Chapter 77 - 76: Running Away from Home (2)
Zhao Meimei lay in bed that night, eyes wide open, pondering how she could possibly get to the provincial capital. The farthest place she had ever been was to her Brother Yangyang’s house in the city center.
Zhao Meimei’s mind was racing, calculating step by step how she should proceed, like solving a math problem.
Zhao Meimei wasn’t in the habit of saving her pocket money. Whatever her mom gave her, she’d take and spend right away. Moreover, her mom only ever gave her enough for a popsicle on a hot day.
The family’s money was all kept in the drawer of the master bedroom, usually saved up for a week until her dad had a day off to take it to the bank.
Today was Wednesday, and there were already three days’ worth of funds in the drawer.
Zhao Meimei licked her lips, her neat upper teeth biting down on her lower lip. With money, she could take a taxi to the bus station, buy a ticket to the provincial capital, and once there, take another cab to her Brother Yangyang’s school. Surely, she could find him by asking around if needed.
Having determined her plan, Zhao Meimei felt her anxious heart relax a bit, and she soon fell asleep.
The next day, Zhao Meimei got up as usual, washed up, had breakfast, said goodbye to her dad, and then sat on the sofa absent-mindedly, one eye on the TV show and the other watching her mom busying herself in the kitchen.
Liu Xiue tidied up, changed her clothes in the bedroom, carefully combed her hair, and before leaving, instructed Zhao Meimei: "Don’t watch too much TV, remember to do your homework, and don’t sit so close to the TV; it’s bad for your eyes!"
Zhao Meimei leaned back on the sofa, waved goodbye to her mom, and as soon as her mom closed the door and her footsteps echoed down the hallway, Zhao Meimei jumped up and dashed into the master bedroom.