harleyscars Chapter 2 First Visit to the Provincial Capital
Chapter 2 First Visit to the Provincial Capital
The school gate was deserted.
Lu Siye stood in a small patch of shadow next to the guardhouse, glanced at the old man inside playing on his phone with his legs crossed, and sighed silently.
"The door isn't open," he said.
Tang Yuan tiptoed and peered inside for a while. Sure enough, the campus was deserted; there wasn't a single bird, let alone any students.
"Then what do we do?" she asked, her face falling. "Are we just going to wait here for two months?"
Lu Siye remained silent.
He Chutian put his suitcase on the ground and said with a smile, "It's okay, I know the gatekeeper well. Let's put our luggage in first. New students have to wait two months to register, but returning students can come in."
As he spoke, he walked to the window of the guardhouse and knocked on the glass.
The old man looked up at him, and actually smiled. He pressed a button on the remote control, and the sliding gate slowly opened a crack.
"Go in, go in, don't take too long." The old man waved his hand.
He Chutian turned around and waved to the two of them: "Let's go."
The three of them dragged their luggage into the school gate.
The campus was indeed very quiet. The sycamore leaves on both sides of the road had not yet turned yellow, creating patches of shade.
The teaching buildings and dormitories were quiet. Occasionally, one or two students wearing short sleeves would pass by, but they were all in a hurry.
"Wait here for a moment." He Chutian put down his luggage. "I'll go say hello to the dormitory manager first, and I'll come out to pick you up in a bit."
Tang Yuan nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, thank you, senior!"
He Chutian smiled and walked towards the boys' dormitory.
After he walked away, Tang Yuan turned around, plopped down on her suitcase, and let out a long sigh of relief: "Luckily, my senior was here, otherwise we would have been waiting at the school gate for a very, very long time."
Lu Siye hummed in agreement.
Tang Yuan tilted her head to look at him, then suddenly stood up and put her hand on his shoulder.
Lu Siye was stunned for a moment, then turned his head to look at her.
"What are you doing?"
"Lu Siye," Tang Yuan looked at him seriously, "I have something to tell you."
"explain."
"When you get to college, don't let those girls dazzle you."
Lu Siye: "..."
Tang Yuan continued, "I've heard that college is the easiest time to fall in love. There are club activities, social events, chance encounters in the library... If you end up dating someone, you have to tell me, and I'll be your advisor."
She leaned closer and lowered her voice: "Don't let those bad women make you smile."
Lu Siye was silent for two seconds, then couldn't help but smile.
His smile only fueled Tang Yuan's enthusiasm: "Don't laugh! I'm serious!"
"You seem quiet and reserved, but you're actually very easy to fool."
"When we were kids, we went to the market in town. The candied hawthorn seller offered to give you an extra skewer if you helped him watch his stall for a while. You actually agreed! You almost sold yourself!"
"That happened when I was eight years old."
"What's the difference between eight and eighteen?" Tang Yuan asked confidently. "You're just as easy to fool!"
Lu Siye gave a wry smile and took her hand off his shoulder: "Alright, alright, who would want someone like me?"
He looked down at himself.
The jeans were bought at the town market last year for thirty yuan a pair. The shoes are cloth shoes made by my grandma, and the soles are worn thin.
"His hairstyle is outdated, and his clothes are outdated too," he said.
Tang Yuan was taken aback for a moment, and was about to speak when Lu Siyue spoke again: "But you..."
He stopped halfway through his sentence.
He remembered that fair-skinned boy, He Chutian, a junior majoring in computer science, who wore glasses, was polite, spoke kindly, and had a good temper.
Standing next to Tang Yuan, one is refined and the other is lively; one is fair-skinned and the other is bright and cheerful. They look perfectly matched no matter how you look at them.
Tang Yuan's family was much better off than his.
Her father ran a small shop in town, and her mother taught at the village primary school. Although they weren't wealthy, they could afford to send her to university.
Unlike him, who had to rely on loans for tuition and earn his own living expenses.
He lowered his eyes and didn't say anything more.
"What about me?" Tang Yuan pressed.
"It's nothing."
Tang Yuan stared at him for a while, then suddenly reached out and flicked his forehead.
Lu Siye winced in pain, clutching his forehead as he looked at her: "What are you doing?"
Tang Yuan smiled and said, "If you don't want to talk about it, I won't either."
Lu Siye was stunned.
Tang Yuan put her hands behind her back, tilted her head to look at him, her eyes bright: "I don't trust you. You're so naive. What if you get scammed?"
Looking at her smiling face, Lu Siye was momentarily speechless.
"Senior He!"
Tang Yuan suddenly waved behind him.
Lu Siye turned around and saw He Chutian walking towards him from the direction of the boys' dormitory.
There was another person following behind him.
It's a girl.
He was very tall, probably over 1.7 meters, and was wearing simple casual clothes with his short black hair neatly tucked behind his ears.
Her features were exquisite, but her expression was indifferent, and her gaze was somewhat cold.
"Have you been waiting long?" He Chutian walked over and introduced, "This is Su Nian, a senior member of our club. If you want to join the club, you can find her."
Su Nianchong and the other person nodded without saying anything.
Tang Yuan greeted her warmly, "Hello, senior!"
Su Nian hummed in agreement.
He Chutian smiled and said, "Senior Su isn't very talkative, but she's a very nice person. How about we put our luggage away first, and then..."
He thought for a moment and looked at Su Nian.
Su Nian said, "East Gate."
"Yes, let's meet at the East Gate Snack Street," He Chutian said. "Senior Su will take Tang Yuan to the girls' dormitory, and I'll take Lu Siye to the boys' dormitory. See you at the East Gate after you've put your luggage away."
Lu Siye nodded.
Tang Yuan waved to him: "See you in a bit!"
The two dragged their luggage and followed their respective "guides" towards their dormitories.
Lu Siye followed He Chutian through a tree-lined path and turned into a gray-white building.
"Don't be nervous," He Chutian suddenly said. "All freshmen are like this when they first arrive; you'll get used to it."
Lu Siye hummed in agreement.
He Chutian turned around and glanced at him, then smiled and said, "You don't talk much."
"Um."
"You can talk more later," He Chutian said. "University is different from high school. You need to make more friends. Let's add each other on WeChat. You can ask me questions if you need anything."
The two added each other on WeChat.
He Chutian's profile picture is a starry sky, and his Moments are not very active. The latest post is "Happy Graduation" from three months ago.
The dormitory is on the fourth floor, a four-person room, and he is the only one here so far.
A layer of dust settled on the bed frame, and the window was slightly ajar, letting in the wind that billowed the curtains.
"You can start packing now," He Chutian said, standing at the door. "See you at the East Gate in a bit."
"it is good."
He Chutian is gone.
Lu Siye stood in the empty dormitory and looked around.
Someone had written a line of small characters in chalk on the upper bunk: "This lousy school, I've finally graduated."
He glanced at it, ignored it, put his luggage on the ground, turned around and left.
We need to hurry and wait at the school gate.
Tang Yuan probably won't be there that quickly, but he still wants to go as soon as possible.
He practically ran downstairs, jogging through the campus until he reached the east gate, by which time a thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead.
Outside the East Gate is a street full of snacks, but most of them are closed now, with only a few open.
Lu Siye found a shady spot to stand and took out his phone to check the time.
3:20.
He sent Tang Yuan a WeChat message: "Arrived."
I waited for a while, but there was no reply.
He waited a while longer, but still received no reply.
At five o'clock, my phone finally rang.
Tang Yuan's message popped up: "That senior showed me around! We went to so many places, the library, the gymnasium, the teaching buildings, etc. Let's make plans for tomorrow, you go back to your dorm and rest first~"
Lu Siye stared at the message for a few seconds, stunned.
He put his phone back in his pocket and stood still.
The shops in the snack street gradually turned on their lights.
Someone was cooking, and the smoke from the cooking oil drifted over, carrying the aroma of chili peppers.
A child rode by on a bicycle, its bell ringing a series of jingles.
A couple walked past him hand in hand. The girl was holding a skewer of grilled sausages. The boy leaned over and took a bite. The girl laughed and scolded him.
Lu Siye turned around and took two steps back, then stopped.
The dormitory is not close to here; it takes more than 20 minutes to walk there.
Going back would mean being alone in an empty four-person room, with no one to talk to.
He thought for a moment, then turned and walked in another direction.
Why not go out and take a walk, and see if there are any job openings nearby?
With two months until the start of the school year, he needs to find some work.
Tuition fees were covered by a loan, but living expenses had to be earned by myself.
His grandmother lives alone in the village, and she only receives a small pension each month, so he can't ask her for money.
At the end of the snack street is a main road.
Shops line both sides of the road: restaurants, supermarkets, barbershops, mobile phone repair shops...
Lu Siye looked at each one one by one, and went in to ask about the ones with job postings on the door.
Do you hire summer workers?
"No recruitment."
Are you still hiring?
"It's full."
Do you need short-term workers?
"don't want."
It got dark.
Lu Siye didn't know how far he had walked. He just kept asking around whenever he saw a shop, and then continued walking forward.
The provincial capital was brightly lit at night, filled with people, cars, and things he had never seen before.
But he wasn't interested in watching.
He just wanted to find a job.
We walked down another street, crossed another intersection, and turned into another alley.
Lu Siye took out his phone and glanced at the map, realizing that he had already walked more than ten kilometers.
It's almost eight o'clock.
He stood by the roadside and looked around.
There were far fewer shops around, the streetlights were dim, and the houses on both sides looked old, like an old residential area.
We need to head back.
Lu Siye put his phone back in his pocket and walked back the way he came.
After walking for a while, the map indicated that going through an alley would save him more than a kilometer of walking.
He looked at the alley; it was very narrow, with old walls on both sides, and streetlights were scattered far apart, casting a dim, yellowish light.
He hesitated for a moment, but still went inside.
The alley was quiet, with only the sound of his own footsteps.
After walking for a while, he suddenly heard some noise ahead.
A rustling sound.
He stopped and listened carefully.
A few more rustling sounds rang out.
"Woof woof woof woof!"
A dark figure rushed out from the depths of the alley.
Lu Siye was startled and subconsciously took a step back.
By the dim light of the streetlamp, he could see clearly that it was a dog with yellowish-brown fur, so thin it was skin and bones.
Stray dogs.
Lu Siye slowly backed away, his eyes fixed on the dog.
His hand was groping around at his side when he suddenly touched something.
The trash can was made of sheet metal, and next to it stood a wooden stick of unknown purpose.
He grabbed the wooden strip and held it horizontally in front of him.
The dog stopped.
It stared at him, baring its teeth, and scratched the ground with its front paws, but didn't pounce.
Lu Siye breathed a sigh of relief. Dogs are afraid of people carrying things; this is something all the old folks in the village know.
He gripped the wooden strip and slowly backed away.
One step, two steps, three steps.
The dog suddenly moved.
It's not retreating, it's moving forward.
It pounced.
Lu Siye's pupils contracted, and he subconsciously raised the wooden stick to block in front of him.
The dog bit into the wooden strip, and with a snap, the seemingly sturdy strip was broken in two.
Lu Siye didn't have time to think and kicked him.
He grew up in the village and was a hard worker with considerable strength.
The kick landed squarely on the dog's stomach, sending the skinny dog flying and crashing into the wall with a dull thud.
The dog bumped into the wall, slid down, and stopped moving.
Lu Siye was panting heavily as he stared at the dark figure on the ground.
It stopped moving.
died?
His mind went blank; he knew he was in deep trouble.
If someone sees this, he won't be able to afford to pay the compensation.
He turned and ran.
I had only run two steps when I suddenly heard the sound of wind behind me.
Lu Siye turned around subconsciously.
The dog stood up again.
It was just pretending to be dead.
Just then, it sprang up from the ground, pushed off with its hind legs, and pounced on him.
The distance was too close; he didn't have time to dodge. He only saw that grinning mouth getting closer and closer.
Then, a hand reached out from the side.
The hand precisely gripped the dog by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up like a chick.
The dog struggled frantically in mid-air, kicking its four legs wildly, but it couldn't break free from the hand no matter what it did.
The next second, the dog was violently thrown out.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, the dog crashed into the wall at the end of the alley.
This time, it stopped moving completely.
Lu Siye stared blankly at the scene for a long time before he reacted and turned to look at the owner of the hand.
The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, illuminating a tall figure.
Short black hair, casual clothes, and a cold expression.
It's that senior from this afternoon.
Su Nian.
After throwing the dog away, she didn't even glance at it, only glaring at Lu Siyue.
His gaze was icy cold, as if he were looking at a clueless idiot.
Then she turned and left without saying a word.
Lu Siye stood there, stunned for several seconds before he remembered to catch his breath.
He was breathing heavily, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.
By the time he came to his senses, the alley was already empty.
Su Nian left at some point, and the dog was still lying in the corner, its condition unknown.
Lu Siye didn't dare to linger and ran to the other end of the alley.
Running out of the alley, you enter a small street.
The streetlights were on, and several people were walking along the roadside, while others rode by on electric bikes.
Lu Siye held his knees and panted for a long time before his heartbeat slowly calmed down.
He straightened up and looked around.
He didn't recognize this street at all.
I took out my phone and glanced at the map; it was still seven or eight kilometers to the school.
He sighed and was about to turn back when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a piece of paper pasted on the telephone pole next to him.
White paper, red text, printed.
"Hiring cleaners, male or female, no age limit, daily pay. Contact number: 138xxxxxxxx"
Lu Siye paused in his steps.
He stared at the paper for a few seconds, then reached out, tore it off, folded it, and stuffed it into his pocket.
I'll call and ask tomorrow.
He continued walking back.
It was almost ten o'clock when I arrived at the east gate of the school.
The food street is bustling with activity right now, with the aromas of barbecue, spicy hot pot, and fried skewers mingling together and filling the entire street.
Lu Siye walked toward the school gate with his head down when he suddenly heard someone call his name.
"Lu Siye!"
He looked up and saw three people standing at the entrance of the food street.
Tang Yuan, He Chutian, and that cold-faced senior, Su Nian.
Tang Yuan was waving at him, her eyes crinkling with laughter: "You're back! Come on in, we just had barbecue, it was so delicious!"
He Chutian smiled back at him.
Su Nian stood to the side, holding a skewer of grilled gluten, and took a bite with a blank expression.
Lu Siye stood still, looking at the three of them.
"Come quick!" Tang Yuan called out again.
Lu Siye shook his head and waved his hand: "Next time."
He is tired.
He had walked too many roads and experienced too much today; all he wanted to do was go back and lie down.
Tang Yuan paused for a moment, and the smile on her face faded slightly.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she just nodded: "Then...then you should get some rest."
Lu Siye hummed in agreement and turned to enter the school gate.
Back in the dormitory, he opened the door and found the lights on in the four-person room.
Someone is coming.
A person was sitting on the lower bunk by the window, looking down at their phone.
Hearing the door open, the man looked up and glanced at him.
It was a boy about his age, wearing black-rimmed glasses, with long hair and bangs that almost covered his eyes.
The two looked at each other for a second, but neither spoke.
Lu Siye walked to his bed and took out the sheets he had brought from the village to spread out.
The boy continued to play on his phone with his head down, and the entire dormitory was so quiet that only the breathing of the two of them could be heard.
Lu Siye lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
My right palm stung again.
He raised his hand and looked at it in the faint light coming in from the window.
There was nothing there, but the stinging sensation remained.
That despicable blind man.
The phone rang.
He picked it up and saw it was a WeChat message from Tang Yuan.
Are you unhappy?
Lu Siye looked at the line of text, unsure how to respond.
Before he could make up his mind, there was a knock on the door.
"Knock knock knock".
Lu Siye sat up and went to open the door.
The dormitory supervisor was standing at the entrance, holding a plastic bag with the words "Old Wang's Barbecue" printed on it.
The old man glanced inside and asked, "Which one is called Lu Siye?"
"I."
"Here, it's a gift from your partner."
The old man shoved the bag into his hand, turned around, and left.
Lu Siye stared blankly down at the bag in his hand.
The barbecue in the bag was still steaming, and the aroma of chili and cumin wafted out, making one's stomach rumble.
The phone rang again.
He looked down and saw that Tang Yuan had sent another message:
"Don't be sad! I ordered you some barbecue, eat more, see you tomorrow!"
Following this is an emoji: a little rabbit patting another little rabbit's head with its paw.
Lu Siye looked at the meme and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved upwards.
He stood at the doorway, holding the bag of barbecue in his hand, for quite a while.
On the opposite bed, the boy with glasses looked up at him, then looked down again and continued playing on his phone.
Lu Siye returned to the bedside, sat down, and opened the bag.
The barbecue was still hot; lamb skewers, chicken wings, enoki mushrooms, and potato slices were all his favorites.
He picked up a skewer of lamb, took a bite, and then glanced at his phone.
In Tang Yuan's message box, the little rabbit was still patting the head of another little rabbit.
Lu Siye opened the emoji pack, selected one for a while, and sent it over.
It's a little mongrel dog, wagging its tail.