After being away for days, I returned to the company and found everything comforting and familiar, except for the Route 13 Last Bus parked in the northwest corner.
Little Six went without saying. Throughout my absence, he had driven every night without complaint, and when he saw me, he was still the same good buddy, calling me his brother.
Old Wu, of course, wasn't nearly so good-tempered.
As soon as I returned, he called me into his office, where he spent half an hour pointing in my face and chewing me out.
But for all his scolding, Old Wu never once mentioned firing me during that half hour. It wasn't that he couldn't bear to lose me; he couldn't fire me.
He was the fourth driver himself. He understood the stakes better than anyone.
"A best man? Keep making things up. With you looking like that, would the cameraman even let you in the shot?"
I lowered my head and looked at my filthy clothes, pants, and shoes.
The countryside was simply too dusty. I had only spent a few days in Tangwazi, but hiding here and there and always moving at night had inevitably left me a complete mess.
Old Wu had already lectured me for half an hour, but he still showed no sign of stopping.
I had planned to rest first, then find a chance that evening to set up a Hongmen banquet and lay my cards on the table.
But he wouldn't stop lecturing me, and I really couldn't take it anymore.
"Old Wu, that's enough. It's not like I've been on vacation these past few days. Look at me-I've had it pretty rough!"
"You brought that on yourself. Did I tell you to go?"
I gave a cold laugh and said:
"You didn't tell me to go. You were the one who brought me here!"
What I meant was that I blamed him for dragging me into this Route 13 Last Bus business. Naturally, Old Wu understood. At a loss for words, he just stared at me.
"Old Wu, those brothers who went down into Demon Cave with you back then-are you still in touch?"
At my words, Old Wu's eyes instantly went wide.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know about the others, but Guan Jun is doing pretty well for himself!"
The moment I said Guan Jun's name, Old Wu froze. After a long while, he slumped limply against the backrest.
"How do you know about Guan Jun?"
Seeing that I had piqued Old Wu's interest, I had achieved my purpose and didn't want to say any more.
"I know plenty. One of these days, I'll buy some food and liquor, and we can have a nice long chat."
With that, I left the office without waiting for Old Wu to react.
It was time. Within the next few days, I would lay my cards on the table and trade Liu Yunbo's secret for a way out of Route 13!
That evening, seeing that I had rushed back worn and dusty from my travels, Little Six wanted to keep driving. I refused no matter what.
The guy had already driven the night shift for a whole week straight. Now that I was back, I intended to let Little Six get some proper rest.
After spending so long in Tangwazi Village, I had gotten to know quite a few villagers.
Most of the people who boarded that night looked familiar. Some of the villagers recognized me too and greeted me.
The round trip to the paper mill went fairly smoothly, and at one in the morning, I drove the Route 13 bus back to the company.
The moon was bright that night, and I still felt wide awake. Suddenly hungry, I wanted to go out for a late-night meal.
Changxin Street, where our company was located, wasn't in a bustling part of the city, so no restaurants were still open at that hour.
I hailed a taxi and told the driver I wanted somewhere nearby that hadn't closed yet, where I could get something to eat. After thinking for quite a while, he decided to take me to Nanjing Road Food Street.
Nanjing Road Food Street was forty or fifty minutes from our company by car. Along the way, I looked out the window at the deserted streets. There wasn't a soul in sight.
When the car reached Great East Gate, I spotted what looked like a restaurant with its lights on in a narrow alley.
I quickly asked the driver to stop, but by the time he hit the brakes, we had already passed the alley entrance.
"Just let me out here. I saw a restaurant inside that alley back there!"
As the driver counted out my change, he tilted his head and said:
"There's a restaurant open around here? I drive nights every day. How come I've never seen it?"
"It looked like it was tucked inside the alley. You probably just never noticed it!"
The driver gave me my change, still looking puzzled and saying he had never seen it.
I got out and walked back fifty meters to the alley where the restaurant was.
The alley ran between two residential complexes, and the shops on both sides had their metal shutters down.
Only one restaurant deeper inside the alley had an LED sign flashing: Great East Gate Noodle Shop.
The restaurant had a small storefront, and its wall finish was old. It had probably been opened specifically to serve the nearby residential complexes.
I pushed the door open and went inside, and the place really caught my eye. The decor was very retro, with a large fan hanging from the ceiling and old objects placed all around.
I found a seat, and a man nearing middle age came out of the kitchen in an old-fashioned, short-sleeved collared shirt.
He smiled at me and came over with a menu.
Still curious about the room's style, I kept looking around.
"Sir, is this a retro-themed restaurant?"
He didn't answer, only looked at me and smiled.
"I have to say, the decor looks really authentic. It's like the style from when I was a kid. You've really put a lot of thought into such a small place!"
The middle-aged man nodded and said softly:
"Of course, of course!"
Then he handed me a paper menu. I took it and couldn't help staring.
"Wow, even the printing on your menu looks like something from the eighties. And you hardly ever see this kind of paper anymore."
The middle-aged man seemed very patient. He nodded and asked with a smile:
"Take a look. What would you like?"
I looked over the menu and ordered a bowl of noodles.
Although it was only a bowl of noodles, he carefully wrote it down on paper with a pencil before turning and going into the kitchen.
The room wasn't large, with only six small tables. Each table also had a thermos and a large tea mug.
The thermoses were the old-fashioned kind with metal casings, much like the ones my family had used when I was little in both style and quality.
The large tea mugs were wide-mouthed metal mugs coated in yellow paint. I remembered our neighbors using them for both tea and water when I was a kid.
Everything here made me happy. I really hadn't expected to find an eighties-themed restaurant in such an inconspicuous little corner.
I filled the mug with water and drank as I waited for my noodles.
Within a few minutes, the man came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of noodles.
I was terribly hungry, so as soon as the noodles arrived, I hurriedly began taking big mouthfuls.
I hadn't expected such an unassuming bowl of noodles to be so perfectly seasoned, chewy, and smooth. I gave him a thumbs-up and said:
"Mmm, sir, you're a pretty good cook!"
Seeing how much I enjoyed the food, he simply sat down on the stool across from me.
"What do you do for work?"
Still chewing, I said indistinctly:
"I drive a bus out of Changxin Street Bus Station!"
"Oh, you drive a big vehicle. Why are you only eating this late?"
I took a sip of noodle broth and answered with a smile:
"I drive the Route 13 Last Bus to the paper mill. It's already one by the time I get back to the station. I got hungry!"
He seemed to freeze for a moment when he heard that I drove the last bus.
"Sir, these are all old residential complexes around here, so I imagine most of the residents are elderly. Does anyone come to eat at an all-night place like yours?"
He nodded and said:
"Yes, business is pretty good. The regulars nearby keep us going. A few customers had just left before you came in."
"Just left? It's such a small alley. I didn't see anyone when I came!"
Seeing me wolf down the noodles in just a few mouthfuls, he smiled and said:
"Still hungry? I'll get you another bowl!"
"Sure. Honestly, sir, it's not just your decor that's special. These noodles taste really good too!"
He got up and went back to the kitchen, returning shortly with another full bowl of noodles for me.
A few minutes later, I had polished off the second bowl as well.
I wiped my mouth and checked the time. It was already two thirty in the morning.
I immediately got up and asked the owner for the bill.
He smiled and said:
"Twenty cents altogether!"
Holding my wallet, I was about to take out the money when I froze.
"Twenty cents?"
He said nothing and nodded.
"Sir, with your decor and your cooking, even twenty yuan wouldn't be too much. Stop messing with me. How much is it really?"
"Twenty cents."
He didn't look as though he was joking. He stared at me and repeated it.
I stood there for a while, thinking that perhaps he wanted to give me a discount because it was my first visit.
So I smiled, took out fifteen yuan, slapped it on the table, and said:
"Thank you, sir. I appreciate the thought. It's the middle of the night, and you've got it hard too. There's really no need for a discount!"
Afraid he would insist on giving me change, I turned and left the restaurant as soon as I finished speaking.
A full stomach made me sleepy. After feeling alert all night, I finally felt a little tired.
I waited by the roadside for a long time before finally getting a taxi. The driver must have noticed me burping, because he asked:
"Buddy, what did you eat at home to get that stuffed?"
I leaned back in the seat, yawned, and said:
"Nothing much. Had a bowl of noodles at a restaurant."
The driver glanced at me and said:
"There's a restaurant around here? Is it new? I drive nights every day. Where is it? I'll grab a bite there when I'm hungry!"
I answered quietly:
"In that little alley where you just picked me up."
The driver laughed.
"Buddy, are you telling me ghost stories in the middle of the night? Trying to test my nerves? My sister lives in the complex in there. I go down that alley all the time. What noodle shop?"
I was just about to explain exactly where it was when I couldn't help burping again.
With that burp, I even spat a short piece of noodle onto my sleeve.
I lazily picked it off and was about to throw it out the window when I suddenly dropped it in fright.
That wasn't a noodle!
What I had been holding was actually a long, thin, white maggot!!