Chapter 36
The day Zhou Yao and his two friends left was a Saturday. Wen Yue didn't have to go to class, so she got up early and helped them pack their things with Grandma Fang. After a simple breakfast, she sent them to the train station.
There were dozens of buses parked in the parking lot outside the train station, and there were many pedestrians coming and going with luggage and backpacks, most of them looking hurried.
Zhou Yao bought a ticket for 11am, and it was only around 10am, so he had to wait in the waiting hall for another hour. The waiting hall was crowded, and the iron seats were almost full. It was summer, and the air was filled with unpleasant, depressing smells.
Wen Yue felt a little dizzy. There were too many people in the waiting hall. She looked up at Zhou Yao and whispered, "Please keep your things safe. I heard there are many pickpockets on the train. The train should arrive the day after tomorrow afternoon. Have a good rest when you arrive. Call me at noon the next day to make sure you are safe. Be sure to call back."
"Yes, I will." Zhou Yao lowered his eyes and responded. Looking at Wen Yue's frowning brows and uncomfortable expression because of the unpleasant smell in the waiting hall, he whispered: "Go back, don't worry too much."
Wen Yue shook her head: "I'll leave after you get in the car." She smiled.
Zhou Yao's eyes were gloomy: "Be obedient and go back, or I will be worried."
Wen Yue raised her eyebrows: "Why worry about that? I can still get lost."
Zhou Yao: “Yeah.”
Wen Yue’s eyes widened: “…I’m not a child.” How can I just get lost?
But Zhou Yao was very insistent, and Wen Yue couldn't persuade him, so she could only pout unhappily and board the bus under his escort. Zhou Yao stood outside the bus, and Wen Yue opened the window and looked down, holding the window sill tightly with both hands: "Be careful when you go to Shanghai."
Zhou Yao raised his chin slightly and smiled: "I know, you've said it more than ten times."
The two of them didn't say a word before the bus started slowly and drove out. Zhou Yao subconsciously followed the bus and walked forward a few steps. Seeing Wen Yue waving at him with her head tilted and a bright smile on her face, he stopped and smiled back, watching the bus go away until it disappeared.
The bus was out of sight, and the smile on his face faded. He pursed his thin lips, put his hands in his trouser pockets, and slowly walked back to the waiting hall.
When Ren Yeliang saw Zhou Yao's expression, he didn't dare to go forward. He pulled Fang Shitao to the side and whispered: "Brother Yao is in a bad mood, let's not touch that mold, or we will be scolded."
Fang Shitao looked at him and said: "Just remember this." He was an honest man and would not go up to cause trouble.
Ren Yeliang's eyes widened: "Hey, Lao Fang, what you said is——"
Zhou Yao glanced over and Ren Yeliang immediately stopped talking. He pulled Fang Shitao to the side and kept praising: "The train station is so big!"
An hour later, the train arrived at the station. Zhou Yao led Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao to queue up to get on the train and find the berths they had bought.
After everyone got on, the green train made a humming sound and moved forward. Ren Yeliang looked out the window at the scenery going backwards, and he was very excited, but as time passed, he felt a little sad and melancholy: "Why do I miss home so much?"
"Brother Yao——"
Ren Yeliang and Zhou Yao's beds were bunk beds, he leaned towards the aisle and looked up. He saw his brother stroking the bank card in his hand, his eyebrows were gentle, and he turned a deaf ear to his voice. It was obvious that he was missing his sister-in-law. It was better not to interrupt him at this time.
Ren Yeliang shrank back, looked out the window and let out a long sigh.
…
Wen Yue was also somewhat uncomfortable with Zhou Yao's departure.
She always subconsciously forgot that Zhou Yao was not around, and often did something while calling Zhou Yao's name subconsciously, but the huge yard was empty and no one responded. Then she realized that Zhou Yao was on the train to Shanghai.
I was used to Zhou Yao being around all the time, so it felt a bit strange that he left suddenly.
At night, she boiled water and carried the bucket to the cubicle. Seeing the red marks on her hands, Wen Yue stood there in a daze for a while, missing Zhou Yao more and more. She pursed her lips and sighed, took a shower, went back to the room, turned off the lights, and went to bed.
I don’t know where Zhou Yao and the others are now.
Without Zhou Yao, the bed seemed so big that she could roll around without falling off the bed. Wen Yue turned on the electric fan on the bench beside the bed to the highest setting, hugged the thin blanket, closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Wen Yue had a dream.
She dreamed that Zhou Yao brought Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao to Shencheng, but because it was their first time in a big city, they were unfamiliar with the place. Soon they offended the local bosses and were surrounded and beaten.
Zhou Yao was a stubborn person who refused to admit defeat, so he fought back immediately, but the other side was outnumbered and had weapons in their hands. He was attacked by someone and hit on the back of his head, his head was broken and he fell to the ground, with a steady stream of blood flowing out of the wound.
In the blink of an eye, a large pool of blood gathered under him. Zhou Yao fell in the pool of blood, his life or death unknown.
Wen Yue was frightened awake, with a little cold sweat on her forehead.
Looking at the sky outside the window which was not yet bright, she slowly let out a breath: Fortunately, it was just a dream.
She must have been too worried. She was thinking about it during the day and dreaming about it at night. Although Zhou Yao had a bad temper and was a little stubborn, he was smart and it was unlikely that such a situation would occur in his dreams.
…
…
"Yueyue, why do I feel like you seem a little absent-minded today?" After finishing the morning self-study class, during the break, Li Nianqiu put down the textbook in his hand, turned his head and looked up and down at his friend who had been absent since early morning: "Are you feeling unwell?"
Wen Yue didn't respond after asking twice, Li Nianqiu became even more confused, raised his hand and patted her shoulder: "Yueyue"
Wen Yue came back to her senses and said in confusion: "What's wrong?"
Li Nianqiu raised his eyebrows: "Why are you in a daze? You didn't even respond when I talked to you."
"Nothing much, I just thought that Zhou Yao and the others should be able to arrive in Shencheng this afternoon." Wen Yue blinked and spoke softly, with worry evident in her eyes.
Li Nianqiu understood immediately and smiled: "I'm worried."
Wen Yue nodded: "A little bit."
"They are just going to Shanghai for a stroll. Nothing will happen. Don't worry." Li Nianqiu comforted her, "Your man is smart."
Wen Yue frowned: "But he has a very aggressive temper. I'm worried that he will get into conflict with others."
Li Nianqiu smiled and said, "Wait for him to call back and give him some advice."
Wen Yue nodded: "I thought so too."
Seeing that Wen Yue still looked worried, Li Nianqiu shook her head slightly and said with a smile: "You and your man have a really good relationship. It's only been a few days since you were apart and your studies have become like this. What will you do when you get into college?"
Wen Yue blurted out: "I can apply to Shanghai University——"
Li Nianqiu raised his eyebrows: "You two really have a deep relationship. You like him so much. But Zhou Yao treats you so well, it's normal for you to like him too."
Wen Yue blushed and stammered, "What do you mean by like? I'm just worried."
"I don't like you, why are you worrying so much?" Li Nianqiu replied, looking at Wen Yue's awkward expression, he raised his eyebrows and sneered: Could it be that this girl doesn't know her feelings for Zhou Yao? That would be interesting.
She slowly changed the subject: "Do you need to go back to the village this week?"
Wen Yue exclaimed, a little confused.
Li Nianqiu: "Isn't your parents' death anniversary coming up soon?"
As Li Nianqiu finished speaking, Wen Yue suddenly recalled relevant information and memories. Indeed, the anniversary of the death of the original owner's parents was this week. She nodded and said, "I will go back."
As she inherited the original owner's identity, it was natural for her to do these things.
"Then come with me on Friday, and when you go back, ask Grandma Fang if she wants to join us," said Li Nianqiu.
Wen Yue responded with a "yes" and tried to divert her attention from wondering if Zhou Yao and the others had already arrived in Shencheng and listened to the class seriously.
-
After three days of traveling, the train finally stopped at its destination, the Shencheng Railway Station. People on the train picked up their luggage and rushed out. Some people even jumped out of the windows. People were crowded together, and the dark pressure of people was endless.
Ren Yeliang has been excited since morning and has been excited till now. He leaned close to Zhou Yao with his backpack on his back and said excitedly: "Brother! We are really in Shanghai! There are so many people!"
"Stop making noise and take care of your stuff." Zhou Yao frowned, his cold face showing no emotion. His sharp eyes swept past, not letting go of any sneaky person.
Things are most likely to be stolen at this time. Under Zhou Yao's strong pressure, several people moved aside awkwardly, not daring to make any moves at all.
The train station in Shanghai was several times larger than the one in their city, and the waiting hall alone was very clean and tidy, with iron seats that looked more upscale. As soon as they came out of the train station, a bunch of people surrounded them and kept shouting.
"Hey handsome, which way are you going? I know this area very well. I'll take you there!"
"My car is cheaper, handsome."
"Handsome boy..."
These people speak Mandarin with an accent, but you can still understand them. Shanghai is a city that the country focuses on supporting development, with a large number of immigrants, and accents from all over the country can be heard.
Zhou Yao ignored them and walked forward.
The nearly 1.9-meter-tall man gave people a strong sense of oppression. He looked at them with a stern look, and these people dared not move forward, and turned to other people to continue selling. They even saw someone refuse these people, and soon several people came and surrounded the refusers, asking them fiercely if they wanted to take the car.
"Oh my god, this is a forced sale!" Ren Yeliang's eyes widened, thinking that it was a good thing that Brother Yao was here, most people would not dare to mess with him when they see him.
Zhou Yao took a quick look and then looked away, reminding the two to follow.
They quickly walked out of the train station with their luggage. There were buses and even taxis outside the station. The red taxis were particularly eye-catching on the road. Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao, two country bumpkins, opened their mouths wide, shocked by the scene before them.
"Let's go into the city and find a hotel first." Zhou Yao said, "Call home tomorrow at noon."
"Okay, Brother Yao!"
They got on the bus. Zhou Yao knew where to go since he was familiar with Shencheng. He paid the fare and sat down at a random place.
The train station is a bit remote, close to the suburbs, and there is even no houses on both sides of the road, only trees and weeds. After driving for a while, the houses on both sides gradually increased, densely packed, with a lot of shops, and the words on the GG sign could be vaguely seen.
Such as barber shops, hotels, tailor shops, inns, etc.
The closer they got to the city center, the more tall buildings there were, and the more lively it became. They saw the tall buildings that Chen Wuming had mentioned before. They were indeed very tall, about ten stories high. Both sides of the street were lined with young men and women dressed in fashionable clothes. The girls had big curly hair, lipstick, and beautiful skirts. The boys wore spectacles, had bangs that were parted in half, and wore loose shirts of various colors tucked into their belts.
A sense of fashion that comes to your face.
"People in Shanghai are so trendy." Ren Yeliang sighed.
Fang Shitao nodded in agreement.
Zhou Yao didn't say anything. After getting off the bus, he randomly found a hotel to check in, then went out and had a quick bite to eat at a small restaurant nearby.
The three days on the train were also very tiring. Although it was a sleeper berth, the smell in the carriage was very bad. In addition, they were worried about their belongings being stolen, so the three of them took turns sleeping and were very tired. So after dinner, they returned to the hotel, took a shower, and went to sleep to rest.
After they felt a little better at night, Zhou Yao took them out for a walk.
The night was more lively than the day. There was a night market on the street next to where they lived, with all kinds of snack stalls and other stalls. Female workers from nearby factories liked to go out to the night market after work. A group of young and beautiful girls were chatting and laughing, which was particularly eye-catching.
Zhou Yao had no interest in the night market and walked around the two of them for a couple of rounds without much interest.
"Brother, look at that stall, aren't those necklaces and hairpins exactly the same as the ones my sister-in-law made!" Suddenly, Ren Yeliang patted Zhou Yao's arm excitedly and pointed to a stall next to him.
Zhou Yao followed his line of sight and raised his eyebrows after seeing the things on the stall. It was true.
Ren Yeliang clicked his tongue twice and looked at the crowd gathered at the stall: "Sister-in-law is amazing, these things are also very popular in Shanghai."
Zhou Yao raised the corners of his lips and said proudly: "Of course."
The three of them walked around the night market for a while, bought some snacks to try, and then returned to the hotel to rest.
The next day, Zhou Yao found a small shop with a landline early, stared at the alarm clock on the wall, and dialed a number at the exact time.
“Beep, beep, beep—”
"Hello, who are you looking for?" A strange female voice came from the receiver.
Zhou Yao said quickly, "Please help me call Hutong No. 398."
"Oh, I see. Wait a minute." The other party responded, but did not leave. Instead, he shouted directly: "Little girl, the call you are waiting for has come..."
"Okay, thank you, boss lady." A familiar voice came. Maybe it was a little far away, so the voice was a little distorted, but Zhou Yao still heard it clearly.
His heart beat faster and his thin lips pursed tightly.
After a few seconds, there was some noise in the receiver, and then a warm voice really penetrated into my ears: "Zhou Yao"
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