The mute carried two large camphor wood boxes containing Liu Dekui's family's belongings. The huge sum of 200,000 yuan kept by the mute was pinned in a specially sewn and strong belt. Liu Jun was walking with difficulty carrying his father with paralyzed legs on his back. Tian Xiuhua
He followed him with an old-fashioned wicker chair with polished armrests, so that Liu Jun, who was carrying Liu Dekui on his back, could breathe for a while.
When the old house of Liu Dekui's family was burned to the ground, Liu Jun, who was walking on the field path with his father on his back, suddenly felt panicked and his heart started to beat inexplicably.
The road to the Wutong Township Government was more than twenty miles long. Liu Jun carried his father on his back and walked all the way. Everyone was silent the whole way. It felt very uncomfortable to be forced to leave his hometown like this.
When Liu Jun and his party arrived at the seat of Wutong Township Government, they happened to catch a bus bound for Guhe County half an hour later.
Liu Dekui asked Liu Jun to carry him to a public phone to call his aunt Hu Lanping, who was far away in Jiangnan City, the provincial capital. He had to first tell Liu Jun's aunt that the family was heading to the provincial capital to stay at her house, and then call Hu Lanping's house at Hu Lanping's house.
Rent nearby.
No one answered the call at my aunt's house. Maybe Hu Lanping and her family had gone to work and no one was home, so I had to wait until evening to call again.
After getting on the shuttle bus and buying tickets, Liu Jun's family headed to Guhe County. It was already past three in the afternoon when they arrived in Guhe County. Liu Dekui tried another long-distance call in the county, but there was still no answer at Liu Jun's aunt's house.
Helpless, Liu Dekui's family of four ate something to satisfy their hunger in Jiuzhou Town and transferred to Jiuzhou Railway Station. There was a Beijing-Kowloon Line train passing through Guhe County and Jiangnan City, which happened to be in time for the 5 p.m.
train.
In order to save money, Liu Dekui gave Liu Jun money to buy four hard seats, which cost 200 yuan. Remembering that he had not bought gifts for his sister and brother-in-law, Liu Dekui asked Liu Jun to buy another 200 yuan at a high price at the train station.
Liu Dekui spent four hundred yuan on tobacco and alcohol in one go. Liu Dekui felt very distressed. That was something that should be spent and could not be saved.
Excluding the train tickets and gifts, Liu Dekui had little money left, less than one thousand. Thinking of going to the city to make a living and not finding a place to make a living, Liu Dekui felt depressed.
You can imagine how hard it was to sit all night without a bed to sleep. After more than 20 hours of train travel, we finally arrived in Jiangnan City at around six o'clock in the afternoon the next day.
As soon as he stepped out of Jiangnan Railway Station, the bustling modern urban atmosphere hit his face. Liu Jun strongly felt that this was a completely different world from Longshang Village. There were rows of high-rise buildings, busy streets, shops, flashing neon lights, and crowds of people.
It was surging and everyone was in a hurry.
The prosperity in front of him does not belong to the country people. Liu Jun has an indescribable feeling. It is not excitement or excitement, but a kind of loneliness. Suddenly he feels that he is just a passerby. This prosperous world does not belong to him, but he must be there.
Survive in this bustling city.
"Where are we going? Can we take a taxi?" Liu Jun carried his father out of the train station, followed by the mute carrying a load, Tian Xiuhua carrying a wicker chair, and a large group of people gathered around.
Tian Xiuhua put down the wicker chair. Liu Jun placed his father on the wicker chair and sat down. The mute also put down his burden. Liu Jun took a look and saw that there were people riding motorcycles and others leaning on the door of taxis. Many were carrying heavy bags.
People leaving the station with packages are surrounded by people driving vehicles.
"Dad, is my aunt's house far away?" Liu Jun came to the provincial capital for the first time and didn't know where his aunt lived. Liu Dekui accompanied his sister once when she got married. That was many years ago.
"At that time, there was no train service from Guhe to Jiangnan, so we took a long-distance bus. I don't remember exactly how far it was." Liu Dekui told the truth. Over the past few decades, Jiangnan City has undergone earth-shaking changes and the city has developed greatly.
Liu Dekui's life has gone through many vicissitudes.
"Where are you going?" asked a middle-aged taxi driver who looked quite honest.
The driver's eyes were more poisonous than the policeman's. He could tell at a glance that he was a country bumpkin who came to the city for the first time. This kind of person is the best to make money.
Seeing that the middle-aged driver was very kind, Liu Dekui thought that he had to take a taxi to his sister's house. He was unfamiliar with the place and didn't know how to take public transportation. It would be difficult to carry two big boxes without a car. It would be difficult for him to take a taxi.
Money cannot be saved.
"Jiangnan Machinery Factory." Liu Dekui said.
"I know, it's not far. I'll take you there." The taxi driver opened the trunk and took the initiative to move the boxes.
"How much does it cost?" Liu Dekui asked timidly. He was now afraid of spending money.
"Use the meter. It starts at six yuan. If there is no traffic jam, it will only cost a few dozen yuan." The driver said, and a camphor wood box was already put into the trunk.
Seeing that the taxi driver received the business, the other drivers soliciting customers also dispersed.
"Okay, let's get in the car." It's only a few dozen yuan. Liu Dekui was generous. It was already past six o'clock in the afternoon. If we didn't hurry up, it would be shameful to arrive at his sister's house too late.
During the rush hour, the city was very congested, so the taxi driver casually chatted with Liu Dekui.
"Brother, are you coming to Jiangnan to visit relatives?"
"That's right, my sister married into Jiangnan Machinery Factory."
Liu Dekui was very honest, and the taxi driver answered whatever he asked. In just a few minutes, the driver got to know everything about Liu Dekui's situation in Jiangnan.
This passenger came to Jiangnan to work in the city. Apart from marrying the sister of an ordinary worker, he had no relatives. It was best to fool people in the countryside who had no background in the city and came to the city for the first time.
The taxi took many twists and turns in the city and did not arrive at Jiangnan Machinery Factory for a long time. Liu Jun observed that the price on the taxi meter was more than 1 yuan. Before he arrived at Jiangnan Machinery Factory, he felt guilty.
I muttered, this is the legendary taxi rip-off, this kind of unlucky thing can happen to me.
Although this middle-aged driver has a simple and honest face, he turns out to be ruthless and ruthless.
Liu Jun hugged his arms and looked coldly, letting the evil taxi driver chat with his father. He thought to himself that if he didn't give the taxi driver so much money when he got off the bus, the driver was at fault for deliberately taking a detour.
Even if you give money, you can handle it. Liu Jun doesn't believe that there is no place for reasoning in the world.
"Why haven't we arrived yet?" Liu Dekui looked out the car window and muttered to himself, realizing that something was wrong.
"Brother, we're here, just turn a corner ahead." He was wandering around the Jiangnan Machinery Factory, but the middle-aged driver stopped when he heard it, and he turned around and arrived at the gate of the Jiangnan Machinery Factory.
"Brother, one hundred and eighty, let's stop here." The driver stopped the car, got out and opened the door.
"One hundred and eighty? How come it's so much? It's just a few dozen dollars as agreed, right?" Liu Dekui was surprised and thought he heard wrongly. He was dumbfounded when the driver printed out a slip showing the mileage.
"Master, please drive to the family area. It's hard for us to choose between these two big boxes." Liu Jun suppressed the anger in his heart and said, "The taxi driver didn't even let a person with disabled legs go. It's really dark."
.
"I'm sorry, little brother, this factory has regulations and taxis are not allowed to enter the factory." The driver got off the car and opened the back door to ask Liu Dekui and Tian Xiuhua to get off. The driver is not stupid. He dares to go to the family area after robbing customers.
If something unexpected happens, you won't be able to get out.
"Mom, you fooled me, didn't you? Didn't that red taxi drive in just now?" Liu Jun suddenly became angry, clenched his fists, and cursed.
"Then... that taxi belongs to a family member of the factory area and has a factory area pass." The driver immediately got out of the car in sweat. I didn't expect that this country bumpkin was not stupid. This tall, fair-faced country guy who had never made a sound in the car actually had some self-cultivation.
Waiting for so long? It looked like there was going to be a fight. The driver thought he couldn't fight, so he had to make up a lie and get the taxi fare.
"You are really eloquent. Drive in, otherwise, you won't get a penny." Liu Jun turned back to the car, crossed his legs, and came to live in the city. Liu Jun was mentally prepared. This is a
In a society where the strong prey on the weak, bullying and being bullied are everywhere, only if you are strong enough can you get ahead in the city.
"Brother, look, don't make things difficult for us. It's not easy for us to drive in the wind and rain." The driver could see that Liu Jun was not easy to mess with, and Liu Dekui was an honest and honest person.
"Ajun, forget it, one hundred and eighty is one hundred and eighty." Liu Dekui sighed and asked Liu Jun to pay. This is his fate. He will be bullied wherever he goes. He doesn't want Liu Jun to fight with others as soon as he enters the city.
I heard that people in the city are very vicious and cannot be offended.
"Dad, this is obviously a rip-off. You can't pay." Liu Jun was very angry. His father had lost his temper after the village chief brought up the attempted sinking of the pond.
"Little brother, what you said is right. There is no reason to take a bus without paying." Seeing that Liu Dekui was subdued, the driver spoke louder, "You have also seen that there are one-way streets everywhere in this city, and there are many roads.
They all go in a roundabout way, and we don’t want to waste time by making random detours. If I hadn’t been familiar with this area, another driver might not have been able to get here by now.”
"Shut up." Liu Jun got out of the car, slammed the car door, and glared at the driver.
"What do you want to do? Do you still want to hit someone?" Facing the tall and powerful Liu Jun, the driver couldn't help but take a step back. This matter is a bit tricky. It seems that the customer is not going smoothly. This countryman is not an easy one to deal with.
"Ajun, why don't you listen to dad? Pay the money." Liu Dekui's voice suddenly became louder. "Isn't it just one hundred and eighty yuan? If there is another trouble, how can you stay in the city in the future?"
"Hitting you will make my hands dirty." Liu Jun raised his fist and then lowered it. He could understand his father's mood and did not want to cause trouble anymore.
Liu Jun sighed secretly and started to pay. He couldn't disobey his father, let alone make his father sad. His father, whose legs were crippled, needed a normal and peaceful life. It wasn't worth it to make his father sad just for the 180 yuan he had wrongfully lost.
.
The taxi driver took the money, smiled, got into the car, put it in neutral, and pressed down on the accelerator. A thick stream of black smoke sprayed towards Liu Jun, then he put the car into forward gear and drove away proudly.
The taxi disappeared. When Liu Jun reluctantly paid the fare, he remembered the license plate number of the red taxi and thought to himself: "Uncle, I didn't beat you this time. It's not because I'm soft-hearted. It's because I don't want to hurt my father's heart. Next time