Chapter 48.1
Editor: Jodi
The wind in Long City felt like knives.
Tang Zhou had just gotten off the plane, and it felt like his bones were about to freeze and crack. Luckily, he’d had the foresight to bring a thick down jacket with him.
The down jacket was black, long enough to reach his calves, and when he zipped it up to his chin and put on the hood, his whole body warmed up. It was just that he looked a bit like a chubby bear.
However he was naturally slender, so the loose-fitting jacket hung on him without looking cumbersome.
It was already three in the afternoon when he arrived at the airport, and the ride from the airport to Fu Shen’s hometown was quite far, about a two-hour drive.
Before boarding the plane, he had already contacted someone he knew in Long City, so the moment he turned his phone on, a call came in.
It was the person who was picking him up.
Then following the description from the call, he found the driver who had come to get him.
The driver looked to be in his forties, with an honest and simple appearance. When he saw Tang Zhou, there was a moment of obvious surprise. If it hadn’t been made clear over the phone, he would have thought he was picking up a celebrity.
Tang Zhou, pushing his luggage, greeted him, “Master Liu, thank you for coming.”
“It’s no trouble at all, no trouble at all. I was heading home for the New Year anyway, so it’s on the way.”
The driver, Old Liu, grinned, showing his teeth. “If the boss hadn’t arranged for me to pick you up, I wouldn’t have been able to drive back home.”
He helped Tang Zhou load the luggage, then the two of them got into the car.
Old Liu started the car, smiling as he said, “Mr. Tang, it’ll be more than two hours on the road, so if you’re tired, feel free to rest. By the time you wake up, we’ll be there.”
Tang Zhou had been a bit drowsy on the plane, but the cold wind had jolted him awake, leaving him feeling refreshed and not at all sleepy.
“It’s my first time in Long City— I’d like to see the sights.”
Long City had just had a snowfall, so outside the car window, everything was blanketed in a thick layer of silver. The branches of the trees along the roadside were heavy with snow, some of which occasionally fell off in clumps.
This was a scene rarely seen in Jiang City.
Although the roads had been cleared, they were still somewhat slippery. Old Liu didn’t dare drive too fast and asked, “Mr. Tang, you’re not in a hurry, right?”
Tang Zhou smiled. “As long as we get there, it’s fine.”
So what was supposed to be a two-hour drive ended up taking three.
The village where Fu Shen lived was called Long Tan Village. It had good feng shui, and the name wasn’t bad, it was just poor.
Over the course of the trip, Old Liu had grown familiar with Tang Zhou, and so became more talkative. “Long Tan Village is pretty remote. What brings Mr. Tang here?”
Tang Zhou’s gaze landed on a distant mountain range. “I’m here to visit a friend.”
“Oh, oh! Mr. Tang, we’ve arrived at the village. Do you know where your friend’s house is? I can take you right to the door.”
Tang Zhou glanced at the narrow, snow-covered road leading into the village and replied, “Just stopping here is fine. You should head back early too.”
Old Liu’s home was in the county town, and since it was getting late, it was better for him to return sooner.
“Alright, if you need a ride later, just give me a call.”
Old Liu helped him unload his luggage enthusiastically, and it was only after Tang Zhou’s figure disappeared at the village entrance that he turned his car around to go home.
The road out of the village was full of potholes and quite narrow. As Old Liu drove slowly along, he noticed someone riding a bicycle in the opposite direction, so he slowed down and pulled to the side.
Then in the glow of the car’s headlights, he saw that the person on the bike was a young man, and a very handsome one at that. The young man was carrying a plastic bag, which seemed to contain some yellow paper and spirit money.
Seeing two good-looking young men in one day— Old Liu felt that his luck was pretty good.
Tang Zhou stood, dragging his suitcase, blankly in front of someone’s house.
He knew Fu Shen lived in this village, however he didn’t know the exact location of his house.
Just as he was about to knock on the door to ask the locals, the door opened with a harsh, grating sound as its old hinges groaned.
Then a middle-aged woman wearing a thick cotton coat came out carrying a basin. Immediately, she saw Tang Zhou standing outside. Yo, what a handsome young man!
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Tang Zhou spoke first. “Big sister, do you know how to get to Fu Shen’s house?”
“Who?!”
“Fu Shen.”
“Oh, you mean Xiao Fu, the one studying at university in Jiang City?”
Tang Zhou was already shivering from the cold, rubbing his hands together for warmth as he said, “Yes, I’m his friend. Could you tell me where he lives?”
The woman’s eyes lit up. It was good to be in university. They could even make friends like this!
Even though she wasn’t very knowledgeable, she could tell from Tang Zhou’s appearance and aura that he wasn’t an ordinary person.
Smiling broadly, she pointed down the road. “Just follow this road, and ahead you’ll see a big tree. Take the left path past the tree, then turn left again, and then right. You’ll see a small shrine…”
Tang Zhou’s limbs had already gone numb from the cold, and his brain was sluggish, so the woman’s directions felt like a maze to him.
He was just about to ask for clarification when the woman suddenly shouted, her eyes looking into the distance, “Oh! Isn’t that Xiao Fu over there?”
Tang Zhou turned around quickly.
Fu Shen was riding his bike, glancing in this direction absentmindedly. However the moment their eyes met, his whole body froze, even forgetting to pedal.
And without balance, the bike toppled over with a thud, causing the plastic bag that was hanging from its handlebars to spill a bundle of spirit money onto the ground.
Fu Shen wasn’t spared either.
And shocked, Tang Zhou rushed forward to help, however his legs were numb from the cold, so the moment he moved, he stumbled and fell into the snow.
Before they had even exchanged a word, the two of them were already laying prostrate on the ground facing each other.
The woman laughed out loud, putting her basin down to help Tang Zhou up, teasing as she did so, “Anyone who doesn’t know might think you two are getting married!”
Fu Shen reacted quicker than Tang Zhou, getting up hurriedly and running over to help him up, brushing the snow off his clothes. Then he touched his hand. “Why are they so cold?”
The distress in Fu Shen’s eyes made Tang Zhou feel like his long journey to chase after him had been worth it.
“Xiao Fu, hurry up and take your friend home.” The woman said kindly.
“Thank you Auntie.” Fu Shen replied, addressing her according to the village’s family hierarchy.
Then he picked the suitcase and plastic bag up, held the bike with one hand, and in the cold wind, said quietly, “Let’s go home.”
Tang Zhou wanted to carry the bag, but was refused.
**
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