Xiao Luo had already packed his bags in anticipation of his journey back home with Zhang Dashan and was about to leave his rented apartment at the Gong Village. They had planned to head back to their respective villages after the annual meeting at Luo’s Workshop.
They both hailed from the West District, in the same city, but from different counties. The counties were more than a hundred kilometers apart. The two had visited each other’s home quite frequently back during university, and their family members were quite acquainted with the other.
“How much f*cking longer will this d*mn traffic jam last?”
Their car was caught in the highway crawl, and Zhang Dashan was getting very annoyed. “And they call this a highway, huh! Even walking would be faster,” he complained.
Xiao Luo was much calmer as he reclined his seat, leaned back comfortably, and said, “It’s the peak of the Spring Festival travel season, everyone’s returning home, isn’t it expected?”
“Old Xiao, I was just pushing my luck, but had I known that there’d be so many cars on the highway like this constipated shit, I would definitely have taken the plane. Anyway, I wanted to drive this car back to show off, let my neighbors know that I’m doing well, and feed my ego a bit, hehe. But now I really regret it,” Zhang Dashan replied. It was typical of him, and being an impatient man by nature, he couldn’t tolerate such a long, endless wait in traffic.
Xiao Luo didn’t bother with a response, so he closed his eyes to get some rest.
After waiting for four to five hours, the cars finally started moving again.
Zhang Dashan cursed all the way, and when he got to the next toll station, he opted to get off the highway to take the country roads.
And it proved to be a wise decision. The next stretch of highway was choked entirely for more than ten kilometers. As Zhang Dashan drove along at a leisurely pace, he couldn’t help casting a sympathetic glance at the poor souls stuck on the elevated bridge.
“Old Xiao, look at those fellas, they are stuck like poor dumbasses, hahaha…”
Zhang Dashan seemed sympathetic at first, but eventually, he couldn’t help gloating. As he continued laughing, it helped keep him in a cheerful mood.
But when he turned to look at Xiao Luo, he realized that his friend was fast asleep. It aggravated him so much that he brought his hand down hard on Xiao Luo’s thigh. “F*ck, sleep your head! It’s your turn to drive now. I’ve already driven for more than six hours, it’s a long way past the threshold for driving fatigue,” he cried.
Only Zhang Dashan would ever treat Xiao Luo this way.
Xiao Luo opened his eyes and stretched lazily, then asked Zhang Dashan to pull over to the side so that they could switch seats.
Xiao Luo intended to arrive sooner than later to their destination and hit the gas, making the Range Rover surge forward with a roar and maintained that speed. The country roads were in no way comparable to the highway, and many sections of the roads were full of potholes. On several occasions, he drove over large potholes without even braking, causing Zhang Dashan some frantic moments. In the end, he could take no more and asked Xiao Luo to stop. It was too heart wrenching for him to watch his vehicle subjected to such a grueling test. Although it was sturdily built, it wasn’t supposed to be driven this way.
“F*ck, stop now, stop now! You really don’t care about the car just because it’s not yours! Believe it or not, I will beat you up cruelly,” Zhang Dashan hollered, unable to contain his exasperation.
Xiao Luo just shrugged, he didn’t disagree.
Zhang Dashan refused to let Xiao Luo drive for the rest of the journey. The next afternoon, feeling just like they had gone through a journey depicted in the classic tale, Journey to the West [1], they finally arrived back at Zhoukou City of the West District.
Xiao Luo did not want to trouble Zang Dashan any further and decided to find another a ride back to his home village.
They duly parted ways and promised to meet up after the new year celebration.
…
Xiao Luo dismissed the idea of taking a bus back as the station was already crowded, and the ride on the bus was not something anyone looked forward to. Xiao Luo then opened the application in his phone to check if he could hitch a shared ride back to his county. He was in luck, there was indeed one, so he quickly booked it.
After about twenty minutes, a white Chevrolet stopped in front of him. He looked at the license plate and confirmed that it was the ride he had booked via his phone.
As the window rolled down, both the driver and Xiao Luo were pleasantly surprised.
“Winter melon!”
“Xiao Luo!”
They both shouted out each other’s names at the same time. The driver was a young man about the same age as Xiao Luo. He wore a checkered shirt and kept short, neat hair. He had thick brows, a rather long face, and a rather unique characteristic — a short neck; he truly appeared like he did not have one. Because of this, everyone gave him the nickname “Winter Melon.”
The young man’s name was Xiao Qiudong, and they were both from Luo Village. Growing up together, they could be considered childhood friends.
They were both very close, from the time they attended primary school all the way to lower secondary school. They were accepted into different upper secondary schools but still kept in close touch. But after Xiao Luo attended university, they contacted each other less frequently. Xiao Qiudong had entered the workforce by then, and every time they reached each other, he would end the call after a brief conversation saying that he was busy at work or was pressed for time.
After Xiao Luo graduated from university and joined the workforce, they effectively lost contact with each other. He tried to call Xiao Qiudong several times before that, but the latter had changed his phone number and didn’t provide Xiao Luo with the new one. Then the previous year, when Xiao Luo had returned to celebrate the new year, they met again at a gathering. For no apparent reason, he made fun of Xiao Luo in the presence of everyone, and Xiao Luo could still remember those words vividly.
“So you’ve gone to university, what’s the big deal? At the end of the day, you still have to work for others once you graduate, and maybe receive a fixed salary of four to five thousand dollars per month. That can’t even afford you a house or a car. It’s better to join the workforce earlier on, job experience is more important than any degree.”
Xiao Qiudong had already bought himself a car back then, and having just graduated, Xiao Luo couldn’t compare to him. He seemed fixated on questioning the real value of an education in terms of material gains, but it was apparent that he was indirectly belittling Xiao Luo to raise his own esteem.
Xiao Luo had always thought that Xiao Qiudong was someone he could form a deep connection with, but after the incident last year, he realized that their friendship would never be the same again.
For a brief moment, Xiao Qiudong was startled when he saw Xiao Luo again, but he promptly hid it with a warm smile. “So, you are the one hitching the ride! Well, it’s such a coincidence. Have you just returned from some other city?” he said.
“Yeah.”
Xiao Luo said, forcing a smile and responding with a nod. The relationship between them had cooled, but he still wanted to keep it friendly enough.
He glanced at the passenger’s seat, which was occupied by a woman. She was rather comely, and in her arms, she held a child three to four months old.
Xiao Qiudong made the introductions in a forthright manner. “This is my wife, Li Honglian. Darling, this is my childhood friend, Xiao Luo. We grew up together, and we are very close,” he said.
“Hello!”
Li Honglian greeted Xiao Luo politely.
“Hello.”
Xiao Luo nodded and glanced at her quizzically because Li Honglian’s accent was unique, and she sounded somewhat coquettish.
Seeing his expression, Xiao Qiudong laughed and said, “My wife is from Taiwan, such is their accent, you’ll get used to it after a while, Haha.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Don’t just stand there, get in,” Xiao Qiudong said, “eh, you brought a lot of stuff for your family, how filial. Okay, just put them all in the trunk.” He bent forward, reaching for the latch to unlock the trunk.
Xiao Luo opened the trunk and starting stowing the gifts one by one.
“Can it fit?” Xiao Qiudong asked.
“It should be alright, I just need to rearrangement some of the items here.”
Xiao Luo rearranged the items that had already been in the trunk, placing them to one side, and finally managed to fit everything in.
Then he pulled open the door to the backseat and got in the car.
Other than checking if Xiao Luo was done stowing his things, Xiao Qiudong remained in his car the whole time, whistling and playing with his child.
******
[1] Journey to the West: a Chinese novel published in the 16th century based on the legendary pilgrimage of the Tang dynasty Buddhist monk Xuanzang who traveled to the “Western Regions” to obtain Buddhist sūtras and returned after many trials and much suffering.
*****"
The moment he saw the Chevrolet Cruze, Xiao Luo instantly knew it sold for a price tag of about 130,000. He was able to call up any relevant information on any make of cars because he had spent 100 points to redeem the car information package. He could obtain any information that he required about the price, specifications, dynamic performance, and the security technology of any car sold on the market.
The condition of Xiao Qiudong’s car was excellent, with the heavy scent of car fresheners permeating the cabin air. He also detected a whiff of milk in the car and then realized that the baby was still being fed on breast-milk.
As they drove through the city, Xiao Qiudong began to make conversation to while away the hours. “Xiao Luo, are you still working as a product engineer for Huahai Corporation in Jiangcheng?” he asked.
Xiao Luo shook his head and replied, “I’m no longer working there, I’ve resigned.”
“Then, I assume you have been job-hopping?”
Xiao Qiudong was smiling as he looked at Xiao Luo through the rearview mirror, and continued asking, “I hear that you can get double the salary if you move on to other companies after working for two to three years with Huahai Corporation. So, I guess your monthly salary is probably more than 10,000 dollars now?”
Xiao Luo didn’t feel it was necessary to respond to the question, so he just smiled and changed the subject. Glancing at the child in his wife’s arms, he asked, “Is the child your a boy or a girl?”
Xiao Qiudong had a big smile on his face and was beaming with pride. “The one with a willy, of course, hahaha. His name is Xiao Zile, and he was born and registered in Taiwan. When he’s older, he will go to school there and be with his grandparents,” he said.
“Congrats, your wife has given you a boy! Have you hosted the feast yet, I mean, it’s the custom for a boy, right?” Xiao Luo asked.
“Yes, we’ll host it as soon as we get back. Since you happen to be around, make sure you don’t forget to give my son a red packet,” Xiao Qiudong replied. It was a common thing to say as red represented luck and prosperity, and would certainly help with the cost of hosting the feast.
“Rest assured, for such an auspicious occasion, I’ll definitely give Zile a red packet!”
“Hahaha, then the sum must also be auspicious. Otherwise, I’m not going to let you off, that easily,” Xiao Qiudong said, seemingly in jest but in a tone that said he meant it.
Xiao Luo cocked his brow and chose to remain silent.
“Oh, right.”
Xiao Qiudong fiddled around, then suddenly took out his iPhone from his pocket. He handed it to Xiao Luo and said, “I can’t use my phone while driving, so can you save your number into my contacts? Look at you, why didn’t you tell me when you changed your contact number, don’t you see me as a brother anymore.”
Xiao Luo was a bit surprised because, as far as he could remember, Xiao Qiudong changed his contact number without telling. So it felt a little sneaky for him to have put it that way.
But he didn’t bring it up, and instead, he just unlocked Xiao Qiudong’s iPhone and added his name and number to its contacts. He then used the iPhone to call himself and saved Xiao Qiudong’s contact number on his own phone.
“Done.”
He handed the device back to Xiao Qiudong.
Xiao Qiudong took back his phone and said, “Xiao Luo, what brand is your phone?”
“It’s not really a big brand, just locally manufactured,” Xiao Luo said.
“The locally manufactured phones are all trash, they start lagging after you use them for some time, and the batteries have a short lifespan. From what I know, after using it for about half a year, you have to recharge it at least twice a day.”
Xiao Qiudong was very brand conscious and had a prejudice against locally manufactured products in general. “Try to switch to an iPhone when you have the money, the user interface is superb, and so is the processing speed. Although it’s slightly pricey, it’s worth the investment,” he advised.
Xiao Luo laughed and said, “Never mind, I’ll just support our local goods.”
Xiao Qiudong was good with words and continued to convince Xiao Luo. “It’s good to be patriotic, but you should still go for high-quality products when it comes to personal items like a handphone. After all, it is also a status symbol and will give you a better image. Locally manufactured phones represent plebs, and now that your monthly salary exceeds ten thousand, you really should carry a more decent phone,” he said.
Xiao Luo only smiled in response, saying nothing.
…
It took them about two hours by car to get from Zhoukou City to the district town. And it would take a little longer to get from the district town to Luo Village, as it was a smaller road and was rather tricky to negotiate. In fact, before arriving into Luo Village, the way would be nothing more than an unpaved dirt trail. Fortunately for them, it was drizzling, so the car didn’t stir up too much dust as it drove by.
Xiao Qiudong’s wife, Li Honglian, didn’t say anything throughout the journey. To be exact, she didn’t say anything to Xiao Luo, though she was happily chatting with Xiao Qiudong the whole way.
Sitting at the back of the car, Xiao Luo noticed her disparaging gaze earlier, especially when he responded to Xiao Qiudong’s questions. When asked if he owned a car or a house, or if he even had a girlfriend, he candidly declared he didn’t, to any of them.
But, it didn’t matter to Xiao Luo. Li Honglian was nothing more than a stranger to him, and it seemed that Xiao Qiudong was also fast becoming one. He recalled the happy times when they were young and played together often, but now he just couldn’t reconnect with those feelings again. The fault may have been his own, or it may very well have been Xiao Qiudong’s, but regardless, the truth was that their relationship had grown distant. They were now merely giving the appearance that they shared a close relationship.
At around 9pm at night, they finally arrived at their hometown — Luo Village.
Xiao Qiudong’s son suddenly started crying and wouldn’t stop. Li Honglian tried to pacify him without much success, and both parents appeared to be getting stressed up.
“Xiao Luo, are you going back home directly or to your dad’s farm first?” Xiao Qiudong asked.
Xiao Luo thought for a moment and said, “To my dad’s farm first, please.”
His parents had worked in another city, and after they returned from their previous jobs seven years ago, they contracted a piece of abandoned land and set up a farm. They were in the business of breeding livestock and poultry, with crops planted as supplementary sources of income. His parents had been managing the farm for seven years, and it was located in a rural area, some 10 minutes by motorcycle from the nearest homestead.
“Xiao Luo, the farm is out of the way, though.”
A troubled expression showed on Xiao Qiudong’s face. “You see, my son is crying so hard, he must be feeling sick, so I need to rush back and get someone to look at him. It’s alright if you wanted to go back to your grandparents’ home, but you want to go to the farm first instead,” he said, then added, “furthermore, the condition of the road to your dad’s farm is awful, and my car is not an SUV, the chassis can’t handle the bumpy road, and the body will be badly scratched.”
“It’s okay then. I’ll get off here and call my dad to pick me up,” Xiao Luo said. He was already aware of what Xiao Qiudong meant, so he cut to the chase.
Xiao Qiudong explained and was quick to apologize. “Xiao Luo, it’s not that I don’t want to drive you over, it’s just that my son…”
“Don’t worry, I totally understand. I hope your son will be alright.”
Xiao Luo offered some words of comfort, then opened the car door and alighted the car. It was still drizzling.
“Okay then, thanks. Oh, and don’t forget your stuff in the trunk,” Xiao Qiudong said, as he reached for the lever to open the trunk again.
Xiao Luo didn’t reply. He walked to the back of the car and retrieved his things from the trunk, and he then left a packet behind.
He closed the trunk and walked up to the driver’s seat and knocked on the window. The car window opened slightly, and Xiao Luo said, “Winter Melon, I left you a packet, consider it a token of appreciation for sending me back.”
Xiao Qiudong had rolled his window down by a tiny crack, worried that the drizzling rain might ruin his car’s interior. A surprised look flashed across his face, then he smiled and said, “Thanks brother, I’ll see you around.”
He then quickly rolled up the window and drove off, the red tail lights gradually disappearing from Xiao Luo’s sight.
After the car had left, the entire area was nothing but darkness. But Xiao Luo could adapt to low light conditions well, his senses enhanced by Yi Jinjing and the Constitution of the King of mercenaries. As his eyes got accustomed to the dark, he could see the landscape around him. He saw as clearly as one would when wearing sunglasses during the day.
It continued to drizzle, and the ground had turned muddy. A thick fog was forming and rolled across the valley.
It was great to be back home. The familiar sight of hills, the country smell, and most importantly, the sprawling farmland…
Xiao Luo breathed in the fresh air deeply.
He was in the middle of nowhere, and the place was dark and wet. His thoughts suddenly wandered back to Xiao Qiudong. He didn’t fault the man for dropping him off there, as he was under no obligation to help. Xiao Qiudong had driven him back all the way from the city to Luo Village without even charging him a thing. Besides, in Xiao Luo’s eyes, while Xiao Qiudong had once been a friend back in their schooling days, they were basically strangers now, so what more could he ask of a stranger?