Chapter 6

Food is not edible, water is drinkable. Jiang Xiaoyuan poured a whole bottle of cold mineral water in one breath, wishing she could transform into a funnel and swallow the river.

The female driver felt that the female ghost was drinking blood recklessly and her taste would not be so light, so she slightly relaxed and asked, "Why are you walking here alone in the middle of the night? Have you encountered bad people

Jiang Xiaoyuan's stomach was filled with a heavy pot of water, which pressed back her soul that was about to ascend to heaven. Her numb and drowsy mind gradually became clear, and she realized that the driver's sister's hygiene was worrying and she had bad breath.

In the narrow cockpit, as soon as the driver spoke, all his breath fell on Jiang Xiaoyuan's face. Jiang Xiaoyuan's face twitched imperceptibly, and her weak digestive system also rebelled, churning in a small area.

She was about to make a comeback from the grievances of being on the brink of death due to hunger and cold, and her eyes began to burn again. Unfortunately, although Jiang Xiaoyuan was delicate, she was not the kind of person who could show weakness in front of outsiders. She quickly leaned back on the dirty car seat, looked up, and held back her tears.

My phone is out of battery, "she said in a low voice, trying her best to maintain a steady pace." I can't find anyone, ah

Jiang Xiaoyuan almost blurted out "Auntie", paused for a moment, and finally reluctantly stepped forward to make her change her words after being offline for more than 20 years.

Jiang Xiaoyuan: "Sister, can you charge your car

Truck driver: "I don't have that thing in my car... Sigh, you're really pitiful. Where are you going? Big sister will give you a ride

Jiang Xiaoyuan has no clue at all.

The driver looked quite gentle and patiently asked, "Where are you from

Jiang Xiaoyuan quickly announced the name of the township on her new ID card, and instinctively pulled out her ID card and held it in front of the driver, saying, "Look, this is my ID card

The driver was amused by her and said, "I'm not a police officer. What kind of ID card are you looking for? You're the same age as my niece, isn't this your first time going out

Jiang Xiaoyuan immediately woke up, and no one asked where she came from to hand over her ID card?

But in that moment, it seemed like her instinctive reaction. That unfamiliar ID card seemed to be her only fulcrum in this unfamiliar time and space. Without it, she couldn't explain her origins and background clearly.

The driver said, "Oh, I see. I have a relative from your area. In recent years, many young people from your area have been going out to work in big cities. For those who go to City A, they all take this road. Our family is over there, which is just on the way. Let me take you back with me... Tsk, the little girl was scared and encountered this kind of thing when she went out for the first time. Poor thing

Jiang Xiaoyuan was pitied twice in a row by her. When has she ever been pitied in her life?

She was both heartbroken and unwilling, and her tears began to falter. She had to blink twice desperately and said, "Thank you, big sister. How should I address you

The female driver flipped through her license plate and saw the words "Zhang Xiuqin" placed under her family elf like profile picture: "My surname is this, you can call me Miss Zhang

Jiang Xiaoyuan was picked up by Sister Zhang like this.

The truck runs on a narrow road at night, and the driver's energy must be very concentrated. After the car starts driving, Zhang no longer talks to Jiang Xiaoyuan, but only instructs her to sleep for a while when she gets tired.

There is a smell of oil, human odor, and a hint of fermented food mixed in the car. The air is polluted, and taking a breath feels like it's stuck in the throat, unwilling to go down.

Jiang Xiaoyuan leaned against the cold car window, staring at her faint silhouette from the dark window, pondering over those few messages in a state of confusion.

After careful consideration, she realized that she still didn't want to believe the saying 'Mingguang wants to harm her'.

Jiang Xiaoyuan cannot face her identity as a rural migrant worker girl, nor can she face such a life. Let her go to the glamorous A city under this identity. She feels that she might as well die peacefully. Even if Mingguang deceives her, Jiang Xiaoyuan would rather hold onto a glimmer of hope.

Even if I'm killed by that law, I won't live in this hellish place, "she thought with determination in the late night.

Furthermore, perhaps Mingguang did not deceive her.

Jiang Xiaoyuan instinctively curled up in a ball, thinking to herself that if she could go back to her own time and space, she would definitely drive in a regulated manner in the future, eliminate all safety hazards, and resign from the company where she was just slacking off. She would go back and study hard, get a decent education, and then find a suitable job to train for a few years. When she had the ability, she would go back and help her family.

Jiang Xiaoyuan realized that if it weren't for this, she would probably never have felt how happy her life was, and how much time she had wasted.

In such wild thoughts, she snuggled up around her neck and fell asleep in a helpless state. Several times, she was jolted awake by bumpy cars along the way, and Jiang Xiaoyuan was in a daze, feeling as if she had been haunted by a nightmare. It wasn't until the morning light tore open the morning mist and sprinkled it on the road that Jiang Xiaoyuan took a bottle of cold water given to her by Sister Zhang at a distant rest stop and awkwardly remembered, "Oh, the nightmare is not over yet

The car drove for another three to four hours before reaching the city center of A.

This city is not unfamiliar to Jiang Xiaoyuan. It is the hometown of Jiang Xiaoyuan's mother, where her grandparents are. She often comes here to play during holidays. She knows exactly where there is good food and where there is fun, but she has not walked the morning highway.

The perspective was slightly reversed, and the entire city seemed unfamiliar.

Jiang Xiaoyuan didn't know where to go, so she silently followed Miss Zhang to unload and settle the goods. After everything was done, Jiang Xiaoyuan took the initiative to say, "Thank you, why don't I treat you to lunch

Sister Zhang waved her hand and said, "What are you asking for? A little girl is out without relatives or any reason, and you don't have much money. Even if you have money, you should keep it safe and not let anyone know. Do you understand? We have a cafeteria here. Let's go, I'll take you there

Jiang Xiaoyuan quickly followed in her footsteps, her toes sore from the inferior synthetic leather. She looked down blankly and decided to believe in Mingguang, ignoring the scaremongering of those who later messaged her.

She thought to herself, "Damn it, isn't it just fifty days? Just endure it

As Zhang walked, she casually asked, "What should we do when we come? Have you figured it out

Jiang Xiaoyuan thought to herself, "After enduring me, the sky will be wide open. What should we do with it

Can you tell me where to find a cheap hotel here

The word 'hotel' amused Miss Zhang, who was aroused by Jiang Xiaoyuan's foolish thoughts and couldn't express her sympathy. She felt that although this girl was quite old, she had never seen the world at all. She watched a few TV dramas from somewhere and decided to come out and 'take a break'.

Do you still want to stay in a hotel? How many stars do you want to stay in? "Sister Zhang asked teasingly.

Jiang Xiaoyuan was extremely embarrassed, and then she remembered that she didn't even have a credit card on her. She only had 500 yuan in cash, and even the cheapest express hotel could only make do with it for three or four days.

Miss Zhang's monkey face showed a kind expression as she patted her back and said, "Forget it, you'd better come with me

Ms. Zhang lives in an old house in the old city area of City A, which was built in the 1930s and 1940s and originated from the old society.

Because this place is rich in troublemakers and has been arguing for a long time, it is still difficult to coordinate the interests of multiple parties. It is probably hopeless to demolish in this life. The surrounding area is already filled with high-rise buildings, and there is a bustling traffic just across a small alley. However, as soon as you enter the alley, it seems like you have traveled through decades - it is cramped, narrow, with debris and garbage piled up together, mosquitoes and flies rampant everywhere, and the oil smoke in the kitchen echoes the smell of the sewer

It can be described as a dog skin ointment in the bustling city area.

There are mostly two to three story small buildings in the alley. It must have been a beautiful small western-style building in the past, but now there are five to eight households living in a small western-style building. The scenery is not worth mentioning, only the vulgar bare bottomed children. The woman's tattered underwear hung on a bamboo pole, fluttering in the wind as pigs and dogs entered, like flags of various countries.

Jiang Xiaoyuan followed Sister Zhang into the alley step by step, feeling the smell of feces in the black soil and mud under her feet. She couldn't help but feel disgusted. She regretted it very much. If she had known this, she would have gritted her teeth and stayed at a fast hotel. If she had run out of money, she could have stayed in the hotel to make a living - even her job had been secured.

Jiang Xiaoyuan hesitated in her heart and said grandly, "I need to find a job that provides food and accommodation. I can't keep bothering you here

Zhang Xiuqin said without looking back, "Stay here for now. You don't know anything. If you go out, you'll be deceived. Later, I'll take you to find your local fellow villagers. There's no one who can work alone when you come out. No matter what, you have to find fellow villagers to take care of you. You're not taking it lightly

Jiang Xiaoyuan had no way to defend herself, so she had to keep her mouth shut. She couldn't help but feel uneasy again. Although the so-called "fellow townspeople" may not necessarily be neighbors, relatives, and elders, if the place is not big, they may also know each other. As an outsider with this identity, would she show off and be recognized?

Being restless, suddenly a worn-out plastic bucket fell from the sky and landed impartially in front of Jiang Xiaoyuan. If she had walked two steps faster, she might have been carried over her head.

Jiang Xiaoyuan's restless heart lit up with a fire. Suddenly, she looked up and saw a six or seven year old boy on the dilapidated terrace on the second floor. The little boy was as dirty as a mud monkey, and she didn't know if anyone was taking care of him. He was still wearing open crotch pants at such an age.

The little devil was lying on the railing, digging his nose and making funny faces with furrowed brows and eyes, shouting in a slurred voice, "Bang bang bang

Sister Zhang pulled Jiang Xiaoyuan over, crossed her waist with both hands, and cursed at the little boy, "Go away! Hit you

The little boy shrank back and sneakily looked down from the terrace. Sister Zhang picked up a broom and raised a mess of chickens and dogs. She made a show of using the broom pole to bucket the little boy on the terrace, and the child quickly ran away cursing.

Sister Zhang bent down to pick up the plastic bucket and said to Jiang Xiaoyuan, "Fool, it's okay. You don't have much courage. Next time you see someone more aggressive, just scare them away

After a pause, Sister Zhang added, "But after all, we're just a child, just scare us. Don't really hit us, it's not intentional to make us stupid. It's really pitiful

Jiang Xiaoyuan asked cautiously, "Is no one paying attention

At first, of course someone was in charge, but their family gave birth to another child last year, which was normal. This left him to fend for himself, running around like a wild horse all day long, like a beggar. Sigh! "Sister Zhang sighed out of anger or sympathy, and then turned back to instruct Jiang Xiaoyuan," In the future, you have to close the door when living here to prevent him from sneaking in. Oh, be alert when walking. This child is not sensible and can't understand a few words. Today, he threw down a bucket. Last time, I didn't know where to throw a brick, which smashed the uncle in the hospital and sent him to the hospital. I sewed eight stitches

Jiang Xiaoyuan: "..."

This damn place must not be inhabited!