The bus set off. Li Long had a window seat, and he watched the scenery change outside.
After a row of low, single-story houses came Poplar Grove, with vast stretches of farmland beyond it.
Anyone who had read "In Praise of the White Poplar" would know that white poplars, or sky-reaching poplars as the locals called them, grew straight and tall, and groves of them made good windbreaks against blowing sand. That was why several rows of white poplars were usually planted along the roads and field edges here. Beneath Poplar Grove grew a lush green carpet of Sophora alopecuroides.
Occasionally, one or two low, single-story houses appeared beside the road, with "Water," "Tire changes," or "Inn" written on them in white lime.
Technically, these were all unauthorized buildings, since private houses had not originally been allowed along the road. But these people made their living here and provided a convenience for long-haul drivers, and there was no dedicated agency overseeing such things yet, so they had been allowed to stay.
Over time, more and more roadside buildings appeared, even growing into sizeable clusters at important spots. These became regular stopping places for drivers, and later came restaurants, bathhouses, repair shops, and so on.
Once they had stood long enough, the unauthorized buildings became legal ones. Li Long remembered that someone from Liang Wenyu's village had opened a small restaurant along this road and later received quite a sum in demolition compensation when Route 312 was widened.
The bus from the county town to Wu City usually made no stops, since the journey was only a little over a hundred kilometers. But to Li Long's puzzlement, this time, as they approached Hu County, the bus pulled over and stopped.
"Get off to relieve yourselves and take a break. There are