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Join the ServerAfter they chatted for a while longer, the atmosphere seemed much warmer. Xu Youliang grabbed another handful of peanuts and placed them on the table, urging him not to be shy.
Hu Hengzhou picked up a peanut but didn’t immediately shell it. Instead, he displayed a hesitant expression, his gaze drifting towards the luggage rack.
Xu Youliang’s heart secretly rejoiced, knowing there was an opportunity. He became even more amiable, his voice softening considerably as he spoke to Xu Hengzhou.
Finally, Xu Hengzhou gritted his teeth, gestured for Xu Youliang to lean closer, and whispered in his ear, “Uncle Xu, I brought some things that Auntie and little brother might find useful, but…”
He deliberately paused there. Xu Youliang understood immediately and quickly said, “I get it, I get it. I certainly won’t let you give them away for free. I’ll pay double whatever the price!”
Xu Hengzhou put on an indignant expression.
“Uncle Xu, are you looking down on me? Do you think I’m asking for money? These items are all for my uncle. There’s only a small amount I can spare for you, which is why I hesitated. You…”
“My mistake, my mistake,” Xu Youliang said with a placating smile. “Please don’t be angry, little brother Xu. It was my narrow-mindedness. Don’t take it to heart.”
Hu Hengzhou feigned anger for a while longer before reluctantly saying, “Alright, then take a look. Actually, you might not even need them.” With that, he stood up to retrieve the large bag from above.
Xu Youliang didn’t need him to lift a finger. He rushed ahead, helped take the bag down, and placed it on the small table, gesturing for Xu Hengzhou to open it himself.
Hu Hengzhou gave Xu Youliang a meaningful look. Xu Youliang cooperated, standing up as if stretching, and turned his body to block the view of passengers on the other side of the aisle.
Hu Hengzhou opened the bag, revealing an opening for Xu Youliang to peek inside.
As soon as Xu Youliang saw the contents of the bag, he gasped. He could immediately see both cigarettes and alcohol, all high-grade.
There was also the fruit he’d guessed, and several other containers whose contents weren’t immediately obvious.
Hu Hengzhou reached inside, pulling out each item and naming it.
There weren’t many types of fruit—just common apples, oranges, and pears—but their quality was excellent: large and fresh, looking utterly mouthwatering.
The cigarettes and alcohol, of course, were top-notch. Xu Hengzhou had found unbranded boxes for the cigarettes. He pulled out one for Xu Youliang to smell, confirming its quality.
The alcohol couldn’t be opened on the train; the scent would dissipate and cause trouble.
The other items Xu Youliang hadn’t recognized included a plain metal can, which Xu Hengzhou identified as milk powder, and several flatter cans, which were various canned goods like fish and luncheon meat.
With each item Xu Hengzhou named, Xu Youliang’s eyes brightened. By the end, Xu Youliang practically wanted to snatch the entire bag.
These were all excellent goods, whether for personal consumption, gifting, or selling. They were the most sought-after commodities.
Finally, Xu Hengzhou reached into the bottom of the bag, rummaging for a moment. Xu Youliang watched with anticipation as he pulled out a tightly bound small cloth bag.
Opening it, the sight of glistening white rice made Xu Youliang rub his eyes in disbelief.
“This, this…” Xu Youliang opened his mouth, but couldn’t find the words. It had been a long time since he’d seen white rice.
In recent years, the fine grains supplied were mostly coarsely ground gray flour. Later, cornmeal also counted as fine grain.
After that, even dried sweet potatoes, whatever was available, was considered fine grain. Not buying it? There was only so much allocated each month.
If you didn’t buy it, you couldn’t get anything else. If you didn’t buy it, you’d starve. If you didn’t buy it, someone else would eagerly snatch it up!
Yet, Xu Youliang’s family especially loved rice. They longed for it when they couldn’t have it, but there was nothing to be done—it wasn’t supplied!
The last time he had eaten rice was a year ago. Xu Youliang had been on a business trip to a region known for its fish and rice, but even there, the harvest had been poor due to disaster.
Xu Youliang had gone to great lengths to acquire a mere pound of broken rice mixed with pebbles from a local.
When that small amount of rice made it home, the whole family was overjoyed. They would cook a tiny handful into porridge each day.
Each person received a thin bowl of gruel, at least allowing them to taste rice. Yet, no matter how much they economized, that pound of rice was quickly consumed. After that, Xu Youliang never had another chance to get rice.
Now, seeing this bag of glistening white rice in Xu Hengzhou’s pack, Xu Youliang was so excited his hands trembled. He could give up everything else, but the rice, he absolutely had to keep it!
Seeing his expression, Xu Hengzhou understood everything. Why had he introduced each item one by one? It wasn’t because he had nothing better to do; there was certainly a reason!
Observing Xu Youliang’s reactions to various items revealed what he desired most.
Now that he knew, Xu Hengzhou quickly retied the rice bag and closed the main bag.
Xu Youliang watched as a pile of desirable goods disappeared, feeling a dull ache in his heart.
Hu Hengzhou feigned ignorance and said in a low voice, “Uncle Xu, you’ve seen everything, right? There aren’t really any particularly good things. I think the only thing you might find useful is that can of milk powder; your little brother could drink it.”
“No, no!” Xu Youliang hastily interjected. “They’re all useful! Everything is useful!”
Hu Hengzhou frowned. “Even if they’re all useful, I can’t give them to you. These are for my uncle. If I give them to you, my family will scold me.”
Xu Youliang gritted his teeth, asking as if cutting off a piece of his own flesh, “Then, then how much can you spare me?”
Hu Hengzhou thought for a moment. “I’ll give you the milk powder. I’ll explain to my family, and they shouldn’t get angry. As for the rest… I can at most give you two more fruits, and I’ll just say I ate them on the way.”
“That little?!” Xu Youliang was unwilling. “Spare a bit more, little brother. Just a bit of each. I’ll give you extra money. You can just take the money back, can’t you?”
“That won’t do,” Xu Hengzhou shook his head, refusing. “These are for my uncle; it’s already been agreed upon. If too much is missing, I won’t be able to explain myself.”
Xu Youliang pleaded repeatedly, but Xu Hengzhou remained firm. Xu Youliang could only reluctantly accept. What else could he do? If he pushed too hard, the boy might not give him anything at all!
Once settled, Xu Hengzhou reopened the bag and let Xu Youliang open the milk powder can to inspect it. He would be getting off in the provincial capital, so the transaction had to happen on the train.
Xu Youliang opened the can, reached his hand in, scooped out a clump of milk powder from the very bottom, popped it directly into his mouth, and then gave a thumbs-up.
For the large 900-gram can of milk powder, Xu Youliang directly paid twenty yuan.
It was a bit expensive, but the quality was good, and it would last his youngest son for a long time. His wife and elder son could also have some to supplement their health.
Hu Hengzhou let him pick two fruits. After much deliberation, he chose the largest apple and the largest pear. He didn’t skimp on the money, paying one yuan for each of the two fruits.
Comparing it to current market prices, Xu Hengzhou inwardly grumbled, ‘Everything on the train gets an inflated price.’
After making his selection, as Xu Hengzhou was about to close the bag, Xu Youliang couldn’t resist stopping him. He pleaded desperately for a bit of rice, even just a handful.
Hu Hengzhou pretended to be annoyed by his persistence and blurted out an exorbitant price to scare him off: “Two yuan for a handful!”
Two yuan! Currently, on the black market, if rice was available, it would only be a little over two yuan per catty, and a handful certainly wasn’t a catty.
The problem was there was no rice for sale on the black market! Even if Xu Youliang wanted to buy high-priced rice at over two yuan a catty, he couldn’t find any.
He gritted his teeth and said, “Alright, two yuan it is.” At least it was high-quality rice; there was no such good rice on the black market.
Hu Hengzhou reluctantly opened the rice bag and deliberately said, “You said a handful. Grab it yourself. However much you can grab is how much you get. Don’t say I’m cheating you.”
Xu Youliang, who had just been complaining about the high price, now wanted to slap himself. Why did he have to be so garrulous and say that? Now, even if he wanted to buy, they wouldn’t sell.
He took a breath, trying his best to spread his five fingers wide, hoping to grab as much rice as possible. But his fingers had to close eventually; if they didn’t, it would fall through the gaps.
If they closed, it would flow out from the sides, and what was flowing wasn’t rice, but Xu Youliang’s tears!
Finally, Xu Youliang held his breath, put the rice in his hand into a pre-prepared bag, which only covered the bottom thinly, looking like less than half a catty.
Even for this, Xu Youliang had to thank Xu Hengzhou, as it was given out of the boy’s good will.
Hu Hengzhou also seemed to feel the rice price was too high, yet he was unwilling to give him more. He mumbled, “It’s just bad timing that we met. If we had met a little later, I definitely could’ve given you more.”
Xu Youliang’s eyes lit up. “What do you mean?”
Hu Hengzhou put the bag away and slowly explained, “Look at my things. Don’t they seem like a lot?”
Xu Youliang nodded. Indeed, it was a lot, and for a child to carry it, without fear of losing it, this family must be quite well-off.
Hu Hengzhou continued, “Actually, these things were all brought back by my uncle and my brothers. They work in transportation, and they travel to so many places that they always manage to bring back good things.”
At that time, driving was a rare skill. Few people knew how to drive, and transport teams always had excellent benefits and treatment.
Xu Youliang understood. No wonder. Other families could live well with just one person on a transport team, but this family, judging by the conversation, had several?
Hu Hengzhou continued to fabricate, “My brother is coming back soon, in just a few days. He promised to bring me good things. If you had met me a few days later, I really could have spared you more.”
Xu Youliang immediately calculated in his mind. His current business trip was almost over, and he couldn’t delay.
That meant he could only see if he could immediately apply for another business trip when he returned, but the possibility was slim.
It seemed he was destined to miss out, Xu Youliang sighed inwardly.
Hu Hengzhou, having nothing else to do, struck up another conversation with Xu Youliang. “Is Haishi fun? Are there any good things there?”
Hearing this, Xu Youliang perked up and began to describe the customs and sights of Haishi.
He had just received goods from the boy, and although he had paid for them, it was currently a seller’s market, so he felt he owed the child a favor.
Haishi was a very prosperous city, with a much wider variety of goods than Qingjiang. Xu Hengzhou listened with great interest, finally exclaiming, “That sounds wonderful! I want to go see it too.”
“Great,” Xu Youliang said. “When your family brings you, I’ll host you and be your guide.”
“I don’t need anyone to bring me,” Xu Hengzhou replied. “I’ll go by myself.”
Xu Youliang laughed playfully. “Your family lets you go so far alone?”
“What’s there to worry about?” Xu Hengzhou, feigning offense at being underestimated, said, “I even snuck onto my brother’s vehicle and went with him to a coastal city!”
Xu Youliang was startled. This child certainly had guts.
“Your family wasn’t angry?” he asked curiously. If it were his own son, he would definitely give him a beating.
Hu Hengzhou rubbed his nose, fabricating a believable story.
“They were angry, but I came back safe and sound, didn’t I? My family says boys should explore more. Besides, I’m going to join the transport team in the future, so getting used to it now isn’t wrong. I’m a great driver.”
Xu Youliang’s heart stirred. He probed, “When do you plan to go to Haishi? Let me know in advance, and I can still host you.”
Hu Hengzhou said nonchalantly, “Whenever, I guess. Depends on my mood.”
A glimmer of hope flickered in Xu Youliang’s eyes.
He subtly brought up what good food was available in Haishi recently, and what new items the department store had received, before finally saying to Xu Hengzhou, “Why don’t you come in the next couple of days?” ‘Preferably bring all the good things your brother brought back,’ he thought.
Finally, it had come. Xu Hengzhou felt relieved. He had laid so much groundwork, waiting for precisely that sentence.
From the moment Xu Youliang mentioned he was from Haishi, Xu Hengzhou’s mind had been set in motion. The provincial capital was only so big, and he would be under constant scrutiny.
It would be impossible to take items from his spatial dimension and pass them off as purchases—how could such excellent designs have never been heard of before?
From the very beginning, his ultimate destination for this trip was never the provincial capital. Even if it wasn’t Haishi, it would be somewhere else.
The problem he needed to solve was accommodation. Everywhere required a letter of introduction, and with no fixed destination, he couldn’t ask Song Wenbin for a blank one.
If he did, Song Wenbin would guess his intentions, and he wouldn’t even make it to the provincial capital.
However, it seemed the accommodation problem might now be solved.
Hu Hengzhou hesitated for a moment, then said to Xu Youliang, “Alright, I’ll deliver the things to my uncle, and then wait for my brother. If he brings good stuff, I’ll take some over. But the money and coupons can’t be short, because I want to buy a lot of good things in Haishi.”
“Yes, yes, yes!” Xu Youliang said repeatedly. “I’ll definitely be ready. When you come, stay at my place. I’ll ask my wife to make you Haishi’s specialty snacks.”
Everything was unfolding exactly as he had hoped, making all his acting and words worthwhile. It was a pity he wouldn’t be able to leave for a long time after returning this trip, otherwise, Xu Youliang could have become a reliable connection.
After they settled the details, Xu Youliang wrote down his home address for Xu Hengzhou, along with a detailed route map, clearly marking how to get from the train station to his house and which bus to take.
Watching Xu Hengzhou put away the paper, Xu Youliang breathed a sigh of relief, then couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of anticipation, wondering what good things this child would bring him.
With conversation, time passed more quickly. Soon, the train arrived at the provincial capital, and Xu Hengzhou prepared to disembark.
Xu Youliang once again helped him retrieve his bag, then, under the pretext of getting off for some fresh air, followed him off the train.
The provincial capital was a large station, with many people boarding and disembarking, so someone like Xu Youliang wasn’t unusual. Xu Hengzhou allowed him to follow. After getting off the train, he simply waved goodbye.
Xu Youliang watched Xu Hengzhou walk towards a man in a police uniform, standing tall and straight. The man exchanged a few words with him, then smiled as he took Xu Hengzhou’s bag, and they left together.
***
Qingjiang City.
After school in the afternoon, Xiang Chen stayed in the classroom until the teacher locked the door, then went out and squatted by the classroom door.
Their school dismissal time was earlier than Song Wenbin’s work-off time. Previously, Xu Hengzhou would take him home. Now, he could only wait for Song Wenbin to finish work and pick him up.
As soon as Song Wenbin finished work, he cycled to the school. His younger nephew was too small, and he worried about him going home alone, so he had to let him wait at school.
As soon as Xiang Chen saw Song Wenbin, he excitedly rushed into his arms. Song Wenbin’s heart warmed, thinking the child must have been scared and missed him.
He had just picked up Xiang Chen and was about to comfort him when he heard Xiang Chen anxiously ask, “Uncle, has Gege arrived yet? Did he call you? When is he coming back?”
Song Wenbin: “…” ‘This little rascal.’
Feeling a slight resentment, but he still had to answer, Song Wenbin changed the topic to a comforting one. “He’s arrived. The uncle over there already called me. He sent his son to pick him up.”
“Then when is he coming back?” Xiang Chen continued to press.
Song Wenbin was momentarily speechless. He had only just left; how could he be back so soon? So he replied somewhat perfunctorily, “Soon, I suppose.”
Xiang Chen wanted to ask how many days ‘soon’ meant, but seeing his uncle’s expression wasn’t very good, he wisely swallowed his words and sat obediently on the bicycle, letting his uncle take him home.
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