Chapter 250

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

When Wang Dashan arrived at Yuexiu South Bus Station by bus, it was already past four in the afternoon.

Today, just to buy tickets, he had been through quite an ordeal.

If he still couldn't buy tickets at Yuexiu South Bus Station, his mindset would probably collapse.

Carrying a nervous mood, he walked into the station's ticket hall.

Wang Dashan went to the ticket window, queued for a while, and finally it was his turn to buy tickets.

"I want three tickets back to Fogang County, for Lunar New Year's Eve, preferably morning."

Wang Dashan said to the female waiter at the ticket window.

The female waiter, however, said to him:

"This year there is no Lunar New Year's Eve."

"Ah?" Wang Dashan was stunned, a bit bewildered, "What?"

The female waiter was somewhat impatient, and explained:

"This year the lunar calendar has no Lunar New Year's Eve; the 28th is New Year's Eve. The 29th you mentioned is New Year's Eve itself. Are you sure you want to return that day?"

Wang Dashan still didn't quite understand; he hadn't looked at the calendar carefully.

Every year there is a Lunar New Year's Eve; how come this year there isn't one?

The female ticket seller said again:

"Check the calendar on your phone, then tell me which day to buy for. Don't tell me the lunar date; give me the solar date."

"Oh oh, then wait a moment..."

Wang Dashan hurriedly took out his mobile phone, opened the calendar function, looked, and sure enough there was no Lunar New Year's Eve.

It is now January 2012; this year the New Year comes early. January 22nd is New Year's Eve, the 23rd is Spring Festival.

And the day before the 22nd, that is the 21st, is Great Cold, and also the 28th of the lunar month...

Wang Dashan looked for a moment, then hurriedly said:

"Then buy tickets for the 21st! Three!"

The female ticket seller asked:

"What departure time?"

Wang Dashan thought for a moment, then asked: "Morning, right? Which morning shifts are there?"

The female ticket seller looked at the computer screen, tapped the keyboard once, then said:

"7:30, 8:00, 8:30 all still have tickets. 9:00 and 9:30 only have two tickets left. After 10:00 there are none."

Wang Dashan said:

"Then 8:30!"

The female ticket seller tapped the keyboard once:

"Three tickets, right?"

"Mm-hmm!" Wang Dashan nodded.

"Want to buy insurance? Insurance adds two yuan per ticket."

Wang Dashan thought for a moment:

"No need."

The female ticket seller tapped the keyboard again, then said:

"135 yuan total!"

Wang Dashan hurriedly took out money.

Gave a hundred, gave a fifty.

After the female ticket seller took the money, she gave Wang Dashan 15 yuan change.

Then she printed three bus tickets and gave them to Wang Dashan, and reminded him it's best to arrive at the station half an hour early; the bus leaves on the dot.

Wang Dashan nodded, then took the tickets, turned around, and left.

Behind him a long queue had formed; he had to hurry and yield his spot so the next ticket buyer could come up.

At that time real-name ticketing for buses had not yet become widespread, so Wang Dashan buying three bus tickets did not need to bring Wang Erhai and Du Xiaojuan's ID cards.

He only had to pay money to get tickets.

After getting the tickets, Wang Dashan finally let out a breath of relief.

He was just afraid that if it got any later, he wouldn't even be able to buy tickets home.

This is no joke; back then during the New Year, who knows how many people, because they couldn't buy tickets, had to choose to stay in the big city for the holiday, and some who insisted on going back even chose to ride motorcycles home.

Forming a vast, endless motorcycle army.

Wang Dashan, carrying three bus tickets, boarded the bus heading to Du Xiaojuan's apartment.

On the bus, he first called Wang Erhai to tell him he had bought the tickets.

8:30 on the 21st, Yuexiu South Bus Station. Because the distance is quite far, and there's no subway station there, they might have to get up early and take the bus over.

Wang Erhai heard this and said:

"Mm-hmm, then just get up early when the time comes!"

Wang Dashan said with a laugh:

"I was careless too; the ticket seller mentioned it to me, and only then did I find out — this year there's no Lunar New Year's Eve, the day after the twenty-eighth goes straight to New Year's Eve!"

Wang Erhai also wore a look of surprise:

"Oh? Really?"

But he immediately laughed it off:

"Who cares whether there's a twenty-ninth or not, we just go back the day before the New Year!"

Then he added:

"When we get back, we'll find Third Brother and play basketball!"

He'd been looking forward to this for a long time.

Wang Dashan laughed:

"Sure, we'll definitely go play a game of basketball together then!"

After hanging up Wang Erhai's call, Wang Dashan hurriedly called Du Xiaojuan.

"Xiao Juan, I got the tickets, Yuexiu South Bus Station, departure at 8:30 on the morning of the 21st."

Hearing this, Du Xiaojuan couldn't help but frown slightly:

"How did you get Yuexiu South Bus Station? Why not Tianhe Bus Station? That place is much farther from us."

Wang Dashan explained:

"Tianhe Bus Station was sold out; not only Tianhe, but the other two nearby stations, Guangzhou East Station and Guangyuan Bus Station, were also sold out — only Yuexiu South still had tickets. You don't know, to buy tickets I practically ran through every bus station in Guangzhou today."

Du Xiaojuan, hearing this, could only sigh and helplessly accept the fact.

She hurriedly said:

"Then you've had a hard time, Dashan; Yuexiu South it is, I don't mind."

Wang Dashan, however, had some complaints and couldn't help muttering:

"We'll probably have to get up at the crack of dawn then, afraid we'll miss that bus; if we could drive your car back, we wouldn't have to go through all this trouble……"

Du Xiaojuan, hearing this, could only smile wryly and apologize:

"Sorry, it's all my fault."

Wang Dashan said:

"It's not your fault either; who made that your own big brother, your big brother's blind date — that's definitely far more important than us going home, even though this is your first time going to my home!"

Du Xiaojuan detected Wang Dashan's sarcasm; she felt very stifled inside, but held back and said nothing, only comforting him:

"Next year when we go to your home, I'll definitely drive us back."

Wang Dashan chuckled:

"Next year's matters, who can say for sure……"

Du Xiaojuan didn't say anything more.

She actually really wanted to ask if they could go back on New Year's Eve itself.

Because on the 21st she still had an appointment with a very important partner.

This partner might determine her business direction for next year.

She had checked the calendar and knew this year's Spring Festival was different from previous years — the day after the lunar twenty-eighth is New Year's Eve.

But she mistakenly thought Wang Dashan saying go back on the twenty-ninth meant go back on New Year's Eve.

She thought this year there was no thirtieth, not that there was no twenty-ninth.

New Year's Eve falls on the twenty-ninth this year.

So she had also scheduled work for the twenty-eighth.

But now seeing Wang Dashan had quite a bit of resentment, she didn't want the misunderstanding to deepen, didn't want such a small thing to cause a quarrel.

Having gone through the baptism of her two previous boyfriends, she had learned a lot, matured a lot, and it made her cherish her current relationship all the more.

So she ultimately chose not to tell Wang Dashan about this, but decided to communicate with the partner herself and see if they could pick another meeting time.