Chapter 3
Before she knew it, Fang Xiaoyu blurted out the question that had been on her mind.
"A newcomer's guide?!" The middle-aged man who approached had a strange expression that turned somewhat happy, but he quickly suppressed it, coughed lightly with his fist, and said, "Well, that's not wrong."
He stretched out his arm and said, "Welcome to the Infinite Highway Survival Game."
!!
Fang Xiaoyu felt a sense of relief upon receiving the answer.
But what I felt most was panic. A lot of questions popped into my head, and I asked a series of questions: "Is this really a game? Why can't I see the game interface? This isn't Earth? How do we get back? How long have you been here?"
"Hahahaha!" The middle-aged man broke down in an instant and quickly denied it, "I was just joking along with what you said, it's not a real game world, the name is something I came up with on the spot, isn't it fitting?"
Fang Xiaoyu: ...I want to hit someone.
Ignoring her sour face, the middle-aged man chuckled and continued answering the previous question, "Although we can't connect to the real world here, the seasons are similar, our eating, clothing, and daily habits are alike, and even our writing system is the same. So my lover and I have always believed that we are still on Earth, but perhaps in... another dimension?"
"I've been here for seven years and have met quite a few newcomers like you. It's still early, so feel free to ask me any questions later."
"My surname is Huang, and my wife's surname is Li. You can address me however you like."
He said it casually, but his left eye seemed to say "Call me mentor," and his right eye seemed to say "I love to hear it."
Fang Xiaoyu composed herself and said obediently, "Hello, Director Huang."
Director Huang was delighted to hear the address he wanted and asked her to wait a moment, saying that he was going to treat someone to dinner and they could talk in detail afterward.
Back in front of the car, he whispered to his wife, "This child is sensible and polite. Let's rest here for the night."
The woman, Director Li, listened to the whole thing, smiled, gave him a sideways glance, and approved: "Okay."
Director Huang hummed a song as he took out camping lights, small tents, folding tables and chairs, rice cookers, rice, water, vacuum-packed vegetables, etc. from the car. Except for the small tents, he moved everything else to the middle of the two cars.
Director Li turned off the car, led his pet, who also served as his bodyguard, out of the vehicle, and prevented it from getting too close to strangers.
Fang Xiaoyu dodged the spittle attack: "Alpaca?!"
Director Li has curly hair and a gentle appearance. He greets people with a smile, and from his appearance alone, you would never guess that he would be the type to give a polite finger.
As she approached, she spoke softly, "Isn't it rare? They were adopted on the street, and over time, they gradually became family."
Fang Xiaoyu nodded. She had only seen it in videos before, but seeing it in person, she found that the creature was actually kind of ugly-cute.
However, she hadn't changed her clothes long ago, so washing them would be inconvenient, and the smell of animal saliva was unpleasant, so it was better to keep her at a distance.
While educating the alpaca, Director Li pushed it behind him to separate the two, and finally stuffed a handful of rice into its mouth, thus diverting its curiosity and competitiveness from the stranger.
"He must have been cooped up in the car. He's usually very well-behaved."
"We can have a good chat even without it causing trouble."
Fang Xiaoyu agreed, her curiosity about alpacas was only brief, and she was satisfied after seeing them. Seeing that Director Huang was preparing to cook, she said, "There's some smoked meat that my mom prepared in the car. Wait a minute, we'll add a dish later."
"I haven't had homemade smoked meat in ages!" Director Li's eyes lit up as he frankly said, "We were thinking of establishing a good relationship so we could help each other in the future, but today we're really grateful for your help."
"Don't mention it." Fang Xiaoyu smiled and said, "I should be grateful that I met a kind couple who were willing to help me. I'll be right back."
After saying that, she went back to her car to get her things and turned off the low beam headlights.
The brightest light source nearby is the campground lights, and even with the low beams off, they still illuminate the area around the folding dining table clearly.
A middle-aged man was setting out dinner on a folding table, while a woman with curly hair was disciplining an alpaca that was snatching food. Sensing the change in light, they glanced over curiously, but quickly lost interest.
Fang Xiaoyu locked the car door and came over with her things.
Two pounds of smoked meat in a plastic bag, and a bottle of pickled radishes.
Fang Xiaoyu generously said, "Take the extra and eat it. I have more."
Director Huang laughed: "Then we won't stand on ceremony. I'll let you try my cooking later."
He took the smoked meat and pickled radish, took the appropriate amount, sliced some and diced others, added some Chinese sausage, mushrooms and braised eggs on top of the soaked rice, poured in some oil, put on the lid, and prepared to make a pot of fragrant claypot rice.
While waiting for the food to cook, the two women started chatting.
Director Li: "You must have been terrified when you first arrived."
Fang Xiaoyu: "I still can't believe I really time-traveled."
"It's not necessarily time travel; it's not much different from being on Earth." Director Li suddenly changed the subject. "You have a lot of stuff in your car; did you bring it all from home?"
"I came across a service station on the side of the road behind me," Fang Xiaoyu said with a silly grin. "There was no one there, and I spent ages looking for a clerk and my payment code." As she spoke, she tucked her hands into her pockets as if she were cold, only feeling safe when she touched the pepper spray inside.
"You're lucky then. You don't have to worry about supplies for now. Don't miss any service areas in the future." After saying that, Director Li turned his attention to another area, "But what's that payment code you mentioned?"
Fang Xiaoyu wiped the sweat from her palms: "It's a payment method. In the past, we paid with cash or by card, but later we just scanned a special pattern with our phones to make payments."
"It should be linked to a bank card, that way the payment can be deducted." Director Li understood and took out his phone.
It's obviously old, without a phone case, and still a button phone; the top, bottom, left, center, and middle buttons are all blurry. Opening the interface, three classic old single-player games are the most prominent: Snake, Connect Four, and Block Puzzle.
The other phone is a new model with a fancy case, but it only has a few apps, mostly photos, videos, and TXT documents.
As she showed the phone, she exclaimed, "The outside world has changed so much. There's no internet here, and even if you find the latest model phone at a service area, it doesn't have any software; it's all set to factory settings."
"The photos and videos inside are either things I took out of boredom here, or movies and novels I exchanged with others. There are also movies I downloaded seven years ago that I haven't been able to delete. I've watched them over and over again, and I've almost memorized the lines."
"There's one downside here: there's too little entertainment. You'll see after a while."
Fang Xiaoyu took the phone and looked through it at her prompting.
I thought a phone without internet was bad enough. But what's worse is a brand new phone that doesn't have any mainstream apps installed. The one Director Li has doesn't even have chat software, but it has quite a few text messages and MMS photos, probably taken from an old phone.
It seems I'm not too bad off; at least I have a lot of single-player games, videos, and novels, I can freely browse through old chat logs, and I can even write a diary on my phone.
Out of consideration for other people's privacy, Fang Xiaoyu glanced at the phone quickly and handed it back to Director Li. When she turned around, she realized that Director Huang had disappeared when she wasn't paying attention for a while.
The observant woman noticed that a small tent was also missing.
Where did it go? The hand holding the spray bottle tightened.
Director Li followed the gaze and glanced back, then said unsurprisedly, "Everyone has to use the restroom sometimes, so please forgive any inconveniences when traveling."
With her doubts temporarily dispelled, Fang Xiaoyu subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Director Li seemed easy to talk to, she boldly asked, "A portable toilet?"
There's nothing to hide, Director Li nodded with a smile.
Fang Xiaoyu thought of herself and felt genuinely envious.
Portable toilets, and tents for cover.
In the past, no matter how many recommendations e-commerce platforms made, she wouldn't have given them a second glance. She thought they were only for elderly people and were far removed from her own needs. She never imagined things would turn out this way.
It's such a much better experience than preparing your own cat litter and collapsible bucket.
She let out a sigh.
It's a pity I didn't see anything like that at the service area.
Seeing her expression, Director Li put himself in her shoes and realized that it was only natural for a newcomer to stock up on things for the first time and not be familiar with the situation.
Seeing that she didn't seem like the kind of rough person who would relieve herself on the street, but since the toilet was too private and couldn't be lent out, he asked, "Do you need some garbage bags and paper? We've stockpiled a lot."
Fang Xiaoyu shyly declined, explaining that she had made preparations, and Director Li then realized that he had overthought things.
“You’re already quite thoughtful. We didn’t consider things as thoroughly as we have now back then, and it was really awkward and inconvenient for a while.” She teased her own experience and comforted her, “As time goes by and you visit more service areas, you’ll see some useful things. If you’re lucky, you might be able to upgrade to a big RV in the future, and that would be truly comfortable.”
Fang Xiaoyu instantly became excited: "There's a 4S store here?"
“Calling it an exhibition hall is more appropriate, since there aren’t any salespeople here, right?” Director Li winked.
The two exchanged a knowing smile.
"Actually, we've heard people mention it, but we haven't seen it with our own eyes," Director Li continued. "The chances of encountering one are very small. If you really want to get a motorhome, the chances of 'picking up a bargain' on the road are much higher..."
Just then, the alpaca, having finished eating peanuts, grabbed Director Li's clothes and started begging for food, while Director Huang emerged from the shadows.
Ah, a portable toilet.
Fang Xiaoyu let out a silent cry.
Even though she knew he couldn't see her, she couldn't help but glance in his direction.
Coincidentally, there was a trash can right between the two cars, on the side of the black car.
Director Huang was seen carrying a huge black garbage bag in one hand, lifting the lid of the trash can, and throwing the garbage in with two loud clanging sounds.
Director Li is instructing the alpaca: "Mom is chatting with the guests, so be a good girl and don't cause trouble."
When Director Huang returned after throwing away the trash, he wiped his hands with a wet wipe and noticed Fang Xiaoyu's curious gaze. He asked, "Have you ever used the trash cans on the street?"
Fang Xiaoyu honestly shook her head.
Director Huang's eyes lit up, as if he were sharing an incredible little secret: "This trash can is amazing! No matter what you throw in, when you open the lid, there's nothing left!"
"Really?" Fang Xiaoyu's attention shifted from the toilet to the trash can, and she immediately wanted to try it.
She looked around to see if there was any trash that needed to be thrown away.
The packaging bags that Director Huang had removed while cooking had all been cleaned up, leaving not a single crumb on the ground. They must have been inside those two black garbage bags, heading down the trash can into some unknown abyss.
It's okay, she heard the sound when she threw the trash bag away. She can check it now to see if it's still there.
Thinking of this, she suddenly stood up, but Director Li pressed her down.
This kid, how long has it been since he forgot there were some mosaics in that pile of trash?
Even if you can't see it, the thought of touching the container with your hands makes you feel uncomfortable.
I need to save face for my eccentric husband.
"No rush, there will be other opportunities to try later." After saying that, Director Li urged her husband, "Is dinner ready yet? I'm starving."
Director Huang didn't notice his partner's attempt to smooth things over at all. He happily lifted the sturdy lid on the dining table and was greeted by an even more enticing aroma of food.
He poked around with his chopsticks for a bit, then nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, we can eat now!"
After saying that, he first served his lover rice, and then specially used a convenient bowl he had prepared for Fang Xiaoyu to add a large spoonful to her bowl.
Fang Xiaoyu was a step too late in remembering that she had also prepared a set of instant noodle bowls and chopsticks, but seeing that Director Huang had already filled them and handed them over, she felt embarrassed to refuse their kindness, even though they were disposable bowls.
The rice is crispy and fragrant, paired with the savory flavor of finely chopped smoked meat, sausage, and braised eggs—it's simply divine.
Add to that the shiitake mushrooms soaked in broth and infused with the aroma of meat, and the sweet and sour pickled radishes that cut through the richness, and the multi-layered flavors fill your taste buds, making it incredibly satisfying.
The three people and the camel remained silent, adhering to the fine tradition of "not speaking while eating or sleeping," immersing themselves in the delicious food and focusing on eating.
Director Huang looked robust, but his appetite wasn't much bigger than the two ladies'. He chewed quickly and finished his portion in no time. Then, he took out three bottles of juice from somewhere, gave some of his to the alpaca, and gave the other two to his wife and guests.
Director Li ate slowly, taking only half a bowl before taking a sip of the opened drink and praising it generously: "My husband's cooking is truly superb. Every time I eat here, it's a treat, don't you think, Xiaoyu?" They had already exchanged terms of address during their earlier conversation.
Fang Xiaoyu, with food stuffed in her mouth, ate with relish and gave a thumbs-up in agreement.
Director Huang was visibly happy, laughing heartily, "Eat more if you like it, I'll make another serving if it's not enough."
That's what he said, but since the claypot rice was made in a pot that was only big enough for three people, he had already estimated the amount of rice when he was washing it. With drinks to fill their stomachs, the portion was just right so that the three of them ate until they were red-faced and full. There was no chance for him to make another serving later.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Fang Xiaoyu, despite the couple's attempts to stop her, helped clean up the leftovers. Finally, she grabbed a trash bag and ran to the trash can, throwing away the garbage with a satisfied expression.
She gripped the handle of the bucket lid, feeling a sensation similar to touching the body of the oil drum—cold and heavy.
When I lifted the lid of the bin and looked inside, the previous garbage bag had indeed disappeared without a trace.
Curious, I threw the trash in and heard a "clunk" as it hit the bottom. However, the trash bag stayed in the bin perfectly fine, staring at me without any sign of disappearing.
Oh, I forgot to put the lid on.
She quickly put the lid on, her ears perked up, silently counted to one, and then swiftly lifted it back up.
Oh no, the bag really is gone!
It looked like it had been eaten by a trash can.
Fang Xiaoyu didn't mind the dirt. She reached down and touched the bucket. It was solid, clean, and dry, without a speck of dust.
She was quite heavy, and when she reached the bottom, she used her other arm to exert force, which would normally have shifted the empty trash can. But the trash can didn't budge, as if it were stuck to the ground.
After noticing the anomaly, she deliberately pushed it, and sure enough, it wouldn't budge.
With its fixed barrel body and black hole-like interior space, she couldn't imagine what principles were involved, given her meager physics knowledge that she had forgotten since entering the workforce.
It's like a fixed spawn point in a game.
If I were to crawl inside, where would I end up? Would I be able to go back? Or would I be disintegrated?
Fang Xiaoyu looked thoughtful.
Director Huang, standing not far away, asked with a smile, "How about it? Isn't it amazing?!"
Fang Xiaoyu reluctantly dismissed the seductive thought and turned to walk back: "Ah, it really is amazing."
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