South of Chutian

In the early morning of the next day, Tang Heng and Li Yuechi left Banxi Village.The village chief originally wanted to drive them off, but Li Yuechi refused. He found two villagers on motorcycles who were also going to the county seat, and asked them to drop them off to Shijiang County.

After Tang Heng tossed about in the village, the villagers were naturally curious about what happened.Maybe it was because Tang Heng felt that he had no airs, two villagers greeted him, and before they set off, they asked half tentatively: "Leader, have you finished your work yet?"

"It's over..." Tang Heng said.

"Then where are you and Xiao Li going?"

"Go to Wuhan..."

"Oh, yes, Xiao Li studied in Wuhan..." The villager paused, his expression became more curious, "I heard that you and Xiao Li have a very good relationship..."

"The leader and I are college classmates..." Li Yuechi came over and said lightly, "Can we set off, Uncle Lin?"

The motorcycle was driving fast, and along the way, the mountain wind was whistling in my ears, but no one spoke.The motorcycle Li Yuechi was riding on was faster, so Tang Heng could only see his back. During the nearly two-hour drive from Banxi Village to Shijiang County, he did not turn his head.

Tang Heng understands that in front of outsiders, he and Li Yuechi are still just "college classmates" in a relationship that is not salty or insipid.He wanted to do it last night, but Li Yuechi finally rejected him, maybe because he didn't want to make the atmosphere between the two too ambiguous.

After all, they are indeed just "college classmates" now.

After eight o'clock, the motorcycle arrived in Shijiang County.After thanking the two villagers, Tang Heng went to the hot spring hotel to pick up his luggage.After what happened that night, all the service staff in the hotel knew Tang Heng, and the little girl at the front desk said tremblingly: "Everything is packed for you, would you like to open it and check?" Tang Heng said: "No need... "Pause for a moment, then said, "Is your manager still here?"

"He...he's on vacation...do you have anything to do with him?"

Tang Heng shook his head and said, "It's okay..."

The others had already returned to Macau, and without the chirping voices of the students, the huge hotel seemed very lonely.When they arrived here, no one expected that so many changes would happen in just a few days, including Tang Heng himself.

Tang Heng walked out of the hotel and saw Li Yuechi standing upright at the door with a canvas bag on his back.Looking at each other, Li Yuechi stepped forward and pulled Tang Heng's suitcase: "We have to go to the city by car."

"Oh..." Tang Heng said, "Then let's go..."

"and many more……"

Li Yuechi took out a motion sickness sticker from the pocket of the gray jacket: "You put it on first..."

"Thank you, I forgot."

Li Yuechi watched Tang Heng put motion sickness stickers behind his ears, and said in a low voice, "It's okay..." He turned and walked towards the taxi on the side of the road. I have already asked the village cadres, there are several buses every day from Shijiang to Tongren City.

Li Yuechi didn't respond, and leaned over to discuss something with the taxi driver.Soon, the trunk of the taxi was opened, and he put Tang Heng's trolley case in it, walked over and said, "The bus in a small place is dirty, this one is cleaner."

Tang Heng got into the car and asked the driver, "How much is it to Tongren South Station?"

"I'm using the watch..." The driver heard that his accent was from a foreigner, so he said quickly, "I didn't ask for the price randomly. It costs a lot of money to use the meter!"

"about how much?"

"Six hundred!"

"Then I'll give you first..."

"No need..." Li Yuechi stopped him, "Let's talk when we get there..."

Tang Heng whispered, "Let me pay..."

Li Yuechi paused, as if stunned.

After Tang Heng said this, he was also stunned.

Because this scene is too familiar and too unfamiliar—it was often like this six years ago.Tang Heng knew that Li Yuechi was short of money, so he tried not to let him spend any money, whether it was eating out or seeing a performance.And Li Yuechi is a person with strong self-esteem, so Tang Heng had to find some excuses to treat guests. For example, after the mid-term exam today, he bought a new guitar today, and he was in a particularly good mood today... He even invited Li Yuechi to a performance. Pay the entrance fee for all the white shirt boys that night.

Jiang Ya once laughed at Tang Heng and said, "I've never seen someone like you change the way to pay money. It's not so difficult to chase girls. Are you tired?"

At that time Tang Heng replied confidently: "I am happy if I have money."

Li Yuechi said to the driver: "Let's drive..."

The driver gave them both a strange look and started the car.Tang Heng had mixed feelings in his heart, and only now did he realize that their current relationship was not one that allowed him to pay for him with confidence.

The driver turned on the car radio, and there was a music program, and Faye Wong's singing wafted in the car.

Li Yuechi suddenly said softly: "There is still some money."

Tang Heng nodded.

More than two hours later, the taxi arrived at the high-speed rail station.Li Yuechi reached out and paid the money.

"Are you hungry?" Li Yuechi was still pulling Tang Heng's suitcase, "There is still more than an hour to arrive."

"It's okay, I'm too hungry." Woke up too early in the morning, and didn't have breakfast.

"You don't get dizzy from the high-speed train, do you?"

"Not dizzy..."

"Then go eat mutton noodles..." Li Yuechi walked a few steps, turned his back to Tang Heng and said, "I'm afraid you'll get motion sickness, so I didn't cook in the morning."

"Oh……"

"I didn't mean to starve you."

"Understood..." Tang Heng took two quick steps to catch up with him, "I haven't eaten mutton powder yet."

Li Yuechi seemed to smile a bit: "It's delicious..."

Tang Heng didn't realize something until he passed the security check and entered the station:

He and Li Yuechi had separate seats.

When he bought the ticket, he didn't know that Li Yuechi would go back to Wuhan with him, so he only bought his own ticket, a first-class seat.And Li Yuechi... Li Yuechi's ticket was bought by himself last night.

Tang Heng was inexplicably guilty: "Which car are you in?"

"Six cars..." Li Yuechi asked, "What about you?"

"A car..."

"Hmm..." Li Yuechi was still pulling Tang Heng's suitcase, turned around and walked towards a carriage.

Tang Heng quickly said: "I can pull it over by myself, you can go to your side."

Li Yuechi turned to look at him: "Come here..."

Tang Heng had no choice but to follow, and the two walked into a carriage. Li Yuechi put the boxes away and found Tang Heng's seat, which happened to be in the last row of the carriage.

Li Yuechi said: "You sit..."

Tang Heng asked, "What about you?"

"I'm there..." Li Yuechi raised his chin towards the large luggage storage rack at the junction of the carriages, "I'm not sitting anymore..."

Tang Heng froze for a moment: "You don't need to do this—"

"You still have injuries on your feet..." Li Yuechi interrupted him, "Stay well..."

Without waiting for Tang Heng's answer, he went straight to the luggage rack and turned his face to look out the window.

Tang Heng thought to himself that the injury on his foot was almost healed.Although there were many wounds, the doctors in the village treated them well. They applied medicine and scabs formed. In addition, Li Yuechi bought him a pair of thick and soft shoes, so now there is no pain at all.

The high-speed rail started slowly, and the flight attendants began to check documents and tickets.When she came to Tang Heng's place, she called "Sir" twice, and Tang Heng came back to his senses.

"Please show your ID card and ticket."

"Here..." Tang Heng handed it to her, still looking at Li Yuechi.

Perhaps because of noticing Tang Heng's gaze, the flight attendant said hesitantly, "That..."

"He's in the sixth car, standing here to... look after me."

"Oh...?" The flight attendant looked at Tang Heng suspiciously, with "You are a big man, what can you look after?" written all over his face.

"He's my friend..." Tang Heng was silent for a second, before explaining bravely, "I have a little injury on my foot."

"Then be careful, you can call us if necessary."

In fact, Tang Heng wanted to say "he is my senior" subconsciously, but swallowed the words - because he suddenly realized that he and Li Yuechi had already passed the age of students, so it would be easier to make the flight attendant suspicious.

The high-speed rail goes all the way north, exits Tongren, and soon enters Hunan, and the next stop is Huaihua.There are mountains along the way, surrounded by clouds and mist, and drizzle.

Sometimes when the train drove into the cave, Li Yuechi's figure suddenly disappeared into the darkness, and the light came back a few seconds later, and his figure appeared in Tang Heng's field of vision again.He was always standing in front of the window a few steps away from Tang Heng, looking out the window indifferently.

The mountains were covered by clouds and drizzle, leaving only hazy shadows.Tang Heng thought of Tian Xiaoqin, where is she from Hunan?I can't even remember.

The mood is like the shadow of a mountain in the distance, heavy.

The high-speed rail passes through Huaihua, passes through Shaoyang, and the next stop is Xiangtan.It was still raining outside the window, the carriage was extremely quiet, and most of the passengers were sleeping.

The cell phone rang suddenly, and Tang Heng thought impatiently, Director Xu urged him to go back to Macau again?

Two words on the screen: Uncle

Like two nails driven into the pupil.Tang Heng's hands trembled, and he almost threw the phone away.Yes, he made such a big incident in Guizhou, Director Xu must have communicated with Tang Guomu - at this moment the ringtone of the mobile phone seemed to be a countdown to the bomb, Tang Heng wanted to hang up, but felt that he should answer the call.

When I return to Wuhan, I always have to see Tang Guomu. I can hide from the first day of the junior high school but not the fifteenth day.

His heart was beating fast, Tang Heng clutched the phone tightly, his fingertips turned white.He thought he should calm down and conceive of words to deal with Tang Guomu—but his brain was completely confused like fried paste.

Tian Xiaoqin was killed by Tang Guomu?

The thought made his breath tremble.

Someone pressed his shoulder and said softly, "Give it to me..." Tang Heng looked up and saw the gray jacket, and then Li Yuechi's face.

Tang Heng let go, Li Yuechi picked up his cell phone and hung up.

"Do you want to drink water?" Li Yuechi whispered, "I'll get you some hot water."

"okay."

"You just wait here for me, don't think about anything."

"Um……"

Li Yuechi put his mobile phone in his pocket, turned and left.The aunt sitting next to her was sleepy and asked, "Young man, where are you going?"

Tang Heng said somewhat unnaturally: "Wuhan..."

"Oh, I'm also in Wuhan!" The aunt looked eager to chat, "Do you work in Wuhan?"

"no……"

"Then why did you go to Wuhan?"

"Go back to Wuhan for business..." Tang Heng realized that it was already very awkward to say the word "back to Wuhan" to outsiders.

He has not been back to Wuhan for six years.

"Hey, it's been raining all the way! My husband said it's raining in Wuhan now too!"

"Is it……"

Li Yuechi came back and handed the water glass to Tang Heng: "Drink slowly..."

The cup belonged to him, a silver thermos cup that Tang Heng had never seen before.

The aunt asked again out of words: "Are you two together?"

Li Yuechi said, "Yes..." He stared at Tang Heng and drank the water, took the glass and took two sips.

Perhaps Li Yuechi's attitude was too indifferent, the aunt held up the ipad embarrassingly, and stopped talking.

"Is it better?" Li Yuechi asked in a low voice.

"I'm fine... take your phone."

"Um……"

Li Yuechi stood by Tang Heng's side without moving.

Tang Heng was about to say, "Would you like to sit for a while and let me stand?" when he suddenly reached into his pocket and took out a pack of... marshmallows.

"I bought it just now..." he said, "Eat a little, junior."