Chapter 36: Arrival
An Ning read a dictionary while An Guoming closed his eyes. Out of sight, out of mind.
Meanwhile, Miao Xiaohua, who had just boarded, stood by the door with one hand covering her nose, her brow furrowed in disgust.
’This shabby bus is way too small.’
Not only was it small, but it reeked, and there were even two hens on board.
Everyone was carrying large and small bundles, so An Ning’s own package didn’t stand out much in comparison.
"Ming Liang, there’s no space."
Miao Xiaohua said in a slightly coquettish tone, prompting Chen Mingliang to steady her with one hand. "Hold on to me, you’ll be fine," he said.
Miao Xiaohua savored Chen Mingliang’s attentiveness. Life with the Chen family wasn’t great, and her own family, finding her a disgrace, barely interacted with her anymore, despite living in the same village.
But as soon as she imagined her future as a wealthy man’s wife, Miao Xiaohua felt that everything she was currently enduring was worth it.
Ostensibly, Miao Xiaohua’s trip to the county town was for a medical check-up. In reality, she wanted Chen Mingliang to get out and look around; perhaps the two of them could start a small business or something.
Although Miao Xiaohua had never been in business, she’d heard that these days, you could make money just by setting up a street stall.
BEEP BEEP—
The bus honked twice and began to pull away. Miao Xiaohua stood by the entrance, holding onto Chen Mingliang’s arm.
The entire way was a dirt road, and the constant bumping made Miao Xiaohua’s face turn pale. She was carsick.
As people got on and off, Miao Xiaohua and Chen Mingliang moved a little toward the back of the bus, where they happened to see An Ning sitting and quietly reading a book.
Some people just never learn. Every time Miao Xiaohua had a run-in with An Ning, she not only failed to gain any advantage but also ended up going home with her tail between her legs. Yet, she just couldn’t seem to remember the lesson.
Or perhaps, her misplaced sense of superiority made her look down on everyone.
"An Ning, you’re here too. I’m feeling really sick. Can you let me sit for a bit?"
"No."
An Ning didn’t even lift her head. She calmly turned a page and kept reading.
Having been rejected, Miao Xiaohua put on a frail, swaying act, which made Chen Mingliang’s heart ache with pity.
"An Ning, we’re all from the same village. Xiao Hua is feeling sick, what’s the big deal about letting her sit for a minute?"
Chen Mingliang’s voice drew curious glances from those nearby. An Guoming also slowly stirred awake, but he was feeling sick as well.
"Go back to sleep, Second Brother."
An Ning pushed An Guoming, who was trying to get up, back into his seat. Her eyes were bright, as if they could illuminate the baseness in people’s hearts.
"Chen Mingliang, you’re my ex-fiancé. On our wedding day, you were caught having an affair with Miao Xiaohua. Given our history, I think it’s perfectly normal for me not to give up my seat for her."
Neither Chen Mingliang nor Miao Xiaohua had expected An Ning to bring the matter up in front of everyone.
"Is there anything else? If not, please stay away from us."
An Ning looked down and returned to her dictionary.
This time, Chen Mingliang didn’t argue further. He turned his back, even letting go of Miao Xiaohua’s hand.
Miao Xiaohua wanted to say something, but she couldn’t take the stares from the other passengers. In her mind, every whisper was mocking her.
Two hours later, the bus finally arrived in the county town. Chen Mingliang and Miao Xiaohua beat a hasty retreat off the bus, shooting An Ning one last vicious glare from the outside.
An Ning didn’t give them so much as a sideways glance. However, dealing with Miao Xiaohua was now on her agenda.
"Second Brother, we’re here."
An Ning nudged An Guoming. He groggily stood up, his chest feeling tight, and got off the bus without any energy.
"BLECH—"
An Guoming braced himself on the bus with one hand and threw up with a loud SPLAT.
An Ning dodged in time, glanced around, shouldered her large travel bag, and ran off in a particular direction.
A moment later, An Ning came back, carrying an enamel mug filled with water.
"Second Brother, rinse your mouth out."
An Guoming took the mug and gargled, GURGLE GURGLE. After a few rinses, he finally felt much better.
"I’m all right, Little Sis. It’s nothing. Let’s go."
An Ning looked at her brother’s constitution—it really wasn’t very good. She had secretly used her spiritual power to examine him and confirmed that he didn’t have any diseases; he just had a weak constitution.
"Second Brother, you should exercise to build up your constitution."
"Huh?"
An Guoming couldn’t follow An Ning’s train of thought, and she didn’t elaborate. In her mind, however, she had already made plans for him; she would implement them once they returned.
The two left the station to take a look at the county town.
The buildings were taller, and near the station, small stalls sold tea eggs, steamed buns, soy milk, and fried dough twists.
People’s clothing was much better than back in the town. The roads were paved with asphalt, and there were many people on bicycles, with the occasional car driving past.
Since neither of them had been to the county town before, they had to ask for directions along the way to find the textile factory.
When they reached the entrance, An Ning looked at An Guoming, who had stopped walking, and asked,
"Aren’t we going in?"
"They don’t just let anyone in."
An Guoming looked around before saying to An Ning, "You wait here. I’ll go ask around."
"Alright."
An Ning obediently stayed put, watching An Guoming pull a palm-sized cardboard box out of his pocket.
He opened it, took out a cigarette, and handed it to the old man at the factory gate. The two of them struck up a conversation.
An Ning stood motionlessly to the side, waiting.
"How is it broken again? This damn thing breaks every other day, and I’ve got a batch of goods to get out."
"When is the repairman supposed to get here?"
"They said it’ll be three days."
"Three days! That’s unacceptable!"
"I—AAAH—"
An Ning, the one who was bumped, didn’t budge an inch. It was the man speaking behind her who took a big fall. The person next to him was helping him up.
"Oof, when did they put up a telephone pole here?"
The man stood up with help, and upon seeing An Ning, he looked behind her. There was no telephone pole.
’Then what did I hit?’
"Director, you ran into this young lady."
The director glanced at his secretary, then at the demure-looking An Ning. He found it hard to believe.
The factory director, Li Changzhu, shook his head slightly and asked An Ning, "Are you alright?"
"I’m fine."
An Ning was perfectly fine, but she had overheard the two men’s conversation.
"Are you the director of the textile factory?"
"That’s me."
Li Changzhu really had no time to talk. He spoke to An Ning with some urgency, "Young lady, if you’re alright, I have to go."
"Wait a moment."
An Ning’s words stopped him. Li Changzhu’s brow furrowed. ’Is she trying to shake me down?’
"What do you want?"
"I want to see the broken machine you were talking about. Maybe I can fix it."
An Ning spoke with perfect calm, but Li Changzhu simply scoffed, at a loss for what to say to this young girl.
"I did run into you, but you’re fine, right? If you were injured, I’d take you to the hospital. I’d do whatever’s necessary."
After speaking impatiently, Li Changzhu nodded to the person beside him. He was truly in a hurry to get back.
But An Ning persisted:
"Just let me try. What if I succeed?"