Chapter 34 Exclusive on Jinjiang Literature City: Such a person wouldn't just disappear like that...

The restaurant Wang Huiting chose was a long-established mutton stew shop. The owner's recipe was passed down from his family, and the food was delicious and reasonably priced, with an excellent reputation among the locals.

The shop was quite spacious, but the decor was very simple, even somewhat shabby. The location wasn't great either, tucked away in a deep alley. It took the two of them quite a while to find it after getting off the bus.

Su Ruyi had just been marveling at how Wang Huiting had managed to find such a remote and hidden shop; she herself would never have been able to find it without navigation.

Seeing Lu Ting here again, Su Ruyi is even more convinced that this store must be very famous.

Su Ruyi: "What a coincidence, Mr. Lu is also here for dinner?"

Lu Ting smiled and said, "This restaurant has good food and a great reputation locally. I didn't expect you to come here."

Wang Huiting didn't say anything, but just smiled at him as a greeting. Hearing this, she proudly puffed out her chest.

Su Ruyi stood there awkwardly, unsure whether she should politely invite the other person to dinner, after all, she had eaten so much mutton from them last time.

But then I felt that since they came here, they must have their own plans, and it wouldn't be appropriate to disturb them rashly.

Just as he was hesitating, Lu Ting spoke up:

"I have an appointment with a friend to discuss some business today, so I won't invite you all. We can talk later."

Su Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief. "You're busy."

Lu Ting looked a little anxious, smiled at them, and went inside without being polite.

This restaurant was probably converted from a residential house, so it has a front and back yard. The front is the main hall, where individual customers sit, and the back has private rooms.

Lu Ting walked towards the backyard, so he could no longer see what was happening to him.

Wang Huiting said with some regret, "I thought it was such a coincidence that we would be together."

Su Ruyi tapped her head: "What are you thinking? Wouldn't it be more comfortable if we ate by ourselves?"

Wang Huiting chuckled and pulled Su Ruyi to a table to sit down.

The food at this shop is delicious, but Su Ruyi sighed and complained as she tore the bread herself. She has a big appetite, so she eats bread by the stack.

Besides, everyone says that sliced ​​food doesn't taste as good as hand-torn food, so I have no choice but to diligently do it manually.

After the two had finished eating and drinking, they called the waiter to pay the bill. The waiter said:

"Your table has already paid."

Su Ruyi was stunned: "You've got it wrong, we didn't give any money."

"No mistake, it's already settled," the waiter confirmed. The restaurant was busy, so he left without lingering.

When Su Ruyi called for help again, no waiter paid any attention to her.

After the opening up, the service in private restaurants was much better than that of the state-run restaurants in the past, but the service quality in Qing Province was still worse than that in the south, and the staff were not very enthusiastic.

Once the task is done, that's it. There's no such thing as smiling service. If they're busy, you can call them for ages and no one will pay attention to you.

Wang Huiting: "Sister, did Boss Lu pay our bill?"

Su Ruyi guessed it was Lu Ting. Although the store was busy and the waiters seemed to be running around in a chaotic manner, everything was actually arranged. It was possible to overcharge, but it was impossible to undercharge.

Their table, in particular, had spent quite a bit today. Su Ruyi's appetite easily drew everyone's attention. Although she had eaten a lot before and had restrained herself a lot today, the amount was still astonishing, and the waiter couldn't possibly have made a mistake.

Su Ruyi was now in a dilemma. The other party had invited her again, so she had to express her gratitude.

After Lu Ting went inside, he never came out again. They were sitting not far from the door, so if he appeared, he would definitely see them.

But it would be so awkward to go in like this; there are definitely other people in the private room.

"Never mind, I'll thank him next time I see him."

The thought of that scene made Su Ruyi's scalp tingle with embarrassment, and she immediately made a decision.

Don't say anything to her. Those people are probably business people too. Knowing more people means more opportunities. Su Ruyi loves making money and has done business before, but it was all small business. She doesn't need this kind of socializing.

Like many young people decades later, she was somewhat socially anxious.

However, it wouldn't be appropriate to just leave like that, so Su Ruyi took out paper and pen, a habit she had developed since she stopped using her phone.

She wrote down her thanks on a piece of paper, then quickly stopped a waiter and asked him to hand the note to Lu Ting.

Su Ruyi originally thought she would need to describe it further, but as soon as she mentioned Lu Ting, the other party understood.

"Okay, I'll deliver it to you in a bit."

Wang Huiting: "It seems that Boss Lu is a regular here. Any one of the waiters knows him."

Su Ruyi didn't care what this note would cause; she and Wang Huiting headed towards the section of road the bus would pass through to see if they could catch it.

The two were lucky; they got a car after a short wait.

These days, buses don't go directly to their destination; you can flag one down along the way.

"There are still seats available."

The two walked up and saw several empty seats, which made Wang Huiting very happy.

Su Ruyi chose a seat close to the ticket seller, and after sitting down, she took out a bag of sunflower seeds she had bought earlier and gave a large handful to the ticket seller.

The ticket seller was a woman in her thirties, and she was very happy to see that there were sunflower seeds.

Previously, he was a little unhappy to see Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting carrying large bags and small packages that took up a lot of space, but now he immediately smiled.

Long bus rides can be boring, but eating sunflower seeds can help pass the time.

"Where did you buy these sunflower seeds? The quality is really good. Each one is big and there aren't any bad ones. The ones I bought last time were half shriveled and had a musty smell."

Su Ruyi grabbed another handful for her: "We bought them at the wholesale market, the one on Dakang Road. We looked at several stores before we found this one."

Having finally reached the provincial capital and made a considerable amount of money, Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting bought many things.

Even retail prices at wholesale markets are cheaper than outside, but you have to find the right vendors and haggle.

"You guys went there too? I've always heard about it but never been. Is it really that cheap?"

"It is indeed cheaper if you buy in bulk, but it may not be so if you buy in small quantities. Some shops are even unwilling to sell to you."

The two started chatting, and soon Su Ruyi learned that the woman and the driver were a couple who had chartered the entire route, and that their family's income depended on it.

"If we want to transport goods back from the provincial capital in the future, could you please take us with you? Don't worry, the price is negotiable."

"Sure, but if there's a lot of cargo, you'll have to climb up and load it yourselves; we won't help you."

Su Ruyi smiled and said, "Thank you so much, elder sister. I can tell you're a very generous person. Otherwise, you and your brother wouldn't have had the courage to book this entire route."

There are only two buses a day between the provincial capital and the county, and it's the couple who run them all. They spend more than ten hours a day on the bus, leaving at dawn and returning at dusk. It's incredibly hard work for them.

It's only because the regulations aren't strict enough now, otherwise such fatigued driving wouldn't be allowed.

"I'm forced into this. I have a lot of kids at home, so I have to work really hard. People say we can make money doing this, but that's just on the surface. Look at how few people there are today; we're lucky if we break even."

Su Ruyi smiled and agreed, but in her heart she didn't believe her words.

This line of work is still quite lucrative these days; you have to take a bus to travel between the two places.

Moreover, the route passes through many places where passengers can get on and off.

Sure enough, not long after, people were seen waving from the roadside, and soon the walkway was also crowded with people.

Su Ruyi stopped chatting with the ticket seller and put on her hat to go to sleep.

The girls chatted all night and didn't sleep, so they got up before dawn the next day. They were severely sleep-deprived.

However, she sleeps very lightly in the car. Whenever the car stops, Su Ruyi will open her eyes to prevent anyone from taking the goods they have placed on the shelf when they get off the car.

When the car stopped in a village along the way, people carrying things rushed to the window.

"Would you like some eggs or steamed buns?"

"Ice cream, would you like some?"

Wang Huiting was immediately tempted. It was a particularly hot day. It was fine while driving, as the wind kept blowing in.

But now, as soon as the car stops, it gets so hot that I start sweating.

"Sis, shall we buy some ice cream?"

"Let's forget about it. What if we need to go to the bathroom halfway through?"

Su Ruyi didn't know if the ice cream was clean or not. It was fine to eat something unclean normally, but it would be embarrassing if she got an upset stomach in the car.

Although you can ask the driver to stop so you can use the restroom, it's still very inconvenient.

Wang Huiting thought about it and gave up the idea. Nothing else appealed to them anymore, and they had prepared everything before getting on the bus.

There were quite a few people in the car who bought it, mainly young people with children, while the older people were reluctant to part with it.

After buying almost everything, the person who went to the restroom returned, and the car finally drove away.

The car stopped three times along the way, and everyone was used to it.

Su Ruyi felt that the driver must have discussed cooperation with those people, otherwise he wouldn't have stopped so frequently.

When passing through a town, because the roads were narrow and it was market day, there were stalls all along the roadside, so the car drove very slowly.

The ticket seller, who had been chatting and eating sunflower seeds, stood up and called out to the people inside the bus:

"Whoever is sitting by the window wearing earrings and a necklace, close the window! Whoever is sitting by the window wearing earrings and a necklace, close the window right now!"

Wang Huiting immediately became alert, and she sat on the edge of the bed wearing earrings.

These earrings, or rather studs, are something Wang Huiting really likes. They're set with diamonds, small and delicate, and perfect for a student like her.

The earring posts are made of silver. Although they are small, they are not cheap. They cost two yuan and fifty cents to buy.

Wang Huiting quickly closed the window. Although the ticket seller didn't mention it, she had heard stories of people pulling on other people's gold earrings or necklaces, breaking their ears, and leaving red marks on their necks.

Su Ruyi: "Where is this place? It's so chaotic!"

Last time they came out of the county, they didn't seem to hear the ticket sellers calling out. They guessed it wasn't a market day, there weren't many stalls on the road, the road was wide, and they drove past quickly, so they didn't have to worry about anyone messing around.

Wang Huiting looked around and saw the town's health center. She said, "I know Mashan Town. They have coal mines here, and they're very rich."

"They have money, but they're also really chaotic," said a middle-aged man in his forties sitting on a small stool in the aisle.

Su Ruyi immediately turned her attention to him. She had slept enough, and for the rest of the journey, she needed to find something to do, so watching the gossip would be a good idea.

"Uncle, what's going on?" Su Ruyi handed him a handful of sunflower seeds.

The uncle, always eager to keep busy, accepted the sunflower seeds without hesitation and began to talk:

“My wife’s family is from this town, but their village is far from the coal mines, so they don’t benefit from it. The villages near the coal mines have all gotten rich, but people getting rich suddenly isn’t necessarily a good thing. Gambling is rampant in those villages near the coal mines now. Anyway, it’s easy to make money; you can earn money by working in a small coal mine for a few days.”

An elderly woman sighed, "Coal mining is so dangerous and hard work, how can you waste money like this? How many gamblers are good at it? They just give money away to others, and in the end, they will all be bankrupt."

Everyone else chimed in with agreement.

The uncle shook his head: "Those who earn their money through hard work are reluctant to gamble at first. But some of them are clever and daring enough to steal coal from mines and sell it. These people make money easily and are the easiest to get addicted to gambling. When they lose at gambling, they recruit others to join them. They can make money by recruiting people."

That's true.

"Isn't the police in charge?"

“The whole village is gambling now. The police haven’t even arrived yet, but the gambling dens have already been alerted and the people have dispersed. How can we manage it?”

Once gambling begins, order collapses, and other negative consequences emerge.

In addition, the areas with these natural resources are already quite chaotic, and the influx of outsiders and the entanglement of various interests have only exacerbated the chaos.

The uncle said, "About half a year ago, there was a small shop on the roadside that was robbed in the middle of the night, and the owner and his family were killed."

"Oh my god, this is terrifying!"

These days, information spreads much slower than it would have decades later. Such things often circulate locally, and people from other places may not know about them. Even if they do know, the story is often passed around and people don't know exactly where it happened.

"This is nothing. Those small coal mines are particularly prone to accidents. Countless people have died in them over the years. Some people die in vain because the bosses suppress the news."

Wang Huiting asked in bewilderment: "Without compensation, what can the deceased's family do?"

“When locals get into trouble, they always have to pay compensation, no matter how much. But now, many of those going down into the mines are from out of town,” the uncle said meaningfully.

"That's just too unethical!"

Su Ruyi couldn't tell whether the uncle was telling the truth or not. Men of this age especially liked to boast, making even hearsay sound like the truth.

However, one thing is certain: this town is indeed quite chaotic, and there are bound to be all sorts of messy things happening there.

Su Ruyi had just seen two thugs staring at their car with unfriendly, vicious, and aggressive eyes. They even kicked the car in anger because many of the windows were closed.

Neither the driver nor the ticket seller dared to say a word and drove off immediately.

Those who can drive this route all have some connections and influence; otherwise, they wouldn't dare to take the road. There are still road bullies these days.

In this town, however, the two kept a low profile, adopting the attitude of avoiding trouble if possible.

When they saw Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting, they made a particularly lewd gesture, which scared Wang Huiting so much that she threw herself on Su Ruyi and didn't dare to look down from the car.

Su Ruyi didn't dare to be careless. These petty thugs usually carried knives. She was strong and had some combat experience, but she could only cower in the face of weapons. It was best not to provoke them if possible; after all, she was still human.

As the car drove out of town, everyone visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

The rest of the journey didn't stop in any town or village like before. Unless someone got off, the car just kept going, and it didn't stop even when someone waved to stop it.

The man explained, "This road isn't safe; there have been robberies here before."

It was getting dark, and the driver dared not delay.

Although such incidents are rare and the road is generally safe, no one dares to take the risk, as it's a 100% certain event if it happens.

By this time, there weren't so many people on the bus anymore, and the ticket seller started chatting with everyone.

“I know those people who were robbed. They had a short journey and wanted to pick up a few more people along the way, but they ran into robbers that day. Those two men were tall and strong, and they immediately brandished a huge, long machete.”

The ticket seller also made a gesture, which looked like it was about a meter long.

"Oh my, they were a husband and wife team, and they were so scared that they took out all their money. Luckily, the two of them left after taking the money; they weren't the type to cause trouble. Before, we encountered some highway robbers who not only took the money but also dragged a girl off the bus. Some passengers were reluctant to pay because they were worried about the money, and they ended up being killed with a knife."

Wang Huiting trembled with fear, thinking of her stepfather's ordeal.

Although she knew from her stepfather's experience that the road was unsafe, the route he took was also relatively remote, unlike buses which usually travel on main roads, and half of the route was on highways.

I never expected a car to encounter something like this. No wonder everyone is afraid to travel far. If it weren't for Su Ruyi, she wouldn't dare to go either after hearing about these things.

Su Ruyi once again deeply realized how chaotic the world had become. Decades later, such things had not been heard of in social media, and now such things were not even worthy of being in the news.

"No wonder every time my sister goes to school, she is extremely anxious and easily gets angry until she calls to let me know she is safe."

Wang Huiting couldn't understand why her mother was so worried before. So many people went to the provincial capital and came back safe and sound. She had heard those scary stories before, but no matter how many she heard, she always felt that such things were far removed from her own life and had nothing to do with her.

Now that it's happening right next to me, and I've experienced being targeted by thugs myself, I realize how dangerous it is.

Su Ruyi also realized that she was a reckless fool, not only because she had gained power, but also because the comfortable life she had lived for decades had left her without a deep understanding of the chaos of this era.

Although she has encountered thugs before, it was mostly when she was a child, and the thugs were usually alone. She is not afraid of them now.

But the current ones are obviously more ruthless, and they usually commit crimes in groups, carrying controlled knives.

“But this time, my mom won’t be as worried about us. Before, when I talked to her on the phone, she didn’t like to talk to me,” Wang Huiting said, pursing her lips.

Su Ruyi chuckled: "That's because I asked her to help me with something, so I talked to her a lot. How could she not worry about you?"

Wang Huiting shrugged: "Because you're here, she thinks you're even more useful than a man."

Su Ruyi was both amused and exasperated, wondering how her father had managed to brainwash Li Mei and her aunt, changing so many people's deeply ingrained beliefs.

Although they didn't spend much time together, Su Ruyi could tell that while Li Mei loved her three daughters very much, she was clearly a woman with feudalistic ideas who believed that only boys could support the family and that girls were not capable of doing so.

But she didn't fit into this logic, and even thought she was better than the boys.

While her mother's achievements certainly played a role, and she was extremely reliable after her father's death, it was mostly due to her father.

Such a person, just like that, died. Su Ruyi felt a pang of sadness, and even inexplicably felt that such a person couldn't just be gone like that.

By the time the two returned to the furniture factory, it was already dark.

The people who usually cool off in the courtyard have all gone home, and there are no children to be seen on the playground.

However, many households still leave their doors open, not yet at bedtime.

"Oh my, isn't this Huiting? Why are you back so late? Where have you been all this time?"

Wang Huiting greeted her with a smile: "Aunt Zhang, you're still awake? We just got back from the provincial capital. My sister and I went to visit relatives."

"Visiting relatives? You have relatives in the provincial capital?" The old lady clearly didn't believe it.

"Yes, my sister has relatives there, and it's very convenient for my aunt to go to the provincial capital now. We've been staying at my aunt's house ever since."

Wang Huiting deliberately spoke loudly so that everyone in the building could hear her, so that she wouldn't be stopped and questioned along the way. She didn't want to keep talking.

"So you went to your aunt's house, no wonder you came back with so many bags." Someone said sourly.

Everyone knows that Accountant Tong has an older sister in the countryside who often comes to deliver rice and flour to their family.

These days it's easier to buy rice and flour than before; as long as you have money, you can buy them without coupons, but it still costs money.

In large families, a lot of grain can be consumed. When there isn't enough oil or fat, you have to eat a lot of staple foods to feel full.

So who wouldn't want relatives like that? But their poor relatives still want to rely on them, and it's good enough that they haven't come to the county to freeload.

Li Mei also heard the commotion. Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting went up to their floor and saw Li Mei and the others coming to greet them.

Li Mei and Wang Huizhen were both perceptive and quickly took the luggage from the two of them.

"Why are you so late coming back?"

Li Mei knew from the phone call that they would be back in the next few days, but she didn't know the exact date.

To avoid leaving the house unattended, Tong Yunyun was kept at home and not allowed to go out to play.

Before leaving, Wang Huiting told Tong Yunyun that she would buy her toys, so although she felt bored at home, she didn't run around.

"This train is a bit late, but my sister is with me, so I don't have to worry about safety."

Wang Huizhen sensed that Wang Huiting and Su Ruyi had become much closer during this trip.

She couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness; before, everyone had only called her "sister."

Wang Huiting was quick-witted; she understood immediately upon seeing Wang Huizhen's appearance and quickly put her arm around Wang Huizhen's shoulder.

"Sis, I bought you a gift, I'm sure you'll like it!"

Wang Huizhen sneered, "I thought you'd forgotten you had a sister like me."

"How could I forget you! I could forget anyone else but you."

Li Mei: "Oh ho, so you're saying I, your mother, have forgotten?"

Su Ruyi raised an eyebrow: "I've really misplaced my trust these past few days."

Tong Yunyun also ran over to join in the fun: "Me too, me too!"

"Oh dear, please spare me! You're going to tear me apart!"

Wang Huiting simply raised her hands to announce her surrender, which amused everyone.

After the group returned home and closed the front and back doors, Wang Huiting took out the gifts she and Su Ruyi had prepared.

Even little Tong Yunyun was shocked: "Sis, you've robbed a bank!"