Zhao Yuxuan carried a suitcase, the weight of which seemed to bear his heavy heart at the moment. He spent two yuan to take the rickety bus, heading all the way to the Xingyao Transportation Hub. The bus shuttled through the city streets, and the street scenes outside the window kept changing, but he had no mood to enjoy them, his mind full of worry about the upcoming journey.
Finally, he arrived at the Xingyao Transportation Hub. It was like an ocean of people here, and the bustling crowds surged like tides. He struggled to push through the crowd and first walked towards the ticket office. At the ticket office, his eyes were fixed on the train ticket prices to Xiling displayed on the electronic screen. When he saw that the cheapest hard - seat ticket cost two hundred and fifty yuan, his heart sank suddenly. Two hundred and fifty yuan. In his memory, it was just the cost of an ordinary dinner with Chen Shihan and the others, or just the expense for them to play in the amusement hall for an hour. However, now, this two hundred and fifty yuan was like Mount Tai, standing towering in front of him, ruthlessly blocking his way forward.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Zhao Yuxuan's mind, which was to go back to school and borrow two thousand yuan from Zhao Qiyang. But as soon as this idea emerged, he immediately rejected it. No, absolutely not. Zhao Qiyang was no longer his friend, he said to himself silently. The little dignity he had left would never allow him to borrow money from him.
So, Zhao Yuxuan could only wander around the Xingyao Transportation Hub, his eyes constantly scanning the surroundings, racking his brains to think of ways to make money. He walked back and forth for a long time, like a small beast lost in a maze, anxious and helpless. Eventually, he found only one way to make money - being a porter. Being a porter meant helping those who had just got off the train and were carrying heavy luggage to carry their luggage outside to transfer to buses or taxis. Each time of porterage could earn him a reward ranging from three to ten yuan, and this job required no cost at all. All it used was the inborn capital of people - strength.
This seemed to be a simple job indeed, but for Zhao Yuxuan, it seemed extremely difficult. In his current embarrassing situation, he was actually not afraid of hardship and didn't mind using his strength. However, he just couldn't let go of his face. He felt that his self - esteem was like a hard shell, tightly wrapping him, making him unable to take that step. He even slapped himself several times in secret. His face was burning with pain, but even so, he still couldn't muster the courage to do this porterage job.
Originally, in Zhao Yuxuan's arms, there was also a very valuable thing. It was a mobile phone with extremely complete functions. This mobile phone also came with a charging plug. Most amazingly, its standby time could be as long as one month. It was the latest model of mobile phone. This was the birthday present sent by his father from the Dream Kingdom when he turned twenty - one. According to his estimate, the value of this mobile phone was more than several thousand US dollars. If he sold it, at least it could solve his urgent need. But Zhao Yuxuan had never had this idea. Not only because it was the last gift from his father, but more importantly, in this mobile phone, there were also some pictures of his parents' life after they came back. Those pictures were the most precious memories in his heart and something he must keep well in his life.
At this moment, he had an inspiration and thought of another method. He remembered that in his suitcase, there were still two suits, one jacket, and three pairs of trousers. Each of them was a famous brand. When purchased, the price of each was more than one thousand yuan. One of the two suits was even more expensive, costing as much as more than nine thousand yuan. He rarely wore these clothes and they were still as good as new. He calculated in his mind, planning to keep only one jacket and one pair of trousers for changing, and sell all the others. He expected that even if he couldn't sell them for half of the original price, at the very least, he could sell them for one - fifth of the original price. In this way, it would be enough for him to buy the train ticket.
Just do it. Zhao Yuxuan came to the square outside the Xingyao Transportation Hub. He stood there, feeling his legs trembling slightly. He slowly opened the suitcase and took out those clothes. He raised his head, looking at the people coming and going, opened his mouth, and wanted to shout out the words "Selling clothes" loudly. But when the words reached his lips, they seemed to be blocked by something, and only a faint "hum" like a mosquito's buzzing came out, which was so weak that he could hardly hear it himself.
About half an hour passed. This half - hour was like a long internal battle for Zhao Yuxuan. His heart was constantly struggling and fighting. Finally, as if he had made a huge determination, he suddenly shouted out: "Clothes, selling clothes, famous - brand clothes, cheap sale, everyone, come and have a look!" After shouting this out, his whole face instantly turned as red as a pig's liver. However, when he saw that some people actually gathered around, he immediately felt relieved. His heart, which had been as tense as a tightly drawn bowstring, also calmed down a little. He couldn't help sighing in his heart that some things always seemed as difficult as climbing to the sky before doing them, but after actually doing them, he found that he could actually do them.
At this time, he was completely desperate, and only the energetic hawking voices of the small vendors when he went shopping with Chen Shihan and the others came to his mind. So, he summoned up his courage and shouted again: "Don't miss it when passing by. If you miss the good opportunity, you won't be able to buy good things. Selling at a huge loss, a clearance sale. Come and have a look, come and have a look!"
With his passionate hawking, the place was immediately surrounded by people. People's eyes were all on his few clothes. Most of them just took a casual look, with an indifferent expression on their faces, and soon turned around and left. More than half of the people left at once. However, several middle - aged men dressed like rural people stayed. They touched the clothes with their rough hands while making comments. Some even picked up the clothes and measured them on themselves to see if they fit.
One of the men said, "These clothes seem quite sturdy. It seems that they can be worn for several years without any problem."
Another man continued, "Yes, yes. Zhao Yuxuan, I think they fit you well. Buy them and show them to your wife when you go back. She will surely give you a big hug and a couple of kisses."
This middle - aged man named Zhao Yuxuan was about the same build as the real Zhao Yuxuan. Hearing his companion's words, his eyes indeed showed some interest, and he said generously: "Young man, how much are these clothes? I'll take them all. Just name your price."
Zhao Yuxuan carefully looked at this man. Seeing that he was dressed in a rustic way, he thought that he should be a migrant worker returning home after working in the city. He knew very well that this kind of person might not have much money, so he began to calculate in his mind. He knew that the total price of his two suits and two pairs of trousers was close to twenty thousand yuan. According to his previous estimate of selling them at one - fifth of the price, it would still be more than three thousand yuan. He thought that this price might not be acceptable to the other party. So, he simply made it even lower and said, "Okay, since you want them all, I'll give you the lowest price, two thousand yuan in total. It can't be any less."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, it startled the other Zhao Yuxuan. The man hurriedly put down the suits, with a dissatisfied and surprised expression on his face, and said: "Two thousand yuan? You're robbing people. Two hundred yuan is about right. Don't think I don't know. These clothes are either stripped from the dead or stolen goods. Forget it, forget it. I think you're not sincere about selling. Let's go." As he said this, he beckoned his companions and walked towards the waiting hall.
Zhao Yuxuan watched their leaving backs, feeling bitter in his heart. But he had no choice but to continue hawking. A few more people came to ask the price, but the prices they offered were still pitifully low, far from meeting Zhao Yuxuan's expectations.
Just at this time, a middle - aged man in his forties walked over. This man was dressed very appropriately, and the cut and texture of his clothes looked very good. He walked up to Zhao Yuxuan, picked up those clothes and looked at them again and again, with a scrutinizing look in his eyes. Slowly, he nodded and said: "Not bad, not bad. They are famous - brand goods, and not fake. I think they are worth more than ten thousand yuan in total."
Zhao Yuxuan, who was selling clothes listlessly, was like a thirsty person seeing rain when he heard this. He immediately became energetic, and a hint of surprise showed on his face. He said: "Yes, yes. All are famous brands, not fake. Sir, you are really an expert."
The middle - aged man looked at him for a while, and suddenly tightly grasped his right hand. This sudden move made Zhao Yuxuan a little at a loss. He didn't expect this man to be so enthusiastic. He said somewhat puzzledly: "Sir, how much are you willing to pay? It's rare to meet someone who knows the goods. I will surely sell them to you very cheaply."
The middle - aged man suddenly sank his face and his expression became serious. He took out a certificate from his coat pocket and waved it in front of Zhao Yuxuan. Zhao Yuxuan took a closer look and was surprised to see that it was a police officer's photo on it.
The middle - aged man said: "Kid, was it you who stole from the 'Xinsheng Clothing Mall' opposite the Xingyao Transportation Hub last month? Now I suspect that these clothes of yours are of improper origin. Come with me to the police station."
Zhao Yuxuan never expected that selling clothes would cause such trouble. His heart skipped a beat and he was startled. He was actually not afraid of going to the police station, but he knew in his heart that once the investigation started, it would inevitably alarm the school. If people knew that he was so down - and - out that he was selling clothes at the Xingyao Transportation Hub, he would really lose all his face.
He watched helplessly as the middle - aged man reached behind his back. The movement seemed to be reaching for handcuffs. Zhao Yuxuan was both frightened and panicked, and an instinctive fear surged into his heart. Suddenly, he struggled hard. Somehow, he got the strength and his wrist actually broke free from the man's hand. Then, he ran away without looking back, only hearing his heartbeats pounding in his ears, as if urging him to run faster.
When he had only run sixty meters, he saw an old woman selling cigarettes waving at him in front of him. The old woman had a concerned look on her face and shouted loudly: "Young man, don't run. There's no one chasing you behind. You've been tricked."
Zhao Yuxuan heard the old woman's words and quickly looked back. He found that the middle - aged man indeed hadn't chased after him and had disappeared into the crowd. He immediately stood there in a daze, feeling his mind go blank, as if he had been hit hard on the head with a stick.
Only to hear the old woman say again: "Young man, I saw what happened just now. That man is a swindler. He often pretends to be a police officer near the Xingyao Transportation Hub to cheat people. You are really unlucky to meet him. Alas."
Zhao Yuxuan thought of how easily he had broken free just now and immediately understood. He felt a chill all over his body, as if a cold air rushed up from the soles of his feet to his heart. He knew that society was complex, but he didn't expect it to be even more complex than he had imagined. Before he had even left Xingyao City, he had encountered a swindler, and his suitcase had been taken away. Now, apart from the mobile phone that couldn't be sold and the only eighty - odd yuan he had, he really had nothing left. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he wanted to cry but couldn't.