Seeing me standing there in a daze, Old Tang gently patted me. "Brother? What's wrong? Your forehead's covered in sweat."
It took me a long while to recover. I told Old Tang about the old man I'd met on my route that day and the old woman who had come back for her vegetable basket at the end.
Old Tang sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought without saying a word for quite some time. At last, he beckoned me over to sit down and slowly began:
"Brother, if what you're saying is true, you're in serious trouble. Either that old woman or that old man must be something unclean!"
I sighed, picked up the bottle of baijiu on the table, and took a huge swig. Wiping my mouth with my sleeve, I grew angrier the more I thought about it and cursed:
"Old Wu's a real bastard. What kind of goddamn job has he dumped on me? If this gets me killed, I'm taking him with me."
Old Tang curled his lip and spat. "What are you saying, brother? Don't say unlucky things like that."
With that, Old Tang snatched the bottle from my hand and took a huge swig himself.
"Seriously, back when I drove long-distance routes, what hadn't I run into? Ghost walls, mass graves-I'd seen plenty of them!"
At that point, Old Tang seemed to remember something and continued:
"Oh, right! I actually know a master with some spiritual cultivation. Tell you what, I'll give you his address. Go see him when you have time and ask him about it."
Remembering what Old Tang had told me on the phone earlier, I felt frustrated and asked quietly, "Are you sure this master actually exists this time? Don't mess with me again."
Old Tang clicked his tongue, fetched a cup, filled it with liquor, and handed it to me. "Brother, don't worry. This old master has real skills. He'll definitely be able to avert this disaster for you."
I nodded. I was something of a loner. Though I talked to my coworkers at work, most of the time I still preferred being alone.
My relationships with those coworkers felt superficial. Old Tang alone was my closest friend, perhaps because his personality was somewhat like mine and he had always kept to himself too.
After that, we chatted on and off over the food and liquor, enjoying ourselves more and more. We kept drinking until five in the morning before drifting off to sleep.
At ten that morning, my "Most Dazzling Folk Style" ringtone began echoing through my dreams again. I answered in a hoarse voice. It was Third Aunt calling from back home.
"Little Lizi, are you busy today?"
Third Aunt was the classic warmhearted sort, the kind of person who would spend eighty cents on someone else if she only had a dollar.
Whenever anything happened to a family in the village, she was always the first to rush over and help. Ever since she'd learned during my trip home for New Year that I was still single, she'd been beaming as though she'd found a brand-new person to help.
In just a few months, she'd introduced me to seven or eight women. But she never explained things clearly to them beforehand, only telling them I had a regular job at an established organization in the city. Every time, things fell through after we met and they learned I drove a bus.
At that moment, I was too mentally exhausted to think about any of that. I replied impatiently, "What is it, Third Aunt? I'm sleeping. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up."
"Don't hang up, you silly boy! Listen, I've found you a lovely girl this time. I guarantee you'll like her once you meet her!"
I rolled over and said weakly, "Third Aunt, I'm done with blind dates. I'm fine on my own."
Third Aunt grew anxious and raised her voice.
"What's wrong with you, boy? You're the only person in our village who's over thirty and still unmarried. Even if you're not embarrassed, I am! This girl is gorgeous. Don't worry, I told her what you do this time, and she's quite interested. I've already arranged everything. You two are meeting at six tonight. I'll send you the address in a moment!"
I was still half asleep. Just as I was about to refuse and go back to sleep, Third Aunt hung up before I could speak. A message arrived soon afterward.
"It's all arranged with the girl. Six tonight, at Story of Time!"
The moment I saw Story of Time, I was half awake.
It was a very upscale Western restaurant in the city. Dinner for two would cost at least eight hundred to a thousand yuan.
Although Third Aunt lived back in the countryside, she often came into the city to look around. She must have passed the restaurant, thought it looked impressive, and remembered it, putting it to use on me this time.
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, I put down my phone, but I couldn't get back to sleep. By the time I'd gotten up and washed, it was already noon. After a simple lunch, I hurried straight to Old Wu's office.
No matter what, I wasn't driving the Route 13 Last Bus anymore. On my very first night, I'd picked up two things without even knowing whether they were human or ghosts. If I kept driving, I was genuinely afraid I'd lose my life before I even lost my virginity.
Unfortunately, Old Wu had gone to a meeting in the city and probably wouldn't be back anytime soon.
I remembered my six o'clock date. Although I had no hopes for this blind date, we were going to Story of Time, after all. I couldn't show up at such an upscale place looking shabby and embarrass myself.
So I went to a barber for a trim, then returned to the dorm to polish my leather shoes. After all that fussing, it was about time, so I headed to the restaurant.
Story of Time truly lived up to its reputation as the best Western restaurant in the city. Two doormen stood at the entrance just to open doors for guests. Once I entered, a beautiful woman in a smart little suit approached me. I told her I was meeting someone, and she gave me a mysterious smile, nodded, and left, as though she knew I was there on a blind date.
I looked around at the luxurious decor, constantly wondering whether the fifteen hundred yuan in my pocket would cover tonight's dinner.
By chance, I spotted a young woman by the window with long hair falling over her shoulders, her back to me. The restaurant had only one floor, and almost everyone was dining in pairs. She was the only woman with an empty seat opposite her.
I took a deep breath, straightened my sleeves, and slowly walked over.
I couldn't tell much from behind, but when I saw her face, I was stunned. She had delicate features, a graceful figure, and large, wonderfully expressive eyes. She was an absolute beauty!
I'd never imagined Third Aunt had connections like these. Who knew where she'd found them? The woman was so beautiful that I stared blankly for a moment.
She paused too, then asked softly, "Are you Li Yao?"
Coming to my senses, I hurriedly nodded hard and rushed to sit down. Maybe I'd sat down too hastily, or maybe the restaurant's chairs were too slippery, but somehow I landed straight on the floor.
At the thud, everyone in the restaurant turned to look. My face felt hot enough to fry an egg.
The woman laughed so hard she could barely straighten up as she came over to help me up. Once I was seated again, I felt uncomfortable all over. I'd made a fool of myself right from the first impression. My chances were probably shot.
But I had to admit, she wasn't just beautiful; her character was impeccable too. She kept chatting and laughing as though she didn't mind my embarrassing blunder at all.
After brief introductions, I learned that her name was Bai Fan and she worked in HR at a private company in the city. But what really shocked me was that her family actually lived in Tangwazi Village, where I'd just been the night before!
We hit it off quite well. After dinner, she checked the time and said:
"Li Yao, I heard from Third Aunt that you're driving the Route 13 Last Bus now. Since it's Friday tonight, I'd like to go home for a visit too. I can take your bus home later. What time do you leave?"
Bai Fan's words left me so awkward that I didn't know what to say.
I'd originally decided I wouldn't drive Route 13 again even with a knife to my throat. But then I thought, could her sudden suggestion of taking my bus home mean she wanted to spend more time with me? Maybe she was giving me a chance!
After a moment's hesitation, I gritted my teeth and thought, Fuck it, if it's a blessing, it's no disaster. Chances with a girl this good don't come often. I'll drive the route one more time tonight!
So I nodded firmly. "Yes, yes, that's right. I drive the last bus back to your village. I leave at eleven. I'll take you home!"
Bai Fan looked delighted. She smiled at me, revealing two dimples, and I felt my bones melt. No matter how dangerous this trip might be, it was worth it!
It was completely dark when we left the restaurant. Bai Fan and I wandered around for a while before taking a taxi back to the company, where I went to the dorm to change into my uniform.
At eleven sharp, I drove the Route 13 bus out of the starting station once again. Naturally, Bai Fan was my first passenger that night.
She sat in the second seat across from the driver's seat, chatting and laughing with me along the way. I almost forgot everything that had happened the previous night.
Several groups of villagers selling vegetables boarded along the way. What sent a chill down my back was that the old man with the white towel wrapped around his head, who'd chatted with me the night before, had come to ride again!
The sight instantly dragged me out of my dream and back to reality. They said lust was a knife hanging over your head. I'd been so fucking busy trying to please her. What was I supposed to do on the return trip from the paper mill at midnight?
The old man even nodded at me as he boarded. Remembering what the old woman had told me the night before, I deliberately ignored him this time.
But to my surprise, Bai Fan, sitting behind me, actually greeted him warmly.
"Sixth Uncle, did you go into the city to sell vegetables too?"
"Oh, it's Bai Fan! There are more vegetables in the fields than we can eat, so I brought some in for a little spending money." The old man smiled, seemingly in a good mood, then turned to look at me. "Young man, mind if I light up a cigarette?"
I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I remembered the old woman saying yesterday that no one was in that seat and that I'd been talking to myself. It had terrified me into thinking I'd met a ghost.
Today, Bai Fan could see him too. That meant this old man wasn't a ghost at all. Instead, the old woman had been talking nonsense. Thinking back to Old Tang's words, perhaps she was the one who wasn't human?
The journey went smoothly, and I arrived at the paper mill terminus right on time at midnight.
When Bai Fan got off, she gave me her phone number and told me to contact her if I needed anything. I was overjoyed. I thought that although this trip was dangerous, it really had been worth it for my happiness.
On the return journey, I was on tenterhooks the entire time, afraid I'd run into the old woman from the previous night again. Heaven was watching over me: the return trip went smoothly too, with nothing unusual happening.
At one in the morning, I finally returned to the company. After parking the bus, I let out a long breath.
Although everything had gone smoothly, I'd been tense the whole time. Without realizing it, I'd soaked the back of my clothes with sweat.
After getting off the bus, I was passing the company gatehouse when I actually spotted Old Wu staggering back. My anger flared immediately. I hadn't been able to find him during the day, but now was the perfect time to settle the score.
I quickened my pace and caught up. A strong reek of alcohol hit me, but I ignored it and grabbed his clothes. "Old Wu, what have I ever done to you? Why are you screwing me over like this?"
My sudden grab startled Old Wu. Turning to see it was me, he patted his chest. "Little Li, you scared me to death! What's gotten into you? How have I screwed you over?"
"The Route 13 Last Bus was already running ten years ago. Three drivers in succession got into accidents, each with a whole busload of people. You knew about this! Why did you make me take such a cursed shift?"
Old Wu was clearly shocked by what I said. He asked quietly, "Brother, that was ten years ago. Nobody at this company knows about it except me. Who told you?"
Seeing that Old Wu showed no sign of admitting fault, I seized his collar and hauled him forward.
"I'm telling you, no secret stays buried forever. Old Tang told me. Still think you can play me for a fool? Surprised? Didn't see that coming, did you?"
But Old Wu looked bewildered as he said:
"Old Tang? Which Old Tang? We don't have anyone named Tang on our driving team."
That made me even angrier. I knew Old Tang kept a low profile and liked being alone, but surely Old Wu, as the team captain, had to know him. I remembered asking Old Tang his name and roared at Old Wu:
"You don't know Old Tang? Tang Xiansheng! What the hell are you playing dumb for?"
The moment I finished speaking, Old Wu stepped up and gave me a hard slap across the face. It was no light blow; my head spun.
I cursed, "Old Wu, you fucking dare hit me?"
Old Wu looked even angrier than I was. His eyes widened as he pointed at me and shouted:
"Fuck your Tang Xiansheng! What kind of bullshit are you spouting? He was the very first Route 13 driver ten years ago. He's been fucking dead for years!"