The little county town was not as prosperous as the city, but during the holidays, it was every bit as lively.
The moment Chen Shi'an stepped off the intercity bus and his feet touched the ground, he felt the town's distinctive atmosphere.
The aroma of scallion oil drifted over from a nearby food stall. A supermarket's loudspeaker blared "National Day sale!" on repeat not far away. Several electric tricycles clustered by the railings beside the station entrance, their cargo beds covered with blue cloth canopies washed almost white. The drivers shouted for passengers in the local dialect.
Looking into the distance, he saw none of the towering buildings of the city. Along the main street leading inward from the station, the shops on both sides were all open. Fruit displays practically spilled out onto the road, while folding racks outside clothing stores were hung with discounted autumn clothes. Residents on electric scooters wove through the streets and alleys everywhere.
Back in the place where she had grown up, Wen Zhixia could not have felt more at ease. She chattered away, introducing Chen Shi'an to the little town before them.
"Taoist, see that high school?"
"Shangping County No. 1 High School? Did you go there, Little Cicada?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"Then you must have been top of the school, right?"
"Hehe!"
"What was your uniform like?"
"I'll show you when we get home!"
"Where's your house?"
"It's really close. I used to walk to school, and it only took ten minutes or so. It's easy to find, too. Once you get off at the station, just follow the main street, turn right onto the next street when you reach the school, then keep going straight."
"Is it in a residential complex?"
"No, lots of houses here are privately built. Ours is, too. It