Guan Yu nodded, tore off a piece of paper, and wiped his mouth. I said, "Second Brother, are you full?"
"Oh, I'm full."
"Let's go then." I paid the money, took out my car keys, and went to my car by the roadside. Guan Yu didn't seem to want to get in, but smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Xiao Qiang, let's part ways here."
"Wh...what?"
Guan Yu said, "I have to go."
Seeing that he wasn't joking, I quickly said, "Second Brother, no, Second Master, please tell me what I did to offend you. Don't hold it against me."
Guan Yu smiled and waved his hand: "No..."
Only then did I notice the half-newspaper he was holding in his hand, and I stammered, "You...are you going to Henan?"
Guan Yu nodded.
"So... that person really was Zhou Cang?"
Guan Yu held the newspaper in front of his eyes, stroking the blurry photo with his hand, and murmured, "It's probably him. I didn't expect him to still remember me. In my past life, I was so busy fighting that I neglected this old friend. Now I have plenty of time to chat with him."
My mind went blank, and after a long pause, I finally said, "Second Brother, it's a long way from here to Henan, and you don't even have Red Hare anymore. How are we going to get there?"
Guan Yu said, "I will ask."
"...You're planning to walk there? By the time you get there, a year will have passed. Besides, do you even know how to find Zhou Cang? How about this, give me two days. Once I've finished what I'm doing, I'll take you there by plane."
Guan Yu scratched his graying hair and said, "An airplane?"
"Yes, it's only an hour or so... uh, just a matter of time."
Guan Yu's eyes lit up: "Really? Do you have time now?"
I waved my hand and said, "Forget about it now. Even if I had the time, you can't do it without your ID card—do you understand? It's like a pass for entering and leaving the country!" I really didn't know how to explain it to him.
Guan Yu thought for a moment and said, "Is there any other way?"
I said, "Then we'll have to take the train, which is much slower, probably taking a day or two."
Guan Yu put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Xiao Qiang, can you do me a favor? I'm going to take the train."
I snapped, "Why are you acting so impulsively? How are you going to get around like this? Do you even know the exit and entrance? Do you recognize the bus stop signs? Can't you even wait two days?"
Guan Yu said firmly, "Either you help me, or I'll go by myself." As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed a passerby, asking, "Excuse me, which way do I go to Henan?" The man glared at him and walked away.
I jumped up and down, shouting, "Why are you so stubborn, old man?"
Guan Yu chuckled: "I've been stubborn my whole life, and it's not just today that's changed."
I held up one finger: "One day, can you wait one day for me?"
Guan Yu then stopped another passerby: "Excuse me..."
I sighed, got into the car first, and opened the passenger door for him. Guan Yu smiled and got in, asking, "Where to?"
I said with a stern face, "The train station!"
Chapter Thirteen: Erpang
I drove in silence the whole way. I'm probably the first person in history to dare give Guan Yu (a legendary figure known for his arrogance) a hard time. On one hand, I was genuinely a little annoyed with the old man; on the other hand, I was actually using this time to think of a solution. Sending a client who was new to the area and knew nothing about the journey all the way to Henan was obviously not feasible. My first hope was that he wouldn't have a ticket when he arrived at the station. But that wasn't realistic either; we knew Henan had the largest transit hub in the country, with trains constantly going there 24 hours a day. I had another plan: to only buy the old man a ticket for the next station, and then, if the train conductor kicked him off, I could drive him directly back. But the probability of that going wrong was too high. Was Guan Yu the kind of person who would just get off if you kicked him?
Seeing that I didn't speak, Guan Yu laughed and said, "I know you're probably cursing me in your heart, saying that this old man is not righteous at all and is deliberately making things difficult for you."
I said with a dark face, "How could I dare? But then again, why can't you wait even one day?"
Unexpectedly, Guan Yu sighed and said, "You said it yourself, I'm all alone. Actually, I live entirely for the few people around me. Think about it, if you were placed in a place of luxury, but had no relatives or friends by your side, would you be willing?"
I stroked my chin and thought for a moment, and had to admit that Second Master had the potential to be a philosopher, but the problem was that the farmer from Henan was either crazy or stupid, so could he solve the problem?
Guan Yu added, "Actually, the main reason is that I owe Zhou Cang!"
I exclaimed "Ah!" Could there be a labor dispute between Guan Yu and Zhou Cang? That makes sense. When we go to a hotel, the waiter picks you up from the car by flipping his palm over, and we still have to give him a tip. Zhou Cang led Guan Yu's horse his whole life, how much money must that have cost?
Guan Yu said, "As I said, in my past life I was so busy fighting that I neglected this old comrade beside me. He followed me through thick and thin for decades, and I never even had a proper conversation with him. In my heart, I always considered him a brother, but I never had the chance to say those words to him until my death. When others mention Zhou Cang, they all say that he was my servant, but I don't think that way. Even so, he still remembered me. That's a great kindness!"
I sighed too. I've changed my mind now. I know he won't give up unless I send the old man to Zhou Cang.
When I got to the station, I asked around and found out the next train was at 12 o'clock, and there were no seats available. I took the ticket, found an ATM, withdrew 10,000 yuan, and went back to the train. I handed the ticket and money to my second uncle, briefly explained the currency denominations, and wrote down my phone number, telling him, "If you get to Henan safely, learn how to use a phone and let me know. Also, there are bound to be a lot of people getting documents done in Henan, so get an ID card first..."
Guan Yu laughed and said, "Alright, although I am not Zhuge Liang, I am not stupid either."
I sat a little further back and looked him over again. He seemed fine, but I was still worried. Finally, I stamped my foot and said, "I'll go with you." I was about to get off the train to buy a ticket when Guan Yu grabbed my arm and said, "Don't move. If you keep doing this, your second brother will get angry."
"Then remember to call me. Also, money is a valuable thing here..."
Guan Yu interjected, "Money is a valuable thing where we're from."
"...So be careful with those 'hiring official seals and refusing gold' schemes, and don't be too generous with your money. Also, if a woman tries to pull you away after you leave the station, don't follow her; it's not free."
Guan Yu: "..."
After a while, I checked my watch and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to the station."
Our city isn't huge, but it's not small either. People come and go in a constant stream, and even at this hour, the train station was still packed. I led my second uncle to the waiting room. His K-series train was in waiting room number three. When we arrived, there were already hundreds of people ahead of us, all sorts of people carrying large and small bags, with all sorts of food and drinks. We, on the other hand, were carrying nothing. I told my second uncle to wait for me while I quickly went out and bought a bunch of food, drinks, and snacks. When I returned, the ticket gates were already being checked. Guan Yu had drifted far away with the crowd, and I could only hold my platform ticket and follow him with my eyes. Only after we entered the ticket gates did I hand the things to my grandfather. Guan Yu, carrying his large bag, waved at me and said, "Alright, you can go now," and started to get off the platform.
I grabbed him and said, "Second Brother, you can't leave like this!"
Guan Yu chuckled and said, "Even after a thousand miles of seeing you off, we must part ways. My dear brother, I'll stop here."