The last bus of Route 13

I'm in my early thirties, a bus driver. I'm also the youngest driver in the company fleet. Many might think driving buses at such a young age is a dead-end job. But I don't care. I've never stolen or robbed—I support myself. Aside from not having a girlfriend, I've got everything else covered. Every morning at five sharp, I pull out from the station, return to the terminal by seven, then make another round trip in the afternoon, wrapping up around half past four. I eat alone, but I'm content. I find joy in my days, living a sweet life. Old Wu is our team leader, a man from Hubei. Everything big or small in the fleet has to run through him first. As the saying goes, “Nine-headed birds in the sky, Hubei folks on the ground.” He's that kind of sly, cunning nine-headed bird who won't get up early without a profit. Sunday was my day off, and I happened to have a wonderful dream. In my dream, I was actually dating Fan Bingbing. We ate, watched a movie, and just as our hands touched, suddenly the whole world started spinning to the beat of “The Most Dazzling Ethnic Style.” At first I wondered why the music started before square dance time. Then, amidst Bingbing's confused gaze, I jolted awake. I grabbed my phone screaming on the table, pressed answer, and snapped impatiently: “What the hell? Calling at this hour?” There was a pause on the other end before Old Wu's irritating Hubei accent slowly came through. “Hey, Li! It's Old Wu. You at home? Wake up! Get to the office ASAP—we're having an emergency meeting.” Reluctantly, I gave a faint “Mm-hmm” and hung up. Company business takes priority even during holidays—that's the rule. After a quick wash, I rushed out without breakfast. Old Wu's office was already packed with colleagues. I squeezed my way into the room. Old Wu nodded at me when he saw me and said: "Alright, everyone's here. Last week, the city issued a notice to add a bus route from here to the paper mill. Today, we'll discuss and decide on the driver for this route." “What? The paper mill? That place is so desolate you can't even find a soul. Who's gonna ride that bus?” No sooner had Old Wu finished speaking than a driver in the crowd started grumbling. Old Wu frowned and snapped, “Don't worry about whether there are passengers or not. The city ordered the extra route—if you don't like it, take it up with the city leadership. What are you grumbling about?” Seeing Old Wu's anger, no one dared to respond. He glanced around and continued, “This route is just one round trip per day. The driver who takes it gets an extra 500 yuan monthly bonus.” The moment he said this, the crowd grew lively again. “One trip a day and an extra 500? Sign me up!” “Me too!” Seeing the crowd clamoring, Old Wu glanced sideways and chuckled. "See? When I, Old Wu, get a good deal, do you think I wouldn't fight for you guys? You think all that ‘Brother Wu, Brother Wu’ you call out every day is for nothing?" As soon as he finished, a few sycophants started clapping first. The applause rang out, and Old Wu's smile grew even brighter. He glanced around again with that same sideways look. I always felt there was something off about Old Wu's gaze, and sure enough, he continued: “I've laid out the job and the pay—it's exactly as I said. Yeah, it's a good deal, but there's one little catch: it's a night shift.” “What? A night shift? No wonder it's a one-way trip with extra pay. What the hell are we doing at the paper mill at night? Hauling ghosts?” “Yeah, I heard Tangwazi Village isn't exactly clean. Ghosts are always messing around there.” "Come on, where are these ghosts? You're a grown man and you're scared of the dark? There's a village over there, right? People complained to the city that lots of villagers go into town to sell vegetables during the day but can't get back at night. To make things easier for them, the city approved this bus route." “What? Those villagers sell at the night market until ten or so. What time does this bus leave?” Old Wu pursed his lips and chuckled, “It departs at eleven.” The paper mill was way out in the sticks. Leaving from our main station at eleven, even without traffic, it’d take an hour to get there. Meaning by the time we'd head back from the mill, it'd be midnight. Considering that, I gave up on driving this shift, leaned against the doorframe, and yawned. Seeing no one else volunteer, Old Wu cleared his throat awkwardly and said, “Hey, you're professional drivers—you pick and choose routes and schedules?” Old Li couldn't take it anymore. “Old Wu, it's not that we won't drive this shift. We've got wives and kids at home. Coming back from the night shift at two or three in the morning—the kids are asleep. We can't disturb them studying for their exams.” “Right. My kid's in ninth grade, taking the high school entrance exam.” “My kid's in twelfth grade, taking the college entrance exam.” “Mine's in college, about to take the entrance exam!”...... To avoid this night shift, these guys were suddenly claiming their kids were all about to take major exams—no matter how old they really were. Just as I was silently cursing their shamelessness, Old Wu spotted me in the crowd. He gave a knowing smile and said: “Hey, Little Li, in your young folks' lingo, you're still a single dog, right? No kids yet, huh?” The whole room of veteran drivers turned to look at me in unison. I was momentarily speechless. Before I could respond, a hand slapped my shoulder. “Little Li, you're young and in your prime—this is the time to hustle and make money. Keep at it.” Just as I opened my mouth, another hand landed on my shoulder. “Xiao Li, night shifts have fewer people, less traffic, and it's not tiring. Plus, there are plenty of young ladies riding the bus at night. Make the most of it.” Before I could refuse, these guys, as if they'd already decided my fate, burst out the door with cheerful grins. The room emptied instantly, leaving only me and Old Wu. Old Wu's wrinkles bunched together like a shriveled cabbage. He gave me a forced smile and said: “Xiao Li, things have come to this. No use refusing. Here's the deal: I'll get you an extra 200. That's 700 more than the others.” I found it laughable and was about to curse him out when Old Wu grabbed my hand first. He placed a set of keys in my palm and said, “Forget about your day shift. I'll handle it. From now on, you'll drive that 2386 parked in the northwest corner. If you need anything, just let me know. Your Uncle Wu's got your back.” Before I could respond, Old Wu waved me off and bolted for the door. Halfway out, he spun back and barked: “Hey, Little Li! Your old buddy here only remembered last night about that notice from last week. It's urgent, so you're on duty tonight. Departure at eleven sharp—don't forget!” From start to finish, I hadn't uttered a word before getting dumped into this shift. Staring at the keys in my hand, I felt both amused and exasperated. But then again, whatever. An extra 700 bucks this month means I can finally splurge on some decent cigarettes. During dinner in the cafeteria, Old Tang sidled up to me with his tray, whispering conspiratorially: “Bro, what's up? Heard Old Wu put you on the night shift at the paper mill?” I shoveled a mouthful of white rice and nodded. “Holy crap, bro, are you crazy? That paper mill route isn't something you just run casually!” I sensed there was more to what Old Tang was saying. I turned to look at his serious face. “What's the big deal, Tang? It's just a night shift. No problem. I'm full of yang energy and still a virgin. What am I afraid of?” Old Tang turned his head away, looking helpless as he continued: “You've only been with the company a short while. There are things you don't know. You think those old guys really quit the paper mill shift because they're afraid of the dark or don't want to disturb their kids after work?” Hearing these words, I sensed something was off. I set down my chopsticks and asked: “What's up, Tang? Is there something else going on?” Old Tang gave a bitter laugh and whispered, “This paper mill route? It started ten years ago. Then the night shift driver on this route crashed the whole truckload of people into the reservoir. You tell me—is that weird or what?” I chuckled in relief and said, “Bro, we're in the trucking business. Accidents happen. What's so weird about that?” “Not strange?” Old Tang grew agitated, setting down his chopsticks and leaning close to whisper in my ear,