In December, the wind was biting cold, and it felt like a knife cutting into your face.
Ma Linghua arrived at the bus station with Hehua and her eldest granddaughter.
The bus station was crowded with people, and the noise and shouts mixed together, which made people feel irritable.
Ma Linghua tightened her cotton-padded coat, took her eldest granddaughter's hand, and asked Ma Hehua to buy tickets. Ma Hehua squeezed her way to the ticket window with great effort.
She wiped her wind-reddened cheeks with her rough fingers and asked the ticket seller loudly, "How much is a ticket to Yunnan?"
Without looking up, the ticket seller coldly replied, "380 yuan a ticket."
Upon hearing this, Ma Hehua's heart skipped a beat, and she felt completely disoriented. Her eyes widened, and she asked again in disbelief, "What? 380 yuan a piece?"
The ticket seller repeated impatiently, "380 yuan a ticket, take it or leave it!"
Ma Hehua's face instantly turned ugly. She pursed her lips and muttered to herself, "380 yuan per person, that's 1140 yuan for three people. Damn, that's really expensive!"
Looking at her daughter's displeased expression, Ma Linghua felt a little curious.
Before she could react, Lotus gently tugged at her sleeve and said, "Mother, why don't we not go? The tickets are too expensive."
Ma Linghua turned her head, glared at her daughter fiercely, and said, "Not going? You think you can just not go? Are you going to abandon your daughter's illness? If we don't go see her, are you planning to let Lihua climb on your back for the rest of her life?"
This unlucky daughter is probably not worth keeping. She just can't seem to get her head started. How can we save money like this? Besides, it's not like we're spending the Ma family's money.
Ma Lihua is not young anymore, and she is also worried about her health.
She tugged at Ma Linghua's sleeve and said speechlessly, "Grandma, you know my mother, she probably thinks we're paying for it ourselves!"
Ma Linghua: "……………………"
Indeed, I really didn't know about this lotus flower.
After thinking for a moment, she said to Ma Hehua, "Take good care of Lihua, I'll go buy the tickets."
"Okay, Mom!" Ma Hehua immediately agreed.
Ma Linghua took out a tattered cloth bag from her inner pocket, opened it layer by layer, and found scattered banknotes inside.
She counted and counted again, and she was still several hundred yuan short.
"What should I do?" Ma Linghua thought, this shouldn't be! It was bulging when she took it out.
Then he pulled out several hundred yuan from his socks, managing to scrape together 1140 yuan. The money even seemed to have a faint smell.
There were also one- or two-cent coins. The ticket seller was so angry while counting the money that his nose almost twisted. What were these things? Where did they come from?
Ma Linghua said from the side, "Little sister, you'd better count carefully! If you're missing any, I'll make up for it now, but once we're on the bus, it won't count anymore!"
The ticket seller was also worried about losing money, so she actually counted the tickets carefully. In the end, Ma Linghua returned with the tickets.
"Mom! How about it? Can we negotiate the price?"
Ma Linghua: "……………………"
With a standard ticket, there's no room for bargaining. If she could, she could haggle for ages.
Holding their tickets, they found seats in the waiting room and waited for their train to depart.
Ma Lihua sat in the chair, looking around curiously.
Ma Linghua gently stroked her granddaughter's hair and said, "Lihua, once we go to Yunnan, your illness will be cured."
Ma Lihua blinked her big eyes and asked, "Grandma, can my illness be cured?"
Ma Linghua said firmly, "Yes, things will definitely get better."
The departure time finally arrived, and Ma Linghua boarded the bus with her daughter and granddaughter.
The car's heater was on full blast, but Ma Linghua's heart remained cold.
She gazed out the window, her thoughts drifting back to the past.
That year she was 15 years old. Legends of Gu Daoists were everywhere in the martial arts world. She traveled alone in Yunnan for a year. During that year, she met the so-called Gu Daoist, who was an absolute villain, very ruthless. She had a brief encounter with him.
Looking at her mother's worried face, Ma Hehua comforted her, "Mother, don't think too much. Once we get to Yunnan, I'll take care of everything."
Ma Linghua: "…………………………"
Ma Lihua: "…………………………"
You're in an unfamiliar place, what can you do? You're capable!
As the car sped along the highway, Ma Linghua's heart gradually calmed down.
She didn't know if she would run into her old friend on this trip to Yunnan, but Pear Blossom's health couldn't be delayed any longer. This time, the wolf demon came looking for her by following her scent, but what about next time?
Although Pear Blossom was very strong, her physical condition always hindered her cultivation. Thinking of the descendants of Shennong Valley who settled in the mountains of Yunnan, her eyes were full of hope.
However, this train journey will take two days and two nights, and that's just for hard seats. Sleeper berths are more expensive, costing 420 yuan per person.
There were 32 people on the bus, each chatting away. Suddenly, a woman stood up; she was wearing a red dress.
Ma Lihua stared at the woman in red; her alluring face looked rather strange.
The woman's makeup was heavy and exaggerated, with thick foundation acting like a mask, concealing her true skin tone.
Her high, arched eyebrows were as sharp as swords, exuding a fierce aura. Dark eyeshadow was applied around her eyes, making them appear deep and mysterious, yet also carrying a hint of barely perceptible fatigue.
The dress she was wearing looked extremely ill-fitting, clinging tightly to her body as if trying to bind every inch of her skin.
The skirt's length awkwardly falls between the calves, making walking appear very sluggish.
The dress had a neckline that was too low, exposing a large expanse of fair skin, but instead of showing the expected sexiness and elegance, it appeared somewhat vulgar and deliberate.
And those unsuitable shoes clashed with the overall outfit.
They were a pair of red high heels, with thin, high heels that looked as if they might break at any moment.
The woman looked unsteady with every step she took, yet she struggled to maintain her balance, which looked quite comical.
But Ma Lihua didn't laugh; she just stared at the woman with curiosity, her mind filled with questions.
Ma Lihua wondered, why is this woman dressed like this?
Is it to attract attention, or to cover up some kind of inner unease?
Her eyes revealed a sense of confusion and loneliness, as if she had lost her way in this bustling world.
The woman's hair was casually draped over her shoulders, slightly disheveled by the wind.
A few strands of hair obscured her eyes, but she didn't bother to fix them. She just stood there, oblivious to the stares of those around her.
The woman seemed to notice Ma Lihua's gaze and suddenly turned her head to meet Ma Lihua's eyes.
In that instant, Ma Lihua saw the wariness and defensiveness in the woman's eyes, and she involuntarily sat down.
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