The rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive diesel bus pulled away in front of him. The mechanical rumble and explosive exhaust vibrations emanating from the rear engine compartment seemed to reverberate through Lin Yuhui's chest. After the bus passed, the street stretched empty once more. Raindrops illuminated by streetlights pelted the pavement with a sharp patter. Only beneath the bus shelter's canopy could one find slight respite from the storm, though his pant legs were already soaked by the spray. In the rainy night, most lights in the distant office buildings had already gone out. Within the concrete jungle of the metropolis, this was never home for migrant workers. Far off, a young woman also waited for the bus. She wore tight white pencil pants, holding an umbrella. To Lin Yuhui, she seemed even farther away than the apartment buildings hidden behind the rain curtain.
Amid the screech of brakes and the swaying of the carriage, a dim orange glow caught his eye—the platform lighting. The incandescent bulbs along the walkway were unusually bright. As the station announcement echoed, passengers began streaming onto the train.
Oh, so it had been a dream. Looking out the window of his train berth, Lin Yuhui realized they were merely stopping at some station overnight. Yet recalling the dream's scenes, after a lifetime of wandering, he sometimes couldn't tell whether his dreams were dreams or his own real experiences.
This trip to take up a position in Changxing County, Huzhou, required a transfer in Nanjing. Lin Yuhui preferred night trains with sleeping berths, allowing more daylight hours for local transfers.
Before dawn broke, he dozed fitfully a few more times. The overnight journey concluded swiftly. Nanjing Station was teeming with people. Fortunately, COVID-19 control procedures were relatively simple: those without health codes or travel history codes only needed to have their temperature checked. Lin Yuhui had no codes whatsoever—he had deliberately avoided obtaining them. Without a health code, there could be no yellow or red code. He didn't want to be arbitrarily sent into quarantine. He hadn't been infected, but being isolated as a suspected case could lead to cross-infection in a crowded facility. For someone with his heart condition, that could be deadly.
Lin Yuhui had years of business travel experience, yet even following the station signs and his pre-printed map, he couldn't locate the subway entrance. His nose was under his mouth—he had no choice but to ask a staff member. Turns out the entrance required walking through a shopping mall. Talk about crunching the numbers!
As he walked through the mall corridor, he spotted a promising fast-food restaurant in the food court. It served home-style dishes that looked delicious. Lin Yuhui disliked junk food; he just wanted normal food—what was normal? Food like what you'd get at home. But time was tight. He needed to catch a train transfer, followed by a long bus ride. This was another journey where he had to reach his destination before dark.
After boarding the subway from Nanjing Station to Nanjing South Station, Lin Yuhui finally felt he could relax a bit. This was a crucial link between his two train connections. Though the map he’d checked showed the subway journey taking only 42 minutes, he still had to factor in walking time at both ends and the queue time for re-entering the station. It was still somewhat tight, but at least sitting on the subway seat meant he had nothing else to do.
Lin Yuhui slung his backpack across his chest and wedged his suitcase between his legs, glancing at the station announcements and observing the passengers passing by. Though May had already brought summer heat here, he found it odd how few people were on the subway at midday. Yet there were many young women dressed fashionably, looking like students. Wasn't it Thursday afternoon? Didn't they have classes?
The subway journey was long, ascending from underground to street level. The scenery along the way shifted from towering skyscrapers to tree-lined residential areas. Lin Yuhui particularly enjoyed the older, established neighborhoods—lush with trees and brimming with the warmth of everyday life. They seemed frozen in a bygone era, utterly out of step with this fast-paced modern world.
Upon reaching Nanjing South Station, Lin Yuhui finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had ample time to queue for temperature checks and ticket validation before boarding. He bought a quick meal on the second-floor escalator to stave off hunger, choosing a McDonald's burger over KFC. Even for fast food, he preferred his own choice—after all, it was his own money. One advantage of such food for him was that it never upset his stomach.
Standing on the escalator landing, his back to the flow of people, he gazed through the tinted glass. Unnoticed, the weather had shifted—dark clouds churned, gusts whipped the willow branches into wild swaying. Thankfully, he was now inside the station building. He took a bite of his burger, leaving teeth marks on the layer of butter between the patties. He loved the butter's flavor and the satisfying fullness it brought. Large raindrops mixed with mud pelted the glass outside. From the slightly open ventilation window beside him came the scent of rain mingling with the earth. Lin Yuhui savored his food while watching nature's performance on this glass screen.
Seated on the high-speed train from Nanjing South Station to Changxing Station, the journey had only a few stops along the way. Yet it was already three in the afternoon, and the scenery remained largely unchanged—tunnels and the lush green mountains stretching by. Lin Yuhui hadn't expected such mountainous terrain in the southern water towns, though gazing at it for too long had grown tiresome.
With eyes closed, Lin Yuhui was resting, listening intently for the station announcements. Suddenly, a clatter startled him awake. He opened his eyes to see a mineral water bottle fall to the floor diagonally across the aisle. The culprit was a young woman who had been asleep.
Lin Yuhui couldn't help but find it amusing. She looked college age, yet as a young woman traveling alone, she seemed far too careless—falling asleep like that. Perhaps the domestic security had shielded them too well. He recalled his own early days after graduation, when boarding trains required constant vigilance against pickpockets and druggers. Whether threats existed or not, he always stayed alert. Better safe than sorry—that much was undeniably true.
The train was approaching Changxing Station, with only a one-minute stop. Lin Yuhui didn't want to miss it, so he pulled his suitcase to the door in advance and waited. He studied the rail lines, analyzing which side the doors would open at the station. Turning around, he saw the girl who had dropped the bottle just moments ago walking right up to him, her face tilted upward, looking straight at him. So she was getting off here too.
Lin Yuhui didn't avert his gaze. Her round face, fair skin, and lively, expressive eyes caught his attention. Her slender figure and thick, dark hair radiated youthful vitality.
Whether it was the first time he'd seen a girl from Jiangsu or Zhejiang that made such an impression, or whether it was the security of finally stepping onto a stable path in life after so many years of solitary travel, Lin Yuhui suddenly found himself wanting to ask for her contact information. But it was just a fleeting thought. He was already in his forties, and his heart wasn't in the best shape. How could he possibly jeopardize this young woman's future? He knew he'd been staring into her eyes for far too long. Steeling himself, he finally tore his gaze away.
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