Chapter 11

After bidding farewell to his classmate and sending them home in helplessness, Song Haowen began planning his own journey.

On the eve of his rebirth, the city of Huhai had just opened a high-speed rail line. Departing from the city, one could reach the capital in five to six hours by high-speed rail. Alternatively, there was the option of taking a domestic flight from the city, reaching the Beijing International Airport in about one and a half hours. Whether choosing the high-speed rail or the airplane, both were very convenient and fast.

Currently, Huhai City not only lacked an airport but also didn’t have ordinary trains running. Song Haowen had two feasible options for his trip to Beijing.

The first was to take a long-distance bus directly from Linshan County to Beijing, costing 26 yuan and taking about 28 hours, including two overnight stays. The second option was to take a long-distance bus from Linshan County to the provincial capital Tangdu, then transfer to a train. If the transfer was timely, the journey would only require one overnight stay on the train, taking about 22 hours, with a total ticket price around 18 yuan.

As for choosing to transfer to a plane from Tangdu, it was even more inconvenient, something he didn’t even consider.

Both options had their advantages and disadvantages. For a college student traveling for the first time with large items such as clothes and bedding, the first option was undoubtedly better. Although the ticket price was higher, and the journey was more arduous, it avoided the trouble of transferring.

To minimize the hassle, Song Haowen decided to choose the first option.

In his previous life, Song Haowen attended university in Tangdu, the capital of Jiangnan Province. He only visited Beijing for the first time during the summer vacation of the new millennium, spending five days there. After that, he went twice more, once during the 2008 Olympic Games and once during the summer vacation of 2021.

Song Haowen’s two trips to Beijing were brief, with about a ten-year gap between them. During these twenty years, China’s urban development saw significant growth. When he visited Beijing for the second time, he felt a tremendous change in the city’s appearance, washing away his previous impressions and giving him a strong sense of unfamiliarity. As for the appearance of Beijing in the late 1970s, he couldn’t even imagine it.

Considering his unfamiliarity with Beijing, Song Haowen decided to depart two days in advance. This way, he would have an extra day to become familiar with the city.

Since Song Haowen was leaving today, the whole family woke up before dawn. After having breakfast and bidding farewell to his mother, fourth brother, and youngest sister, his father rode a bike to take him to the Linshan County bus station. They arrived at the station at 6:30 in the early morning.

Although it was the peak travel season, and bus tickets were somewhat scarce, Song Haowen had bought his ticket in advance yesterday when he went to the city.

Therefore, he didn’t worry about not getting on the bus. Before parting ways with his father, he gave him a thousand yuan to help with household expenses.

At this moment, Song Haowen still had over fifteen thousand yuan on him, a considerable amount in this era. In the late 1970s and 1980s, being a “ten-thousand-yuan household” was an admired status. It’s not that he was reluctant to give more money to his family, but he was concerned that giving too much money would not only burden his parents psychologically but also might trigger jealousy among the villagers. Before his parents became millionaires, they needed a long-term adjustment process.

The long-distance bus to Beijing had sleeper berths, with upper and lower beds, accommodating thirty-six people, including two middle-aged drivers, one fat and one thin. Afraid that the upper berth might sway too much and cause dizziness, Song Haowen bought a lower berth ticket.

After placing his luggage on the roof, he only carried a yellow canvas bag with books, a water bottle, dry food, and toiletries such as towels and a toothbrush.

Upon boarding, Song Haowen noticed that the carriage had three rows of room, with a single row on the left side of the aisle and two parallel rows on the right side. At the rear of the bus was a large compartment with four beds.

Song Haowen’s room was in the middle on the right side, next to the window. Not only were there rooms in front and behind, but there was also a bed alongside his room. To get to his bed, he had to pass through someone else’s, which was a bit inconvenient.

He had experienced this type of sleeper bus in his previous life, and now, sitting in it again, despite the unpleasant smell and poor environment, he still found it somewhat fresh and interesting.

After getting on the upper berth, Song Haowen didn’t take off his shoes. He was worried about the strong odor of his feet; if others noticed, he would feel embarrassed. Intentionally looking around the carriage, he found that except for a few women, passengers lying on their berths were wearing shoes.

At seven in the morning, the bus engine started right on time, and the body immediately began to shake. Song Haowen observed that beside his berth, all other berths were still unoccupied.

Wondering about the reason, he saw a pretty girl in a yellow checkered shirt, a black pleated skirt, and white sneakers hurrying into the bus. After inquiring about her seat from the fat driver, she came to the berth next to him, confirmed her ticket, then put down her black shoulder bag and sat down.

At that moment, the bus door closed with a bang. The thin driver sitting in the co-driver’s seat counted the passengers, reported the destination, and the bus slowly left the station.

Song Haowen noticed the girl next to him, slender figure, fair skin, beautiful face, roughly the same age as his second sister. He had a good impression of her and wanted to chat with her, ask about her situation, but she was lying quietly on her berth, reading a magazine with her back turned to him.

He didn’t want to disturb her, so he turned his head, gazing at the passing scenery outside the window, gradually forgetting everything around him.

Half an hour into the journey, some passengers started feeling carsick, yelling to stop the bus. Some kind-hearted individuals handed plastic bags and hot water to those feeling sick. Soon, vomiting sounds were heard inside the bus, and an unpleasant smell filled the air.

Although Song Haowen wasn’t prone to carsickness, the smell was making his stomach a bit uncomfortable. So, he opened the window, took a few deep breaths, and felt a bit better.

Looking at the girl next to him, he saw that she had already put down the magazine and lay down, closing her eyes to rest. Everything happening inside the bus seemed unrelated to her.

After a while, more passengers started feeling carsick and demanded to get off. The two drivers were accustomed to such situations and remained unmoved. It wasn’t until several passengers shouted about needing to urinate that the bus pulled over to the side of the road.

As soon as the bus stopped, many male passengers rushed out. Those feeling carsick squatted by the roadside, catching their breath, while those needing to urinate headed towards the trees by the roadside.

After getting off the bus, Song Haowen noticed that the girl from the neighboring berth was still on the bus and asked, “Aren’t you going out to get some fresh air?”

The girl glanced at Song Haowen, smiled faintly, and said, “I don’t want to get off.” Then she turned her head away and ignored him.

After settling into the upper berth, Song Haowen took out the novel “Second Handshake” from his bag and started reading it with great interest. Unconsciously, it was already lunchtime. The bus pulled over at a sun-drying field in front of a row of cottages, parking alongside several other buses for meals.

“Everyone off the bus! Lock the doors. If you need to eat, go to the canteen upfront and buy your own food. Lunchtime is 20 minutes, and gather here. Please remember the license plate so you don’t get on the wrong bus later.” The thin driver shouted at the bus door, urging the slow passengers to move faster.

Following the girl off the bus, Song Haowen joined the crowd and headed to the canteen. The place was lively and bustling. He queued up and bought a shredded pork combo, then found an empty seat and sat down.

Across from Song Haowen’s table, a customer had just finished eating, and immediately someone else took the seat. When he looked up, he saw the girl from the neighboring berth ordering a tomato and scrambled eggs combo.

At that moment, she noticed Song Haowen, gave him a slight smile as a greeting, and without saying anything, she started eating. She ate quickly, finishing her meal while Song Haowen was only halfway through. She glanced at him, said nothing, and left on her own.

After finishing his meal, Song Haowen saw that the bus doors were still closed. A group of passengers was chatting by the doors, so he went to the restroom. When he returned, everyone had already boarded the bus. He walked to his berth and saw the girl sitting on her berth reading a magazine. He went straight to his berth and continued reading his novel. Until the bus started moving again, there was no communication between the two.

Unconsciously, it was already dark outside. The thin driver shouted again, instructing everyone to get off the bus for dinner.

After getting off, Song Haowen had a bowl of noodles and, upon returning to the bus, felt a bit drowsy. He fell asleep in a daze. After some time, he was awakened by a commotion.

In the dimly lit bus, he saw two young men with knives searching each passenger for money. Two burly men were controlling the two drivers, redirecting the bus onto a dark rural road.

At this moment, a bearded young man came to the girl’s neighboring berth, snatched her shoulder bag, rummaged through it, and not finding any cash, used a knife to point at her face, demanding her belongings.

She was frightened, hurriedly took out over a hundred yuan and some food coupons from her pocket, handing them to the bearded man.

The bearded man took the money and coupons, chuckled, and reached towards the girl’s chest with his dark hand. Terrified, she resisted with one hand while trying to hide on Song Haowen’s berth.

Song Haowen hadn’t figured out how to deal with the four thugs when suddenly he felt a weight on his chest, and the girl sat on him, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Seeing the girl hiding on the inner berth, the bearded man had no intention of letting her go. He reached over another berth to grab her hair. Song Haowen wanted to help her, but being pinned down, he couldn’t move.

The bearded man couldn’t grab the girl’s hair but caught her arm, attempting to pull her towards him. She resisted with one hand, tightly holding onto Song Haowen’s hand.

Trapped in the inner berth, Song Haowen couldn’t easily intervene, so he tried to stabilize the situation by using words. “Hey, guys, are you robbing money or people?”

The bearded man glared at Song Haowen and cursed, “Kid, you haven’t handed over your money yet!”

Song Haowen forced a bitter smile and said, “Look at me, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child who sneaked out of home, where would I get money? I’m still worried about how to ask people for money after getting off the bus.” As he spoke, he handed over his shoulder bag.