost consciousness. First it was carried by Pavel, then by Kenryu. No one was surprised when it turned out that the wall blocking the path to the amazing underground city had disappeared. There was no time to rejoice and admire. Sophia was safely reported to the catacombs. Grisha was very worried that it was dark and damp in the catacombs. However, when the children went downstairs, it turned out that it was even warmer downstairs than upstairs. The children walked and were surprised that the wall blocking the passage was no more. However, this time the travelers went down to the underground city by a different path. As you remember, last time they had to go down to the second level and only then did they get into the underground city. This time it should have been much easier. The children walked until they saw a lake in front of them. Anastasia easily read the inscription that was made on the tablet. The tablet was old and green with time, and it lay right on the pebbles near the lake.The sign warned that only those who were worthy should pass through the lake. For those who were not confident in themselves, it was better not to approach the lake. The tablet also warned about something else: it said that only people with a good heart and pure thoughts could cross the lake. For those who are angry, it is better not to approach the lake. The children laughed, they were sure that there were no such people among them. But two people weren't so sure. They were Elena and Grisha. Grisha sighed sadly and looked at his sister. Everyone crossed the lake without problems. Kenryu was the last to go. He carried Sophia in his arms. When the man raised his leg to cross the lake, suddenly a rumble came from the bowels of the lake. Then the waters of the lake began to boil. It was getting dangerous. Simultaneously with the noise and boiling of water, an unpleasant smell spread. Kenryu took a step back. The surprised children stopped and then turned back. Grisha looked at his sister. He guessed why the Japanese could not cross the lake with a girl in his arms. Elena, too, was all clear. The Japanese took off his jacket and carefully laid the girl on it. Everyone was silent. After several minutes of silence, Sophia's brother suggested to Kenryu that they try to cross the lake again, but without the girl. The Japanese looked doubtfully at Grisha, but did not argue. He crossed the lake with three giant strides. Just as quickly, he returned back to the company of friends. Now everything was clear. The guys tried not to make eye contact with Grisha. However, Sophia was just a little girl and needed to be rescued. The travelers looked longingly to where the lake ended, but they did not want to leave Grisha. It was getting hotter. It seemed that the waters of the lake began to warm up. In any case, steam was clearly coming from the lake. Everyone took off their outer clothes and threw them on the rocks, near the lake. After a pause, Grisha said that if Sofiyka did not come to her senses, then he would spend the night with his sister here. There was a commotion, everyone was talking at the same time. When the guys fell silent, it became clear that no one was going to rise to the surface. However, parents and those responsible for the children would hardly agree with such a decision.

Grisha hoped that the air of the catacombs could cure little Sophia. Of course, it was a pity that it was impossible to take the baby to the underground city. It would definitely make things easier for her. The children sat and talked quietly, and then Sophia came to her senses and suddenly announced that she was healthy and wanted to go back upstairs.

It was already very late. The children consulted and decided that now it was necessary to leave. The water in the lake boiled more and more. The whole lake began to move and threatened to flood everything around.

Grisha said that he and Elena would take Sophia to the house of Elistrat Fedorovich. Doctors were not allowed only in the cordoned off area, on Millionka. Those who lived in the center could call a doctor without difficulty.

We agreed to meet at the entrance to the dungeon tomorrow at noon.

However, the next day the children could not get together. Events in the city took a worse and worse turn. Each of our heroes in the family had a tragedy. Wu Xiai-lin's father fell into unconsciousness. Even at that moment, when the father was conscious, he ordered his wife and servants not to let him out on any account, even if an ambulance arrived to take him to the hospital. The family members were surprised by such a strange order, but the father explained that there were still no places in the hospital. All rooms are full. Father was especially worried that after he regained consciousness, he would not be allowed out into the street. The strictest decree was given to the servants, and the doors of his bedroom were boarded up inside and out. A small window was made in the door so that food and medicine could be passed.

Elena went to Aksinya's house several times. The situation in the family took threatening forms. There were almost no servants left in the house, the servants were afraid of what happened to the young lady. Only the servant Christina, Aksinya's father and Aksinya herself remained in the house. Ksyusha has long been not like her former self. She became taller, her body filled with strength, her face had a reddish tint, and her eyes became large and round. Eyebrows grew together and blackened. It was terrible to look into those eyes, they could kill. Aksinya demanded that her father collect all the money that is in the house. She needed her father to turn all the money into nine gold medallions. Aksinya said that the gold should be melted down into medallions. From Paris, a huge mirror was ordered to cover the entire wall. Gold medallions had to be soldered into the frame of the mirror. The girl's father replied that there was no money in the house, the house in which they live was mortgaged and remortgaged. The daughter said that she had a way to get money, but the father must give the daughter permission to sacrifice one of the servants. The sacrificial place where Aksinya and one of the servants will have to be taken is located in the Lugovaya district. The father was speechless. He timidly explained to his daughter that of the servants in the house, only Christina, Aksinya's beloved maid, remained. The father thought that his daughter was joking and added that it was unlikely that Aksinya would decide to sacrifice Christina. Aksinya took her father's words very seriously. She ordered the sharpest knife to be brought, and said thatso that her father would send the maid Christina to her room with this knife. She shouted to her father that if he did not comply with her demand, then very soon she, Aksinya, would fall ill again! It was then that Svyatogor Epifanovich realized that his daughter had changed, and was forced to call Elena again. Aksinya had a weakness for her friend and obeyed her. At least, that was before the drawing disappeared from the table in Elena's room.

Sophia disappeared from the house as soon as she could get out of bed. The nanny went for a healing broth, and when she returned, the girl was not in the room. Grisha did not know where to look for his sister. Grief also came to the Japanese family. Kang-in, the mother of the children, was getting worse. For a whole week, a strange, unsettling smell wafted from Kan-in's room. She got better, then worse. And this morning, the maid discovered that Kang-in's bed was empty. Tolya and Eneko's mother disappeared from the house.

The guys did not see each other for a whole week. The events that took place in each family did not give them the opportunity to leave the house. However, the situation did not improve. Sophia is gone, Kang-ying is gone, Xiai-lin's father is gone, in spite of all precautions. Searches were useless. In addition, it was also dangerous to look for those who had recovered from cholera. Survivors accumulated in the area of the pier. The police did not let anyone in or let anyone out of the Millionka perimeter. However, those who survived appeared wherever they wanted. There were no barriers for them. One day Elistrat Fyodorovich's cook came running screaming. A huge crowd of people gathered near the front doors. Grisha rushed to the gallery. He became ill. There was an unpleasant hum in the air. The crowd hummed without opening its mouth. Sofiyka was standing a little ahead of the crowd, she was holding the Japanese by the hand. It was the Japanese who kidnapped Larisa two years ago. Elistrat Fedorovich and Larisa were away that day. This saved them, because those who came wanted to take Larisa. The door was broken, and a crowd of survivors poured into the house. Among the crowd flashed the faces of Peter and Katerina. Some pieces of furniture were thrown to the floor, but nothing was torn or broken. Grisha tried to detain his sister, she first tried to escape, and when she failed, she simply bit her brother. The Japanese stood and smiled. Soon a crowd of humming people left the house. It seemed to Grisha that he noticed Xiai-lin's father and Eneko and Tolya's mother in the crowd.

Elena was not at home, fortunately for her, she was at Aksinya's from early morning.

After the survivors left the house, Grisha went to meet Elena. He felt that his friend was in serious danger. Before leaving, Sophia found Elena's scarf and tore it apart with her teeth and nails. Grigory could not do anything with his sister's illness, but he could still save his girlfriend. In the evening, Elena and Grisha went to the house where their Japanese friends lived. The Chinese girlfriend Xia-lin also came there. Anastasia said that she has the opportunity to help everyone who is now in a difficult situation. When friends gathered in the living room, Anastasia said that she knew a way to help friends. When Xi ran away from the Korean settlement, she went down into the catacombs and tried to find the entrance to the underground city before coming to her friends. Nastya wanted to enter the city of Zhen, but she could not go further than the stone-bird.

Nastya did not have a flashlight with her, there were no matches either. At some point, it seemed to her that she would not be able to find her way back. As soon as she thought about it, she immediately hit something hard painfully. Feeling the obstacle, Nastya realized that she was near a bird - a stone. With a sigh of relief, the girl sat down with her back to the stone. Minutes passed, and Xi sat and reminisced about the time she spent in the hall under the Baoan depression. She thought of the books that opened to her at the same time on the same page. After Si woke up on the river bank and realized that she had been missing for several months, she did not even have time to think about what happened to her in the giant hall under the hollow. Then Nastya was on the road all the time, her whole life was filled with the struggle for existence. And now, here, she remembered the drawings and inscriptions that accompanied the text in the books. She remembered that the books mentioned the secret city of Zhen, and that in this city there is a thing that saves people when these people come to the extreme limit of suffering. This thing was always in the palace of the emperor - it was the scales of eternity. These scales were in three places. One of the scales was in the underground city, in the hall of which she got after she was transported from the banks of the Songhua River. The second scale was located in another underground city built by the Jurchens, this city was not far from Harbin. By the way, the Xiai-lin book was also there. Here, in the secret city of Zhen, there were also scales of eternity, but last time, two years ago, the children did not see them.

Friends looked at Xi, not understanding anything. Nastya explained her idea. She said that in the secret city they have the scales of eternity. They are in the emperor's palace. Two years ago, the guys did not have time to go around the whole secret city and reach the emperor's palace. After all, the city of Zhen wouldl is huge.

Everyone sat with their heads bowed. The guys were worried about earthly affairs. Xia-lin said that her mother left yesterday for her homeland, China. She wanted to take Xia-lin with her, but the girl ran away and hid. Xiai-lin returned only at the moment when she saw that the cab with her mother had disappeared around the corner. Mom left, leaving Xiai-lin in the care of the servants. After a pause, Xia-lin said that they apparently had nothing more to lose, and therefore suggested that they go to the secret city right now. However, Kenry; said that the survivors become especially dangerous in the evening and at night. It is better to go to the catacombs in the morning. Since Elena and Grisha were in danger at home, Kenryu offered the guys to spend the night at their place. Grisha, Tolya and Kenryu were placed in their bedroom, for Elena, a trestle bed was placed in Eneko's room. Larisa and Elistrat Fedorovich were supposed to return home only after a few days, so nothing kept the guys at home. Xia-lin went home. Quite recently, the Xia-lin family moved into a new home. Their house was very close to where her Japanese friends lived. And so Xiai-lin did not even need to take a cab.Полный текст тут http://proza.ru/2014/08/13/182