Chapter 14: The Copper Lotus

This is a copper lotus; the lotus leaf serves as the base, about ten centimeters in diameter, and the flower bud rests directly upon the leaf. The flower is not yet open, but one can feel the gaps between the petals.

So it's a solid piece of copper this size; no wonder this thing is so heavy!

Although Li Banfeng doesn't have much research into antiques, he can still tell that this is an extremely exquisite ornament.

But is this ornament really that important?

What does He Jiaqing mean by insisting that I bring it to his hometown?

Is that Captain Xiao going to kill me just for this thing?

What secret is hidden inside this lotus?

Having slept too much these past few days and having nothing else to do, Li Banfeng has been studying this copper lotus constantly.

From dawn until two in the afternoon, he still hasn't been able to open the copper lotus.

*Squeak—*

The announcer reported the station: "The train is about to arrive at Yaowanggou Station. Passengers getting off, please pack your luggage and prepare to disembark."

Arrived!

Arrived at Yaowanggou!

Li Banfeng hurriedly grabbed the silk, yellow paper, and other items, wrapped the copper lotus well, put it into his backpack, packed the remaining three boxes of instant noodles, one box of potato chips, and one and a half packs of spicy gluten strips, then pushed the door open and walked out of the carriage.

Since getting on the train, this is the first time Li Banfeng has walked out of his own carriage, and it is also the first time he has seen the other passengers on the same train.

At first, Li Banfeng was a bit uneasy, fearing he might encounter unknown creatures like those with three heads.

There were quite a few people standing in front of the carriage door waiting to get off, but they were all normal—at least, they looked normal.

Some people shouldn't have gotten off at this station, but they had to get off early because they were about to starve to death.

A man wearing a suit, with his left hand in his pocket and his right hand carrying a suitcase, stood beside Li Banfeng. Li Banfeng glanced at him; the man was at least 1.9 meters tall, but his weight shouldn't have exceeded 50 kilograms.

With such a thin build, he could easily be blown away by the wind when going out.

Behind him followed a woman, whose build was the exact opposite of the man's; she looked to be under 1.4 meters tall, and her weight was definitely over 70 kilograms.

The train jolted, and the man hurriedly supported the woman beside him; judging by the distance and their body movements, the two of them were husband and wife.

The woman was holding a child, looking about one or two years old, though it was hard to tell who the child resembled.

*Hiss! *

*Wooo-ooo! *

With a long whistle, the train arrived at Yaowanggou Station.

The conductor lowered the carriage ladder, and Li Banfeng followed the crowd off the train.

The moment he walked out of the carriage, the fresh air made Li Banfeng feel a bit intoxicated; even though it was mixed with a hint of coal dust and machine oil, it was still much better than the air on the train.

The weather was a bit gloomy, but it was still better than the dim yellow lights in the carriage, especially since there wouldn't even be those dim lights in the coming days.

After getting off the train, Li Banfeng noticed the clothing of the people around him.

Their clothing was very different from Li Banfeng's.

Many people were wearing suits—black, white, striped, plaid; there were all kinds of styles.

Quite a few people were wearing Zhongshan suits, with some collars standing up and others folded down.

Some people wore vests over their shirts, with bow ties tied at the collars.

Others wore long gowns, somewhat similar to the robes worn by Quyi performers.

Many people wore hats, with various styles; top hats were common, and flat caps were also numerous.

There was also a type of hat similar to a flat cap, but with a slightly narrower brim and a button on the brim.

What kind of hat is this?

It seems to be called a newsboy cap.

Li Banfeng thought: They are all wearing hats, should I also take out my hiking hat?

The problem is that my hiking hat is quite different in style from theirs.

And it's not just a matter of the hats.

After getting on the train, Li Banfeng had taken off his shirt and trousers and changed into a T-shirt and sweatpants; now, it seemed completely out of place with the attire of the people around him.

Should I change into my shirt and trousers now? After all, we are the kind of people who can change clothes on the subway; changing clothes on the platform is no big deal.

Forget it, I won't change. Why must I dress the same as them? Isn't it good to have my own style?

Li Banfeng felt that he was the most eye-catching man on the entire platform.

He was really bright; he even had a certain illusion, feeling that his body was glowing.

"Mom, that person is glowing!" a child behind him stared at Li Banfeng.

You see, even a child says I'm glowing, which proves...

This proves it's not an illusion!

Li Banfeng extended his right hand; under the dim sky, his right arm was emitting a pale and dazzling halo.

It wasn't just his right arm; his entire body was glowing.

But after observing carefully for a long time, Li Banfeng discovered that it wasn't he who was glowing, but rather a beam of light shining on him, just like a spotlight on a stage.

Where did this beam of light come from?

Li Banfeng looked up at the sky; the light projected from the sky was so piercing that Li Banfeng couldn't open his eyes.

Is this a helicopter searchlight?

Is there a helicopter tracking me?

The light shining on his body suddenly went out. Li Banfeng was shocked and rushed toward the ticket gate.

There were originally many people standing at the ticket gate, all of whom had been looking back at Li Banfeng just a moment ago.

Li Banfeng was in a hurry to leave the station, not expecting these people to take the initiative to clear the way.

"Stay away, everyone stay away! He's been hit by the heavenly light."

"Could he be a white lamb?"

"Stay away from him, don't get blood all over yourself!"

What does this mean?

Do they also know there's a helicopter up there?

Li Banfeng became even more nervous; he took out his ticket and immediately handed it to the ticket inspector.

The ticket inspector took out a pair of clippers, cut another notch in the ticket, and returned the stub to Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng didn't care about the stub and walked straight out of the station, seeing quite a few people greeting him at the station entrance.

They were wearing vests, but no shirts; there were no other clothes under the vests.

They were also wearing hats; the material was hard to tell, but the style was very similar to Li Banfeng's hiking hat.

Is this their uniform?

Are they going to wear this to catch me?

A person walked up and took the initiative to speak: "Sir, do you need a ride?"

Li Banfeng had his spicy gluten strips ready and replied with high vigilance: "Where is the car going?"

"Anywhere is fine, you name the place!"

So it's a taxi driver.

Li Banfeng was in a hurry to get on his way, so he said to the driver: "I'm going to Yaowanggou."

The driver smiled: "Sir, this is Yaowanggou; this whole area is called Yaowanggou. Which part of Yaowanggou are you going to, the Inner Ditch or the Outer Ditch?"

Inner Ditch or Outer Ditch?

Li Banfeng remembered the message He Jiaqing had sent.

He Jiaqing had once sent the address to Li Banfeng, and this sentence stirred up some of Li Banfeng's memories.

"Inner Ditch, a place called... Paifang Street."

"Paifang Street, right," the driver smiled, "Easy enough, eight yuan!"

"Eight yuan, okay!"

The driver smiled even more happily; this customer was quite straightforward and didn't bargain.

Li Banfeng really didn't want to bargain; eight yuan isn't expensive! It's just a starting fare for a taxi.

The driver led Li Banfeng down the station square and arrived in front of his vehicle.

Li Banfeng looked at the vehicle.

This vehicle had two wheels, one seat, two shafts, and a crossbar connecting them in the middle.

"Is this vehicle fast?"

"Fast!" The driver put his towel on his shoulder and pointed at the vehicle, "Ask around about the rickshaws in front of the station; whose vehicle can be faster than mine?"

This driver was a rickshaw puller.

There are actually rickshaw pullers in this era!

However, he had already ridden a steam train and seen people with three heads; riding a rickshaw wasn't that strange.

It was just that Li Banfeng thought it was slow.

"Is there anything faster?"

"Do you want to take a horse-drawn carriage?" The driver waved his hand, "Horse-drawn carriages aren't allowed to stop in front of the station; that stuff isn't clean. Unless someone is coming to unload cargo, it's not appropriate for someone of your status to ride that."

Li Banfeng meant to ask if he could find a motorized vehicle; he was just about to open his mouth, but discovered his chin wasn't working, and he couldn't open his mouth no matter what.

Not only was his mouth not working, but his hands and feet couldn't move either; his body felt as if it had solidified in a cart of cement.

Seeing Li Banfeng standing stiffly on the spot, the driver asked: "Sir, what's wrong with you? Sir, sir... you haven't been hit by the heavenly light, have you!"

PS: At 5:00 PM, there's more.

(End of chapter)