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

There was no grand ceremony when the train passed through Shanhaiguan.

The ice flowers on the car window burst open in an instant, freezing into a grand white print.

This kind of cold has physical penetrating properties; it can bypass two layers of thick winter clothing and penetrate directly into the bones.

Xu An shivered and subconsciously tucked the potted green plant even deeper into the arms of the man in the military coat.

The soot on the leaves seemed to have been frozen stiff, shrinking into a stubborn shape.

The bald man, Liu Qiang, opposite them had already changed into a large mink coat.

The mink fur was glossy and shiny, reflecting an undeniable air of wealth under the dim lights of the carriage.

"Anzi, do you see this? This is the greeting gift from beyond the Great Wall."

Liu Qiang pointed to the rapidly receding black earth outside the window, his breath blurring the gold chain.

"In this place, if you don't show it some respect, it will freeze you into an icicle."

In the live stream, more than two million netizens were staring at Xu An's nose, which was red from the cold, and frantically spamming the chat.

【ID: Harbin Native】: Anzi, listen to me, don't lick the telephone poles when you get off the bus.

[ID Northeast Past]: This background is so realistic, those tall chimneys, those red brick houses, the oppressive feeling of the old industrial base is overwhelming.

[ID Henan Fellow Townsman]: Xu An, you are a seed from Henan. You have to grow up in the Northeast too, don't be a coward!

Xu An looked at the comments, his lips twitched, but his heart was pounding.

His social anxiety, coupled with the lack of oxygen in crowded and noisy places, and the extreme cold weather, made him feel like his brain was working slowly.

Just then, a noisy shoving sound came from the aisle of the carriage.

"Why are you getting on the train without a ticket? Get off at the next stop!"

The train conductor's urgent and authoritative voice instantly shattered the peaceful aroma of instant noodles in the carriage.

Xu An looked in the direction of the sound.

At the windshield of the connection point stood a middle-aged woman dressed in tattered clothes, clutching a woven bag tightly in her hand.

Behind her was a little girl of about seven or eight years old, whose face was frozen red like two rotten apples.

The woman shrank her neck, her eyes filled with an almost numb humility, her lips moving.

"Boss... I didn't mean to skip the ticket, I just want to go to Harbin to see my husband..."

"My child has a fever, and the doctors in the village can't cure him..."

The sound was very faint, and before it could even be heard, it was half drowned out by the heavy metallic sound of wheels hitting the tracks.

Most of the passengers around me had their heads down; some were pretending to sleep, while others were staring at their phones.

These long-distance green trains, these human hardships, are repeated every day, and everyone has developed a kind of aesthetic fatigue defense.

Xu An's heart suddenly clenched.

That feeling was like when he was a child and saw a little puppy soaked by the rain in the fields of Xujia Village.

He subconsciously pulled out the stack of hundred-yuan bills that hadn't even warmed up yet from his pocket.

That was money he earned from his live streams, and it was also something his second uncle had insisted on putting into his socks for self-defense before he left.

Bald-headed Liu Qiang frowned and placed his large hand on the back of Xu An's hand.

"Anzi, it's hard to tell if something like this is true or false. Scammers these days are really good at it."

Although Liu Qiang is kind-hearted, his heart has long been calloused from years of experience in the underworld.

Xu An shook his head and remained silent.

He didn't even look at Liu Qiang, but stared at the little girl's old shoes with cotton showing through them.

For someone with extreme social anxiety, standing up in public is harder than being killed.

But what he was thinking about now was the poem "Horse Racing" from Uncle Ya's letter.

Uncle Ya said that playing the violin requires a certain breath; if that breath is lost, the violin becomes like sawing wood.

The same applies to being a person.

Xu An took a deep breath and stood up abruptly, as if he were about to blow up a bunker.

Because he stood up too suddenly, his head hit the metal frame of the upper bunk with a loud "bang".

The people in the live stream were stunned by the sound.

[ID Passerby A]: Holy crap, is Xu An going to... resort to violent rights protection?

[ID Leeuwenhoek]: Look at his face, it's as red as a boiled shrimp, he's terrified.

[ID Psychology Expert]: He is overcoming his physical limits; this is the ultimate highlight of his social anxiety.

Xu An stumbled through the crowd, each step feeling like walking on a knife's edge.

He walked up to the train conductor, head bowed, not daring to look into those authoritative eyes.

"Um... I'll pay for their tickets."

Xu An's voice trembled, but he neatly handed over three hundred-yuan bills.

"No...no need to get off at the next stop."

The train conductor was stunned, staring at the young man in the military overcoat, whose face was still youthful but whose eyes were firm.

The middle-aged woman was also stunned. She stared blankly at Xu An, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet.

"Big Brother... Big Brother..."

The woman's tears instantly burst forth, mingling with the ash on her face and flowing down in black streaks.

Xu An didn't dare to linger, nor did he wait for the thank you; he turned and ran back.

Like a thief who had done something wrong, he quickly retreated to his window seat.

He buried his face in his military overcoat, his heart pounding like it was fighting.

Liu Qiang looked at his profile, his initially wary gaze gradually softening and finally turning into a long sigh.

He took out a Red Plum cigarette from his pocket, but didn't light it; he just smelled it under his nose.

"Anzi, in our Northeast, someone like you would be called a 'living saint'."

"But in my eyes, you're just a silly boy who hasn't grown up."

Liu Qiang chuckled and patted Xu An on the back of the head with his big hand.

"However, their stupidity is truly enviable."

At this moment, the live stream room was completely flooded with red hearts.

[ID: Harbin No. 2 Middle School]: Xu An, that bump just now really touched my heart.

[ID Veteran]: People without tickets are breaking the law, but those with good intentions are saving lives. I'm on Xu An's side this time.

[ID Official Culture & Tourism]: We have prepared ginger soup and cold-weather gear at Harbin Station. Xu An, we are here to pick you up.

Xu An still didn't look at his phone; he simply took the sesame seed cake out of his bag.

I tore off a piece, stuffed it into my mouth, and chewed it, savoring the aroma of wheat.

The train conductor returned with two repaired tickets and one hundred yuan in his hand.

"The conductor said it's half price, and he'll refund the difference."

The train conductor put the money down and, before leaving, gave Xu An a rather informal bow.

The middle-aged woman, leading her child, sat awkwardly in an empty seat in the aisle.

The little girl rummaged through the woven bag and pulled out a small, frozen apple, handing it to Xu An with longing eyes.

"Brother...eat an apple."

It was just the most ordinary little Guoguang, its skin was all wilted.

Xu An took the apple and looked into those clear, big eyes. Suddenly, most of his social anxiety dissipated.

The world is actually not that complicated.

If you offer your sincerity, even on this frozen land three thousand miles away, a small flower can bloom.

The train began to slow down.

On the distant horizon, a majestic outline gradually came into view.

That was Harbin, known as the "Oriental Paris," and it was also Xu An's first transit point after entering Shandong.

"Family members, look!"

Xu An pointed the camera out the window.

As the sun sets, the frozen Songhua River resembles a silver ribbon, radiating a cold, austere light under the fading sunlight.

Ice-harvesting boats on the river were emitting white smoke as huge blocks of ice were hoisted up, and sunlight pierced through the ice, refracting into a dazzling array of colors.

This scene was so beautiful that it left more than two million netizens speechless.

[ID Academy of Fine Arts student]: The color tone, the light and shadow, it's as if God shattered his palette.

[ID: Homeless]: Anzi, don't forget to go to the St. Sophia Cathedral and keep an eye on that white dove for me.

[ID: Uncle Ya]: Anzi, when you get there, don't forget to tell Lao Linzi that I've been practicing the zither...

Xu An stared at that special comment, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

He touched the letter with a drawing of a erhu in his pocket and felt a sense of mission that transcended time and space.

The train slowly pulled into the station.

The pointed clock at Harbin Railway Station emitted a dull rumble.

Xu An stood up, slung his bag over his shoulder, held the green ivy in his arms, and wore a military overcoat.

Liu Qiang walked ahead of Da Bian, like a general clearing the way.

Xu An took a deep breath, feeling the minus thirty degree air cutting into his lungs like a sharp blade.

This sense of reality made him feel more clear-headed than ever before.

Next stop, Hongxing Forest Farm.

That was the place that Uncle Ya longed for.

This is also the place where Xu An wanted to deliver the last bit of dignity to that silent veteran.

The moment I stepped out of the station exit, an even stronger gust of cold wind, carrying snowflakes, rushed towards me.

Xu An subconsciously looked down and saw that the snow on the ground had been trampled into a neat shape.

At the far end of the crowd stood a row of young people in uniforms.

They held up a simple sign that read: "Xujia Village, Xu An, thank you for your hard work."

Xu An froze completely, and his legs began to tremble again.

The panic he felt when his social anxiety was instantly captured by the spotlight almost made him stumble in the cold wind.

But at this moment.

The pothos plant, which had been as quiet as a chicken, seemed to twitch its leaves.

It was a slight shiver after being touched by snowflakes.

It is also a kind of blossoming that embraces life even in the face of death.

At the exit of Harbin Station, the cold wind felt like icy files, specifically targeting people's necks.

Xu An huddled inside his military overcoat, clutching the potted green ivy tightly with both hands, wishing he could shrink himself into a green ball.

When he saw the banner that read "Xu An, thank you for your hard work," only two words came to his mind: Run!

This scene would be a massive influx of traffic for an ordinary internet celebrity, but for Xu An, it was a large-scale execution scene.

"Oh my, isn't this Anzi!"

Liu Qiang's loud voice boomed from the side, like a megaphone that was afraid others wouldn't know, and he even pulled Xu An along.

The group of volunteers, dressed in neat red vests, swarmed forward.

"Teacher Xu An, ginger soup! It's freshly made, piping hot!"

"Comrade Xu An, here are some hand warmers for your feet. We in Erbin can't let our brothers from Henan feel disappointed!"

"These are earmuffs, made of pure sheepskin. Put them on quickly, or your ears will freeze off!"

The green ivy in Xu An's hand was taken by a hand wearing lace gloves; it belonged to a young lady from the Culture and Tourism Bureau.

"These pothos plants can't get cold, so we've prepared an insulated box for them. Don't worry!"

Xu An opened his mouth, but the words "Um... no need to trouble yourself" swirled on his tongue eight times before he managed to squeeze them out.

Because standing in front of him was a square-faced, upright, and dignified middle-aged man with eyes that exuded an air of "I must be good to you."

"Comrade Xu An, I am Xiao Wang from the Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. Welcome to Harbin."

Director Wang gripped Xu An's frozen hand with such force that it was as if he were holding a baton for rural revitalization.

"We all witnessed your act of kindness on the train. This simple, genuine Chinese warmth is the most heartwarming aspect of our winter tourism!"

Xu An inwardly raged: I'm just buying a ticket, I'm really not some saint, please let me go.