Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky. Nine hundred and ninety-nine bolts of lightning struck her, and the earth-shattering power swept over her entire body, causing her to suddenly open her eyes.
Ma Lihua was covered in sweat. She clutched her chest and slowly sat up, the bedding on the bed soaked through.
She grabbed the ginseng water from the bedside table and gulped it down. She was panting when there was a knock on the door.
"Clang, clang, clang..."
"Pear Blossom, are you awake? If you are, get up quickly, wash your face and hands, and eat. We'll be heading to Jianshan Village soon," Ma Linghua's gentle voice rang out.
"I know, Grandma, I'm coming!" Ma Lihua got out of bed, changed her clothes, and went out. She walked very slowly, not only was she delicate, but she also had no strength.
The three of them ate extremely quickly. The sun was blazing hot; if they went outside, they'd probably be dried into fish jerky.
Ma Hehua was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt today. She was already dark-skinned, but now she looked even darker.
Ma Linghua was wearing a floral casual suit today, with brand-new liberation shoes on her feet. The outfit and pants didn't match well. Her mother was also wearing liberation shoes, and they both looked quite out of place.
“Mom, there’s no road to Jianshan Village. Why don’t we hitch a ride? I heard that all the buses now have air conditioning, and they’re very comfortable,” Ma Hehua said happily.
Speaking of which, Jianshan Village was really lucky. A railway was built there. The village was backward, but at least it had a road!
Looking at her sickly granddaughter, she nodded in agreement, but said that when she arrived, she would have to ask the village chief to reimburse her for the travel expenses.
There is a road across the river from Heishanxiahe, and there is a bus station on the other side, the 811 bus station. It was originally for the convenience of the people of Heifeng Village, but later the people moved away and they no longer planned to send buses there.
But Ma Hehua's husband was wealthy and powerful, so he simply paid out of his own pocket to take over the station. Since there was money to be made, the drivers were willing to do so.
However, every time I stop for ten minutes, I feel a chill all over my body, which is a bit scary. When there were villagers around, it wasn't a big deal, but now it feels like a desolate wilderness, which is creepy.
Ma Lihua was wearing a red tracksuit and white sneakers. Among the three of them, her outfit seemed the most normal.
The three got into the car, which drew frequent glances from the driver.
The ticket seller was a woman in her fifties.
"Where to?" the ticket seller asked.
“Let’s go to Jianshan Village,” Ma Linghua replied.
The ticket seller wrote on a piece of paper: three people share one ticket, the price is 60 yuan, and it's 20 yuan per person.
"WeChat or cash? Or card?" The ticket seller was fully equipped with a suit and tie.
The three members of the Ma family were stunned. Good heavens, is it really this convenient now?
"I'll use WeChat!"
Ma Linghua took out her WeChat, and the woman scanned it. Then she looked at Ma Linghua and Ma Hehua, appearing calm on the surface, but secretly she was overjoyed.
What era are we living in? Still wearing liberation shoes? Which remote mountain village did you come from?
Out of politeness, she didn't smile in person, but she couldn't help but complain in the ticket sellers' group chat.
Sure enough, the car's air conditioning made the three of them feel refreshed and incredibly cool, but there was always a faint odor in the car.
Ma Hehua sat alone in one seat, while Ma Linghua and Ma Lihua sat in a row, with all three of them in the second to last and third-to-last seats.
At one station, not many people boarded. After about six stops, five more people boarded, all heading to Jianshan Village.
"Hey! I said, why did you raise the price by one yuan? It used to be 14 yuan, how come it's 15 yuan now?" A middle-aged man wearing a short-sleeved shirt and floral shorts made a fuss.
The ticket seller looked at him coldly and said, "You really only want to pay 14 yuan?"
The middle-aged man waved his hand, put his hands in his pockets, and acted as if he didn't care.
The ticket seller looked at the fourteen yuan in her hand, and for a moment, her fingernails seemed to grow longer as she gripped the money.
She didn't give the man a receipt, took the money, turned around and left, collecting the remaining four people's money instead.
However, the man's actions were clearly seen by the four men, who were all wondering whether they should also pay less.
"It's alright, everyone works hard to earn money, so let's keep the extra dollar!" said one of the girls among the four.
All three nodded; they could afford a dollar.
The ticket seller quickly issued invoices to the four people, but they were different from those for Ma Linghua and the others.
Ma Linghua and her friends had green lettering, while the other four had red lettering. The red lettering for 15 yuan looked rather strange.
The four of them started eating snacks, as it was still two hours to get to Jianshan Village!
"Mother, what are they eating?" Ma Lihua asked, smelling the aroma.
"Daughter, wait a minute, let me go see if they can sell us some." Ma Hehua left her seat and stood up.
"By the way, Xiaoya, your grandma passed away. Don't be sad! We came with you because we don't want you to be too heartbroken."
"Yes! Your classmates are all quite worried about you."
"I collected some items for Grandma and you this time, I hope you won't mind them."
Seeing her three roommates showing concern, the girl named Xiaoya burst into tears. It was so wonderful to have such good friends.
"Uh... I'm sorry to bother you at this time, but I have no choice. My daughter is hungry. Could you sell me some of your food?" Ma Hehua asked politely.
Everyone was nearly scared to death by Ma Hehua. Her serious and honest old face had a hint of ferocity, making her look like a wicked old woman.
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