The bus smelled like chicken manure.
Cannot open the window, it is pouring rain outside the window.
Min Hui was a little out of breath, so she had to press her face against the car window, trying to suck in some fresh air through the crack of the window.
At this moment, the car stopped, the door opened, and the driver in front shouted: "Luo Tang is here, stop for ten minutes, there is a toilet next to the station snack shop, if you arrive at the station, if you want to use the toilet, get off the bus!"
There was a commotion inside.
The bus has been driving on the muddy mountain road for more than four hours. It has overtaken the tail once, blown out tires twice, and almost hit a mudslide. It is a miracle that it did not fall apart.
The passengers were very tired, more than half of them got up, some got off at the station, and some wanted to go out to "stretch their legs", and all of them crowded into the aisle.
The so-called "toilet" was so dirty that there was nowhere to go, so Min Hui decided not to join in the fun. Fresh air poured in from the open car door, followed by moisture from the rain and the cold air from the mountains. Min Hui sneezed abruptly, and was about to close her eyes to rest when the girl seated with her suddenly stood up , gently pushed her: "Hi, I want to go to the bathroom, can you help me look at my bag?"
While talking, she pointed to a plaid canvas luggage bag under her feet.
Min Hui nodded.
"And this."
The girl took off a small nylon bag and stuffed it into her hand, "All the important things are in it."
"..."
"Thank you." The girl smiled brightly, and before she nodded, she put on a pair
of A yellow jacket got out of the car with the crowd.
Min Hui stared at the yellow back in dumbfounded: She had never met this person, even though she was seated together, she had never spoken seriously on the road, so she just handed things to herself so casually, she was drunk with such a big heart.
The small bag was bulging, and she doesn't know what it contained. The zipper was barely pulled, and it looked like it was going to be broken at any time. The girl is in her twenties, she looks like a working girl in her attire, and maybe all her savings are contained in it. Min Hui didn't dare to neglect, and hugged her tightly in her arms.
It was dark outside the window, and the rain was splashing against the roof of the car. In such a heavy rain, it is useless to open an umbrella. The passengers who got off the bus dragged their luggage and ran away like mice.
Every time Min Hui returned to Anping, she would pass by Luo Tang. For more than ten years, the appearance of the canteen has not changed at all. It is obviously just a small tile-roofed house, but it should be called "Oriental Supermarket". There were still two yellow dogs crouching under the eaves, and the cauldron selling marinated eggs was blackened by smoke. The proprietress is always the one watching TV on the rattan chair, and the boss is always the one who greets the guests attentively. Don't look at the wilderness, the business is not bad at all. There are colorful instant noodles on the shelves, and they are all snatched up by the customers rushing in.
A short man walked by the car window, with a huge green dragon tattooed on his arm, his teeth and claws bared, his expression terrifying. Min Hui's gaze stayed on the green dragon for a second longer, and the man noticed it immediately, raised his head and gave her a hard look, and raised his middle finger to her.
Oh—people are so helpless sometimes, she can't stop herself from walking into other people's lives, even if it's just a casual look; she can't stop others from seeing her in a habitual way, even if the truth is not the case.
Min Hui couldn't help but think, after today, how many people in this world will still think of her? How many stories will mention her? How much regret is because of missing her?
The girl came back soon and handed her a bottle of iced tea.
"No need," Min Hui didn't answer, "I'm not thirsty."
Reluctantly, the girl handed over another bag of brown things: "Betel nut, do you want to eat?" "
"No, thank you."
"Take it." The girl put the drink Forced it into her hand, "It's so hot, it's always useful. It just came out of the freezer, you can use it to cover your eyes."
The second half of the sentence was lowered, and the head tilted at the same time.
Min Hui quickly glanced at herself in the reflective glass, her eyes were indeed red and swollen.
"No need." She politely and firmly stuffed the drink back, took out a pair of sunglasses from her bag and put them on.
The girl was stunned for a moment, but she didn't say a word, and she didn't say a word for the next half an hour.
So much the better.
The seat next to her was empty when she got on the bus. Min Hui couldn't remember when the girl came up, maybe an hour behind her, and she didn't know which station she came up from. During this period, she kept leaning her head against the car window looking at the distant mountains and rivers in a daze, and when she turned her head, there was one more person beside her.
The long mountain road is drowsy, and the time in the car is a bit boring. The girl next to her was full of energy, and talked to her no less than five times, but Min Hui didn't want to talk, so she either dismissed her with the shortest sentence, or gave her a cold face, and finally simply put on headphones and pretended to listen to music, completely blocking her.
If there is nothing to do, it is mostly pyramid schemes. This person was probably trying to sell something, perhaps betel nuts.
***
Not long after, a lively conversation sounded in her ears. The girl finally shifted her interest to the aunt sitting next to her, and the two chatted in their native dialect, their voices getting higher and faster, and they laughed a lot when it came to speculation, and finally they just ate melon seeds together ...
The bus was always noisy. There were more than a dozen junior high school students in sportswear in the back row. They probably went to the provincial capital to participate in an event, and the noise never stopped. In contrast, the girl's laughter is not too loud, it can even be said to be sweet, but when she meets the upset Min Hui, her laughter turns into a squeaky electric drill, feeling like she is doing a craniotomy Surgery, even the blood vessels on the forehead twitched for no reason.
According to scientific research, babies can laugh more than 400 times a day, and when they reach adulthood, people who can laugh 20 times a day will live a very happy life. Min Hui hasn't smiled for a long time, maybe a few months. More than just not smiling, She is seriously allergic to laughter. People who want to cry are not in the mood to pretend to be smiling, and they are tired when they raise the corners of their mouths.
Min Hui rubbed her temples vigorously with her fingers, and cursed in her heart: "Woman in a yellow jacket, can you shut up? Are you bothered?"
The rain outside the car was getting heavier and the visibility was less than ten meters. The bus turned out of the station and continued on the winding mountain road. All that came to us were the shadows of trees and clouds of mist. However, the driver drove with full confidence. Not only did he not slow down, but he would suddenly honk his horn or change lanes abruptly when he encountered a vehicle that was on the opposite side. The ground was uneven, and the people in the car swayed wildly. After a violent jolt, someone in the front row finally couldn't bear it and started to vomit. reprimand loudly. Those who have vomited feel wronged when they recover, and feel angry for a while. The two had a big quarrel, and if it wasn't for someone's tugging, they would have almost moved their hands.
Min Hui was only one row away from the person who vomited, and a stench of stomach acid, alcohol, and overnight food came to her nostrils, making her feel nauseous too. So regardless of the rain, she opened the car window a little, and the rain that came in drenched her face, bringing a rare refreshment.
***
After another two hours, the destination Mushuihe City finally arrived. Min Hui got out of the car with her luggage and came to the "Penglai Hotel" near the station. Every time she returned to Bencheng from her hometown, she would stay overnight in this hotel in order to take the morning train the next day. Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the lobby, she ran into the girl in the yellow jacket.
The girl took the initiative to say hello, still with a smile on her face: "Hey, you live here too?"
Min Hui nodded, a little ashamed of her indifference on the bus, although she couldn't smile, she still made a friendly expression.
"I just asked, the room is full."
The girl looked at her watch, and then at the heavy rain outside the door, "The front desk said there is another one nearby, and it takes about 30 minutes to walk. Are you going?"
"I have a reservation Yes, there should be one for me."
"Oh——"
"There is a coffee shop on the second floor, you can wait there for a while until the rain stops."
"Coffee...is it expensive? It's not good to sit for nothing ah."
Min Hui moved her fingers in her pocket, feeling the urge to give her twenty yuan so that she would disappear immediately. Then she restrained herself, sometimes there is no difference between unknown good intentions and unknown malice, it is better not to provoke her.
After thinking about it, she nodded regretfully, and was about to walk to the front desk, when the girl suddenly said timidly, "Well...can I discuss it with you?"
Min Hui looked at her warily.
"Can I stay with you for a night? I booked the train for tomorrow morning. I don't need to sleep on a bed, I can sleep on the sofa or on the floor. We will share the room fee equally?"
Min Hui didn't say a word . She doesn't want to live with strangers, especially at times like this.
Seeing her hesitation, the girl pursed her lips and lowered her head slightly: "It's okay, I'll just ask casually, it doesn't matter if it's inconvenient."
After speaking, she took out a folding umbrella from the luggage bag and waved her hand, "Goodbye , I wish you peace!"
When she was about to turn around, Min Hui suddenly said: "Okay."
The girl was taken aback, thinking she heard it wrong: "Huh?"
"No need to use the floor, I booked a double room."
"Really ?" The girl happily held her hand, shaking it non-stop, "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! By the way, my name is Li Chun Miao, what is your name?"
Min Hui hesitated: "My surname is Min."
"Tomorrow's Ming? Then I'll call you Xiao Ming?" Li Chunmiao misheard, and Min Hui didn't bother to correct her. She nodded indiscriminately and went to the front desk to complete the check-in procedures.
***
Penglai Hotel is an ordinary fast hotel, not even a two-star hotel. The reason why Min Hui is familiar with this place is that it is not far from the east gate of the long-distance bus station, within walking distance, convenient for transit, and there is a shuttle bus to the train station. The second is because the room is clean, the price is good, the facilities are complete, and the Internet is free. After receiving the room card, Li Chun Miao gave her half of the room fee.
Min Hui said forget it. Anyway, she only stayed for one night, and Chun Miao had to pay. Min Hui didn't like pushing and shoving, so she accepted it.
The room is on the first floor, near the lobby.
The two swiped their cards to enter the door, and immediately smelled an obvious musty smell.
It should be the smell of carpet. Min Hui clearly remembered that when she came last time, the floor was made of raw wood, and the furniture was also made of raw wood with thick varnish. The whole room was very bright. Now the furnishings have changed, dark green furniture, dark gray carpet, crimson... -->>