The afternoon sunlight poured freely over the empty fields, and the earthy yellow road stretched endlessly toward the distant, blurry horizon.
The mountains in the distance rose and fell in a continuous chain. The peaks were not the usual indigo color but a kind of dark, indescribable black. It seemed as if a thick, viscous oil was slowly oozing and crawling.
But upon closer inspection, the dark mountains remained still. They stood silently, unchanged as if from ancient times.
Sigh, this air pollution is too severe. The once green mountains have all been dyed black.
Wan Qian sighed and withdrew her gaze from the window.
There were only Wan Qian and the driver on the bus.
The bus was clearly very old. It swayed on the road, creaking and groaning. It sounded as if someone was grinding their teeth right next to her ear.
Inside the bus, the floor and walls were coated in large patches of dark yellow grease. The seats were even more covered in dark purple stains, splattered in shape.
Wan Qian suspected the bus hadn't been cleaned in decades.
If she hadn't been standing at the empty bus stop, exposed to the sun for nearly six hours without seeing a single vehicle other than this bus, she would never, she absolutely wouldn't have gotten on this bus.
But honestly, the farm her great-uncle left for her was too remote, wasn't it?
Unexpectedly, this was the only bus that could get there.
It all backtrack a week ago—
After graduating, Wan Qian had worked as an administrative assistant at a medium-sized company for three years.
However, due to poor management, the company had gone through massive layoffs, and she was unfortunate enough to be one of them.
The news of losing her job came unexpectedly.
Just as she was feeling lost about the future, she suddenly received a letter from her great-uncle, whom she hadn't been in contact with for a long time.
In the letter, her great-uncle told her that he had a farm in the countryside and hoped she would return to inherit and manage it.
Along with the letter, there was a phone and a map to the farm.
Thinking that starting her own business might not be a bad idea, Wan Qian packed her bags and set off toward the farm.
"Creak—" A sharp and long sound of gears grinding. The bus came to a halt.
The broadcast crackled with sharp "zzzt... zzzt..." sounds, followed by a cold, mechanical female voice:
"Dear passengers, zzzt...rk Farm has arrived. Please take your belongings, zzzt... and prepare to disembark. zzzt...Next stop: Mushroom Village."
Wan Qian picked up her bag and stood up. As she was about to get off, she suddenly remembered something and turned to look at the driver, who was sitting in the driver's seat.
"Driver sister, the bus is really dirty. Maybe you should clean it when you have time."
There was only this one bus going to the farm, and Wan Qian figured she might have to ride this bus again in the future. She really couldn't stand such a filthy and messy environment.
The driver wore a work uniform, a light blue shirt covered in stains. Her black hair seemed like it hadn't been taken care of in a long time, tangled in strands, messy, and covering her face.
At that moment, she was hunched over, slumped against the steering wheel, completely still.
Wan Qian stared at the driver, waiting for a response.
Suddenly, the broadcast suddenly grew louder with a surge of electrical noise.
"zzzt... zzzt...—Dear passengers, zzzt...rk Farm has arrived."
"zzzt... zzzt...—Please take your belongings, zzzt... and prepare to disembark."
Perhaps it was just Wan Qian's imagination, but the originally cold, mechanical female voice seemed to gradually grow sharper, its tone shifting.
The "zzzt" of electronic static sounded as if someone were scratching their nails against a wall.
Wan Qian: "Driver sister, shouldn't the bus's speaker system be fixed?"
With a "click," the sharp female voice in the broadcast suddenly stopped.
Finally, the driver slowly turned her head and looked at Wan Qian.
"H-ho... G-g... get... o-of... off..."
Her throat sounded like it had a hole in it, with each word leaking air.
Sigh. What a poor woman.
It must be hard for her to drive the bus alone, with such a dry throat, obviously from not having had water in a long time.
Wan Qian thought for a moment. She realized her words might have touched a sore spot.
After all, this road had very few passengers, so she probably doesn't earn much money.
Her hair was messy, probably because she couldn't afford a haircut for a long time; her uniform was dirty and worn out, with no money to buy a new one.
She probably didn't have enough money to wash the bus or fix the broadcast either.
Wan Qian couldn't help but feel guilty.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out two hairpins. Pink, decorated with cute little bows.
"Driver sister, these are for you."
The driver remained silent, staring intently at Wan Qian through her messy hair.
Wan Qian held out the butterfly bow hairpin, but the driver didn't take it.
Wan Qian glanced at the driver's hands, pressing hard on the steering wheel, and suddenly understood.
Although the bus had few passengers and the bus is so old it feels like it might break down any moment, the driver still faithfully stays at her post, making the trips back and forth, again and again.
What does this show?
It shows that the driver is a dedicated person!
How could a dedicated driver ever let their hands leave the steering wheel during work?
Wan Qian immediately understood. She admired this kind of hardworking, professional woman the most.
So—
"You don't need to move. I'll help you."
Saying this, she leaned in closer.
The driver seemed to get anxious, suddenly stretching her head towards Wan Qian.
It was as if her neck had snapped, and her head flew forward on its own.
At the moment her face was about to press against Wan Qian's, a hand covered the driver's head, pressed it back.
"Tch, no need to be polite! I know it's inconvenient for you, so let me help you."
Wan Qian placed one hand on the driver's head while using the other to push aside the thick, tangled hair covering the driver's face.
She used the butterfly bow hairpin to secure the hair, fastening it on each side.
"Not bad."
Wan Qian let go of her hand, examined it carefully, and nodded in satisfaction.
She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but after she pulled her hand away, the driver's neck seemed to have shortened a bit. Her head looked like it had sunk into her shoulders.
But that was just a minor issue.
At least with her hair pinned, she wouldn't have trouble seeing the road while driving.
Wan Qian thought that her gift was just perfect. She was sure the driver sister would love it.
Unfortunately, the driver sister was too shy to thank her.
But Wan Qian was a very understanding person.
She gently said, "No need to thank me."
Driver: "..."
Having completed a perfect social interaction, Wan Qian felt satisfied.
She turned around, grabbed her suitcase, and got off the bus.
"Creak—" The bus doors swiftly closed behind Wan Qian, kicking up a cloud of dust as it drove off toward the next stop.
Really dedicated, the driver couldn't wait to head to the next stop as soon as she dropped Wan Qian off, probably worried that the passengers might be waiting impatiently.
Though there might not be passengers waiting, anyway.
Wan Qian gazed at the dark red exhaust fumes of the bus fading into the distance and couldn't help but feel a sense of reflection.