Suddenly remembering something, Xu Zhengyang patted his forehead, wondering if the wooden box where he had put the gold bars last time was an antique.
That night, after bringing the gold bars home, Xu Zhengyang took them out and threw the wooden box under the bed without considering its value. He only remembered the box now because Yao Chushun had asked him if he had any other treasures. However, Yao Chushun was already far away, so Xu Zhengyang didn't call him back. He decided to deal with it when he got home.
Xu Zhengyang pulled out his wallet, took out a piece of white paper with his sister's school address and dormitory phone number written on it, glanced at it, put it away, and then walked to the roadside, intending to take the bus. The address said to take bus 335 from Beijing West Railway Station, get off at Wudaokou Huaqingyuan Station, which is the south gate of Huaqing University. Then he would ask for directions to Zijing Apartment, and go to room 204B, building 11.
Xu Zhengyang walked a long way east along the railing from the edge of the square, then crossed an intersection next to the pedestrian overpass, and finally stood on the roadside, waiting for the No. 335 bus to arrive.
One, two, three...
Standing under the blazing sun, Xu Zhengyang was getting annoyed. "Damn it, they're bullying us country bumpkins!"
Why aren't they stopping? The driver couldn't have missed my waving!
Could it be true, as Yao Chushun said, that people in Beijing are petty and unwilling to help others? But that doesn't make sense either. I wasn't asking him for help; he earns money too, buying train tickets. There seems to be no contradiction.
At this point, please don't laugh at Xu Zhengyang, this country bumpkin. Back in his hometown, in the county or city, or even along the national highway, he could simply wave at a bus and it would stop. Of course, this was because the management wasn't strict, and there were many private buses. And thirdly… Xu Zhengyang could count the number of times he'd taken the bus on his fingers. Most of the time, he relied on his own two feet for short distances, and the furthest he'd ever gone was to Fuhe City, where he rode his bicycle.
So he had no idea that buses in Beijing weren't so "humane" as to stop on demand.
"Grandma!" Xu Zhengyang spat. "I'm a rich man now, I'm not taking your bus anymore."
I'm taking a taxi!
One, two, three...
Xu Zhengyang felt an urge to stand across the middle of the road, holding a brick in his hand, and forcibly stop the car!
Why the hell won't the taxis stop for me? This is outrageous!
"Hey, young man, come here, your ID card!"
"I'm talking to you, yes, you..."
A policeman came out of the police booth at the edge of the square.
Xu Zhengyang was filled with anger and had nowhere to vent it, but he dared not vent it on the police. So he immediately put on a smile and showed anxiety, took out his wallet and ID card from his pocket, and walked towards the police.
"What are you doing standing on the side of the road? What if something happens to you?" the police officer asked kindly while carefully examining Xu Zhengyang's ID card.
"Oh, I was just about to ask you that," Xu Zhengyang said, feeling annoyed and aggrieved. "Why don't the buses and taxis stop here?"
"What?" The policeman was taken aback and asked in surprise, "Are you taking the bus?"
“Ah, right, if you can’t sit here, a taxi will do.” Xu Zhengyang nodded.
The policeman couldn't help but laugh, saying with a wry smile, "You can't park here. If you want to take the bus or a taxi, you have to go over there, over there, at the bus stop..."
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang suddenly realized, his forehead creased with disbelief. He had been so confused. This was Beijing, after all. It was nothing like his hometown. There were bound to be more rules here. Besides, he should have looked for the bus stop first and then checked the route.
"Here, take your ID." The police officer, having no further suspicion of Xu Zhengyang, suppressed a smile and asked, "Where are you going?"
Tsinghua University.
"Oh, then you need to cross the pedestrian overpass to the other side of the road, walk west for fifty meters, turn right at the first intersection, and take the bus at the bus stop about thirty meters away," the policeman told with a smile.
Xu Zhengyang could naturally see the smile in the policeman's eyes, and immediately felt extremely embarrassed, realizing that he was indeed a country bumpkin.
After thanking the police, Xu Zhengyang followed the directions given to him and finally found the bus stop, where he also saw the sign for bus route 335.
I waited and waited, and more than ten minutes passed.
Perhaps it was the heat and the impatience caused by hailing a taxi earlier, but Xu Zhengyang couldn't wait for the bus to arrive. He hailed a taxi, got in, and immediately said to the driver, "Hello, to the south gate of Tsinghua University."
"Okay, all set!" The taxi driver, speaking with a strong Beijing accent, didn't waste any words, stepped on the gas, and the taxi headed north.
Xu Zhengyang leaned back and let out a long breath.
The capital city is not a place where we, who have just made a little money and are like mud crabs that have just emerged from the ditch, can walk sideways with our heads held high!
Volume 1, Land, Chapter 22: The Rich Girl Driving a BMW
While in the taxi, Xu Zhengyang, like a mud crab just crawling out of a ditch, started muttering to himself: "My God, how come Tsinghua University is so far from the train station? How big is Beijing? We've been driving for so long, why haven't we arrived yet? How much did this cost? Damn it, there are towering buildings everywhere, and the overpasses seem to have been built for free, one after another..."
The taxi finally came to a slow stop, and the driver smiled and said, "We're here, buddy."
"Oh, how much?" Xu Zhengyang asked, snapping out of his daze.
Thirty-five.
"So expensive?" Xu Zhengyang muttered as he took out a fifty-yuan note from his wallet and handed it to the driver.
The driver looked quite young, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old. He took the money, gave change, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I didn't take you anywhere in circles. Here's a complaint hotline, my license plate number, and my name. You can call and ask if you don't believe me..."
"That's not what I meant." Xu Zhengyang smiled awkwardly, took the change, opened the car door and got out, not forgetting to turn back and say thank you.
The guy smiled, waved, and said "You're welcome," before driving away.
It was not yet six o'clock in the afternoon, but the sky had already darkened, and occasional rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance, as if it was about to rain.
Lighting a cigarette, Xu Zhengyang withdrew his gaze from the distance and turned to focus intently on the towering, imposing yet dignified and elegant gate. White pillars, white corridors, and white archways, adorned with carvings and inscriptions, bore the three characters "Huaqing Garden" in the center. Through the gate, one could see wide, well-maintained paths leading into the distance, where towering trees formed lush forests, creating a tranquil and serene atmosphere…
Sigh, I'll never have the chance to go to school with a backpack again in this lifetime, let alone get into a university like this.
Xu Zhengyang sighed, no longer in the mood to admire this most famous institution of higher learning. He took out his phone from his pocket, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and dialed the number in his sister's dormitory.
The phone rang for a long time but no one answered.
"I'll call again later." Xu Zhengyang hung up the phone in frustration, wondering if his sister hadn't returned from tutoring yet. Bored, Xu Zhengyang paced back and forth along the green belt, feeling empty inside, his eyes wandering aimlessly.
Cars and vehicles come and go on the main road, and tall buildings stand tall in the opposite direction and in the distance. Occasionally, pedestrians pass by on bicycles or on foot, sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly.
There are poor people everywhere, and rich people everywhere!
The rich really have it good; they live in high-rises, drive cars… Children from wealthy families can go home to reunite with their families after school holidays, unlike Xu Rouyue who has to tutor. Xu Zhengyang thought about these random things for no apparent reason, and a pang of sadness welled up in his heart again; he felt sorry for his younger sister. A girl, studying so far away from home, knowing her family's poor circumstances, she studied diligently, earned scholarships, and even managed to get the school's poverty relief fund, and then tutored during her holidays…
In fact, Xu Zhengyang had always doubted whether it was true that his sister was studying at Tsinghua University and that only 8,000 yuan a year was enough.
Now that he's actually in the capital, and seeing its incredible prosperity—a city that even makes Xu Zhengyang feel somewhat insecure about being here—he feels even more strongly about his sister's life here…
It wasn't easy!
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Xu Zhengyang's mind, and he shuddered, quickly shaking his head to banish the somewhat frightening and worrying idea. Instead, he started thinking about bringing his younger sister back home for the summer vacation, and giving her more money after school started so she could study happily and contentedly, just like her classmates. "Hmm, give my sister 50,000 yuan. Yes, 50,000 a year. There are still three years left, right? I have 200,000 yuan in this card."
We can talk about that later. After seeing Rouyue, there's no rush to go home. We've finally made it to the capital, so we should at least see some sights and enjoy the scenery. Given Rouyue's personality and circumstances, I doubt she's dared to visit any famous historical sites in the year or so she's been in the capital—she's broke!
Now I'm rich!
Just as he was thinking about these random things, his phone rang. Xu Zhengyang looked around in confusion before suddenly realizing that he had a cell phone too.
Who called? Yao Chushun? It seems only Yao Chushun knows my phone number.
The caller ID showed a phone number, not Yao Chushun's. On the way here, Xu Zhengyang had thoroughly studied the phone's functions and how to use it, and naturally, out of curiosity, he saved Yao Chushun's phone number and name.
"Hello, who is it?" Xu Zhengyang asked in confusion, feeling a little smug and excited. It was the first time he had ever made a phone call, and it was his own phone.
To Xu Zhengyang's surprise, a clear and melodious girl's voice, like the song of a nightingale, came from the phone: "Who are you? Did you just call? I was driving and didn't hear you."
"Huh? Oh..." Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment, then immediately understood and asked, "Excuse me, um, is this your dorm's phone number? Is Xu Rouyue there?"
"This is my home phone number..."
"What? Home phone number?" Xu Zhengyang was dumbfounded. According to his sister when she went back home for the New Year, men, especially strangers, were not allowed to enter her dormitory. It was difficult to even enter the residential area; the security guards were very strict. If he had remembered the wrong phone number, that would be a real problem.
After a brief two-second pause, the person on the other end seemed somewhat angry as they asked, "Who are you? What do you want with Rouyue?"
"I am her brother."
"Come on, don't give me that! Who gave you this phone number? Let me tell you, don't even think about hitting on my Rouyue..."
The call ended.
Xu Zhengyang was completely bewildered. What was going on? What did she mean by having designs on Xu Rouyue? Who was this girl and why was she talking so arrogantly? What did she mean by "your family"? Rouyue is my sister! But judging from her tone, she seemed to know Rouyue quite well. Hmm, she even seemed to be protecting Rouyue in her words. She was probably Rouyue's classmate and a good friend.
Thinking of this, Xu Zhengyang picked up his phone to call the other party back, but the other party called again at that moment. As soon as Xu Zhengyang answered, before he could explain, the other party asked with some doubt, "Hey, what's your name?"
"Xu Zhengyang".
"Oh, you really are Rouyue's brother?" The voice on the other end was clearly flustered and full of apology as it said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you. Oh? Do you need something from Rouyue?"
"Ah, I've come to Beijing. I want to bring Rouyue home; her family misses her." After saying this, Xu Zhengyang asked in confusion, "Um, isn't that the school dormitory phone number? How did it become yours?"
There was a pause on the other end, then he said, "I'll explain to you later. Ah, where are you now? I'll come pick you up. Rouyue probably hasn't gone home yet. The call was forwarded to my cell phone."
"Oh, I'm here, at the Huaqing Garden archway, oh no, at the school gate."
"Okay, I'll be there in ten minutes!"
After hanging up the phone, Xu Zhengyang stood there, somewhat dazed.
A breeze picked up, and the branches of the lush trees on campus rustled as they moved. The sky grew darker, and in the distance, some neon lights began to flicker on the high-rise buildings and below, in shops, hotels, or other establishments that Xu Zhengyang didn't know what they were doing. Only the streetlights were not yet on.
The phone rang again, and Xu Zhengyang answered it.
"Hello, where are you?" It was the girl I had just spoken to on the phone.
"Ah, I'm right outside the school gate."
"I see you, um, just checking to make sure I'm not mistaken for someone else, hehe..."
The call ended.
"Damn, what a waste of phone bills! Long distance and roaming charges are expensive," Xu Zhengyang muttered in dissatisfaction.
The red BMW 320i sedan that had just stopped in front of the school gate made a nimble turn and drove slowly to a stop in front of Xu Zhengyang.
In the dim light, a beautiful girl stepped out of the car. She wore dark blue denim shorts, showing off her long legs and slender waist, with delicate red feet. She wore a beige tank top embroidered with a cartoon raccoon. She adorably stuck out her tongue at Xu Zhengyang, who was still in a daze. She raised her slender arms and waved, her high heels clicking on the pavement as she walked up to him. She extended her fair, smooth hand, blinked her beautiful eyes, and said sweetly, "Brother Zhengyang, hello, I'm Rouyue's best friend, Ouyang Ying!"
"Oh, hello." Xu Zhengyang hesitated for a moment before extending his hand to shake the other's small hand. He felt its cool, smooth texture, but not wanting to linger, he quickly withdrew his hand. Men and women shouldn't touch! This girl, why is she dressed like this going out? Cough cough, too much skin, too much! Look at those white thighs… Xu Zhengyang's face was filled with doubt. He wondered what kind of relationship Ouyang Ying had with Rouyue, being Rouyue's best friend. Had they joined the Party?
Ouyang Ying noticed that Xu Zhengyang seemed a little embarrassed and shy. She smiled and thought Xu Rouyue's brother was so cute. Was he so nervous about shaking hands with a girl?
"Alright, bro, get in the car. I'll take you to my house—no, I mean our dorm, hehe..."
"Ah? Oh, okay, okay."
Xu Zhengyang followed him into the car, puzzled. Although he was a country bumpkin, he and his friends often discussed cars on the roadside or when traveling to the county or city, fantasizing about being able to afford one someday. So he could distinguish between well-known car brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Audi.
Of course, that's all. As for what series, Xu Zhengyang, this country bumpkin, knows absolutely nothing about things like blowing on a fire with a rolling pin, let alone those world-class car brands, which he has never even heard of.
Goodness gracious, how old is this girl? She's driving a BMW!
Hmm, his family must be super rich. How did he end up hanging out with my sister? They seem to have a pretty good relationship, otherwise why would he drive over to pick us up and call us "big brother"?
Where does my sister actually live? This girl named Ouyang Ying's words are vague and ambiguous, as if she's hiding something. She doesn't live in the dormitory at all! Where would a student live if she didn't live in the dormitory?
Just as Xu Zhengyang was frowning and full of questions, the melodious and clear song "Mice Trading Rice" rang out in the car.
As Ouyang Ying drove, she took out her phone and answered, calling out, "Hey, Rouyue, why aren't you home yet?"