1983 Small Island, Starting From a Large Farmer

 It was crowded.

The entire bus station was full of passengers carrying large and small bags, some carrying chickens and ducks, and many carrying quilts, and some people wanted to carry their entire family on their backs.

Li Duoyu’s outfit is really easy to wear among the crowd. Some passengers carrying large and small bags will take the initiative to keep their distance from them.

The only people I had contact with were two people from the north. After touching them with the quilts they were carrying, they nodded and bowed and said, "Boss, I'm really sorry."

 But even so, Li Duoyu was very alert. The skills of thieves these days are definitely a skill that has been refined over time.

 You don’t even know when it was stolen from you.

What Li Duoyu is most afraid of are the little beggars who come to beg for money with broken enamel cups.

 They all look thin.

Seeing people dressed like this, they came over and said, "Give me some money."

 “Please, give me some money.”

Zhou Xiaoying saw that these children were about the same age as her students and was about to pay, but was stopped by Li Duoyu.

Li Duoyu gave the steamed buns he just bought to the little beggar: "If you are hungry, these steamed buns will be given to you first."

Without thinking, the little beggar shook his head and said: "We don't want steamed buns, we want money."

Li Duoyu smiled. After hearing these words, he had already guessed the nature of these little beggars.

There is a high probability that he is in the same group as the "Three Hands" at the bus station. He probably used begging to find out where the other party hides his money, and then the old thief will come and steal it.

Seeing that they didn't want the steamed buns, Li Duoyu took them back: "If you don't want them, I'll take them back. These steamed buns are quite expensive."

The little beggar actually said in disgust:

“I’m so well-dressed and my watch is so expensive, but I didn’t expect to be so stingy that I wouldn’t even give me money.”

Li Duoyu smiled awkwardly and quickly pulled Zhou Xiaoying into the bus station. Don't look at these children who are harmless to humans and animals.

Li Duoyu once saw these kids become ruthless, grab their wallets and run away before you could catch up with them.

 After entering the station, Zhou Xiaoying frowned: "Duoyu, do all those children have problems?"

Li Duoyu nodded: "I can't be sure, but for a child begging in a place like this, even if there is no problem, it will become a problem."

Zhou Xiaoying looked back at the children and couldn't help but sigh.

Zhou Xiaoying originally thought that the environment on long-distance buses would be very bad. It would be like the one in Rongcheng, with all kinds of people jockeying for seats and space. Everyone, men, women, old and young, would be crowded together, and everyone would be sweating profusely, as if they were being steamed alive in a steamer.

I didn’t expect this bus station to have a nice environment. There were many guards patrolling with armbands, and there were two signs near the door.

The blackboard above reads:

 【In the station, spitting and smoking are prohibited, and violators will be fined 50 cents】

　　【Those with chickens and ducks, but without cages, will be fined 50 cents for defecating】

 Li Duoyu spent eighteen yuan to buy two tickets to Jinling, and then got directly on the long-distance bus.

 The seats are also not arranged according to the seats. Generally, the first to get on has the best seat, and the engines of cars in this era are all front-mounted.

 In summer.

It was extremely hot at the front of the car. Li Duoyu and Zhou Xiaoying arrived relatively early and found a row slightly further back to sit together.

 After sitting down.

Zhou Xiaoying said to Li Duoyu: "Go to bed quickly and I'll bring the things."

Li Duoyu, who had not slept for more than a day, couldn't bear it anymore. He leaned against the car window and fell asleep within a few minutes.

 At the start of the race, Li Duoyu’s head hit the guardrail next to the seat and he didn’t even wake up.

Seeing that his head was swaying and shaking from time to time, Zhou Xiaoying turned his body over so that his head rested on her shoulder.

Li Duoyu's few upturned hairs would get into her nostrils and mouth from time to time, so she would blow on them with her mouth.

Zhou Xiaoying looked at Li Duoyu quietly. He had been very busy since he started farming. Except for sleeping at night, the two of them spent most of their time doing their own business.

 Coupled with being pregnant and raising a child, life seemed to pass very quickly, and Li Duoyu suddenly became so good, which made her feel unreal.

 The bus drove continuously switching between cement roads and dirt roads. The first hour or two was relatively harmonious.

 But after the third hour, the atmosphere on the whole bus began to become anxious. First, someone opened the window and spit the fragrance directly outside.

 And this thing seemed to be contagious, and some people couldn't hold it back. The whole carriage was filled with a horrible smell.

Zhou Xiaoying frowned. Her stomach turned a little when she smelled the smell. She quickly took out a bottle of Narcissus brand Fengyou Essence and applied it to her nostrils, which made her whole body feel better.

The accompanying conductor couldn't help but said: "I've told you not to eat on the bus. I'm really looking for trouble. If you don't vomit in the bag, why don't you vomit on the bus?"

Facing those dirty things, the conductor directly brought a pile of soil to cover them first.

 “If you don’t know how to ride a car, take less cars. It will really cause trouble for people.”

"The car stinks so much. The car will be washed in front of us. If you want to use the restroom, please go there quickly. We will leave immediately after the car is washed."

 Fortunately, the second half was smoother, but people kept getting on and off the bus along the way. When Li Duoyu fell asleep, she never dared to close her eyes.

Li Duoyu's shoulders were always used as headrests. Li Duoyu might be too tired, so Zhou Xiaoying didn't call him. When he woke up, it was dark outside and the bus had arrived at its destination.

 After Li Duoyu woke up, he found that it was already dark, and he immediately knew how long he had slept.

“Xiaoying, why didn’t you ask me to get off?”

Zhou Xiaoying said: "You sleep like a pig and you can't wake up no matter how you bark." "Impossible."

Li Duoyu looked at Zhou Xiaoying and grinned: "You must be feeling sorry for me, that's why you didn't call me."

"You think too much."

As the bus drove into the city with its street lights on, the flashlight lit up inside the bus, and the flight attendant shouted: "The terminal is here, get ready to get off."

Li Duoyu and the others left the bus station. A large number of people gathered outside. The driver of the rickshaw shouted:

“Comrade, wherever you want to go, I will take you there.”

There was also a pimp who came up with a piece of cardboard that said "Accommodation is only 50 cents".

“Do you want accommodation? There is hot water and you can take a shower.”

Li Duoyu ignored these people and went with such people. In all likelihood, it would be a trap. Maybe it would be a big shop that sleeps seven or eight people in a room. Not only would he have to pay for hot water, but he would also have to pay for a bath. If you really calculate it, it is more cost-effective to clearly mark the price.

 Li Duoyu and Zhou Xiaoying first found a shop nearby and had a simple meal, and then found a relatively regular hotel nearby to stay.

Zhou Xiaoying’s hometown is in the urban-rural fringe area of ​​Jinling. Li Duoyu plans to rest for the night and wait until tomorrow to visit relatives.

the next day.

Li Duoyu and the others followed the information that Zhou Xiaoying’s parents filled in when they went to the countryside and came to a place called Zhouzhuang.

But when searching according to the address, Li Duoyu only found a collapsed house.

Only some earthen walls and some broken tiles are left, and even the wood of the original house has been removed.

 It is full of reeds.

 Looking at the situation, it has been in ruins for a long time.

 After seeing the collapsed house in front of her, Zhou Xiaoying was stunned, and for a moment she didn't want to believe it.

　　When she came this time, she also carried some souvenirs on her back, just to give them to these relatives she had never met.

 I didn’t expect this.

Seeing passers-by, Li Duoyu hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Comrade, may I ask if Zhou Yuanqing, No. 51 of Team 9, has moved?"

　Passers-by frowned:

 “Sorry, I don’t know this person.”

Li Duoyu pointed to the collapsed house behind him and said, "Can I ask again, where is the owner of this house?"

The passer-by thought for a while and replied: "It seems that when I was sensible, this house was no longer occupied, and then a strong wind blew, and it all collapsed."

 “Then do you know where they went?”

 “I really don’t know this.”

 “Okay, thank you.”

After hearing this, Zhou Xiaoying's face instantly turned pale, and she had a bad feeling.

If there were still people on his father's side, they would definitely have contacted him after all these years, and it would not be the case that she had not even received a letter from her hometown.

 Next.

Li Duoyu stood at the intersection and passed out cigarettes to everyone he met. After asking many people, he got some clues.

The two of them came to the end of the village and found an old man who was listening to the radio and waving a cattail leaf fan.

Li Duoyu quickly stepped forward to hand over the cigarette.

The uncle rolled his eyes at him: "I don't smoke, don't give me a cigarette."

Li Duoyu smiled awkwardly: "Uncle, do you know Zhou Yuanqing?"

The uncle was a little surprised: "Who are you? Zhou Yuanqing, he has been gone for many years."

 Zhou Xiaoying was surprised: "When did you leave?"

 “I’ve been walking for many years.”

The uncle glanced at Zhou Xiaoying and said in surprise: "You girl, you look a bit like that Zhou Shiqing."

Hearing that someone still knew her father's name, Zhou Xiaoying quickly said: "Uncle, Zhou Shiqing is my father."

The uncle was surprised and said:

“No wonder it’s a bit like, where is your dad, why hasn’t he come back for so many years?”

Zhou Xiaoying was silent for a while, and then said: "More than ten years ago, I encountered a shipwreck when I went fishing."

The uncle was stunned for a few seconds and said, "You should be here to see your relatives."

 Zhou Xiaoying nodded:

“Sir, do you know where they moved?”

The uncle sighed and said, "There's no need to look for him. Your grandfather is gone and all the remaining relatives have also fled."

The two of them listened to the old man named Zhou talking about some past events.

 And Zhou Xiaoying’s father went to the countryside.

Her grandfather left within a few years, and all the remaining relatives seemed to have gone to Hong Kong Island.

 (End of this chapter)