Age: My Small World

The next day.

A green train was heading south from Beijing, and Yang Jun was on board.

Compared to the freezing weather outside, it was much warmer inside the train, and the train attendants would occasionally come over with hot water to ask if anyone needed it.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh~" The black smoke from burning coal flashed across the sky and was then blown away by the wind.

"Comrade, are you going home for the New Year too?"

A little girl next to him secretly stared at Yang Jun for a while, and finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Yes, I'm going home for the Chinese New Year," Yang Jun nodded, not bothering to explain too much to anyone.

The boy next to the little girl raised an eyebrow and said, "Xiao Mei, don't talk to strangers. Who knows if they're good or bad people?"

The girl called Xiaomei frowned immediately: "Wang Danian, don't spout nonsense. That comrade looks like a good person. Look at yourself, you're the one with shifty eyes."

Yang Jun looked fair-skinned and heroic, and many people's first impression of him was that he was a good person. As the saying goes, handsome people are often good people. The fundamental essence of human beings' first impression of their fellow human beings is to distinguish good people from bad people based on beauty and ugliness.

Wang Danian, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, almost stood up upon hearing this: "Xiao Mei, where am I looking shifty?"

He touched his eyebrows and pinched his square face: "See? Thick eyebrows and big eyes, that's me. Even your mother says I'm honest and simple."

"Hmph, that's because all you do is try to appease my mom all day long."

Because Yang Jun was right beside her, the girl didn't want to talk to the boy much, so she turned to Yang Jun and asked:
"Comrade, what's your name? My name is Yu Xiaomei."

As she spoke, she stretched out her hand.

"Hello, Yang Jun."

Yang Jun politely shook the girl's fingertips and then immediately withdrew them.

Even so, the boy next to him named Wang Danian still stared wide-eyed.

"Xiaomei, I've never even held your hand..."

He tried to say something, but Yu Xiaomei waved her hand impatiently: "Are you done yet? Can't you just leave us talking?"

Seeing that she was angry, Wang Danian immediately gave an awkward smile: "Okay, okay, okay, you can say whatever you want, I'm listening."

Yang Jun took a closer look at the girl and found that she was actually quite well-dressed. The clothes she wore were made of polyester, and she was wearing a watch. Just by dressing up, she outshone many girls, including many working-class girls.

If it weren't for the fact that her family had many workers, then it would be because she herself liked to spend lavishly; she couldn't have bought this outfit in less than a year's salary.

Based on the conversation between the girl and the boy earlier, he could guess what was going on between them.

It's simply that the boy has been pursuing the girl and has even won over her mother, but the girl isn't very satisfied with him, which is why she's getting impatient with him.

More importantly, the girl was probably attracted to good looks and had a crush on Yang Jun, while Wang Danian next to her had a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes; all I could say was that he looked very energetic.

And that's how this scene came about.

Yang Jun shook his head. Sure enough, similar people will appear in any era.

When the girl chatted with him again, he deliberately adopted a cold attitude, not wanting to ruin the boy's pursuit, which had taken him a long time to complete.

Perhaps the two of them won't have a good ending, but Yang Jun hopes that he can get what he wants, which can also be considered as giving the girl a reliable future. After all, the boy looks hardworking and resilient. If she marries him, she won't go hungry, and she will probably be taken care of for the rest of her life.

If the girl does find another handsome guy, her later life will likely not be very smooth, because she has a rather demanding personality and spends money extravagantly. She'll probably be arguing all the time. Therefore, choosing a partner is very important; liking someone can't put food on the table.

Although Yang Jun remained aloof, it only fueled Yu Xiaomei's enthusiasm. She eagerly inquired about his work location in Beijing and where he had returned to his hometown.

Unfortunately, Yang Jun kept his eyes closed and rested after that, which meant he stopped responding.

When getting off the bus, Yu Xiaomei was still reluctant to say something, but was eventually pulled away by Wang Danian.

As he was leaving, Yang Jun could even see a hint of gratitude flash in Wang Danian's eyes. He didn't know what would happen if Yang Jun really paid attention to Xiao Mei, but that unease gradually dissipated as Yang Jun's expression turned indifferent.

After getting off the train, we were in the provincial capital.

Yang Jun did not rush to take a car to the county town, but instead walked out of the train station.

Now that he's come to the provincial capital, he should first go and pay respects to his aunt, as instructed by Master Hu.

My aunt's grave is on a hill near the provincial capital. You can get there by taking a bus out of the city and then riding a bike for a while.

Later, this area was incorporated into the urban area of ​​the provincial capital and then converted into a public cemetery, which can be considered a large cemetery.

Now the place is covered with countless tombstones, and if Li Cang hadn't led the way, he wouldn't have been able to find it.

"Brother Li, thank you for your help this time."

Although Li Cang had become the manager of one of the two major black markets in the provincial capital, which meant he had a fairly high status, he remained as humble as ever.

He waved his hand and said, "What's the big deal? I was just planning to come and pay my respects to my mother anyway."

Liu Yuhe was his godmother, but he treated her as his own mother. When Liu Yuhe passed away, Li Cang was even more heartbroken than Hu Sheng.

Now, upon arriving at the grave, they immediately knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly with a loud "bang bang."

Yang Jun didn't go overboard; he just gave a normal bow.

At this moment, he couldn't help but sigh, recalling his aunt's kind face.

After paying respects to his aunt, he followed Li Cang down the mountain.

"Brother Yang Jun, why don't you stay in the provincial capital for a few more days? I'll show you around for a while."

Li Cang clearly considered him a friend. As the saying goes, no friendship is formed without a fight, and the two had fought before, with Li Cang completely defeating him.

"Okay, I was mainly thinking of going to your market to see if there's anything new or interesting."

Having not visited the provincial capital's black market for a long time, he was indeed eager to see if there was anything he could find cheap.

"Welcome!" Li Cang said with a smile, a stark contrast to his usual fierce demeanor in front of his subordinates.

Yang Jun stayed in the provincial capital for a few more days, but unfortunately, he was somewhat disappointed with the situation in the black market; there wasn't much of value to be found.

Moreover, as time went on, the trade of grain on the black market became more and more frequent, and most people who came to the black market were there for the grain.

He could only buy some jade and then stop browsing.

Yang Jun didn't linger and immediately bought a ticket back to the county town.

The Lunar New Year is just around the corner, and if we stay any longer, we might miss the opportunity to bring our relatives back for the holiday. (End of Chapter)