Chapter 1506: Chance Encounter
Next day.
The sky was starting to brighten.
In the morning, downstairs of the residential building.
Dong Xuebing pulled two large and small suitcases out of the building"s hallway and walked out. He squinted to avoid the sunlight hitting his face, found his Land Rover parked in the courtyard, opened the trunk, and placed the luggage inside. Then, he called the director of the county government office, Ma Bin, and asked him to come downstairs. He handed over the keys to his dormitory and office to him, signed his name on the doc.u.ments, and thus wholly severed ties with Zhen Shui County. With the handover completed and social obligations fulfilled, it was time to leave.
Dong Xuebing had initially planned to leave quietly. He had bid farewell to everyone he needed to, and he didn"t want to make a big scene. That"s why he had gotten up so early. However, perhaps he had spent too much time downstairs, or perhaps his conversation with Ma Bin was too loud, but someone heard him.
After a moment, many people came downstairs.
There was Pu An, Chang Juan, and Li Xiaona, among others.
"Mayor Dong."
"Why are you all coming down?"
"We have to see you off. We thought you"d leave in the morning."
"Thank you all, but there"s no need to see me off. You can all go back."
"Wait a moment. We haven"t given you the local specialties yet."
"Hey, I was trying to leave quietly and not cause you all trouble."
"Mayor Dong, no, it should be Director Dong now. Be careful when you go back. Here"s a mask for you. I heard there"s been another influenza flu outbreak in Beijing recently. You need to be extra cautious."
"Alright, I"ll take it. Thank you."
"Drive safely and have a smooth journey. Come back when you have time."
"Sure, I will. Take care, everyone. See you when I have the chance."
Many people came out, and Dong Xuebing even saw Jiang Fangfang"s face through a window on the upper floor. He nodded to her without making a sound. After bidding farewell to everyone, he finally got into the car, waved goodbye, and drove away. He always found such scenes challenging to handle, leaving him slightly sour. So, he turned on the music, played a lively song by w.a.n.g Feng, and let the upbeat melody dispel the sadness and melancholy in his heart. Opening the side window, letting the wind rush against his face, Dong Xuebing unconsciously hummed along with the music while steering with one hand.
Half an hour later, the car drove out of the county suburbs.
Dong Xuebing didn"t look back; his gaze was fixed straight ahead. He silently said to himself, "Goodbye, Zhen Shui."
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
In the morning, Dong Xuebing crossed three cities, heading east.
At noon, Dong Xuebing stopped at a small town restaurant to grab a bite. Then, he continued driving, listening to music leisurely. It was no longer just a journey but a leisurely stroll in the mountains and waters. Sometimes, when he arrived at a lovely lakeside, Dong Xuebing would stop the car, squint his eyes, and smoke a cigarette. Sometimes, he would even stroll around the lake before continuing.
Walking and stopping.
He was enjoying himself thoroughly.
He had let go of all his burdens. He thoroughly enjoyed this rare leisure without an official position, work, or worries.
"I want a life that blooms in a fury."
"Like flying in the vast sky."
Dong Xuebing sang loudly, off-key because the windows were open. The sunroof was also open. As other vehicles pa.s.sed Dong Xuebing"s slow-moving Land Rover on the highway, they would glance at him speechlessly. His singing voice wasn"t charming, but Dong Xuebing didn"t care in this environment; he sang when he wanted to and shouted when he wanted to, and it felt incredibly satisfying.
Ahead.
Another highway service area.
Dong Xuebing stopped the car and went to use the restroom.
After coming out, because he didn"t feel like going to a restaurant for dinner, he went to a supermarket and grabbed some snacks and hamburgers before checking out.
"Need a ride?"
"Yeah, is it convenient?"
"Where are you headed?"
"I"m unfamiliar with this area but heading towards Beijing."
"Oh, that"s not on my way. I"m getting off at the next exit on the highway."
"Hehe, it"s okay. Thank you anyway."
Outside the supermarket, Dong Xuebing heard someone speaking. It was the back view of a middle-aged woman who seemed to be asking a young couple driving a Jetta if she could hitch a ride. Dong Xuebing was no stranger to "hitchhiking," but he had never tried it. When he heard that she was heading to Beijing, he couldn"t help but take another look. Although he couldn"t see her face, the woman"s back suggested that she was not young, as evidenced by her black shoes and black stockings, which were old-fas.h.i.+oned. Young women rarely wore such attire. Her slightly plump figure and husky voice indicated that she was probably in her forties. Hmm, why did she look somewhat familiar?
Over there.
The woman turned her head and asked another young person.
"Can I catch a ride with you to Beijing?"
"I"m not going to Beijing either."
"Can you drop me off somewhere along the way?"
"I"m in a hurry. Sorry, sister. Maybe ask someone else."
"It"s okay. Thank you anyway, young man."
The woman had tried a few times but failed to hitch a ride. Seeing the scorching sun overhead, it was already past two in the afternoon, the hottest time of the day in summer. Sweat stains could be seen on the back of her s.h.i.+rt, and her bra straps were partially visible through the semi-transparent fabric. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and walked to a shady spot under the supermarket, awning to escape the sun.
Dong Xuebing got back into his car after reversing, and after some thought, he drove over to where the woman was. He rolled down the window and shouted, "Sister, are you going to Beijing?"
The woman s.h.i.+elded her eyes from the sun with one hand and looked over. "Yes."
Dong Xuebing could only see half of her face below her hand. "I"m also heading back to Beijing, and it"s on my way. However, I might not be able to reach Beijing directly as I need to stop in Fenzhou City first."
"That"s okay. A part of the way is fine."
"Alright, then, please get in."
"Okay, thank you, young man."
The woman walked out of the shade and stepped onto the scorching ground.
As she let go of the door handle, Dong Xuebing could finally see her face. She had her hair tied up and was wearing gla.s.ses with a gold wire frame and a gold wire gla.s.ses chain hung behind her ears. She was a cla.s.sy middle-aged woman with an air of elegance. Usually, Dong Xuebing would instinctively glance at a woman"s chest or legs after looking at her face, but not this time. This woman"s face stunned him.
The woman got into the car, her eyes still dazzled by the sun.
Dong Xuebing was pleasantly surprised. "Teacher Jiang! Ha, it"s you!"
Jiang Min was taken aback momentarily, then smiled and looked at the young man carefully. After a moment, she laughed and pointed at him, hesitating, "Dong… Dong Xuebing?"
Dong Xuebing was pleasantly surprised. "Wow, you still remember me?"
Jiang Min was also surprised and laughed, "You only graduated three years ago. How could I forget you?"
The elegant lady was Teacher Jiang Min from Beijing United University. When Dong Xuebing was in college, Teacher Jiang was not only the head teacher of his cla.s.s in the Computer Science Department but also taught them advanced mathematics. It could be said that Dong Xuebing was under Teacher Jiang"s guidance for four years. Moreover, when Dong Xuebing"s father pa.s.sed away, and the family was in dire financial straits, Teacher Jiang knew about it. She had taken Dong Xuebing to her faculty dormitory more than once to cook for him. When Dong Xuebing was about to graduate and had failed a subject, Teacher Jiang also helped him plead his case, eventually allowing him to pa.s.s. Therefore, Teacher Jiang was the most respected teacher of Dong Xuebing during his university years. He never expected to encounter her here.
Dong Xuebing was thrilled. "I didn"t expect to run into you here. It"s so far away. Why are you here and not teaching?"
"It"s summer vacation now."
"Oh, I forgot about that."
"Hehe, I"m here on vacation. My health isn"t as good as I get older, so I wanted to move around a bit. That"s why I came out with my colleagues."
"Why hitchhike?"
"You young people are into this, so I wanted to experience it too."
"Hey, it"s dangerous for you to be alone, especially in such a remote place."
"Originally, several colleagues drove here together. You know Mr. Zhang Hai, right? You may not know him. He"s a new teacher who joined after you graduated. Mr. Zhang got sick suddenly, and despite going to the hospital, he didn"t get better. So they all went back in the car, and Mr. Zhang needed to lie down, and there wasn"t enough s.p.a.ce in the car. I said I would walk around alone and didn"t return with them. Now, here I am, looking to hitchhike slowly." Jiang Min pushed her gla.s.ses with gold frames. "I planned to reach Weiyang City this afternoon, look around, and find a hotel. However, the driver who gave me a ride this morning had something to do here, so he left me at the service area. I asked around for a while, but no one was heading towards Weiyang, or they didn"t want to give me a ride. Look, I"m sweating all over, and there"s nowhere to catch a taxi. Luckily, I ran into you."
"What a coincidence, haha."
"Are you heading back to Beijing too?"
"Yes, and I"m not in a hurry. If you don"t mind, please tell me where you want to go, and I"ll take you there. Whether it"s a scenic spot or something else."
"And you"re offering to be my driver?"
"Hehe, it"s the least I can do. I"m honored."
"You"ve become quite talkative in just a few years. Back in our cla.s.s, you were quiet and introverted. This society does indeed help to develop people."
" I still don"t like to talk much now. It"s just that I"m happy to see you, my mentor, so I"m talking more."
"That sounds nice. But you haven"t come to visit your teacher since graduation."
"Well, um, I"ve been working out of town all this time, so I haven"t had the chance. It"s my fault. So, this time, consider it a punishment, and I"ll be your full-time driver for a few days."
"Hehe, alright. If it"s on your way, then let"s go together. As a single woman, I feel a bit nervous, to be honest."
"Don"t worry, with me here, I"ll make sure you"re safe. Let"s go, your driver-c.u.m-bodyguard is ready. Let"s. .h.i.t the road."