How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

It was already getting dark when we left Hongqi No. 3 Mine.

That kind of black wasn't pure nighttime, but a grayish-black mixed with coal dust, soot, and the smell of burnt dry grass.

The streetlights were not yet on, and in the distance, will-o'-the-wisps flickered on the coal gangue hill—the glow of spontaneously combusting coal seams, shining brightly and dimly in the wind.

Xu An carried the canvas bag that seemed to weigh a ton, walking along the coal transport line with uneven ruts.

The new clippers and the portrait he had just seen felt like a branding iron, burning his heart with a dull ache.

The atmosphere in the live stream room hadn't calmed down yet.

The comments were sparse, with only a few "hugs" and "I want to cry" occasionally appearing.

Xu An sniffed, the cold wind blowing into his lungs, carrying a harsh, rusty smell, which dispelled much of his affected air.

"Family members..."

"We have to... go."

Xu An faced the camera, his voice a little hoarse, but his eyes brightened again.

"Uncle Big Eyes is watching over there, we can't always look so gloomy."

"He once said that hair needs to be cut when it gets long."

"Life is tough... but we still have to get through it."

As they were talking, a low rumble suddenly came from behind them.

That was the roar unique to heavy-duty diesel engines, and the ground trembled as if a prehistoric behemoth was approaching.

Two blinding beams of light instantly stretched Xu An's slender shadow to an infinite length.

"drop--!!!"

A loud, extremely aggressive blast from the air horn nearly made Xu An drop his phone.

He instinctively jumped down from the roadbed, curling up into a ball, looking just like a silly roe deer caught in the headlights.

A red Steyr heavy truck, its original color almost unrecognizable, covered in dust, pulled up beside him.

The car window rolled down.

A face was revealed.

How can I describe this face?

If it weren't for the fact that the whites of the eyes and teeth were still white, Xu An would have almost thought it was a coal sculpture.

His face was covered in soot, with only two comical white marks around his eyes from the goggles. He had a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his mouth and a fierce look in his eyes.

"What's going on?!"

"Practicing martial arts in the middle of the road at night?!"

When the eldest brother opened his mouth, his voice was louder than a loudspeaker, with a heavy Shanxi accent.

Xu Anshe, suffering from a phobia, huddled inside his military overcoat, stammering, "I...I was walking..."

"walk?"

The dark-faced man looked Xu An up and down, his gaze landing on his military overcoat, which was covered in flour and coal dust.

Suddenly I laughed.

He revealed two rows of bright white teeth that shone brightly in the darkness.

"She's a child with a tragic fate."

"Where to?"

"As long as I don't leave Shanxi, there's no place my wheels can't run over!"

Xu An hesitated for a moment: "Go...go to the city, find a place with a car."

"Come on up!"

The older brother tilted his head, "There's no village in sight, no shop in sight. Even wolves wouldn't dare touch this place. You'd wear your legs down by two inches by tomorrow!"

Xu An dared not refuse.

The main reason was that this guy looked too intimidating, and he was afraid that if he refused, he would be stuffed into the exhaust pipe on the spot.

He used both his hands and feet to painstakingly climb into the driver's cab, which was taller than him.

The moment the car door closed, the world fell silent.

The car was warm, even a little stuffy.

The air was filled with the smell of diesel fuel, cheap cigarettes, and something else I couldn't quite place... the smell of Tiger Balm.

The dial was covered with a jumble of random things:

A swaying God of Wealth, a bottle of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, and a basin...

Xu An's eyes widened.

That was a potted green ivy.

Although the leaves were covered with coal ash, they remained stubbornly green and even sprouted new buds.

In this cab filled with steel and coal, this touch of green seems out of place, yet exceptionally moving.

"Drink water."

The stern-faced man casually tossed Xu An a bottle of mineral water, then skillfully shifted gears and released the handbrake.

This behemoth, weighing tens of tons, was like an obedient toy in his hands.

"Thank... thank you, brother." Xu An hugged the water as if it were a lifeline.

In the live stream, viewers who were just immersed in sadness were instantly drawn to the newly appeared NPC.

[ID Road Administration Brigade]: Holy crap! This guy's look is so hardcore! Did he just dig his face out of a coal pile?

[ID Appearance Connoisseur]: Although it's dark-skinned, those teeth are really white! And why is it that he's holding the steering wheel with one hand kind of cool?

[ID Botanist]: Is that a pothos? Growing pothos on a coal truck? This guy has a real zest for life!

The car was driving on the winding mountain road.

On both sides were dark cliffs, and ahead was a road that seemed to have no end.

The car was quiet, with only the monotonous roar of the engine.

Xu An felt a little awkward. As a streamer, he should have been trying to liven up the atmosphere, but as someone with social anxiety, he chose to mute himself.

It was the eldest brother who spoke first.

"Just came down from the mine?"

The older brother looked straight ahead, lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled a huge smoke ring.

"Mm." Xu An nodded.

"Visiting relatives?"

"I guess so... I'm just sending a message."

"Is he still alive?"

Xu An was silent for two seconds: "That's all."

The older brother paused for a moment on the steering wheel.

He took another drag of his cigarette, and this time remained silent for a long time.

"It's not normal anymore."

"The people here all have black lungs."

"Our fate is like the coal we're hauling."

"It looks dark and worthless."

"But once it's lit, it will be hot and bright for a while."

"After it's burned, only ashes remain, which will scatter in the wind."

When the older brother said this, his tone was very calm, without any hint of literary jargon.

But as Xu An listened, he felt as if something had struck his heart.

He turned his head and looked at his older brother's dark profile.

In that instant, he felt that every wrinkle on that face held a story.

The chat in the live stream went crazy.

[ID Philosophy Department]: Holy crap?! Is this guy a poet? "Life is like coal, burn it all and all that's left is ashes"? That's so insightful!

[ID Truck Driver]: Brothers, this is what we truck drivers are all about. No pretense, just living life to the fullest!

[ID Tears Up]: Suddenly, I feel like my sadness from just now has been healed. Yes, we live for those moments of warmth and excitement.

"Brother... what is your surname?" Xu An couldn't help but ask.

"No need for formalities, my surname is Zhang."

The older brother grinned and pointed to the God of Wealth on the dial.

"Call him Zhang Fugui."

"Isn't that tacky?"

"My dad named it that. He said he didn't want me to suffer anymore and wanted me to be rich and noble."

"And the result?"

Brother Zhang patted the steering wheel. "I haven't seen any wealth or fortune, but I've spent my whole life dealing with this black rock."

"But it's alright."

"Once this car turns, my wife and kids at home will have a secure livelihood."

"This is my wealth."

Xu An held up his phone, and the camera captured this simple scene.

No filters or background music needed.

This is probably the most authentic vitality on this land.

After driving for two hours, we finally saw the city lights.

Although it's just a small county town, the rows of lights still make people feel safe in the dark.

"arrive."

Brother Zhang parked his car at a roadside water station, which was a row of simple houses with red lanterns hanging at the door and signs that read "Lamb Offal Stew" and "Stewed Vegetables".

"Come down! Let's eat!"

Without a word, the older brother turned off the engine and got out of the car, saying, "All I've heard on the way here is your stomach growling; the noise from my car can't even drown out your gut rumbling!"

Xu An blushed all the way to the roots of her neck.

Social death.

Tai She died.

So it turns out my older brother had been listening to my stomach growling the whole time.

The small restaurant was steaming hot.

Several greasy tables were filled with equally disheveled drivers.

Everyone spoke by shouting and slurped their noodles; the atmosphere was both rugged and intimate.

"Boss! Two big bowls of lamb offal! Extra chili! And four fried dough twists, please!"

Brother Zhang found an empty table and sat down, wiping his large, grimy hands on his trouser leg.

Then he did something that left Xu An speechless.

He took a book out of his pocket.

The book cover was worn out and the edges were curled up.

The book's title is prominently displayed: "Three Hundred Tang Poems".

Xu An's chin almost hit his foot.

A burly man driving a coal truck carrying dozens of tons of coal pulled out a book of 300 Tang poems from a roadside hole-in-the-wall restaurant, his face covered in soot.

The contrast is even greater than with the pothos we saw earlier!

"What?"

Seeing Xu An's gaze, Brother Zhang scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, revealing a distinct black and white wrist.

"I didn't go to school for very long."

"But these characters... look pleasing to the eye."

"Sometimes I get anxious from traffic jams, or I can't sleep at night because I miss home."

"Take a look."

"My mind calmed down."

He turned to a page, pointed to a sentence, and read it softly in a heavily accented voice:

"I raise my head to gaze at the bright moon..."

"Head bowed...thinking of my hometown."

that moment.

The noisy restaurant seemed to have fallen silent.

The sounds of people playing drinking games and cursing around them became background noise.

Only this dark-faced man, gazing at a bowl of mutton offal soup that hadn't yet been served, was contemplating the homesickness of a thousand years ago.

In the live stream, millions of netizens were collectively speechless.

Is this what Chinese romance is all about?

Even if you have to roll around in the dust, even if life bends your back.

Just give it a little bit of space.

That heart will still yearn for the moon.

[ID Chinese Teacher]: I've been teaching for ten years, and this is the most moving "Quiet Night Thoughts" I've ever heard.

[ID: Uncle Xujiacun]: This brother is a good match! Anzi, you have to treat us to this meal! We can't let your older brother pay!

Xu An took a deep breath and pointed the camera at the tattered book of Tang poems and those rough, large hands.

"Family members."

"This is the world I want to show you."

"No profession in this world is vulgar."

"Only vulgar people."

Just then, a steaming bowl of mutton offal soup was served.

The milky white broth was covered with lamb tripe and liver, topped with bright red chili oil and sprinkled with fresh green cilantro.

One bite, and a burst of warmth instantly burst forth, dispelling all the chill.

Xu An ate until his nose was sweating, feeling like he had come back to life.

He put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth.

He pulled out the next letter from that heavy bag.

This letter is different from the previous ones.

The envelope was pink.

Although the color has faded considerably, turning into a worn-out fleshy pink, you can still smell a very faint... dried flower scent.

The address was written in pen, the handwriting neat and beautiful, yet it conveyed a sense of strength.

Building 3, Laojunying Residential Area, Yingze District, Taiyuan City

Recipient: [Fangirl Lao Liu]

Sender: [A jasmine flower that longs to bloom in a coal pile]

This signature...

interesting.

Xu An waved the envelope in front of the camera.

"Big brother."

Xu An asked Zhang Fugui, who was dipping his spoon in soup, "Is this old military camp... a military base?"

Zhang Fugui looked up and chuckled.

"What unit?!"

"That's an old neighborhood in Taiyuan. It used to be a military garrison area, and now it's all old buildings."

"but……"

He pointed to the pink envelope.

"This is both jasmine and a flower fanatic."

"Brother Anzi, this letter of yours..."

"Is it perhaps a love letter?"

Xu An was stunned for a moment.

love letter?

Love letters from the previous generation?

Send it to someone called "Flower Addict"?

And the sender had to be "in a coal pile"?

This plot... feels even more romantic than the Tang poem we just heard?

Have you eaten?

Brother Zhang swallowed the last piece of fried dough twist in one gulp, wiped his mouth, stood up, and moved with the boldness of a general.

"Get on the bus once you've eaten!"

"It just so happens that I'm on my way to deliver coal to Taiyuan!"

"I'll give you a ride along the way!"

"I want to see too..."

Brother Zhang looked at the pink envelope, a rare hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes.

"This jasmine flower wants to bloom in a coal pile."

"Is it open or not?"

Xu An quickly followed and rushed to scan the QR code on the wall.

"Brother! This meal's on me!"

"Beep—Payment successful, thirty-five yuan."

Zhang Fugui didn't refuse, but he patted Xu An's shoulder hard, almost knocking Xu An down.

"middle!"

"He's a straightforward person!"

"Let's go! I'll take you on a night raid on Taiyuan!"

The roar resumed.

The red heavy truck, like a tireless old ox, once again disappeared into the vast night.

Outside the car window, the streetlights receded one by one, like a flowing galaxy.

Xu An leaned back in his chair, looking at the pink letter in his arms.

Then he glanced at the dark-faced older brother who was humming the tune of "Orchid Flower".

Suddenly I realized...

This long night road doesn't seem so difficult to walk anymore.

Because as long as we're still on the road.

There will always be a time when the flowers bloom.