One big and one small are practicing love

Just as Liu Xiaochen finished speaking, his phone vibrated and then turned off automatically.

Staring at the black screen of his phone, he thought that he probably didn't know the answer either, and was even more confused. Maybe... he didn't care about this question at all.

'Hello fellow passengers, you are about to arrive at Baoding Station. Passengers getting off the train please prepare in advance and bring your luggage...'

Hearing the announcement from the radio, Liu Xiaochen came back to his senses, took a deep breath, and wiped the tears from his face with the back of his hand. Then plug the phone into the power bank and throw it into the schoolbag. With his arms wrapped around his schoolbag, he turned to look out the window at the dark night, crying uncontrollably.

Tired and sleepy from crying, I fell asleep unconsciously.

‘Zi~Zi~Zi~’

Feeling something vibrating in his arms, Liu Xiaochen woke up, squinted his eyes, took out his cell phone from his bag, and turned off the alarm. He raised his wrist and looked at his watch. It was 3:18 in the morning. Looking out the window, it was still pitch black.

"We've arrived at Xingtai Station. Passengers getting off the train, wake up." The flight attendant shouted while walking down the aisle.

Liu Xiaochen rubbed his sleepy eyes and yawned. Then he picked up his schoolbag, picked up the two gift boxes at his feet - Peking duck bought at the train station, and got off the bus with the flow of people.

I still underestimated the coldness at night. The cold wind was blowing. Just after I got off the car and took a few steps, my face, neck, and hands quickly lost temperature.

As I walked, I thought, there must be no bus to the county town from this point. Do you have to wait four or five hours in the cold wind? It's better to find a hotel to rest for a while.

Thinking about it, we soon approached the exit. I heard a burst of lively shouting in the distance. When I got closer, I saw many people standing crowded at the exit of the station under the dim lights. They were holding signs and shouting.

"Stay in the hotel, stay in the hotel, stay in the hotel at the train station..."

"Take a taxi, take a taxi, take a taxi in the city..."

"Weixian, Weixian..."

"Qinghe County..."

Listening to the familiar local accent, I saw them working hard for survival in the dark night. Liu Xiaochen felt a surge of heat and had the urge to cry.

Following the shouting person, Liu Xiaochen arrived at the bus in Qinghe County. More than half of the people were already in the car, and other guests would have to wait for a while.

There was no air conditioning in the car, the door was open, and cold wind blew in. After Liu Xiaochen sat down, he felt cold, tired and sleepy, but couldn't sleep. I took out my phone from my school bag, turned it on, and saw three text message reminders.

One is a battery leakage reminder, Zuo Kunmin’s number.

The other two text messages were from Zuo Kunmin: Xiaoxiao, I don’t know how to answer you. In the past two days, I have been thinking about these issues.

You can go about your business with peace of mind, and when you come back, we can have a frank talk. When you get home, tell me that you are safe. If you have any difficulties or inconveniences, please feel free to tell me.

The bus bumped and swayed, warm wind blew slowly, the interior was dimly lit, and the roar of the engine and snoring could be heard silently.

Liu Xiaochen fell asleep hazily, then woke up dizzy, just half asleep and half awake. Until the bus stopped, the conductor shouted: Qinghe Bus Station has arrived.

When we got off the bus, it was dawn and the wind was cool and cold.

Maybe I have been in Beijing for a long time and am used to seeing brand-new high-rise buildings. When I see familiar small stations, I feel a strong sense of dilapidation and desolation.

As soon as I stepped out of the station, I heard the cries of sales, smelled the aroma of rice, and saw the white steam swirling around. The oil-stained billboard with white characters on a red background read: Egg Soup, Tofu Pudding, Wontons, Instant Noodles...

I'm hungry and miss these tastes.

"A bowl of egg soup and two fried dough sticks, thank you." After Liu Xiaochen finished speaking, he found a low table with no one and sat down. He put down the gift box, unzipped his schoolbag, and looked down for his wallet.

"Are you Liu Liying's daughter?"

Liu Xiaochen had just found his wallet when he heard someone behind him saying his mother's name in a local accent and immediately turned around to look. I saw a plump, middle-aged woman sitting on the small table next to her, looking at Liu Xiaochen with a smile.

Liu Xiaochen recognized it at a glance. It was the second daughter of the Cao family who used to run a grocery store next to his restaurant. He smiled quickly and said, "Hello, second sister."

"I look like you, but I haven't seen you for a long time, and I don't dare to recognize such a fashionable and beautiful girl. I didn't expect it to be you." The second sister smiled, pulled Ma Zha, sat down next to Liu Xiaochen, and continued: "Are you in college or working now?"

"A senior in college." Liu Xiaochen smiled back and asked, "Second sister, what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

Second Sister Cao pointed to the spot where she had been sitting just now. There was a bulging snakeskin bag on the ground, and said, "I'm holding a night market on the pedestrian street in the county town. I'm going to go home."

"What time does the show last? Why don't you go home at this time?"

"The stall closes at around 12 o'clock. I don't have a car at night, so I will sleep in the cash machine for a while and catch the 6:[-] a.m. bus back to the village."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Xiaochen's breakfast was delivered.

"Second sister, what did you order? Why don't you eat mine first?" Liu Xiaochen said, pushing the steaming bowl in front of Second Sister Cao.

Second Sister Cao glanced at the egg soup, turned away and said with a smile, "I'm not hungry. I'll go home soon and eat at home."

Liu Xiaochen couldn't help but order another bowl of tofu puffs and a drawer of small steamed buns, and ate them with Second Sister Cao.

After eating, Liu Xiaochen took a taxi and asked Second Sister Cao to sit with her. She was married to Liu Xiaochen's village. On the way, the two chatted for a long time.