Zhou Yuwen, a student at a third-tier college, was scheduled to report on September 15th and traveled to school on the 14th. The day before departure, his mother busily packed various items like salted duck, mouth-watering chicken, and even hometown pickled pancakes—two large bags of them—for Zhou Yuwen.
Feeling resigned, Zhou Yuwen understood the intentions of the adults and let his mother pack everything as she wished, despite his inner reluctance. Early the next morning, when his mother wasn't paying attention, Zhou Yuwen quietly took out all the miscellaneous items and packed just a few clothes and a pair of shoes.
While his mother wasn't looking, Zhou Yuwen quietly slipped out of the house. When she discovered, she was furious, saying it was his first time traveling far, and she should have accompanied him.
Zhou Yuwen insisted it wasn't necessary, just for studying, and he'd be back in October anyway—no need for such trouble.
"You better wait for me at home. If you find it too boring, go find an old man for yourself."
"Stop talking nonsense!" Zhou Yuwen joked with his mother at the bus station until it was time to depart. He boarded the bus as it slowly left the station.
Zhou Yuwen once again left this small city in northern Jiangsu. In his memory, the 2010s version of this place was dilapidated, with the outskirts covered in simple houses with blue roofs.
From northern Jiangsu to Huaian, and then through Yangzhou, the road was flanked by farmlands. It wasn't until crossing the Yangtze River that the white-walled and black-tiled buildings of Jiangnan replaced the vast farmlands of Jiangbei.
The journey from Zhou Yuwen's hometown to Jinling took about four hours. He dozed off on the bus and woke up to find they had already arrived at Jinling Bus Station.
Here is Jinling, the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties. For thousands of years, it has been bustling with activity. Since the founding of the nation, it has undergone vigorous development. Elevated bridges and subway lines indirectly traverse the city, and countless cars of various sizes flow like blood vessels, bringing boundless vitality to the city.
The bus station is bustling with people.
It's September, one of the hottest seasons, and also the back-to-school season. Many students are at the bus station, and there are countless beautiful girls. They wear super short shorts, exposing long legs. Some bolder girls wear camisoles, revealing their snowy white shoulders and half-mature makeup. High heels, long legs, black stockings. In short, the bus station in a big city has always been where the most beautiful girls gather. When Zhou Yuwen gets off the bus, this is what he sees. Feeling the fresh air of the big city, Zhou Yuwen feels happy!
"Hello! I'm back again!"
"Hi, handsome!"
Just as Zhou Yuwen was marveling at his return, a girl in denim shorts with exposed legs approached him and struck up a conversation.
Zhou Yuwen asked, "What's up?"
"Um, well, you see, I just arrived here to study, but I don't have any change for the bus. Could you give me two yuan for the bus fare? Please, pretty please!" The girl clasped her hands together, acting adorable.
"No money," Zhou Yuwen replied coldly, then turned and walked away.
Behind him, the girl's expression darkened momentarily, then she quickly changed it back to a cute one and approached another seemingly honest-looking boy. "Ah, handsome guy, excuse me!"
In 2010, at the bus station, scenes like this with girls asking for money claiming they had none for bus fare were common. They didn't ask for much, just two yuan. Most boys would give in, and these girls could get one or two hundred people in a day. The less generous ones gave two yuan, while those who fell for it gave ten yuan or more.
Like this, they could earn three to four hundred yuan a day, over ten thousand a month.
In 2010, when the average monthly salary was only around 2000 yuan, some people were already earning over ten thousand a month. Zhou Yuwen had encountered such situations before; he hadn't given money then, and now, after crossing over, he encountered such a person again. Of course, he wouldn't give money, nor would he get overly involved—it wasn't his concern.
Zhou Yuwen wasn't someone with an overflowing sense of justice. Before crossing over, he had been someone who lived a modest life, and even after crossing over, he still wanted to live comfortably.
School started on the 15th, and Zhou Yuwen arrived on the 13th. He had called ahead to book a thousand-yuan five-star suite with a private car for pickup. With a quick phone call, the car soon arrived at the underground parking lot of the station.
A black old-model Passat pulled up, and Zhou Yuwen got in. The driver, a 40-year-old native of Jinling, started the car and immediately asked Zhou Yuwen why such a young man could afford to stay in a five-star hotel.
Zhou Yuwen explained he was here to study.
Hearing Zhou Yuwen's accent, the driver asked if he was a local from Jinling.
Zhou Yuwen replied directly in the local Jinling dialect, confirming he was, having attended high school elsewhere but returned for university.
The driver chuckled, saying, "Alright, alright, welcome back."
The two chatted amiably, and soon the car stopped in front of the hotel.
After checking in with the receptionist, Zhou Yuwen followed a service attendant to his room. The room, valued at over a thousand yuan, had excellent lighting and ample space. It was conveniently located about two subway stops away from his school.
Upon entering the room, Zhou Yuwen lay on the bed for a while to rest, then took a shower. By the time he felt refreshed again, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon.