Do you smoke?
Seeing his father-in-law offer him a cigarette, Lu Yuan hesitated for a moment before accepting it. He used to smoke, but Xiao Shan had repeatedly forbidden him from doing so, so he eventually quit altogether. But this time, it was his father-in-law offering him a cigarette, so he couldn't refuse.
"Thank you, Uncle." Taking the cigarette, Lu Yuan lit it for his father-in-law, and the two sat on the sofa in silence, smoking.
Just then, a nagging voice came from outside the door.
"Wei Jianguo! I told you to wait outside for the water tank deliveryman, why did you go back inside? Honestly! You can't even do the simplest tasks I assign you!"
Just as the words were spoken, a middle-aged woman with large curls on her head walked in. Lu Yuan recognized her; she was his mother-in-law. He had seen her in their wedding photo on the wall when he visited Xiao Shan's house before. However, back then, his mother-in-law was a beautiful young woman, quite different from the middle-aged woman in front of him.
"Ahem! Hello, Auntie!" Lu Yuan quickly stubbed out his cigarette and stood up abruptly.
The father-in-law, sitting to the side, was startled by his daughter-in-law's sudden entrance and quickly stubbed out his cigarette, a hint of... terror flashing across his face.
"Ah! It's Xiao Yuan! Haha, I've heard Xiao Shan mention you so often. Tsk tsk tsk, what a handsome young man you are!"
It's said that mothers-in-law like their sons-in-law more and more the more they look at them, and Lu Yuan has truly witnessed this now. His reaction was completely different from Xiao Shan's father's. However, if his mother-in-law had also seen that scene in the car, he wondered if she would still have been so enthusiastic.
Lu Yuan was modest for a while, when his mother-in-law's gaze towards his father-in-law became a little strange. Just as she was about to speak, she heard his father-in-law say, "Hey! You know, these young people nowadays, of all things, they learn to smoke. Lu Yuan, if it weren't for the fact that this is your first time visiting our home, I would have given you a good talking to! Smoking is bad for your health, so smoke less in the future! Put the cigarette away!"
Lu Yuan was dumbfounded. What was going on? It was clearly you who gave him the cigarette! Just as he was about to explain, a hand grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it hard.
The father-in-law stuffed cigarettes into his pocket and whispered, "I saw everything that just happened. You wouldn't want me to tell Xiaoshan's mother, would you?"
A threat! A blatant threat! How could Lu Yuan be the kind of person who would easily tolerate being threatened?
"Auntie, I'm so sorry, I just happened to be here helping Xiaoshan. I was originally going to give these cigarettes to the guy who installs the water tanks, but I ran into Uncle. I'm so sorry!" That's right, Lu Yuan gave in. He was still waiting to get his marriage certificate with Xiaoshan. If he offended his father-in-law, his marriage plans might fall through.
Xiao Shan, who came out of the restroom, glared at Lu Yuan fiercely before trying to smooth things over.
They worked until after 11 p.m. before the two large water tanks, each with a capacity of over 1,000 liters, were finally installed. The father-in-law was busy offering cigarettes and water to the workers, but his attitude towards Lu Yuan had softened considerably. He even proudly boasted about his son-in-law to everyone.
...
Three days later, Lu Yuan went to the supermarket early to buy some food for the journey. However, the crowd in the supermarket was much larger than he had expected. The long line stretched all the way to the back door of the supermarket. People were carrying all kinds of food and water. Apart from some daily necessities shelves, the food section was completely empty.
Meanwhile, the supermarket staff who were just about to stock up on goods hadn't even had time to load a cart full of Coca-Cola onto the shelves when a group of elderly men and women emptied it all out.
"Holy crap! Is it that popular? The apocalypse hasn't even started yet!" Lu Yuan sighed and left the long queue, his original plan to buy some food for the road ruined.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, there are many people returning home. The waiting room at Qingshui Railway Station is already full, and long queues have formed again for people waiting to depart. Since it is past 6 p.m., many people waiting for the train are hungry and are tearing open instant noodles to get water. However, the water dispenser is also crowded with long lines.
Station staff were using loudspeakers to maintain order.
"Line up properly, no cutting in line! Each person is limited to three buckets of water for instant noodles. Please don't crowd, cooperate with us, thank you!"
A boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old ran back with an excited expression on his face, carrying two buckets of instant noodles.
"Mom! You stay here and keep an eye on things, Dad and I will go back to queue up!"
Lu Yuan watched in disbelief. "Aren't three buckets of instant noodles enough for your family of three?"
The middle-aged woman sitting there smiled and looked at the people around her, saying, "Does anyone need instant noodles? Limited supply, fifty yuan a cup, WeChat and Alipay accepted!"
People nearby began to complain about their unethical behavior. Although hot water was available in unlimited quantities at the train station and many people were still hungry, some people were scalping others, which was simply intolerable!
Lu Yuan came alone, and a long queue formed behind him. If he wanted to leave, he would have to queue up again. He had a standing ticket, and if he arrived late, he might not even get a seat.
"Give me one!" Lu Yuan arrived at a little after four o'clock. He had been squeezing through the supermarket for over an hour without buying anything, and was now starving.
Several people nearby tried to dissuade him, saying, "Young man, you can't let them do this! A cup of instant noodles usually costs only ten or so yuan, but she's selling it for fifty yuan. It's outrageous!"
"Yes! Such speculative behavior would have been arrested long ago!" an old man said indignantly.
"Report it! We must report it! This is utterly inhumane!" said a man carrying a backpack indignantly.
Lu Yuan smiled but didn't say anything. He was hungry and had to eat. He didn't care what others said; filling his stomach was the most important thing! Although he hated this kind of speculative behavior.
...
Finally, they boarded the train. Lu Yuan had originally planned to find a seat and rest before the next few stops, but the train was already packed with people. There were no seats left, not even a place to put your feet.
He stood and rested at the junction of the two carriages. That was all he could do for now. Although it was a bit spacious, it wasn't very comfortable because it served as both a smoking area and a toilet. So Lu Yuan frowned and endured it.
When people get bored, they always want to chat with others. Lu Yuan had no intention of chatting because as soon as he opened his mouth, a smell of smoke would waft into his mouth. Although he occasionally smoked, he was not addicted and disliked secondhand smoke.
A few people stood in the smoking area, smoking and chatting.
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