Chapter 103: Encounter

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Encounter

"Mom, Dad, it’s almost noon. I think we should find a place to eat first." Zhang Minzhen’s heart ached a little as she listened to her parents’ conversation and heard how much they were worrying about her.

"The food outside is bound to be expensive," Wen Xiu said with a smile, patting the bamboo basket on her arm. "I brought steamed buns, corn, water, and eggs this morning. We can find a nice spot and sit down to eat."

"Okay," Zhang Minzhen agreed. She knew her parents were frugal. While she did have some money on her now that she was divorced, she also knew that under the circumstances, her parents wouldn’t want her to be extravagant. So, she nodded obediently.

But once the three of them actually walked out of the Civil Affairs Bureau and onto the main street, they were all a bit dumbfounded.

The city was much larger than the town. They had followed Gu Lihui on the way there, and with their minds preoccupied, they hadn’t paid much attention to their surroundings. But now that their business was finished, Gu Lihui, the one who knew the way, had already left. The three of them stood on the wide street, completely lost and bewildered.

Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Minzhen were handling it a little better. Although they were both groaning inwardly, they managed to keep their composure. They tried to recall the way they had come, their eyes simultaneously drifting toward the bus stop sign where they had gotten off earlier.

Compared to the "calm" of the father and daughter, Wen Xiu’s reaction was much worse. The look on her face could only be described as panic-stricken. It wasn’t her fault. In their entire lives, the farthest she and Zhang Dazhuang had ever traveled was to the town. How could they have ever seen such a bustling scene? As she watched the traffic, she saw not only the familiar bicycles but also those tall, long public buses...

She was somewhat familiar with the buses, as Gu Lihui had just taken them on one. But the smaller cars and the shockingly fast two-wheeled motorcycles filled her with fear. She was almost afraid to take a step. ’What kind of vehicles are these?’ she wondered silently. ’How can they go so fast? What if one hits us?’

The more she thought about it, the more nervous Wen Xiu became. She opened her mouth, her voice trembling, "Why didn’t we ask a few more questions just now, or pay more attention to the route? This is just great. What if we can’t find the bus stop? How will we get back?"

"What’s there to be afraid of? We have feet and we have mouths. How can a living person be afraid of getting lost?" Seeing his wife’s panic, Zhang Dazhuang felt he had to be the head of the family and couldn’t lose his composure. He quickly calmed himself, reassuring not only Wen Xiu but also Zhang Minzhen. "They say you can always find your way if you’re not afraid to ask. No matter where you are, as long as you’re willing to open your mouth, there’s no path you can’t find."

Seeing Zhang Dazhuang’s confident demeanor, Wen Xiu immediately relaxed and chuckled. "Now that you put it that way, I don’t feel scared at all."

"With me here, you never have to be afraid. Even in the deep mountains, where there’s no one to ask for directions, I don’t get trapped. This place is packed with people. What’s there to worry about?" Zhang Dazhuang was also saying this to bolster his own courage.

"I’m not worried, not worried at all. I’ll just follow you." Wen Xiu broke into a smile and turned to her daughter. "You know, how could I forget? When it comes to finding his way, if your dad claims to be second-best in our family, no one would dare claim to be first!"

"Exactly. With Dad here, all we have to do is follow him. And if that doesn’t work, there’s still the bus, right? I remember we took the Number 1 bus." Zhang Minzhen smiled along with her. She had often heard Gu Lihui talk about how convenient the city buses were; as long as you could read the signs, you’d never get lost.

"Take the bus? What a waste. It was such a short distance, and they charged each of us one mao." Zhang Dazhuang glanced at the spot where they had gotten off, shaking his head and rejecting his daughter’s suggestion.

"Then let’s walk. The bus was so fast, I didn’t even get to see what the streets looked like before we arrived. This is a good chance to take a proper look at the city. That way, I’ll have something to tell the folks back home, and this trip won’t have been for nothing." Wen Xiu chimed in to support her husband before her daughter could say anything. She also felt the bus fare was expensive and a bit of a heartache.

Outnumbered two to one, Zhang Minzhen could only nod in helpless agreement. She looked at Zhang Dazhuang, who carefully scanned his surroundings one more time before pointing in a direction with great certainty. "This way."

The day was quite hot. Even though all three wore straw hats, and there were shady trees and an occasional breeze along the way, it was summer after all. After walking for a long time, they were all drenched in sweat. What was most frustrating was that while they saw plenty of shops, most sold clothes or food; there wasn’t a single bicycle shop in sight. They asked several passersby, but each one just shook their head, not knowing. The last one was the most ridiculous—seeing them approach, the person actually covered their nose with their hand and ran off, shaking their head before they could even speak.

"I used to hear that city folks look down on people from the countryside, and I never believed it. Now I’ve seen it for myself." They had been walking for ages without finding a place to sit, and their stomachs were starting to growl. The three of them finally found a shady, less crowded spot and just stood by the roadside to eat. Taking off their straw hats, they fanned themselves with one hand and held their food with the other. Wen Xiu gave a bitter smile.

"Not everyone’s like that. Weren’t the first few people we asked perfectly fine? It was only that last girl who acted that way." Zhang Dazhuang took a bite of his steamed bun and a sip of water. "Some young girls are just a bit fussy."

"You always prefer to think the best of people," Wen Xiu said, shaking her head with a sigh. Then she frowned worriedly. "How can so many people not know? Could it be there are no bicycle shops around here? What if we keep wandering around blindly and miss the afternoon bus home?"

Wen Xiu had barely finished speaking when a strange man passing by suddenly turned to her and asked, "Are you looking for a bicycle shop?"

"Yes, we are! We’ve been worrying about it, walked all this way and haven’t seen one." Wen Xiu was startled for a moment, then her spirits lifted as she looked at the man. He appeared to be in his thirties, tall and with a vibrant air about him. His face had strong, chiseled features that gave him a resolute look, yet his smile was so warm it felt like a spring breeze.

From the first glance, Wen Xiu had a very good impression of the man. "Young man, do you know the way? Could you tell us?"

"Ma’am, the place is still a few streets away, but it’s not too far. Just follow this road straight ahead, then turn left at the second intersection, keep going straight, then turn right at the third intersection..." The man didn’t hesitate. He had spoken up out of a genuine desire to help them with directions.

After he finished, he saw that the three of them still looked a bit lost in the clouds, clearly unfamiliar with the city and not fully understanding his directions. So, he slowed down and repeated them. When that still didn’t seem to work, he began to doubt his own ability to give directions. Finally, figuring he had nothing better to do at the moment, he decided he might as well see his good deed through to the end. He smiled at the three of them and said, "As it happens, I’m heading in the same direction for a bit. If you trust me, you can just follow me."