Chapter 58: What has happened to this world?

"Woo~ woo~"

A burst of silent whistle startled Teacher Ke from her sleep.

"Oh no, it's almost time to arrive."

Teacher Ke hurriedly climbed down from the upper berth and hung the large and small bags of luggage on her body. While hanging them, she blamed herself for why she had overslept.

In fact, Teacher Ke hadn't enjoyed such a relaxed journey for a long time.

Although the upper berth of the hard sleeper wasn't comfortable, it was clean enough and private enough, allowing her to avoid the crowding and oppression of the seat carriage.

The toilet, which never required waiting in line, also allowed Teacher Ke not to consider certain problems, thereby controlling her diet and water intake.

Opening the leather bag Li Ye had stuffed into her hands, there were meat sausages, cakes, biscuits, and other processed foods. This allowed her to avoid enduring the complicated gazes of those around her and humbly and stubbornly gnawing on cold, hard steamed buns.

Ten years ago, she would have disdained such treatment, but today, it felt like a lifetime ago, and she was filled with emotion.

【Can the good days of the past ever return?】

Looking at the crowded crowd outside the train window, Teacher Ke, covered in gear, felt uneasy in her heart, but she was also moving forward without hesitation.

"Don't squeeze, don't squeeze, I have glass products here, it will hurt people..."

In the surging, crowded flow of people, Teacher Ke carefully protected the cigarettes and liquor in her bag.

These things definitely didn't count for much in the eyes of big shots, but many times, the little ghosts were the most difficult characters to deal with.

However, Teacher Ke was lucky to be exiting the station, which was much smoother than entering.

After breaking into a sweat, Teacher Ke finally exited the station.

She carried the leather bag, shouldered the bundle, and held the leather bag, rushing forward with her head down, following her memory.

It was getting late, so she had to find an inn to stay in, wash up, and hurry to start visiting according to the plan. Some people might not be seen even after two or three attempts.

Teacher Ke still remembered that in an alley four or five miles east of the train station, there were a few small inns run by collectives. The price wasn't high, and taking the bus was considered convenient.

However, just as Teacher Ke passed a bus stop, two girls got off the bus, also carrying large and small bags, clearly intending to enter the train station to catch a train.

One of them glanced at Teacher Ke, suddenly stood still, and shouted in surprise: "Teacher Ke, are you in BJ?"

Teacher Ke, who was panting from exhaustion, looked up and said in surprise: "Lu Jingyao? What a coincidence?"

Lu Jingyao greeted her happily, reaching out to take Teacher Ke's luggage: "Teacher Ke, where are you going? I'll take you!"

Teacher Ke hurriedly refused: "No need, no need, I'm just going a little further ahead, it's just a few steps."

Lu Jingyao wouldn't listen at all, enthusiastically snatched Teacher Ke's luggage, and said: "If it's not far, then I must send you there even more. Otherwise, wouldn't I be an ungrateful wretch?"

Lu Jingyao's ability to get into the Beijing Foreign Studies University definitely couldn't be separated from Teacher Ke's help, so these words were spoken with true sincerity and full of sincerity.

But Teacher Ke still smiled and said: "Really no need. You are going to catch a train, right? Today's train is not easy to squeeze into. It took me half an hour to squeeze out."

"It's okay, Teacher Ke. We are two hours early! Even if we have to crawl, we can crawl onto the train."

Lu Jingyao had already shouldered the bundle, looked around with a smile, and said: "Teacher Ke, last year, you pointed me in the right direction. Today, even if it's to the end of the world, I will send you there."

Teacher Ke smiled, helplessly pointed to a building a hundred meters away, and said: "I'm going to the Guangming Inn."

Guangming Inn was a tertiary industry hotel affiliated with a central enterprise. Its environment and conditions were good in all aspects, completely meeting the "big hotel" standard required by Li Ye.

"Guangming Inn? Alright!"

Lu Jingyao was clearly stunned for a moment, wanting to ask something, but in the end, she didn't ask.

In her memory, Teacher Ke was still very poor. Could it be that she had resumed work?

But if she had resumed work, with Teacher Ke's rank, she should have been picked up and dropped off by car.

Lu Jingyao said to the girl accompanying her: "Muhan, wait for me for a moment, okay? I'll be back soon."

Lu Jingyao's roommate, Watching Liu Muhan, smiled and said: "It's only a few steps away. Why should I wait for you? Let's go together."

The three walked fast all the way and soon arrived at the Guangming Inn.

Only then did Lu Jingyao suddenly remember something.

She asked Teacher Ke strangely: "Teacher Ke, why didn't Xiao Yu come with you?"

Teacher Ke said: "It's not convenient on the road, so I let her stay in Qingshui County."

Lu Jingyao immediately said: "Oh, then I'll pick up Xiao Yu and bring her to our house when I go back."

"No need, no need," Teacher Ke waved her hand to refuse: "She is a big child now and can take care of herself."

"How can that be?" Lu Jingyao said worriedly: "Xiao Yu is so timid. Don't worry, I guarantee I'll take good care of her."

"Really no need."

Teacher Ke had no way to tell Lu Jingyao that she had entrusted Li Ye to take care of Wen Leyu. If she said it, both of them would definitely be embarrassed.

The service at Guangming Inn was very good, and Teacher Ke quickly checked in. Only then did the two girls turn around and head toward the train station.

After the two left the inn, Watching Liu Muhan asked about the relationship between Lu Jingyao and Teacher Ke.

Lu Jingyao told Watching Liu Muhan in detail about the process of her getting into university, and in her words, she respected Teacher Ke just like her mother.

Watching Liu Muhan frowned slightly.

【Lu Jingyao and that Teacher Ke...】

Watching Liu Muhan asked herself if she was very accurate in judging people. Although that Teacher Ke had always been smiling with great cultivation, she had a subtle, imperceptible distance from Lu Jingyao.

However, Watching Liu Muhan had a sense of proportion in treating people, so naturally, she wouldn't mention this to Lu Jingyao.

Because of the "manuscript fee incident," Lu Jingyao had gradually drifted away from He Xue and the others during this period, and instead had become closer to Watching Liu Muhan, this "petty bourgeoisie."

After getting closer, Lu Jingyao discovered that Watching Liu Muhan wasn't as difficult to get along with as He Xue and the others had said; instead, she had many things in common with her.

For example, both were very diligent in their studies, both liked literature, etc., but Watching Liu Muhan's range of literary interests was broader, and her family conditions were also better.

For example, this time going home, the two took the same train. Watching Liu Muhan's family had entrusted someone to buy a sleeper ticket, and it was a lower berth, while Lu Jingyao could only go to the front to squeeze into the hard seat carriage.

Before leaving, Watching Liu Muhan took the initiative to invite Lu Jingyao to go to her sleeper carriage after getting on the train. As long as others didn't say anything, she could sit on her sleeper until the provincial capital of Dongshan.

Lu Jingyao didn't agree at the time, feeling it was unnecessary to trouble others.

But after the two spent all their energy squeezing onto the platform, Lu Jingyao gave up her persistence.

At this moment, how could she care about self-esteem? Whether they could get on the train was already a problem.

During the Spring Festival, all trains were overbooked. So many section chiefs, director Lis, and section chiefs Ma from Beijing were all returning to their hometowns to spend the New Year with their families.

At this time, no matter what section or department you were in, you all had to squeeze into the same path with the farmers and workers.

At most, when they reached the platform, the position of section chief could play a role, because this rank could buy sleeper tickets and didn't need to drill through windows.

"Pin your school badge well!"

Don't look at Watching Liu Muhan as a young lady from a big family; she didn't have any arrogant airs and was very good at adapting. She urged Lu Jingyao to wear the school badge of Beijing Foreign Studies University well,

and then explained nicely to the ticket checker of the sleeper carriage that it was really impossible to squeeze up from the front, and the two were just getting on the train together. After getting on, Lu Jingyao would go to the hard seat carriage from inside.

The ticket checker looked at their school badges and let them on very generously, even kindly reminding them that they could "stay a while longer" in the sleeper carriage.

After getting on the train, there were already people in the carriage, all public officials from Beijing returning home for the New Year.

A couple among them might only have one person with enough rank, so they were sharing a berth, which made Lu Jingyao less of an eyesore.

The two settled their luggage, let out a long sigh of relief, and each took out a book.

Lu Jingyao took out an English book borrowed from the library, while Watching Liu Muhan took out a brand-new novel.

Lu Jingyao was very strange. Usually, this Watching Liu Muhan either read foreign language novels or big volumes, so she asked: "Why are you reading this kind of book?"

Watching Liu Muhan said: "I talked to my old man on the phone a few days ago and asked him what he was doing these days. He said he was reading a very interesting novel,"

"I was curious, what kind of novel made a wooden pedant like him feel it was interesting? So I bought one to take a look."

"Heh~"

Lu Jingyao smiled lightly and didn't ask again, instead opening her own book.

An interesting novel? Is it useful?

Is there a beauty like jade in the novel? Is there a golden house?

Only textbooks have them!

*Ding-kuang, ding-kuang~~ ding-ding-kuang, ding-ding-kuang~*

The train started, and the slow, rhythmic sound of the tracks had a magical sleep-inducing effect.

The passengers in the sleeper carriage soon began to sleep, only Lu Jingyao and Watching Liu Muhan stared at their books, very seriously.

Lu Jingyao finished a chapter and felt her eyes were a bit sore, so she made a bookmark, closed the book, stood up, and stretched.

Then she discovered that Watching Liu Muhan was holding that novel, looking radiant.

【It's truly strange.】

Lu Jingyao was very surprised, feeling that the Watching Liu Muhan in her cognition shouldn't be so "emotional."

It was late at night. The average speed of trains in this era was only forty or fifty, and it was still early to reach the provincial capital of Dongshan. Lu Jingyao couldn't sit still and wanted to go to her own carriage to take a look.

As a result, she walked to the carriage door, looked at the hard seat carriage, and immediately came back.

It was full of people, and the toilet door couldn't even be closed because it was also stuffed with people. How could she walk through?

After coming back, Watching Liu Muhan realized that Lu Jingyao was uncomfortable, so she hurriedly curled up her body and made space, letting Lu Jingyao squeeze in and rest for a while,

while she still stared at the novel, not even eating her chicken cake dinner.

Lu Jingyao leaned on the sleeper, fell asleep in a daze, and when she woke up in a daze, it was already the second half of the night.

And Watching Liu Muhan was still reading the novel, her two eyes like a night owl, shining brightly.

"Muhan, aren't you going to sleep?"

"Oh, oh, you sleep! I'll be finished soon. After I finish, I'll let you see it. It's too interesting."

Lu Jingyao looked at the cover of that novel and finally saw its name—*Lurking*.

【Is it that good?】 Lu Jingyao finally became interested.

But until they reached the provincial capital of Dongshan, Watching Liu Muhan didn't let Lu Jingyao see that *Lurking*.

Lu Jingyao noticed that after she finished reading it, she started reading it again from the beginning.

Lu Jingyao got off the train and transferred to a bus. It was already afternoon when she arrived in Qingshui County, and it was already pitch black when she walked thirty li to Liu Qiao Township.

Although her body was already very exhausted, Lu Jingyao was happy in her heart.

Among the luggage behind her, there were two tops, one for her father and one for her mother.

A beautiful hairpin was a gift for her younger sister Lu Jingqi. As for her younger brother Lu Zixue, Lu Jingyao bought him two study reference books, which were very useful.

These things cost her nearly twenty yuan, and the price was that she owed Watching Liu Muhan money, which could only be dragged until next year.

Walking into the familiar home under the starlight, Lu Jingyao shouted with a choked voice: "Mom, I'm back. Dad, I'm back."

"........."

"Is the girl back? Is the girl back?"

Her mother hurriedly came out of the room, reached out to take Lu Jingyao's luggage, and welcomed her into the room.

After looking carefully, she couldn't help but shed tears and said: "Why have you lost weight? Why are you even thinner than when you were at home?"

"I haven't lost weight, I've gained weight!"

Lu Jingyao hurriedly smiled to comfort her mother, and then opened the luggage to take out gifts for everyone.

Her father and sister were very happy, gesturing with the clothes and hairpin, looking left and right in the mirror of the large wardrobe.

Only her younger brother Lu Zixue's interest was not on any reference books at all, but he took out a stack of white paper and a fountain pen and stuffed them into Lu Jingyao's hands excitedly.

"Sister, you're back. Hurry up and write a novel. My bicycle depends on you."

"What?"

Lu Jingyao was completely confused, suspecting she had misheard.

Lu Zixue said excitedly: "Sister, don't you know? The manuscript fee standard of the Guo Jia is very high now. A novel can earn thousands of yuan. Haven't you published articles before? Hurry, hurry, hurry, write a novel."

"............"

Lu Jingyao was stunned for a long time, and said with a bitter smile: "Where is the manuscript fee so easy to earn? Still thousands of yuan? Are you dreaming?"

Lu Zixue was stunned, looking at his sister, his eyes red, and he was actually angry.

Her mother hurriedly came over to smooth things over and said to Lu Jingyao: "You are a college student now. High school students can write novels and earn thousands of yuan, why can't you?"

Lu Jingyao was simply speechless.

When she was in junior high school, her mother listened to the English broadcast and asked her: "Foreigners speak, you should be able to understand, right?"

When she was in high school, a relative asked her: "You have studied science for more than ten years, so if the water pump is broken, you should be able to fix it, right?"

".........."

"What's the use of you going to school?"

Lu Jingyao took two deep breaths, suppressing the evil fire in her heart, and said: "High school students write novels and earn thousands of yuan? Which high school student? Tell me so I can get to know them."

".........."

The few people in the family suddenly stopped talking. Just a moment ago, it was lively, but now it was eerily quiet.

Her father and mother were both stammering, and her younger sister was hiding outside.

But Lu Zixue didn't care and said loudly: "Sister, don't you know? That old bald donkey from the Li family has been shouting so that the whole county knows.

Li Ye wrote a novel and earned thousands of yuan in manuscript fees. You don't know him, he doesn't know a fart about literature. If he can write, why can't you?"

"Who?"

"Li Ye?"

【What... has happened to this world?】 ===== CHAPTER 59 =====