'During the third watch, we entered her nest~'
'We climbed onto the bed~'
'Opening the sachet, a sweet smell pervaded the air~'
'The lover plucked a flower~'
'And you ask, does it f*cking smell nice~'
Today was Little New Year. After goofing off in the company for a few days, Lu Ze was finally about to head home. Compared to previous years when he returned home empty-handed. This year, he could finally return with pride.
Humming an old tune, Lu Ze took out a few pieces of clothing. Moving from his wardrobe to his trunk, he even did a little dance move while feeling exceptionally elated.
There were only a few people who did not miss home while being away. Although he had made a habit of living away from home, he could not help but feel a little homesick when he thought about how he was going to see his parents again.
Hearing that Lu Ze was going back home, Shen Jinghan helped Lu Ze purchase a plane ticket. To get an economic class plane ticket during Chinese New Year was no easy feat. Lu Ze could only sigh at how vast Shen Jinghan's connections were.
After packing, Lu Ze went down and called a taxi. He had no qualms about spending a bit of money on the new year celebrations. After checking-in his luggage and getting his boarding pass, he charged his phone in the waiting room.
He estimated the flight would reach Feng Tian, the capital city in two hours. Then, after a three hour train ride, he would reach the Luhua City train station. From the station, it would be an hour-long bus journey on the highway before getting off in town. Finally, he would need another half an hour ride in an auto-rickshaw before he could arrive home. The commute was quite convenient..
Lu Ze was rather familiar with traveling by plane, even when sitting in first class. Therefore, he would obviously not pull any shenanigans. Holding his boarding pass, he found his seat and put his bag down before sitting down and letting out a sigh.
As it was New Year, there were bound to be a few children onboard. Lu Ze understood this. What he did not understand was why none of them were f*cking listening to their parents.
The kid in front of him started crying and the kid behind him immediately joined in. Stuck in between, Lu Ze enjoyed the 3D surround sound system. The sound of the headphones installed in the plane was not too loud and even felt a bit comfortable. Thus, Lu Ze could only endure the sounds of nature and exchange a helpless shrug with the uncle sitting beside him.
Two hours later, Lu Ze got off the plane, took his luggage, and hurried to Northern Feng Tian Station. For the train, Lu Ze bought a platform ticket.
If home was heaven, and the flight was the human realm, then the train was hell! The people ahead of him were not moving an inch, and the people behind were trying to squeeze in by pushing his butt.
When he returned home during previous years, he took a bus to Shanghai as there were buses going through Luhua in Shanghai. He could endure a twenty hour trip, and even resorted to drinking less water during the journey.
However, Lu Ze had already experienced the true meaning of the New Year rush in just three hours. Among other things, he was standing at the smoking area and the old guy standing beside him had already smoked six cigarettes in the last twenty minutes, making him nauseous.
When he got off the train, he could basically be declared dead. He directly laid down at the Luhua Train Station. It was only after half an hour that he finally felt alive again.
"Brother, where to? Feng Tian? Feng Tian! Feng Tian! Only two more seats open! 35 yuan per seat! Just two more passengers to leave!"
"Haicheng! Haicheng! Just 20 yuan each! Little sister, where to? Hai Cheng? 20 yuan! You don't have to go farther or you'll be left waiting. I'm just about to set off. Just 20 yuan, are you in, or not? There you go! Get on. Brother, a little help with the luggage please."
Various yells could be heard in the station. Hearing a 56-year-old man calling him brother did not bother him one bit.
"Road 303? I'll get on if you're going? I'll be getting off at Zhao Bangtze. Can you stop for a bit?"
Since he was getting off mid-way, the driver reduced five yuan from his fare. Sitting inside, Lu Ze was somewhat lost in thoughts. This vehicle was a proper, old-styled bus which was considered to be pretty good around here.
A few years back and he would have probably been traveling in those run down public buses that were recently taken off the road. One time, there was a heavy downpour outside, and it drizzled inside the bus. The rainwater would be pouring in from the windows.
Going back even further, Li Yumei and Lu Weiguo frequently fought with each other during the era of Lu Ze's childhood. After their fight, the former would take Lu Ze and head to her mother's home.
He could remember that the bus was always overcrowded, and his mother would always sit on the small plastic stool placed in the middle of the big seats on either side as he sat on his mother's lap. They would sit for several hours in that position.
In the nineties, he witnessed a bus robbery. After the year 2000, he also witnessed inspections in overcrowded situations. In short, Lu Ze's memories were brimming with information as far as these buses were concerned
When he reached Zhao Bangtze, it was already two in the afternoon. There was no cleaning personnel in the town, and the road was completely covered in foot-thick snow.
Hearing the local accent, Lu Ze livened up and felt the exhaustion leaving his body. He completed both his junior and senior high schooling right here in Zhao Bangzte. During those days, he would get up at five o'clock every single day while Li Yumei woke up even earlier to make him food. After eating, he would then go to the bridge at the entrance of the village where an old mini bus would pick him and four other kids from the village, taking them to school.
The small restaurant that opened while he was in junior high was still in business. Feeling a bit hungry, he headed in.
"Oh! Is it Da Lu? When did you come back? Da Cai, look who's here."
"I've just returned. Aunty, you haven't changed either. Uncle Cai, give me a single course and a cup of white wine. I'm feel too f*cking cold."
Lu Ze had kept his mouth under control for a long time, basically never swearing. However, upon returning home, he could no longer keep the lid on his mouth. In the village, one would learn the profanities from the housewives as a child and refinee them to perfection while chatting with their friends.
"Little Guo, do you remember me? When you were little, you used to pull me behind the house and play little tyrant? Did you forget?"
Although he said to the lady boss that her appearance had not changed, she and her husband Da Cai both looked a lot older in reality. Their daughter, who was six years old when the shop first opened was already in college. Upon seeing Lu Ze, she was a little embarrassed so she didn't answer him and merely smiled.
Lu Ze drank some wine with Da Cai. It had been several years since Lu Ze last came to this restaurant. Once they started talking, they spoke of the various changes that happened since the good old days.
It was four o'clock when Lu Ze finally laid down the chopsticks and prepared to leave. When he paid the bill, the husband and wife tried to dissuade him but he adamantly paid for his meal. How much money could they earn in this little town? Currently, he was also supporting his family and knew how hard it could be.
Before leaving, he turned around once more. The family of three smiled at him and asked him to come back soon. However, he didn't know when they would see each other again?.
Lu Ze took an auto-rickshaw. In Luhua, these kinds of vehicles were called bullets. It sped along the road with a loud-rumbling engine when the accelerator was hit. On the highways, it was a pretty good ride since the roads were smooth and solid. Moreover, the snow on the highway had also been cleared. However, the latter parts of the ride were terrible. The bullet flew straight down the harsh, frozen dirt road.
"Hey, uncle. Can you slow down a bit… I'm in no hurry to go home. You can slow down a little."
The driver of this bullet looked like a man in his 40s. He had a cigarette in his mouth and with a sinister expression, he footed the accelerator as if he was trying to eat the road raw.
"Have you ever ridden in a Qatar race car?"
"No… I haven't…"
"Let me give you a taste then!"
How could this broken rickshaw have any shock absorbers? By the time Lu Ze got off the vehicle after paying the fare, his feet were numb, and his legs had gone soft. He opened the backdoor as he wobbled and took out his luggage before tailing the departing Qatar racer with his eyes.
"F*ck! Is he crazy?!!!"
He stood by the bridge where he waited for his ride during his schooling days. The river below had already frozen over. Moreover, the size of the river had also reduced significantly compared to his childhood. Perhaps in another ten or so years, it would completely dry out.
However, the depth seemed to have become a serious concern. During his childhood, the river's water only reached his ankle. Furthermore, the water used to have a lot of crawfishes and flies. Lu Ze used to grab the little fishes and bring them back to feed the chickens, ducks, and geese back home.
It was until the sand was dug out from the riverbed that it became deeper and turbid. If a person jumped into it, they would instantly disappear. One of Lu Ze's playmates from his childhood drowned right here.
As he returned home, memories continued pouring out, painting a faint smile on his face as he approached the village.
The village roads were terrible, riddled with bumps and dips as he traveled. Under the setting sun, it seemed to have deteriorated even more. After all, the youngsters had already left the village while the old lacked the ability to fix it.
'Da Ze."
Lu Ze suddenly heard somebody calling him. He had been walking with his head lowered to pay attention to the road under his feet. He jerked his head up instantly and saw Lu Nan happily smiling at him as she grabbed a man's arm while waving to him.
The man's hair had already turned white and his beard peppered with black and white. Under the golden rays of the setting sun, his white hair glowed as if it was a golden halo.
Lu Ze smiled. It was a smile which was more sincere and real than any smile he had shown outside. He spoke to the man, "Father, I'm home."
"..."