Setting Off for B City

Xue Chen and Liu Neng exchanged a look, then each grabbed one of Lin Ran's arms. "Come on, let's take a walk. I heard someone's setting off fireworks over at Lijing Garden tonight. Let's go have a look."

Lin Ran opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping himself. He wanted to say there was no need to go, but they were already dragging him outside. He could only shake his head helplessly and hurry after them. He also wanted to see what fireworks looked like. After all, he had only seen them a few times on the news growing up.

Lijing Garden was located in a theme park downtown. It was said to have been designed for Hong Kong Island's upcoming return. When the three arrived, they found that many people had already gathered there. Most stood in groups of two or three, families of three or five.

"Um... I'm kind of bored. How about we go back?" Lin Ran noticed that Xue Chen had been staring at a father and son. Beside them stood a gentle-looking woman, watching with a smile. The atmosphere between the three made it easy to tell they were a family.

So he assumed his good friend had been reminded of painful memories and was feeling upset. He immediately took the initiative to suggest going home.

"Yeah... I don't think it's that great either. Let's go back together," Liu Neng said. He was a thoughtful person. One look at Lin Ran's expression was enough for him to understand what was going on, and he put on a bored expression as well.

"Enough, you two. Even though my parents are gone, it's enough that I remember they loved me. I'm not as fragile as you think," Xue Chen said with a smile. He did not feel there was anything wrong with it. If anything, he found this atmosphere comforting and truly enjoyed it.

Seeing that Xue Chen insisted on staying, Lin Ran and Liu Neng stopped trying to persuade him. They found a spot and sat down, watching the fireworks rise into the sky and burst open. Who could have imagined that decades later, fireworks would be banned across the country, and sights like this would become rarer and rarer?

"I wonder, after we all go our separate ways, will we still have a chance to meet again?" Liu Neng murmured as he looked at the brilliant fireworks in the night sky.

Lin Ran nodded slightly. "Mm." Deep down, he felt a faint sense of loss.

"We can keep in touch by phone, or write letters," Xue Chen said. He had originally wanted to suggest texting and video chatting on their phones, but remembering the era they were in, where BB pagers were the most common thing, he immediately changed his words.

"But it still won't be as convenient as meeting in person," Lin Ran sighed.

Liu Neng nodded as well. "Yeah, meeting up won't be easy, unless we're like Li An and go to France to study."

"Can you not mention him? What a mood killer," Lin Ran said with distaste, though for some reason, his face suddenly turned red.

Xue Chen and Liu Neng exchanged another look, but this time neither said anything. After all, it was still uncertain whether those two would end up together. There was no point worrying about it now. It was better to let things take their course.

After the fireworks ended, the three went home, each back to their own mother.

Xue Chen walked Lin Ran home. They wished each other good night at the door, then went inside.

"Dad, Mom, I'm ba—" The words died in his throat. Before him was a pitch-black room, empty and desolate. He suddenly missed the days when he had stayed with Qin Zhou and the others on Hong Kong Island. "Looks like I really have too much free time," he muttered self-mockingly, then took off his clothes, washed up, and lay down in bed to sleep.

Setting Off for B City

Time flew by. After saying goodbye to Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin, Xue Chen and Lin Ran boarded the train to B City with their Peking University admission notices in hand. Since S City was not far from B City, Xue Chen had originally planned to take a coach. But passenger transport was not as developed as it would be in later years, and the small coaches only had room for a dozen or so passengers, making tickets extremely hard to get.

With no other choice, they took the train instead. Following the numbers on their tickets, they came to a pair of window seats, only to find them occupied by a middle-aged man and woman.

"Sorry, I think these are our seats. Please move," Xue Chen said.

The middle-aged man sitting on the outside looked up at him, and the woman beside him did the same. Neither showed the slightest intention of moving.

Seeing that they had no intention of leaving, Lin Ran frowned slightly. "What do you mean by this?"

"What are you talking about? We bought tickets for these seats too. Since when did they become yours? What, you see that my husband and I are older, so you want to scam us?" The middle-aged woman sitting inside said, openly sizing Lin Ran up before turning her gaze to Xue Chen. Her expression made it seem as though she was certain they would give up the seats. "Or are you two trying to rob us? I heard there's already a robbery gang out there. Don't tell me it's you two?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Lin Ran snapped, never expecting her to be so shameless.

"What, guilty conscience? Could it be... I was right? Let me tell you, my son is in H City. He's waiting for us at the train station right now, so don't make trouble for yourselves," the middle-aged woman said in a sarcastic tone.

Xue Chen looked at her and asked, "You just said your son is waiting for you at the H City train station?"

"Of course. You'd better watch yourselves." The woman spoke aggressively, paying no attention to the people around them pointing and whispering.

"Young man, don't pay them any mind. If you're too tired, just sit over here with us. This couple has no manners at all. They took off their shoes as soon as they got on the train, and the smell is drifting everywhere," an older woman seated across from them said, covering her nose and shaking her head with undisguised disgust.

"I smelled it too." Another elderly woman beside her nodded. "Such poor manners."

"Children raised by parents like that can't be much better either."

Listening to the people around her, the woman felt her cheeks burn. But she was still fiercely combative, cursing out everyone who had gathered to watch. Then she looked triumphantly at Xue Chen and Lin Ran, as though victory was already hers.

She and her husband had originally planned to visit their son in H City. Their son might even be promoted to deputy section chief because of his good performance. But since they had left in too much of a hurry, they had only managed to buy two standing tickets. When they boarded the train and saw two empty seats beside them, they sat down without a second thought.