Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter Fourteen: The Mischievous Fairy
Zhang Qiu wanted to sit next to Jiang Xue, but Liu Fangfei, a girl, sat down beside him. Zhang Qiu felt uneasy and walked over to switch places with her. Liu Fangfei smiled and declined, but Zhang Qiu insisted on changing seats. Unable to refuse him, Liu Fangfei stood up to leave, feeling a warm sensation in her heart. An uncle sitting nearby couldn't take it anymore and slammed his hand on the seat, shouting, "Are you done yet? Are you trying to mess with me?"
"Excuse me, sir, please let me through; I need to get out." The uncle had his legs pressed against the seat in front, blocking Liu Fangfei from exiting.
"Oh, where did you come from? Now that you're home, you speak Mandarin like that? What are you trying to show off?" The uncle sneered disdainfully.
"How can you talk like that?" Liu Fangfei's expression turned sour. Zhang Qiu felt even more uncomfortable; they had come out to have fun and relax but were faced with such unpleasantness. Without waiting for Uncle Thief to say anything further, Zhang Qiu coldly stated, "Let her out. Stay put until we reach the station; otherwise, I will call the police immediately."
Qiu Wan and Uncle Thief locked eyes, staring at each other for a long time. The surrounding passengers held their breath, watching the scene unfold. The Ticket Seller approached, ready to intervene at any moment since fighting on a moving bus was extremely dangerous. Jiang Xue nervously clutched her clothes and stared intently at Zhang Qiu while Zhao Pingchuan stood up and walked toward Uncle Thief.
Suddenly, Uncle Thief moved his legs apart, creating a gap. Liu Fangfei easily slipped out and said to Zhang Qiu, "You shouldn't sit here either."
"Yes, don't stay here," Jiang Xue chimed in as she walked over and took Zhang Qiu's hand.
Zhang Qiu nodded and replied, "Okay."
The Ticket Seller reminded them, "Quickly return to your seats or hold onto the luggage rack above to avoid danger if we brake suddenly."
Zhang Qiu, Zhao Pingchuan, Liu Fangfei, and Jiang Xue returned to their seats; however, there were only three available spots for four people. A middle-aged woman occupying Liu Fangfei's seat stood up awkwardly with her bag and said, "You all can sit; I'll stand for a bit; it won't be long."
Zhang Qiu smiled and said, "Auntie, you can stay seated; we'll squeeze in a bit."
In the end, Liu Fangfei sat next to Jiang Xue while Zhang Qiu held Jiang Xue in his lap. Fortunately, the air conditioning in the bus was set low; even in May, it wasn't too hot despite their close proximity. However, this created an awkward situation that made Zhang Qiu regret not sitting by the window. Zhao Pingchuan had long gotten used to such scenarios; Brother Qiu could charm foreign girls without issue—what was wrong with this?
Jiang Xue was nestled in Zhang Qiu's embrace on his lap. To his left sat Liu Fangfei and to his right sat Rui Rui; all three girls were stunning beauties. This awkward seating arrangement drew envious glances from many men on the bus directed at Zhang Qiu. But that wasn't the main issue; after exiting the highway, the bus traveled along a bumpy road.
This road was frequented by heavily loaded trucks; its surface was riddled with potholes and shrouded in dust—no matter how many times it was repaired, it seemed doomed to deteriorate again. The bus swayed left and right as it traveled over the uneven surface, causing everyone inside to jolt along with it. Jiang Xue bounced on Zhang Qiu's lap when suddenly her face flushed red; she lowered her head and discreetly pinched Zhang Qiu's thigh while thinking to herself about this naughty boy—hmph!
Zhang Qiu called out "Wronged," realizing that this was beyond his control. Any normal man would have a reaction; if there were none, that would be dangerous. Summer clothes are light and thin, leaving much of the skin exposed to the air. As the train turned, Zhang Qiu's left arm inevitably brushed against Liu Fangfei's right chest, leaving Liu Fangfei momentarily stunned, a tingling sensation spreading through her brain. Her face flushed, and she quickly turned her head to hide her embarrassment, her heart racing.
Zhang Qiu also felt awkward and dared not look at Liu Fangfei. Once Liu Fangfei calmed down, she tried to lean towards the window side, giving Zhang Qiu as much space as possible. However, Rui Rui was not so considerate. Sitting next to Zhang Qiu, she intentionally or unintentionally rubbed her ample chest against his arm. When Zhang Qiu glanced at her, she stared straight ahead as if nothing had happened. Before long, a cold hand reached for Zhang Qiu's waist, leaving him speechless and lamenting that she was truly a clingy enchantress.
Fortunately, the journey was not long. After enduring discomfort for over ten minutes, Zhang Qiu felt relieved as the bus pulled into the station. Passengers stood up and crowded towards the exit. A middle-aged woman who had taken Liu Fangfei's seat also stood up, grasping Liu Fangfei's hand in gratitude while asking Zhang Qiu, "Brother, why are you still sitting there?"
"Auntie, you go ahead. I dislike crowds and will wait a bit."
The middle-aged woman thanked him again and cheerfully got off with her month's worth of labor. Liu Fangfei and Zhao Pingchuan agreed to wait a while before getting off to avoid the crowd. Only Jiang Xue and Rui Rui understood why Zhang Qiu wanted to wait.
After getting off and retrieving their luggage from the station, Zhang Qiu looked at the blue sky of Nanlan County and smiled, "Zhao Pingchuan, from now on, we four living people will be in your hands!"
"Not a problem, Brother Qiu." Zhao Pingchuan skillfully called two electric tricycles from the roadside and helped Liu Fangfei load her luggage. Zhang Qiu, Jiang Xue, and Rui Rui took another electric tricycle. After traveling a short distance from the station, the road became smoother with newly planted weeping willows lining both sides; their slender trunks and sparse leaves remained still in the heat.
Before long, the tricycle turned onto a bumpy dirt road that shook them so much they felt like they might vomit their stomachs out. Fortunately, after a few hundred meters, the electric tricycle turned onto a gentle slope leading to an asphalt road atop a dam. From above, several villages came into view.
"This is quite fascinating," Zhang Qiu remarked as it was his first time seeing such a layout. On one side was a village; on the other was farmland; in between stood a dam tall enough to be two stories high and wide enough for vehicles to pass. After getting off and listening to Zhao Pingchuan's explanation, Zhang Qiu understood that this dam was built to prevent flooding. In the past, during rainy seasons, each village would send people to patrol the dam; when water levels rose dangerously high, everyone in the village would engage in frantic flood protection efforts.
Finally, Zhao Pingchuan sighed: "Now this dam can only serve as a road; due to severe environmental pollution, even nearby rivers have dried up—there's no flooding anymore. The dam has lost its function; villages have been built right up against it while crops have been planted on the other side."
After walking for another half an hour, both tricycles stopped at the entrance of a courtyard. Zhao Pingchuan and Liu Fangfei got off first and came over to tap on the door while smiling: "Get out; we've arrived."
The tricycle driver opened the door from outside as Zhang Qiu, Jiang Xue, and Rui Rui got out one by one. When Jiang Xue got out, Zhang Qiu offered his help. As Rui Rui jumped down from the tricycle with a grin saying, "Brother Qiu, you should help me too," Zhang Qiu could only smile helplessly and extend his hand. Rui Rui grabbed his arm with both hands as she jumped down.
For such a long journey, both tricycles charged only 0 yuan which made Zhang Qiu exclaim how cheap it was. After all, taxis don’t use meters and often overcharge passengers with various scams. There were rumors that in a few years there would be an app called Didi Chuxing for hailing rides which would make transportation cheaper; he wasn't sure if it was true.
"Alright everyone, come inside," Zhao Pingchuan said as he opened the gate of the courtyard warmly inviting everyone in.
Zhang Qiu and the others entered the yard only to find it quite different from what they expected. In an ordinary rural yard, there might be a shed, a side room, or a pigpen, while the rest of the area would be cultivated with various seasonal fruits and vegetables. However, in Zhao Grandpa Pingchuan's yard, upon entering, they were greeted by a stone sculpture surrounded by blooming flowers. Further inside was a wooden grape trellis, with clusters of crystal-clear grapes hanging down, tempting one to pick and taste them immediately.
On the west side of the yard, there was an unused pigpen where two large dogs, one black and one yellow, lay in the shade. Upon seeing people approach, the two dogs sniffed the air and lazily stood up to walk over to them. Rui Rui and Liu Fangfei instinctively grabbed Zhang Qiu's arms, and Zhang Qiu naturally shielded the three girls behind her. Jiang Xue, however, was quite bold; she stepped forward to pat one of the dogs on the head, causing both dogs to wag their tails excitedly.
"All friends of Zhao Pingchuan, welcome!"
An energetic old man with white hair walked out from the house with his hands clasped behind his back. Zhao Pingchuan closely followed him and introduced him to everyone: "This is my grandfather."
"Hello, Grandpa." Everyone greeted him in unison. This was fitting since among them were students, reporters, and even a bar receptionist, all of whom were around the same age. The oldest among them, Liu Fangfei, was only two years older than the rest.
"It's hot outside; let's go inside," the old man warmly invited everyone in, his gaze lingering on Zhang Qiu for a moment.
Zhang Qiu noticed Grandpa Pingchuan's attention and smiled back. The old man chuckled heartily with kind eyes. Zhang Qiu estimated that he was probably in his seventies but had completely white hair and still stood tall. Unlike typical farmers who wore short clothing, he was dressed in a long coarse cloth gown that gave him an air of elegance.
Upon entering the house, Zhang Qiu was even more astonished. It consisted of three very ordinary tiled rooms; one of them had no flooring at all—just a bare black earth surface showing its natural color. The furniture inside was antique-looking, and a large mirror against one wall made the room appear spacious and bright. On a nearby display shelf were porcelain items and books; Zhang Qiu immediately recognized that these were not ordinary reading materials but rather some vintage thread-bound books.
In another room, the contrast was striking. Although the cabinets were still typical rural furniture, the floor was covered with smooth tiles, and it was equipped with a computer, television, and air conditioning. On the computer desk sat a rectangular box with two wires extending from it, lit up with a row of yellow lights—clearly indicating it was wireless internet equipment.
Comment 0 Comment Count