Morning.
Provincial City.
An old bus station in the suburbs.
Dong Xuebing was alone in the bus station, and he dragged his luggage into the bus station to ask for tickets.
"Is there a bus to Jiaolin County?" Dong Xuebing asked.
The ticket seller looked at Dong Xuebing. "We just left. What time do you want?"
Dong Xuebing looked at his watch. "The nearest bus. The sooner, the better."
The ticket seller replied. "The nearest bus will leave at noon, and there are not many buses going there."
"Noon?" Dong Xuebing was speechless. "So slow? Then why can't I just sit here for four hours? It's still morning. "
The ticket seller replied. "Then you can go to the South long-distance bus station. There are many buses going to Jiaolin County, and most of the buses here are heading north."
Dong Xuebing asked. "What time is it around noon?"
"Between 12 and 1 pm, it's not certain. Let's see if the driver can come back," the conductor said.
At this moment, Dong Xuebing missed Beijing's traffic. Although Beijing is congested, at least the roads are clear. There are not many cars on this side of the road. Dong Xuebing is not familiar with this place, and he can't possibly stand at the bus station for a few hours. It's too boring. How about taking a taxi? Dong Xuebing had no choice but to leave the bus station. He walked out of the ticket window and went to a nearby stall to grab some food. After that, he looked around and had nothing to do.
"Jiaolin County!"
"Is there anyone else?"
"Bus to Jiaolin County!"
Suddenly, two people shouted from the other side of the road.
Dong Xuebing was surprised and looked over. It is a small minibus, and it looks old. The words "Provincial City – Jiaolin County" were pasted on the side of the bus. Dong Xuebing thought to himself. There are buses here, and why is the next bus only at noon? Dong Xuebing knew the car will not start anytime soon, and there are only a few people in the car. He finished his breakfast and paid the bill. He dragged his luggage across the road and asked for the two men's names.
"Jiaolin County?" Dong Xuebing replied.
A dark-skinned muscular man said, "Yes!"
Dong Xuebing asked. "Where should I buy tickets?"
The burly man said, "Just buy it from me. A hundred for one."
Dong Xuebing looked at the money in the man's hand and realized that this bus should not be the station's designated bus. It should be their private bus and can also be called an "unregistered bus." But Dong Xuebing does not mind. He will not wait here for the bus to arrive. Never mind. It's better than sitting for 4 hours and waiting for the noon bus. Also, from the conductor's tone, the bus might not even leave on time. So, Dong Xuebing took out his wallet and took out 100 RMB before boarding the bus with his luggage.
After a while, there were already some people on the bus. Almost half of the seats were filled. Of course, there weren't many people on the bus.
Dong Xuebing prefers to sit at the back or in the corner. So, he chose the last row and placed his luggage in the seat beside the window.
"Jiaolin County!"
"We're leaving soon!"
"Is there anyone else?"
The two men outside were still shouting.
Dong Xuebing crossed his arms and closed his eyes to continue thinking. He has too many things to think about now. Li Guian and Zhang Dongfang's incident, Jiaolin County's situation, and the ancient tomb that was described in the newspaper. Dong Xuebing felt he needs to think about it systematically, and he must be more organized after taking over this position. He must think clearly about what he should do first and second. Although Dong Xuebing is not an organized person, he had worked in the government for so many years and needs to mature. If not, he will have wasted his years working in the government.
One minute …
Three minutes …
One after another, a few more people came up and filled the car to the brim.
Thud.
The seat beside Dong Xuebing was heavy.
A young man sat beside Dong Xuebing. He looks about the same age as Dong Xuebing, but he should be one or two years older. He looks smart and skinny.
Dong Xuebing looked at him.
That man also looked at Dong Xuebing and nodded with a smile.
That man was being polite to Dong Xuebing, and Dong Xuebing returned the gesture with a smile and nod.
In the end, there were still two or three people who squeezed up when the bus was about to leave, but there were no seats left. The driver was obviously prepared. He immediately took a few benches and placed them in the aisle of the bus for them to sit down. Although it was a little unsafe, it was an illegal car. They didn't care about this or that. They just needed to pay. Of course, these people didn't charge them 100 yuan, but 50 yuan.
After a while, no one else boarded the bus.
The muscular man who had sold the tickets boarded the bus.
Another skinnier northerner, the one who had been shouting with him to buy the tickets, got into the driver's seat. As soon as the door was closed, the car drove away.
Stroll.
The bus was bumpy.
Dong Xuebing had experienced many hardships when he was young.
Dong Xuebing had suffered a lot when he was young. He is from a poor family, and if there are people around, he will be very picky and will not ride in this kind of car. This is because he is someone who values his reputation. But if there is no one around, he will not care about his reputation. It's fine if the ride is a little bumpy, and he will make do with it. He is not like Fang Wenping and Xie Huilan, who were spoiled since young. He can make do with anything as long as it doesn't affect his reputation.
The bus was too old.
The bus was bumpy.
After a while, a middle-aged woman could not take it anymore and grumbled. "Why is the bus so bumpy? Can you drive more steadily? I feel like vomiting. "
An old man beside said. "That's right. I can't take it anymore."
The muscular man sitting in front turned and said. "Do you want to sit or not?! This is the road! Just wait until we reach the highway! "
The old man replied angrily. "What do you mean by do you want to sit or not?!"
That middle-aged woman took out a plastic bag and started vomiting.
The muscular man ignored the old man and looked at the woman with a disgusted expression. "Don't vomit on the bus. Throw the plastic bag out later!"
Dong Xuebing opened his eyes and thought to himself. What are you talking about?
The young man sitting next to Dong Xuebing frowned and mumbled. "What kind of attitude is this?"
He said, "Do you want to sit or not?" with a look of disdain on his face. His attitude towards the elderly and women was indeed too rude.
The rest in the bus did not say anything. Maybe it's none of their business, or maybe they are used to sitting in their unlicensed bus.
A few minutes later.
The minibus drove on the highway.
But after a while, a problem arose!
Dong Xuebing was still dozing off and was thinking about what he should do after he got promoted. Suddenly, the muscular man in the bus stood up and clapped his hands loudly. "Everyone, listen up!" The bus stopped at the side of the lane.
"What's wrong?"
"Why did you stop the bus?"
Everyone started to mutter among themselves.
The muscular man shouted. "This route is not profitable, and it's very difficult to operate. You still need to cross the highway and pay the toll. That's why we need to charge you a certain amount of toll. It's 10 RMB per person. It's not a lot, and it's within the range of what you can afford. I hope you all can understand us."
The old man, who was bullied earlier, was pissed. "It's already expensive for the bus tickets to be 100 RMB. Isn't it included? Why do we still need to pay? "
The muscular man replied with a straight face. "This is the rule here!"
The old man replied angrily. "This is unreasonable! What if I don't pay?! "
The muscular man glanced at the old man. "Don't pay? Then get off the bus! Walk to the next exit and find your own bus! We will not interfere! "
The old man stood up. "We had already paid for the bus tickets! Why should we get off the bus? "
The muscular man replied. "But you did not pay the toll. Why should we care about you?" His tone was threatening. They are now on the highway, and it's already halfway there. If he chased them off the bus, how are they going to leave? Walk to the next exit? Who knows when they will reach Jiaolin County?! Moreover, it was unlikely that they would be able to find a taxi to Jiaolin County after exiting the exit. That was why the burly man and the driver had chosen this spot. It was obvious that they had nothing to fear. It seemed like this was not the first time they had done such a thing.
Everyone started to complain.
"What?!"
"Why should we pay?!"
"This is illegal!"
The muscular man stared at everyone. "You are not paying?! Fine! Get off the bus if you don't want to pay! Let's see how you are going to find a bus in the wilderness! "
Arrogant!
They don't even try to hide their arrogance!
Suddenly, there was a commotion in the car, and it was noisy.
The young man beside Dong Xuebing also did not expect to pay the toll. Although 10 RMB is not a lot, it's too disgusting.
That young man stepped forward and took out a work pass from his pocket. "I am from Jiaolin County's County Party Committee. I am here for some work. Please give me some face. All of us are not rich, and don't make things difficult for us." Dong Xuebing blinked.
Jiaolin County's County Party Committee?
That muscular man was stunned. He took the work pass and looked at it. "County Party Committee Office Secretarial Department? Deputy Section Chief? Su Yan? " She paused for a moment. Clearly, she did not take the other party seriously. She guessed that this long-distance runner knew the leaders of Jiaolin County. "How about this? I will pay for your highway fare. I will also give you face. Others will have to pay for it!" The secretarial department was indeed not a tough department.
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