Chapter 27
No matter how bright the sunlight was, it had no warmth, hanging palely in the sky.
Winter has arrived.
After consuming all the resources at the previous service area, Su Ming's convoy finally decided to set off. They then swarmed through every small and tiny service area they encountered, leaving nothing but empty containers of oil.
He witnessed firsthand how service areas disappeared, and he also experienced being abandoned on the highway in his pajamas. He also saw a teammate who couldn't dodge in time and was run over by a passing car, dying on the spot. Gang Ge only expressed his regret, saying that he was unlucky, and then "reluctantly" agreed to the addition of the new car.
His brow furrowed more and more each day, and his desire to leave grew stronger.
The opportunity came soon.
This time they encountered a medium-sized service area, which already had a fleet of vehicles of similar size stationed there, treating the service area as their own and not allowing others to enter.
Su Ming glanced inside and saw a dozen or so vehicles neatly arranged, each at least the size of a transport truck, with uniform stickers that were very eye-catching.
Gang frowned the moment he saw it, and started negotiating after the others arrived.
The other side was very tough; they were all strong and muscular, and they were clearly not to be trifled with.
Gang seemed to want to back out, but his teammates, who had gotten used to auto-attacking all the way, got out of the car and blocked the entrance. A verbal conflict ensued, which then escalated into physical altercations, and the scene quickly became chaotic.
Su Ming untied the restraints in front and behind the MPV, got back into the car, and tried to take the opportunity to leave. The next second, someone gently knocked on the car window.
The female teacher, Mu Rong, who had secretly come aboard the bus with her younger brother, whispered, "Dr. Su, could you take us with you?"
Su Ming unlocked the car: "Get in quickly."
Mu Rong quickly pushed her younger brother into the car.
Before they could even settle in, Su Ming quickly reversed the car, pushing the cars behind him backward.
The commotion attracted the attention of several people, including Gang Ge, who exclaimed in shock and anger, "Su Ming, what are you doing?"
Su Ming didn't speak. With a stern face, he squeezed out some space, quickly shifted into drive, broke free of the convoy, drove onto the highway, and sped away, leaving the even more chaotic commotion behind.
Mu Rong turned around and breathed a sigh of relief when he could no longer see the convoy. He quickly checked the supplies in the car with his younger brother: "Your car mainly has fuel and water, but it's okay. I took some food while we were in the chaos. If we save some, it should last until the next service area."
Su Ming said, "I asked the mechanic for help before, and Sister Wen turned a blind eye. There was food in the trunk on the roof of the car, enough for the three of us to last for a while."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
The younger brother, still somewhat naive, would imitate whatever the adults did. Seeing them laughing foolishly, he would laugh foolishly too. He pulled his backpack over his chest and boasted, "I secretly hid a whole backpack full of candy."
As soon as he said that, he received two large hands rubbing his head.
"From now on, there's no need to steal or hide."
"I'll take you candy picking next time."
The younger brother smiled happily, revealing his gap-toothed smile.
Seeing his innocent smile, Su Ming thought of the unforgettable look in his eyes, and of Xiao Yu, whose fate was unknown, and said, "At the next service area, if conditions permit, let's put some supplies by the roadside."
Mu Rong was happy as long as he could leave that group of people, and besides, his suggestion didn't mean cutting off his own leg; it could also alleviate the guilt she had accumulated in her heart, so she readily agreed.
What they didn't know was that after the convoy left, the group quickly dispersed, and the people who had clashed with them didn't get away with it either, leaving behind a mess.
Fang Xiaoyu encountered the same problem as the team.
As the lanes suddenly expanded from six to eight, she was stopped at the entrance of a medium-sized service area while driving her white car and was negotiating with them.
The rest rooms in the service area were either fully occupied, with the curtains drawn or people peering in.
The parking lot was full of vehicles of all sizes, and there were signs that people were living in the cars.
Fang Xiaoyu noticed the change in the lane out of the corner of her eye, stared at the middle-aged woman in charge of the negotiation, and repeated what the woman had said a second ago: "You mean we can fill up the gas tank, take this pile of supplies on the ground, and at most take a shower before leaving, is that right?"
The middle-aged woman, thinking she was dissatisfied, patiently explained, "We've sorted out all the supplies here and estimated everyone's needs for the winter. We've moved everything we could to this open space so that those of you who arrive later can replenish your supplies and find a new place to stay. When you're traveling, it's good to help each other out."
After a moment's hesitation, he added, "If you feel this pile of supplies isn't enough, I'll personally give you another case of oil. That's all I can give you."
"The other supplies on the ground should be left for the people who come later."
Fang Xiaoyu took stock of the supplies on the ground, which included down jackets, blankets, water, oil, and some food.
She and Yue Yue exchanged a glance and said, "We still have about ten pounds of processed mutton in our car. Could we exchange some water and oil with you? If it's convenient, I'd also like to modify the car a bit. I won't do anything else, just add some warm interior trim."
The middle-aged woman hesitated for a moment and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go ask."
She went into the service area, discussed it with a few people, and they agreed: "Here are two more barrels of oil, two cases of water, and some insulated interior trim. Come in."
After exchanging supplies, Fang Xiaoyu drove the white car into the repair shop.
A child curiously touched the spikes on the back half of it, but was pulled away by an adult in time.
Fang Xiaoyu tied a rope to the side of the car for the eldest princess, and together with Yue Yue, they added antifreeze and windshield washer fluid to the car, put a plush cover on the steering wheel, laid tanned wool felt and a new plush blanket in the car, and also changed to snow tires.
As they were leaving, the middle-aged woman handed them two hot water bottles and a pack of hand warmers, saying with a smile, "I hope you can find a suitable place to stay before it snows."
The two thanked him and accepted the money, then encountered a similar situation at the next service area.
Because it was a small service area, they didn't have many supplies available. In the end, they traded ten kilograms of mutton with people for a heater, smokeless charcoal, cotton slippers and fleece socks, snow boots, and snow chains.
The first snow of winter was spent in the car by two people and a dog.
At night, Yue Yue scrolled through Fang Xiaoyu's phone looking for suitable videos to pass the time, and her actions could be seen on the car's LCD screen.
Fang Xiaoyu was on her period and wrapped herself in a blanket, hugging a hot water bottle, not wanting to move. The eldest princess knelt down at her feet to warm her up.
A man appeared on the LCD screen, intently explaining how to maintain and modify a vehicle.
Fang Xiaoyu heard a familiar voice, glanced at it out of the corner of her eye, and saw, oh, it was Teacher Xiaoshi.
After reading the comments, Yue Yue wrote: "He looks kind of handsome when he's teaching seriously. That physique, that waist, wow." Her comment was quite insightful.
"Your food?"
Yue Yue said with a regretful look, "It's a pity we can't see him. Why didn't you team up with him?"
"We're not meant to be." Fang Xiaoyu changed her posture. "Maybe she was waiting for you."
"Hehe, I appreciate your kind words."
Yue Yue continued flipping through the pages, stopping abruptly when she reached Fang Xiaoyu's early self-proof video.
Fang Xiaoyu listened quietly to the childish performance at the time: "Funny, right?"
"Not at all, I might do the same," Yue Yue denied, then added, "It's just that you're not photogenic and your photography skills aren't great either."
Fang Xiaoyu: "I know my own limitations, so there's no need for special comfort."
Yue Yue: "Hahahaha, this time it really isn't."
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