jdhmnovel Chapter 138 Pier
Chapter 138 Pier
Chapter 138 Pier
On the morning of the 18th, before dawn, Qiu Huoming ate two steamed buns, drank a few sips of water, and prepared to set off. He declined his family's farewell as he was afraid that when they arrived at the station, they would be saddened by the sight and become upset.
Chen Suniang added a secret pocket to his pants, and he put some loose change in it. He carried a specially made backpack and carried his guitar with an additional outer packaging.
There are many pickpockets these days, and it is a truth that you should not show your money outside.
The eldest and youngest sisters got up early. They sat at the dining table, unable to eat, and stared blankly at him packing things. Qiu Huoming put on his bag, turned around and hugged them. He waved at Qiu Jianshe who was sitting on the chair, "Dad, I'm leaving."
Qiu Jianshe nodded.
Qiu Huoming walked into the kitchen with his bag on his back, and looked at Chen Suniang with a smile, "Mom, I'll be back during the Chinese New Year."
Chen Suniang handed him a cloth bag. Qiu Huoming took it and took a look. It was the aluminum lunch box at home and the military water bottle with faded paint.
"I prepared six eggs for you and put them in your lunch box. If you get hungry on the road, just eat one. Eggs don't spoil easily and can be eaten for a whole day. I'm afraid the water outside is unhygienic, so I filled a pot of warm water for you."
Chen Suniang saw him lower his head to put the lunch box and water bottle into his bag, and touched his arm with a smile, "You will be able to see your nephew when you come back after the New Year. Huo Ming...you...be careful on the road, and write a letter home when you arrive."
Qiu Huoming hummed, glanced at Chen Suniang, turned around, gently pushed open the yard door, and walked towards the alley entrance in the dim light of the early morning.
Chen Suniang stood at the door of the kitchen, watching his back, and reached out to wipe away the tears that had started to spread without her knowing when. The last time she felt so sad was the day her eldest daughter got married.
A mother worries about her son even when he is far away. These little rascals will fly away when they grow up and have strong wings. She also knows that children are no longer under the control of their mothers, so she just hopes that they can be safe when they are away from home.
Qiu Jianshe pushed the door open and walked out of the living room. He stood under the light in the yard and looked in the same direction as Chen Suniang.
The eldest and youngest sisters were crying in the living room. They had promised Qiu Huoming that they would not come out to see them off, and the two of them really stayed in the living room... Hearing her daughters' crying, Chen Suniang wiped away her tears, pushed the door and entered the living room to comfort her two daughters.
Qiu Huoming's heart was not as calm as his appearance; a feeling of bitterness was spreading.
This is probably the first time he has left home.
Fortunately, I can come back during the Chinese New Year...
As soon as Qiu Huoming walked out of the gate of the compound, he saw Ding Yu sitting on a bicycle at the entrance of the uphill street, craning his neck to look in the direction he was coming from.
Qiu Huoming felt warm in his heart, and he took a few quick steps, "Hey, Fatty, are you here to see me off?"
Ding Yu's expression relaxed when he saw him appear. "Luckily you didn't leave. Get in the car. Fatty will take you to the station today."
"okay!"
Qiu Huoming straddled his long legs and sat in the back seat.
Ding Yu took down a net bag from the front of the car, which contained an oil-paper bag. He handed it to Qiu Huoming, "Huozi, I brought you 6 meat buns, enough for you to eat today..."
"Okay, thank you Fatty. I ate two steamed buns and was just worried about not having enough fat in my stomach."
The car squeaked forward. Qiu Huoming took out a bun from the oil-paper bag, took a bite and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Yes, I ate two while waiting for you." The fat man said with a click of his tongue, "They are delicious."
"One more."
"also."
Qiu Huoming took out another one and stretched out his arm and stuffed one into his mouth.
The two chatted and laughed and soon arrived at the entrance of the station.
The sky was just getting light at this moment. Qiu Huoming jumped out of the car and hugged Ding Yu. "Okay, don't go in. Let's go back."
Ding Yu sniffed and replied in a muffled voice, "I'm leaving. When you get back, I'll write to you and tell you the address of my new school..."
"I know. I'll write one a week."
Ding Yu burst into laughter and said, "You're right. I'm leaving now."
Qiu Huoming watched him ride away on his bike, then he pulled up the strap of the cloth guitar bag hanging on his shoulder, and walked into the station holding the oil paper bag.
It is always inconvenient to not have a watch. Qiu Huoming stood in the hall, looking at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 6:40 in the morning. He walked to the ticket window. Although it was early in the morning, there were still two long queues here.
There were only two windows, and the conductor inside looked sleepy and answered passengers' questions in an impatient tone.
Qiu Huoming was in the left line. Fortunately, they were moving very fast. When he was almost there, he heard Gu Xiaoran's voice not far away, "Qiu Huoming, buy me two tickets!"
Qiu Huoming turned his head and saw Gu Xiaoran carrying a bulging backpack and a small white bag slung across his body. Next to him stood a tall, well-mannered middle-aged man with a briefcase in his hand. His clothes were neatly dressed and he looked somewhat like Gu Xiaoran.
While he was thinking, it was his turn. He quickly said, "Comrade, please buy three tickets for the nearest Wuhu Pier."
"Seven twenty?"
"Yes, at this point."
Qiu Huoming paid the money, stamped the ticket and threw it out, "Thank you." As soon as he moved, he was squeezed out by the passengers behind him.
Qiu Huoming walked towards Gu Xiaoran with three tickets.
"Qiu Huoming, let me introduce him to you. He is my uncle, my dear uncle. His name is Mou Jinshan."
Mou Jinshan waved his hand, "Xiao Qiu, you can call me Uncle Mou. Your last name is Qiu? Are there many people with the last name Qiu here?"
Qiu Huoming shook his head and said, "Uncle Mou, our surname is not a common surname. I don't know how many people there are, but we are the only family in our school with the surname Qiu."
Gu Xiaoran took the ticket from Qiu Huoming's hand, fished out some change from her bag and handed it to him, "Ticket fare."
Qiu Huoming didn't hesitate and took it directly.
Mou Jinshan looked at him suspiciously and said, "Let's go to the waiting room."
When we entered the waiting room, most of the seats were already occupied, all with large and small bags, and even half of the aisle was blocked.
They simply stood not far from the ticket gate.
Qiu Huoming raised the oil-paper bag in his hand, "Fatty sent this from far away. Want one? It's still hot."
Gu Xiaoran raised the corner of his mouth, "Okay, I haven't had breakfast yet."
Mou Jinshan frowned, "Why didn't you tell me you didn't eat?"
Gu Xiaoran took out a meat bun and took a bite. After a few bites, he said, "I'm telling you, you don't have anything to eat."
Mou Jinshan had breakfast in the guesthouse and felt a little guilty when he heard this.
"I can buy it for you."
"No need, I already ate it."
Qiu Huoming smiled, holding up the oil-paper bag and asked Mou Jinshan, "Uncle Mou, do you want one? It's delicious."
Mou Jinshan shook his head and said, "I've eaten. You're welcome." There was a hint of alienation in his voice.
Qiu Huoming put away the oil paper package and took out the fragrant eggs made by Chen Suniang. "My mother made fragrant eggs. Would you like to have a bite?"
This was something she cooked early in the morning. As soon as she opened it, the aroma filled the air.
Mou Jinshan swallowed his saliva and hesitated for a moment. Gu Xiaoran over there had already reached out and took one. He cleared his throat and said, "Okay, I'll take one too."
The two of them peeled the meat on the spot. Just as they finished, they heard the door of the ticket gate being opened with force. There was a loud "clang" sound. The uniformed staff member held the chain lock that had just been removed and shouted at the top of his voice:
"The bus to Wuhu Pier at 7:20 is checking tickets!"
Soon, those people who were sitting in a mess all stood up, and a long queue quickly formed at the ticket gate.
At the front of the line were Gu Xiaoran and his group.
The seats inside the bus are divided into two sides, one side has seats for two people, and the other side has seats for three people.
Mou Jinshan quickly sat down in the double seat in the second row. Just as he was about to ask his niece to sit over, he saw a young man quickly occupy the seat he had reserved for Gu Xiaoran.
Gu Xiaoran was squeezed to the middle by the passengers who got on. Qiu Huoming stretched out his arm and pulled her over, sitting directly in the double seat in the fifth row.
There are no seats on the train, so whoever sits down first gets it, so naturally everyone is scrambling to get one.
The backpack was full of important things, and Qiu Huoming didn't want to put them on the narrow luggage rack above his head. There were so many thieves these days, and there were often news reports of passengers having their belongings stolen when they fell asleep.
He placed his guitar horizontally on the luggage rack, sat down and placed his bag directly on his legs. In just a short while, the car was full.
Mou Jinshan, who was squeezed into the second row by the window, was sweating all over his forehead. He stood up, bent over, and turned his head to look behind him. He found that the aisle in the carriage was already occupied by luggage, and it was difficult to change seats even if he wanted to.
He endured it and said nothing in the end. He sat down, feeling a little aching in his heart.
Gu Xiaoran was sitting close to the window, so she opened it halfway.
She also followed Qiu Huoming's example and put her backpack on her legs.
After a while, the car started.
The motor is noisy.
Qiu Huoming lowered his voice and asked, "Is your uncle going back to Shenhai City too?"
"Well, I told him yesterday, and he said he wanted to go back too, so he made an appointment with me to go together today." Gu Xiaoran was a little helpless, "My uncle is a very good person, but he has a childish temper, and he doesn't care what he says... He has a very awkward personality."
Qiu Huoming nodded, "I don't mind. It's just that an elder showed up unexpectedly. I thought..." He glanced at Gu Xiaoran, "I thought he was here to supervise us."
Gu Xiaoran's ears turned red. "That's not the case. I need to sleep for a while. I got up too early this morning."
"Well, go to sleep. I'll call you when we get there."
Qiu Huoming stopped talking.
Gu Xiaoran beside him let her ponytail loose, put a rubber band around her wrist, closed her eyes, and leaned back in the chair.
Only then did Qiu Huoming notice the brand new ladies' watch on her wrist.
"A new watch?" Qiu Huoming asked.
She closed her eyes, raised her wrist and turned it, then put it down again. She hugged the backpack and said, "My uncle gave it to me. It looks nice, right? I won't say any more. I'm going to sleep..."
Seeing that she was indeed very sleepy, Qiu Huoming said "hmm" and looked out the window quietly.
The car drove along the ring road and soon arrived at the urban-rural fringe. After leaving here, the two sides of the road were basically fertile fields and waterways, and villages could occasionally be seen not far away.
The car was a little bumpy, and Qiu Huoming slowly closed his eyes amid the roar of the motor and the passengers' chatting.
Gu Xiaoran beside him nodded her head a few times, then began to nod left and right. After a while, she tilted her head and leaned smoothly against his shoulder. In a daze, she found a suitable position and stayed still.
Gu Xiaoran's scattered hair brushed Qiu Huoming's cheek lightly with the wind outside the window. In a daze, he could feel the warm breath coming from his shoulder. Without thinking, he knew that Gu Xiaoran was using his shoulder as a pillow again.
He didn't care, brushed away the hair that flew to his face, and continued to sleep.
After the car had been driving for more than half an hour, Mou Jinshan looked back. Seeing this scene, he was immediately furious. He endured it, turned his head away, and simply pretended not to see it.
More than an hour later, the car slowly stopped and the driver's voice rang out: "We have arrived at Wuhu Pier Station, all passengers please get off..."
Gu Xiaoran rubbed his eyes, raised his head, and saw Qiu Huoming looking at him.
She subconsciously glanced at Qiu Huoming's shoulder.
A small area was wet.
She quickly looked away, "Huh, are we there?"
Qiu Huoming suppressed his laughter and said, "Yeah, we're here."
Mou Jinshan in the front row had sparks in his eyes. He shouted, "Why are you still standing there? Pack your things and get off the bus!"
Qiu Huoming quickly stood up, put on his backpack, picked up his guitar, and also picked up Gu Xiaoran's backpack.
After getting off the car, Gu Xiaoran skillfully took back his backpack, and Mou Jinshan's outstretched hand retracted back to its original position.
After leaving the station, several people followed the signs on the riverside and walked towards the pier.
The ferry here was moved intact from Wujiang. After the Wujiang Yangtze River Bridge was built, the original train ferry became useless. So in 57, the entire terminal strategy was transferred to Wuhu.
In the 80s, water transportation was the dominant form of transportation. The winding Yangtze River was very convenient and connected in all directions. Its only drawback was that it was slow.
There was already a lot of noise outside the ticket hall.
"So many people!" Gu Xiaoran was shocked.
Mou Jinshan said with a smile: "There are a lot of people at Shilupu, it's nowhere near here. Xiaoran, just stand here and wait. Xiaoqiu and I will go buy the tickets..."
Qiu Huoming whispered, "Gu Xiaoran, put your backpack in front. Everyone here knows that there are many thieves in Wuhu..."
Gu Xiaoran glanced around and immediately put her backpack on her back. Qiu Huoming handed her the guitar in his hand and said, "Uncle Mou and I are going to buy the tickets. You hold it for me first."
"Okay." Gu Xiaoran reached out and took it.
Mou Jinshan snorted coldly, "Stop making a fuss, let's go."
Qiu Huoming didn't take it seriously. He immediately imitated Gu Xiaoran, put his backpack on his chest in reverse and squeezed into the crowd.
After sweating profusely, he finally squeezed to the front.
"To Shenhai, three tickets, what class? Oh, third class..."
“十点半出发8号码头上船，一张13块2，三张39块6！”售票员的声音不紧不慢地响起。
"I'll pay!" Mou Jinshan said loudly.
Qiu Huoming turned his head and looked at him.
He opened his handbag and rummaged through it, when he heard a passenger next to him yell, "Comrade, your bag has been slashed!"
Mou Jinshan immediately lifted up the bag and found that there was a big cut on the lower part. Except for his washed clothes, the wallet was missing.
Qiu Huoming turned around and, urged by the passengers behind him, quickly paid for the ticket. He took the ticket handed to him by the conductor, turned around and squeezed out.
"Uncle Mou, let's talk outside."
Seeing that there were people everywhere, Mou Jinshan cursed a few times and squeezed out behind Qiu Huoming.
Someone behind him started talking about him.
"They must be outsiders. They don't know how powerful the pickpockets in Wuhu are..."
Thank you friends for your tips, subscriptions and votes:)
(Today I will only update 4000 words temporarily, please forgive me :))