I don't know how long we walked, but we passed many roads and went through many alleys. When the four men noticed that I was still following them, they huddled together and discussed something. Finally, the tallest young man turned around and threw something at me, saying in broken Mandarin, "Hey, here you go! Don't follow us anymore!"
I quickly reached out and caught the wallet that was thrown at me, thanking them repeatedly. Just as I took the wallet, the four people turned a corner and suddenly disappeared as if they had entered another dimension.
I excitedly opened my wallet, thinking that Li Bai was right, there really is such a thing as grinding an iron rod into a needle!
As the saying goes, nothing is impossible for a willing heart!
Oh ho ho~~~ Uh... Why is there nothing in my wallet except an ID card?
Tears... These four young men are so heartless and cruel! They didn't leave me a single penny!
Clutching my ID card, I looked up to the sky and sighed, tears welling up in my eyes.
Why do I always run into such ridiculous problems whenever I go out alone? Now, forget about finding Qu Ling, I'm even having trouble surviving in Beijing with just my ID card.
I lost my phone, and I can't contact my classmate. I've forgotten the address she gave me; I have no idea what district or street it is. I have no money to buy a train ticket back. I have no money to go find Qu Ling. The most serious problem is my survival. Penniless, what will I eat? What will I drink? Where will I stay?
Suddenly, I realized that I, Su Yuanyuan, was facing the biggest crisis of my life! The crisis of going hungry!
*****
Backpacking, I wandered aimlessly through Beijing, not knowing the way or where to go; all my actions were without purpose.
It was getting dark, and the temperature was dropping. I was so hungry after a day that I could barely carry my luggage.
I walked to the edge of a nice-looking residential area, intending to find an elderly woman or aunt who seemed kind and compassionate to lend me some money to make a phone call. However, as soon as I mentioned borrowing money, everyone turned away, giving me sidelong glances as if I were a con artist.
Where has people's compassion gone in this world?!
I was so tired and hungry that I couldn't walk anymore, so I sat down by the flower bed in front of the community.
The stone platform was hard and cold; sitting on it made my buttocks go numb and my legs icy. I made up my mind that the next person who passed by, no matter who they were or what method I used, even if it meant pestering them relentlessly, I would borrow money from them!
Footsteps approached, growing closer... I gathered all my strength, clenched my fists, stood up, and rushed to the person, shouting, "I'm not a liar! All my money has been stolen! Please lend me a few dollars; I just need to make a long-distance call home! Please help me!"
"Huh?" the person made a strange sound. "What are you doing here?"
"Huh?" I looked up at the person.
The gray windbreaker and silver-gray baseball cap—isn't that the young man who jumped down from my bunk this morning?
The young man looked me up and down, a forced smile on his face. "What a coincidence! Didn't you say your family came with you? Why are you borrowing money to make a long-distance call now?"
"This... I..." I stammered, unable to speak to the young man. After a long pause, realizing that this was the only person who might believe me, I forced myself to say, "Um... actually, I came to Beijing alone. I lied to you this morning, I'm sorry."
"Haha!" The young man laughed heartily, waving his hand and saying, "It's nothing! It's nothing! I'll be going now, goodbye!"
"Okay, goodbye!" I waved to him, and only after watching his figure gradually disappear into the distance did I slap my thigh and jump up, shouting, "Wait a minute! Hey! Don't go!" I hurriedly ran after him.
"What's up?" the young man asked with a smile, turning his head and rolling his eyes.
"Excuse me, could you lend me some money to make a phone call?"
The young man shook his head.
"Why? You know perfectly well I'm not a liar!" I shouted angrily.
"I don't have any change on me!" the young man waved his hand innocently. "However, if you'd like, my home is in this neighborhood, you can come to my house to make a phone call."
"Really?" My eyes lit up immediately, my expression as fawning and flattering as Su Xizi's.
"Yes." The young man pointed to a tall building behind him and said, "It's up there."
And so, the person who was so wary of me on the train this morning, acting like I was a thief, is now following me around like a lapdog to my house to borrow a phone.
This is a two-bedroom apartment decorated in a very Scandinavian style. I followed the young man into the house and was so busy looking around that I forgot why I came to borrow the phone.
Wow! This shelf is so beautiful! Is it made of solid wood?
"Wow! This CD case is so unique! I've never seen one like it before!"
"Oh my! This clock! I've seen this clock on TV! It's only sold in England!"
The young man just smiled and didn't say anything. After I had finished making a big fuss like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, he finally said, "Weren't you in a hurry to borrow the phone? Now you're not in a hurry anymore?"
"Uh...hehe, I...I forgot." I chuckled awkwardly and walked to the sofa to make a phone call.
What are the last four digits of my home phone number again? 8796? 8976? 7896? I tried each one, but none of the people who answered were family members.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I dialed the wrong number! I'm sorry to bother you!" After dialing the number for the Nth time, I hung up the phone in embarrassment again.
Tears... At this crucial moment, I, who usually rely solely on my phone to remember numbers, went crazy. I carefully and repeatedly recalled every number I could remember, only to find that I couldn't remember a single one completely, including Qu Ling's.
Dean Qu! I truly like you! Not remembering your number doesn't mean I don't care about you!
Uh... now doesn't seem like the time to be thinking about this, does it?
Oh my god! It's all my dad's fault! Why did he raise such a lazy daughter like me?!
"Hey, it's not that I'm reluctant to lend you my phone, but do you really know which number to dial?" The young man, who had been standing to the side watching me make the call, finally couldn't help but ask.
"I...I can't remember my home number~~~" I looked up at the phone, tears welling in my eyes, "Could you let me try a few more times?"
The young man took off his baseball cap, gently pressed his index finger to his brow, and murmured with a smile, "Looks like I've met a real gem!"
"Don't worry! I won't pay you back for nothing. I'll definitely pay you back later!" I quickly reassured him on the phone, afraid he wouldn't listen.
"In the future? How do you plan to pay me back in the future?" The young man glanced at me sideways, his clear black and white pupils containing a hint of mockery.
"I'll pay you back double! No matter what I borrowed from you, I'll repay you double!" I promised him with the most sincere expression.