Zhang Zuodong made an appointment and took his apprentice back to the construction site. It was not yet known what would happen after half a month when they went to the provincial capital, but the current task at hand could not be delayed.
Mei Yiliang and Feng Yiping hurriedly ate dinner and hurried to the station. They had bought tickets for the 2 o'clock bus in advance, and now there were only a few minutes left.
If they went this way, they would arrive in the county in about an hour and a half, take the 4 o'clock bus in the county, and arrive in the town at around 6 o'clock. If all went well, they should be able to arrive at school before evening study.
But the reality is that there is nothing you can do about it. For ordinary people, Murphy's Law will always apply to everything.
The direct bus between the two counties leaves the station at two o'clock sharp, driving along the only main road in town. When it reaches the end, it turns right for 200-300 metres and then onto the provincial road. But then, to everyone's surprise, it starts to turn around and slowly goes back the way it came.
The conductor opens the door and from time to time sticks his head out the window, shouting to the people walking past, 'Anyone leaving?'
Feng Yiping looked as soon as he got on the bus. Although the bus was not full, there were only three or four people missing, which should be considered pretty good. Who knew that the driver and conductor of this bus were still not satisfied.
What's even more annoying is that when they reached the other end of the main road, the bus simply stopped. Soon after, the engine even stalled. The driver, holding a large water glass, got off the bus and found a place in the sun, where he leisurely lit up a cigarette and squatted there.
The conductor also slung his bag over his shoulder and went down the street, shouting, 'Anyone leaving? Leaving soon!'
The people in the car seemed to be used to this. Those who smoked smoked, those who slept slept. Mei Yiliang didn't care, but Feng Yiping was a little anxious. The next bus left at 3 o'clock, and judging from the way they looked, it might even be delayed until 3 o'clock.
After twenty minutes of waiting, finally someone got on the bus. Feng Yiping, with patience, stuck his head out and asked the driver, who was basking in the sun over there, 'When can we leave, driver?'
The driver was quite pleasant and said with a smile, 'Just wait a little longer, it won't be long now.'
At 2:30, the driver came back up, and Feng Yiping thought that they were leaving. But who knew that he had just come back up to get cigarettes. Feng Yiping couldn't sit still any longer, so he followed him down and said to the driver, 'Driver, we've been waiting for half an hour and haven't seen anyone. I don't think we'll see anyone for a while. There are quite a few people on the bus. Why don't we leave now? We really have an urgent matter today, so please help us?'
Mei Yiliang followed him down, offered him a cigarette, and someone on the bus chimed in, 'Yeah, let's go, it's fine.'
The driver laughed and said, 'Okay, just wait ten more minutes, whether there's anyone there or not, we'll definitely leave.'
They had already waited for half an hour, so they didn't care about those ten minutes.
After a few minutes, the driver came up to warm up the car. After almost ten minutes, it finally started as promised. The ticket collector had not yet boarded the bus at this time, but was still picking up passengers downstairs. The bus had already gone a while before she ran over, skillfully jumped on the bus, and pulled the door all the way while still picking up passengers. Her dedication was really worth learning from, but Feng Yiping now really hated her dedication.
'Still no one?' the driver asked.
The conductor, while collecting money from the person who had just boarded, said, 'I'm afraid they've all been picked up by the old Li from the last trip.'
The driver cursed after hearing this.
When they arrived at the intersection that turned onto the provincial road, they still hadn't picked up a single person, and it had been nearly fifty minutes since they had left the station.
The conductor glanced at the three empty seats in the car and said to the driver, 'Master Zhang, let's make another round!'
Many people in the bus had an opinion about this, and they started talking at once, saying, 'It's fine, it's not bad to have so many people at a time like this. Only during the Chinese New Year, when people go to pay New Year's visits and see relatives, is the bus full. You just go back and make another round, and you won't pick up anyone.'
The conductor argued with conviction, 'Oh, it's not easy for us either. After a trip, the money we get for gas, wages, and taxes is not much. We have old parents and young children at home, and there are many mouths to feed. Let's go for another round. Okay, let's wait at the crossroads.'
They were used to seeing all kinds of people on the bus, and they were not generally quick-tempered. Although many people who had already boarded had complaints, this bus was full of men, and no one cared to argue with her again.
Feng Yiping was furious when he heard this. What kind of reasoning is this? Even if you are really under pressure, everyone has been understanding for so long, and they are going to keep on being understanding. In order to fill up the seats on your bus, you are going to wait until the end of time?
However, he was not willing to conflict with these people lightly, so he said, 'Sister, we really have an urgent matter today and cannot afford to be delayed. The bus at 3 o'clock is about to leave, so please help us and let us go first, okay?'
He was putting himself in a very low position. The ticket collector gave him a look, seeing that he was a teenager, and although their counties were next to each other, their accents were still a little different. She could tell at once that he was not from this county.
So she just gave him a look and said, 'You can't afford to be late. You can either drive yourself or take a taxi. Why are you riding with me?'
Feng Yiping almost let out a breath of old blood, but Mei Yiliang, who was sitting next to him, could not stand it and sat up straight, saying, 'How dare you speak to us like that? We paid for a ticket and got into your car, and you're still arguing with us?'
The woman didn't expect there to be an adult with them. She originally saw that Mei Yiliang didn't even speak to her, and when Feng Yiping, a little kid, stood up for her, she thought they weren't together, so she became a little agitated.
But people like them, when faced with such a situation, would never admit defeat verbally. 'Am I wrong? If you're so capable, you drive yourself, or take a taxi for a few tens of dollars, what are you pretending to be so big about if you don't have the money?'
Mei Yiliang had at least been around the block a while, so how could he stand this kind of treatment? He stood up as soon as he heard this and walked towards the woman, 'Say that again?'
Seeing this, the driver frantically turned off the engine, fished the engine crank handle out from under the driver's seat, and held it in his hand as he walked over to the middle of the road to block the way.
His intention was definitely not to fight, but to act as a deterrent. But why would Mei Yiliang be afraid of this? In previous years, how many fights had been started against him?
'What, you want to fight?' He rolled up his sleeves too.
Several people on the bus stood up to stop the fight, saying, 'There's no need to do something like this, let's talk it over.' Most people, however, adopted an attitude of 'mind your own business' and either sat or stood watching the fun.
In theory, at this point, a few words of persuasion would have been fine, and both sides could have backed down. But the woman was such a bitch, and seeing that everyone on the bus except the two of them was from the county, she said, 'You two hicks from the next county, what are you rushing here for?'
You motherfucker, even Feng Yiping, who had been tempered by decades of rolling around in the marketplace and had a good temper, could not hold back at this time. I'm not fucking leaving.
He pulled Mei Yiliang, who was rushing forward in anger, 'Brother-in-law, listen to me, go to the station and find the transportation management office, I'll take care of this place. I want to see what she can do to this country bumpkin.'
He pushed the people in front of him away, put his school bag in front of the front of the car, sat on it with his butt, and said, 'You don't want to leave, so I'll make it happen for you.'
Seeing him do this, people and cars passing by knew that something was going on. Many people gathered around to watch. Feng Yiping had never been surrounded by people in such a situation before, so he was very embarrassed and uncomfortable. His face turned pale in the crowd.
But you're an old woman, you can throw a tantrum, what's so extraordinary about a child throwing a little temper?
Seeing that the matter had become a bit of a scene, the driver became anxious.
The driver who was driving had also fought many fights before, and he was not afraid of trouble. If this happened halfway through the journey, they could just leave Feng Yiping and the other one behind, but if this became a big deal, they would definitely get into trouble.
Although the bus leaves at 2 o'clock, if they are stranded until the 3 o'clock bus leaves, the people at the bus station will turn a blind eye. But the unspoken rules are the unspoken rules, and they will never be made explicit. If the traffic management office really comes over and writes it down in black and white, then they will be punished according to the system on the paper.
Besides, other vehicles on the same route will definitely come out and add fuel to the flames, eg the one at 3 o'clock. You leave at 2 o'clock, but you don't leave until I've already left the station. You've taken the passengers that should have been picked up by him, so why would he be happy?
So he casually threw the handlebar on the seat and stopped Mei Yiliang, who was walking towards the bus station. 'Big brother, let's talk it over, it's a hassle to find the bus station, she's just a mouthy person, I'll let her come over and apologise to you.'
The people on the bus were all from the county, and they also came out to smooth things over. 'Yes, it's not a big deal, it's not easy being away from home, just let it go with an apology.'
Mei Yiliang is not a good-tempered person either. How could he still be in their car when things have come to this?
So the driver had to come and find Feng Yiping. Some people are just like this: you're hard on them, they're soft; you don't do that to their mother, they won't know who their father is.
'First, she apologises to us! Second, find us a taxi and take us there. If you don't agree, we'll wait for the bus station to deal with it.'
The driver and the woman discussed for a while before she let her face drop and said to the air behind Feng Yiping and Mei Yiliang, 'I'm sorry!'
The driver had also stopped a taxi by this time, paid the fare of 40 yuan, and let the two of them get in. Since the woman was still so insincere at this point, Feng Yiping refused to get up. The driver was impatient and came over and gave the woman a hard push on her back. The woman then bowed to them and said with her head down, 'I'm sorry!'
After they had gone, the driver angrily glared in the direction the car had gone, cursing, 'Don't let me run into you on the road again, damn it!'
Soon after they had left, they saw the car following them. Well, after what had happened, if they insisted on turning around in the street again, who among the passengers on the bus would agree?
Mei Yiliang didn't think it was a big deal. In the end, the other party gave in, so they had the upper hand.
But Feng Yiping felt very depressed and frustrated. He had come here today to get things done, and why did he have to encounter such a heartbreaking incident? What the fuck is going on!