The old woman's gaze was like a slender stream, slowly flowing over Zhao Yuxuan as she looked him up and down. Then, unhurriedly, the old woman brought out a bench. The legs of the bench made a slight "creak" as they gently rubbed against the ground. She pointed at the bench with her finger, indicating for Zhao Yuxuan to sit down, while saying at the same time, "Young man, you look so clean. You don't seem like a bad person at first sight. Those clothes weren't stolen, were they? Since you didn't run away and won't be easily deceived either. That person just took advantage of this trait of yours."
Zhao Yuxuan gently shook his head upon hearing the old woman's words, like a slender willow swaying in the wind, with a small yet firm amplitude. He replied, "Granny, those clothes are really mine. I want to go to Xiling, but I have no money left on me, so I can only sell my clothes." At this moment, Zhao Yuxuan's heart was like a bottle of mixed spices being overturned, filled with both helplessness towards the present situation and confusion about the future.
The old woman once again examined him carefully, with a glint of inquisitiveness in her eyes. After a while, she said, "Young man, you look like you come from a well - off family. How did you end up in such a plight?"
Zhao Yuxuan's face was instantly clouded with gloom, like the sun being blocked by dark clouds. He nodded silently and said in a low voice, "Yes, my family was indeed well - off before, but something happened to my family some time ago, and now we have no money." His heart was currently entwined with pain and a sense of loss. Those once - beautiful family memories were like a distant dream, now shattered into pieces.
Looking at his expression, the old woman seemed to understand something and didn't ask any further. She just looked at him with those pitiful eyes, as if there was a gentle lake flowing in her gaze. The old woman asked, "What are you going to do in Xiling? Are you going to seek refuge with your relatives?"
Not wanting to expose his situation too much, Zhao Yuxuan just nodded slightly and said softly, "Yes."
The old woman let out a gentle sigh, like a gust of wind carrying a tinge of regret. She said, "It's a pity that my family's condition is not good either, so I can't help you. Have a drink of water here." As she spoke, the old woman took out a can of Pepsi from the side. The can glittered faintly in the sunlight. The old woman handed the cola to Zhao Yuxuan. Seeing that he was a little hesitant, she said in a very gentle tone, "Drink it. It's on granny, no charge."
Zhao Yuxuan, in his desolate predicament, felt as if he were suddenly bathed in the warm sun on a cold winter day when he heard the old woman's kind words, and a warm current surged in his heart. He carefully held the can of cola, his nose tingled, and tears almost welled up in his eyes. He secretly vowed in his heart that if one day he could regain his dignity, he would surely repay the old woman's small kindness with great generosity. At this time, this small can of cola was not only a drink for him, but also a warm comfort, making him feel the kindness of humanity in this difficult situation.
After sitting for a while, the old woman asked, "Young man, what are your plans?"
Zhao Yuxuan was silent for a moment. That moment of silence was like the calm before a storm. Suddenly, his face became resolute, like a hard rock. He gritted his teeth and said, "Granny, I want to work as a porter at the Xingyao Transportation Hub to earn the fare to Xiling." There was a firm determination in his eyes, as if he saw a glimmer of hope in the darkness.
The old woman nodded upon hearing this, showing her approval. She said, "That's good. Although being a porter is a bit tough, it's better than doing bad things. But if you want to be a porter, you can't do it like this."
Zhao Yuxuan was slightly stunned when he heard the old woman's words, with a puzzled look in his eyes. He asked, "Why?"
The old woman patiently explained, "All the porters at the Xingyao Transportation Hub are organized. If you work alone, not only can't you enter the platform, but you will also be driven away or even beaten up by other porters. It's like a small world with its own rules there. As an outsider, you can't barge in rashly."
Zhao Yuxuan quickly asked, "Then what should I do?" His heart was a little anxious, like a lost deer in the forest, urgently in need of finding a way out.
The old woman smiled, like a blooming flower. She said, "It doesn't matter. I know the head of these porters. I'll go and talk to him and let him arrange something for you, but you have to pay a little management fee every day."
Zhao Yuxuan quickly nodded and said, "Okay, no problem." His heart was full of gratitude, feeling that the old woman was like a bright lamp in the darkness, guiding him in the right direction.
Sure enough, the old woman was very enthusiastic. She called out loudly for someone to watch her stall for her, and then walked into the Xingyao Transportation Hub with steady steps. After a while, the old woman came out with a man in his forties or fifties. The man was very sturdy, and his muscles were faintly visible under his clothes, as if containing endless strength. The old woman said to Zhao Yuxuan, "Young man, his surname is Sun. Just call him Sun Boyang. Just follow him."
When Sun Boyang's eyes fell on the fair - skinned, handsome and refined Zhao Yuxuan, a trace of surprise also flashed in his eyes, like a ripple on a calm lake. But he didn't ask much, just said, "What's your name?"
Zhao Yuxuan didn't want to tell his real name. After thinking quickly in his heart, he reported a very rustic name and said, "Zhao Ruixiang."
Sun Boyang nodded and said, "Okay, Zhao Ruixiang, follow me." After saying that, he strode forward.
Zhao Yuxuan bowed deeply to the old woman, with a large and respectful bow. After asking that the old woman's surname was Huang, he then followed Sun Boyang into the Xingyao Transportation Hub.
Entering the platform of the Xingyao Transportation Hub, Sun Boyang handed a red cloth vest to Zhao Yuxuan and said, "Zhao Ruixiang, you look like a young master with your fair and clean appearance. I really don't understand why you come to do such hard - labor work. Well, I'm too lazy to ask. Put this on and find work by yourself. Remember, you have to pay me ten yuan of management fee every day."
Zhao Yuxuan nodded, his eyes looking at the platform. He saw a train slowly pulling in. The wheels of the train rubbed against the rails, making a "clank - clank" sound, like heavy panting. He quickly ran over and waited there. He thought the color of the red vest was too bright and dazzling, and the style was also very rustic, so he just held it in his hand without putting it on.
Soon, the train stopped, accompanied by a long braking sound. After the doors opened, passengers began to come out of the carriages one after another. The crowd was like a slowly flowing tide, surging towards the platform.
Zhao Yuxuan stood there, his eyes darting around like searchlights, eagerly looking for targets. Before long, he noticed an old woman with white hair. The old woman's hair was like frost in winter, purely white. She was carrying a heavy large cloth bag in her hand, and every step she took seemed very strenuous. After just a few steps, she had to stop and rest. Her body trembled slightly, like a leaf in the wind.
Seeing that she was about to pick up the big cloth bag and continue walking, Zhao Yuxuan quickly walked over and reached out to grab the bag. He wanted to help lift it to relieve the old woman's burden. Unexpectedly, the old woman turned around and, seeing a young man, her eyes were immediately filled with fright, like a frightened deer. She tightly grabbed the bag and shouted loudly, "Ah, robbery! Help! Someone is robbing!" Her voice echoed on the platform, attracting many people's eyes to look over.
Zhao Yuxuan didn't expect her to react so strongly. Seeing the eyes of the people around him focused on him like spotlights, he also panicked a little. His heart rate suddenly increased, as if it was about to jump out of his throat. He quickly showed the red vest in his hand and said, "Granny, granny, don't be afraid. Don't shout. I'm a porter at the Xingyao Transportation Hub. I'm here to carry things for you." As he spoke, he hurriedly put on the red vest.
Although the old woman was old, she was not senile. Seeing that he was wearing a vest and looking carefully at his handsome face, she indeed stopped shouting, but shook her head and said, "No, no. I can carry this myself. I don't need your help."
Zhao Yuxuan had just lifted the bag a little and felt that it was very heavy. He estimated that it weighed at least ten to twenty kilograms. He didn't know what was inside. He asked, "Granny, where are your family members? Why don't they come to pick you up?"
The old woman said, "I came to the city to visit my daughter and son - in - law. They are busy at work and can't spare the time. This cloth bag is full of local specialties from my hometown. I carried it all the way here, no problem."
Looking at the old woman's white - haired head and wrinkled face like tree bark, Zhao Yuxuan couldn't help but think of his own grandmothers. The kind faces of his grandmothers emerged in his mind. He didn't know if they were still sad about his parents' sudden death and whether their health was okay. His nose tingled, and his heart was full of longing and concern for his relatives. He said, "Granny, let me carry it for you anyway. It's free."
Seeing the old woman's suspicious look, he added, "Granny, this is the rule in our station. We should do more good deeds and take special care of the elderly."
The old woman immediately understood and laughed heartily, like a string of clear bell sounds. She said, "Oh, so that's how it is. Good, good. Your station is really nice. The station master should be commended. Nowadays, everything is about money. It's rare to see such a spirit."
Zhao Yuxuan also smiled and then took the cloth bag from her hand. He carefully carried the cloth bag, not only sent the old woman out of the station, but also accompanied her for a long way until he sent her to the bus. After the old woman got on the bus, she kept saying thank you, and Zhao Yuxuan left amid her continuous thanks.
After returning to the platform, Zhao Yuxuan continued to look for business. This time, he saw a middle - aged woman carrying a large suitcase. There was a trace of fatigue on the middle - aged woman's face, and the large suitcase looked very heavy. After some negotiation, they agreed that he would deliver the suitcase to the long - distance bus station for a fee of five yuan.
When Zhao Yuxuan, sweating profusely and with a sore back, carried the large suitcase to the long - distance bus station, he felt as if his body was falling apart. His sweat soaked his clothes and kept flowing down his cheeks like broken strings of beads. When he received the five - yuan note, which was the first money he had earned by his own labor in his life, he turned it over and over in his hand. The five - yuan note seemed to weigh a thousand pounds in his hand, and his heart was full of a sense of accomplishment. He felt that he was not a useless person and could earn money with his own strength. This five - yuan note was like a seed of hope, sowing confidence in the future in his heart.
But his joy soon disappeared. Because he saw another porter helping a fashionably - dressed young woman carry a suitcase that was half the size of the one he had just carried, but received ten yuan. This was equivalent to the wage for him to run two sweaty trips, which meant that he had lost money on the deal just now. His heart was like being splashed with a basin of cold water, and the newly - ignited hope was extinguished by more than half.
This made Zhao Yuxuan very depressed. After all, he was an undergraduate, majoring in the business department. Even if he was a porter, he should be the best among porters, an outstanding laborer. He secretly thought in his heart that he had rich knowledge and a good mind. Even in the lowest - level job, he should also give play to his own strengths, do better than others, and create more wealth. Moreover, just on this trip, apart from the sore back and waist, the skin on his shoulder was also rubbed off a layer, and it was burning with pain. The pain was like countless small needles stabbing him. In terms of strength alone, he really had no advantage.
Half a day passed quickly. Zhao Yuxuan only did four deals and earned a total of twenty - eight yuan. After deducting ten yuan of management fee for Sun Boyang and five yuan for the boxed meal at night, the net profit was thirteen yuan. He silently calculated in his heart. Counting the money he had on him, it was still less than one hundred yuan. He remembered that Li Ruize's address was not in the city of Xiling, but in Tianwang Fort, which should be a remote village. He didn't know how much more money he needed to go there, but he decided that once he saved one thousand yuan, he would set off immediately. There was a firm look in his eyes, as if he had set a distant but must - reach goal for himself in the darkness.
After setting the goal, Zhao Yuxuan began to look for a place to stay at night. After half a day of porter work, his whole body was almost falling apart. Every muscle was sore, and he especially wanted to lie comfortably in bed and have a good sleep. However, he had walked around all the small hotels near the Xingyao Transportation Hub, and the cheapest dormitory - style accommodation still cost twenty yuan.
Holding the money in his hand, Zhao Yuxuan hesitated. Twenty yuan meant that the hard - earned money from half a day of toil would be wasted, and there might even be a loss. His heart was in a fierce struggle, like two little people arguing in his mind. He was really reluctant, really reluctant.
So, Zhao Yuxuan thought of a place. There was a long underground tunnel between the outside of the Xingyao Transportation Hub and the long - distance bus station. There were not many people passing by at night, and it was gloomy, but it could shelter from the wind and rain.
He gritted his teeth and walked towards the underground tunnel. On the way, he spent two yuan in a store to buy two large cartons, which he then opened and held in his hands. The two cartons were like his last reliance in his hands. He hoped that this could make him a little more comfortable in that underground tunnel.
In the dimly - lit underground tunnel, Zhao Yuxuan dragged his tired body, looking for a place to have a temporary rest. Finally, he found a side tunnel. Although there were usually a few stores here, few people passed by, so it could be regarded as a relatively quiet corner.
Zhao Yuxuan slowly fumbled out two pieces of paper from his body. His movements were very gentle, as if these pieces of paper were extremely precious things. He first picked up one piece and carefully spread it flat on the ground. The ground was slightly cool, like the cold tentacles from the deep underground, quietly exuding a little dampness, like the faint dew in the morning grass.
Then, he picked up the other piece of paper and gently covered himself with it. At this time, he was like a wounded little animal, his body curled up, trying to find a little warmth and a sense of security on this crude "bed". Before long, sleepiness came over him like a tide, and he quickly fell into a deep sleep.
It was a night in May. When the midnight bells rang in the distant above - ground world, the coldness was like a silent ghost, beginning to spread quietly in this underground tunnel. The cold air in the underground tunnel was like countless invisible threads, slyly sneaking in through every gap, as if trying to embrace the entire tunnel in its cold arms.
However, Zhao Yuxuan had no time to care about the cold at this time. He was really too tired. Every ounce of energy in his body seemed to have been drained. Every inch of his muscles seemed to be crying out in pain. The sense of exhaustion was bone - deep. Exhausted to the extreme, his mind was blank, and he didn't even have a dream, just sleeping soundly. He was like a small boat that had been drifting in the rough sea for a long time and finally sailed into a peaceful harbor. In this sleep, he seemed to want to drive away all the tiredness completely.