The Route 716 long-distance bus left the city's main terminal and made its leisurely way toward Shangping County.
Chen Shi'an and the three girls sat in two rows, one behind the other. Fat Cat had stopped staying in the backpack, too, climbing out to curl up on Chen Shi'an's lap, yawning lazily before dozing off.
With such a long ride and such an early departure, quite a few passengers took the chance to close their eyes and nap. The three girls, however, were full of energy. After all, they were about to visit the Taoist Temple where the Taoist had grown up.
Chen Shi'an was talking to the middle-aged man across the aisle, Li Wanyin and Wen Zhixia were chatting, and Lin Meng Qiu had taken out a book. She wasn't really absorbing much of it, though, listening now to Chen Shi'an and the man, now to Sister Wanyin and Annoying Cicada.
"...Zhizhi, do you usually take this bus home, too?"
"Yep. Your family's in Santang County, right, Sister Wanyin?"
"Right. How long does it usually take you to get home?"
"Mm, it's pretty quick! I live right in the County Seat, and this bus basically takes me straight there. Once I get off, it's only another ten minutes or so on foot."
"That close! It's a much longer trip to my place. After taking the bus to the County Town, I still have to catch another ride to Town..."
"Don't you need to go home to pay respects to your ancestors this Qingming, Sister Wanyin?"
"Haha... it's fine. We do it as a group back home, with several households going together. As long as the adults in the family go, it's fine. If we're busy, we don't go back. What about your family, Zhizhi?"
"Same for us! But it's