Chapter 6 Leaving
Chapter 6
Around midnight, the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers echoed throughout Xishan Village.
Fireworks exploded in the sky, illuminating the village below in flashes of light.
Yu Pan hunched her neck and squeezed closer to Shen Yanzhou, her nose red from the cold, her knuckles white from clutching two handfuls of fireworks.
Shen Yanzhou lit the long string of firecrackers first. The crackling sound was deafening, and sparks flew everywhere, quickly covering the ground with a layer of red paper scraps.
He took the fireworks from Yu Pan's hand, took out two, lit them, and handed them to him.
Tiny golden sparks shot out from the red paper roll, making a hissing sound, like it was spewing fire.
Another type is a green, string-like firework, which Yu Pan calls a small firecracker.
As soon as the inkstone boat was lit, it crackled and popped. Yu Pan kept pulling on it until it was almost burned out, then threw it on the ground. It bounced a few times on the ground until it went out.
After the fireworks were finished, Yu Pan was so cold that he was stamping his feet, and puffs of white breath came out of his nose. He tugged at Shen Yanzhou's sleeve and pulled him back into the house, wanting to go back to bed.
The sounds of fireworks and firecrackers outside gradually subsided, and the night grew deeper.
Shen Yanzhou placed the book he and Yu Pan had been reading before setting off the firecrackers on the chair by the bed, pulled the light cord, and the bedroom was plunged into darkness.
Shen Yanzhou lay on his side, gently patting Yu Pan's back, his palm against Yu Pan's back, feeling the warmth of his body. "Sleep."
Yu Pan nodded, and moved her pillow closer to Shen Yanzhou, smelling the faint scent of soap on him, before closing her eyes.
The two slept until the sun was high in the sky, and unusually, Shen Yanzhou didn't get up at this hour.
Yu Pan was wide awake and tossed and turned in bed, her knees pressing against Shen Yanzhou's thighs and her toes rubbing against his calves.
Unable to sleep due to the disturbance, Shen Yanzhou simply reached out and pulled the other man into his arms, wrapping his arms around his waist to prevent him from moving, his voice hoarse, "If you keep making a fuss, I'll throw you off the bed."
Yu Pan immediately became quiet. He couldn't sleep, but that didn't mean he wanted to get up. So he found a comfortable position in Shen Yanzhou's arms and nestled there.
More than an hour later, Shen Yanzhou also woke up. He didn't say anything, but just looked down and played with Yu Pan's hair.
Yu Pan's hair, like her other body, felt soft to the touch.
Shen Yanzhou's fingertips twirled a strand of hair on his head, winding it around and back.
Yu Pan lay quietly, watching the light seeping in through the crack in the door cast a thin line on the floor, and dust particles slowly floated upwards in the light.
Thinking back to when Shen Yanzhou went to high school, they also used to stay in bed like this.
At that time, Shen Yanzhou lived at school and only came back once a week. Aunt Shen always said that he was tired from school, so she would let the two of them sleep until the sun was shining on the edge of the bed on the weekend before waking them up.
Shen Yanzhou would also tell him about things that happened at school. Although they all happened to other people, Yu Pan loved to listen. He would lie down next to her and listen, swinging his legs and smelling the aroma of the porridge that Aunt Shen was cooking.
-
Time flew by and the seventh day of the first lunar month passed, and the village returned to its usual tranquility.
Young people who went out to work have left one after another, fewer people are chatting by the roadside and doorways, the sounds of children playing have become less frequent, and dogs are barking less often.
For them now, the year is no different from any other, except that Shen Yanzhou doesn't have to go to work.
They weren't related. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Yanzhou went to his grandmother's house, stayed for less than an hour, and then returned.
For the rest of the days, the two of them simply stayed home, eating and sleeping.
During this time, Shen Yanzhou also made rice puffs, sprinkled sugar on them and stir-fried them together. They were very sweet and fragrant, and he made a big bowl of them.
Yu Pan ate too much and refused to drink the bitter herbal tea, so a small blister appeared on the corner of his mouth. Shen Yanzhou pinched his chin and scolded him a couple of times before applying ointment to him.
The news about going to the Baixi Town branch factory came faster than expected.
Early on the eleventh day of the lunar month, there was a knock on the courtyard gate. When Shen Yanzhou opened the gate, he saw Uncle Liu standing there, looking travel-worn and anxious.
Liu Wei rubbed his hands as he entered the house, his breath quickly dissipating in the air.
He took the hot tea that Shen Yanzhou handed him, held the cup in both hands to warm them, blew on it to cool it down, but didn't drink it. He got straight to the point and said, "The matter of the new factory in Baixi Town has been settled. It will start construction on the twentieth day of the first lunar month."
"The new factory is in a rush, and the trucks transporting materials will leave the factory the day after tomorrow. I've spoken to the trucking team and reserved a spot for you. Just go with the truck; it'll save you trouble and money."
As he spoke, he took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and placed it on the table. "Here, this is the route list and the address over there. Everything is written clearly."
Liu Wei paused, his gaze sweeping over the closed bedroom door before turning back to Shen Yanzhou, his brow furrowing. "As for your brother..."
"Yanzhou, to be honest, the factory only registered one person for you, and the only accommodation they've prepared for you is the workers' dormitory. Eight people share a room, and the conditions aren't great. If you're bringing someone with you..."
He paused for a moment, then finally remembered the name, "Take Yu Pan with you, this..."
Liu Wei carefully chose his words, trying to phrase his statement tactfully, "How about this? I'll find Yu Pan a warehouse watcher and sweeping job at the factory here. The pay isn't high, but it's stable, and I'll keep an eye on things for you too..."
“Uncle Liu,” Shen Yanzhou interrupted him calmly, his voice low but clear, “Yu Pan is coming with me.”
Liu Wei stared at Shen Yanzhou for a while, and seeing that his gaze was very fixed, he finally sighed helplessly.
"Sigh! You child..." Liu Wei shook his head and pushed the route sheet on the table over. "Alright, alright, since you've made up your mind, I won't say anything more. But you need to think it through. If you're taking Yu Pan with you, you can't take the factory's vehicles."
"The truck is full of goods, and it's been bumpy for two or three days. There's not enough room for two people. You'll have to figure out how to get there yourselves, and you'll also have to find a place to stay in advance. It's not easy to bring him along when you're in an unfamiliar place."
“Yes, I know. Thank you, Uncle Liu.” Shen Yanzhou nodded, his tone steady, as if he had already considered this. “We won’t be traveling with the car. I plan to take him there ahead of time to settle him in.”
"That's fine too." Seeing that he was prepared, Liu Wei stopped trying to persuade him and stood up.
Before leaving, he patted Shen Yanzhou on the shoulder, his tone earnest, "Yanzhou, let me say one more thing, the factory in Baixi is different from ours, it's a big boss who invested real money to move upmarket."
"You're skilled and reliable. Go there and work hard. Train the apprentices the boss assigns. Once you can handle things on your own, you might not have to touch this deadly gunpowder anymore. Take charge of some tasks and earn a stable salary."
As Liu Wei said this, a hint of guilt was hidden in his eyes. He knew that Shen Yanzhou had taken on this job and left his hometown for another place, partly because of their past relationship.
"I understand, thank you Uncle Liu." Shen Yanzhou escorted Liu Wei to the courtyard gate, watching his figure wrapped in a cotton-padded coat disappear into the alley before slowly closing the gate.
He turned and went into the main room, and saw that the bedroom door was ajar, with half an eye peeking out.
He pushed open the door and saw the person lying on the bed with their eyes closed, but their eyelashes trembling slightly.
"Awake?" Shen Yanzhou walked over, reached out and pinched Yu Pan's nose; it was a little cool.
Yu Pan opened her eyes and gestured on the blanket with her hand, "Just woke up."
"Uncle Liu just came to our house to talk about going to the new factory." Shen Yanzhou leaned against the headboard.
“I heard you.” Yu Pan moved her fingers, gesturing quickly.
"Yeah, so I'm planning to go to town today to check the bus tickets to Baixi Town." Shen Yanzhou held Yu Pan's hand and slowly squeezed his fingers. "I'll be back soon and bring you some xiaolongbao (soup dumplings)."
Yu Pan's eyes lit up, and she immediately gestured, "Brother, why don't we ask Grandpa Wang if he drives an oxcart to town? It's too far to walk."
"It's not far, brother walks fast." Shen Yanzhou lowered his head and kissed his soft hand, as if coaxing a child.
"I'll cook dinner later. I'll keep two bowls of rice warm in the iron pot on the stove for you. Get up and eat one bowl. If I'm not back for lunch, you can eat the other bowl, understand?"
Yu Pan nodded emphatically and gestured, "I won't eat too much."
Shen Yanzhou patted his head and smiled.
Shen Yanzhou did leave quickly; he returned just after noon.
Yu Pan was sitting by the stove eating her second bowl of rice, her mouth still full. When she heard the noise, she put the bowl down on the stove and ran to the door, still holding her chopsticks.
As soon as Shen Yanzhou entered the door, he was rushed into a hug, and the oil paper bag he was carrying was almost knocked over.
He moved the steamed buns to the side, saying, "They're cold. Heat them up before you eat them."
Yu Pan pouted, gesturing wildly with her hands, "I didn't do it for the food, I just missed you."
Shen Yanzhou tapped the tip of his nose, not exposing his lie.
While the hot xiaolongbao were cooking, Yu Pan leaned against the stove, looked up at Chen Yanzhou, and gestured to ask about the train tickets.
Shen Yanzhou squatted down to add firewood to the stove, saying, "There's no direct bus to Baixi Town. You have to take a bus to the city's bus station first, and then transfer there."
Most importantly, there's only one bus a day from the town to the city, in the morning. And there's also only one bus a day from the city to Baixi Town, also in the morning.
This means they will have to stay in the city for one night.
Yu Pan nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on the steam rising from the edge of the pot.
He didn't understand how complicated the transfer was; in his opinion, eating xiaolongbao was more important right now.
Shen Yanzhou planned to go a week early, since he needed to rent a place and get familiar with the environment, which would definitely involve a lot of things.
Over the next two days, the two began packing their luggage.
Shen Yanzhou found some old cloth and covered the tables and cabinets in the house, pressing down the corners with bricks to prevent dust from settling in.
Most importantly, there was Yu Pan's cabinet full of books.
The climate here is humid, so Yu Pan usually puts a few bags of charcoal in the bookshelf every now and then to prevent the books from getting moldy.
Not knowing how long she would be gone, Yu Pan only picked out a few books she hadn't read and stuffed them into her bag. She put the rest into a wooden box, added several bags of charcoal, and covered it tightly with a cloth.
-
On the morning of the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, the sound of a motorcycle "putt-putt-putt" came from the doorway.
That day, Shen Yanzhou went to town to check train tickets and found a motorcycle taxi driver to take them to the town's bus station.
"Put the bag in my gas tank." The motorcycle taxi driver's face was red from the wind, but his voice was loud and clear. Yu Pan was startled by his sudden words.
They didn't pack much, just a large, long canvas duffel bag containing a few days' worth of clothes for the two of them, with a few of Yu Pan's books squeezed into the corners.
Shen Yanzhou placed the luggage bag horizontally on the motorcycle's fuel tank, secured it to the front of the motorcycle with a rope, and let Yu Pan get on the motorcycle first. He then went back to lock the courtyard gate.
It was Yu Pan's first time riding a motorcycle. When she got on, her hands and feet were a little stiff. She didn't know where to put them and shifted her buttocks on the seat several times.
Fortunately, after Shen Yanzhou got into the car, he whispered something to him, telling him to put his feet on his shoes.
After saying that, he firmly grasped the motorcycle taxi driver's shoulder with one hand and tightly embraced Yu Pan's waist with the other.
The motorcycle sputtered twice and started.
The trees along the road rushed past me, and the wind stung my face.
Yu Pan tilted her head and looked ahead, and soon saw the stone tablet at the entrance of the village that was engraved with 'Xishan Village'.
In less than two seconds, the stone tablet that had stood for who knows how many years was left far behind.
…
Yu Pan never imagined that riding a motorcycle could be so fast.
We hadn't seen enough before we arrived in town.
At this moment, he and Shen Yanzhou were standing in front of the bus station in Yunxi Town.
It's called a station, but it's actually just a large open space in the middle of a three-way intersection, with a sheet of metal standing on the side with the license plate, train number, and departure time written on it in red paint.
Yu Pan immediately spotted the train number they needed to take.
Yunxi Town to Linxi City, departure time 11:40.
The station has a large flow of people, and there are many small stalls and shops around it, almost circling the station.
It wasn't his first time in town, and he wasn't particularly curious, but his gaze couldn't help drifting towards the surrounding stalls.
There were vendors selling candy and fried dough cakes, and the aroma wafted into Yu Pan's nose on the wind.
Shen Yanzhou paid for the motorcycle taxi, carrying his luggage bag in one hand and holding Yu Pan's wrist with the other, leading him towards a small restaurant near the station.
There were several small square tables in the restaurant. He ordered two bowls of noodles and three baskets of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).
"There's a clock in the shop. It's only eleven o'clock. If you eat and sit for a while, you can catch your bus." Shen Yanzhou rinsed the chopsticks with hot water and handed them to Yu Pan.
The restaurant prepares food quickly; within minutes, their noodles and steamed buns were served.
Yu Pan picked up a small steamed bun and put it in her bowl. She blew on it to cool it down a bit and took a bite.
The familiar taste filled his mouth, and he looked up in surprise, gesturing to Shen Yanzhou: "This is the xiaolongbao I always eat!?"
"Yes, that's right."
As expected, freshly steamed buns taste better. Yu Pan happily ate half of the steamed bun in the bowl in one bite.
-
At 11:40, they boarded the minibus to Linxi City on time.
The car was old and made a clanging sound when it started. The artificial leather on the seats was cracked in some places.
Yu Pan sat by the window, peering out with great curiosity. The houses, trees, and fields along the road seemed to rush past, much faster than a motorcycle!
As the road sign bearing the name "Yunxi Town" whizzed past, Yu Pan felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of disorientation.
Yesterday, Shen Yanzhou went up the mountain to say goodbye to Uncle Shen and Aunt Shen, telling them that he would come back to see them again in a while.
But how long is "a while"? Yu Pan didn't know.
"What's wrong?" Shen Yanzhou noticed his distraction and turned his head to ask.
Yu Pan shook her head, looking at the ever-changing scenery outside the window, and slowly gestured, "I can hardly believe it, we've really left Xishan Village."
Shen Yanzhou reached out and pulled him closer, his arm encircling his shoulder, his voice deep and reassuring, "Yes, we're going to a new place."
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