Chapter 1 The Train Station
1051 Words
Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, three years were gone. I had already completed my journey through adolescence. Just as I had imagined, everything from my youth to adulthood ended with the college entrance examination, and I bade farewell to school life.
After returning home, my father did not say much. He had never truly expected me to enter university. As the heir to the family, what mattered more was mastering feng shui thoroughly.
“Go to Yunnan and take over part of the family business.”
My father lit a cigarette, said this calmly, then stood up, patted my shoulder, and left.
I understood that sending me to Yunnan was his way of helping me untie the knot in my heart, the knot that had remained since three years ago.
Back then, when I returned to Beijing from Liangshan County by train, I called my father immediately and told him everything that had happened. He showed little reaction, except when I mentioned the hundred ghosts carrying the coffin and Chou Wuhen.
That surprised me slightly.
My father only told me not to worry. As for Li Yuan, he went to the Li family to inquire. Yet as days passed, there was no news from their side. It was as if Li Yuan had simply vanished.
Three full years had passed.
Li Yuan seemed to have disappeared from the world. I tried every possible way to find him, but nothing came of it.
Following my father’s instructions, I booked a train ticket to Yunnan, packed my luggage, and prepared to leave Beijing early the next morning.
The very next day, just as I got out of bed, I heard a knock at the door. After getting dressed, I opened it to find Uncle Fu standing there.
“Sir, there’s a letter for you.”
I frowned slightly. Who would send me a letter? I did not have many friends in Beijing to begin with. Could it really be Yuan Li?
With that thought, I washed up, tidied my hair, and went to the living room.
Breakfast had already been laid out on the dining table. An envelope sat neatly in front of my seat.
I picked it up and examined it. Other than an address, there was only a single surname written on it, Li, which puzzled me.
I opened the envelope and took out a thin, folded sheet of paper. As I unfolded it, I picked up a piece of bread, about to eat, when I suddenly froze.
There were fewer than seven words written on it.
“Xiaoyu, save me.”
The signature at the bottom was unmistakably Li Yuan.
I threw everything aside at once and rushed toward the door.
“Uncle Fu, where did this letter come from?”
Uncle Fu paused for a moment, then answered promptly.
“It was delivered this morning with the rest of the mail. It was mixed in with the others.”
At that moment, I realized that asking further was pointless. What mattered was the address.
I turned the envelope over. It clearly listed Luoping County, Yunnan Province, a place I had never heard of. But now that there was news of Li Yuan, I had to go there immediately, no matter where it was.
After quickly packing my things and saying goodbye to Uncle Fu, I left home and headed straight for Beijing Railway Station.
Uncle Fu did not understand what was happening. Just as he was about to call out to me, I was already gone.
The station was as crowded as ever. It took me quite some time to make my way through. After showing my ticket at the checkpoint, I was about to board the train when a sudden cry of alarm rang out.
I turned around and saw a young man with dyed yellow hair running through the crowd. He clutched a bag in one hand and a fruit knife in the other, his expression vicious. A woman in her thirties was chasing him desperately.
The surrounding crowd scattered, afraid to step in.
I was about to move forward when, in the midst of the chaos, a foot suddenly extended from the crowd. The yellow haired man, too focused on fleeing to notice, tripped and fell hard to the ground.
He scrambled up angrily, wanting to see who had dared to trip him.
Beside him was a row of seats. People had already scattered when he ran past. The only one left sitting there was a slightly overweight middle aged man holding a newspaper.
“Did you trip me just now?” the yellow haired man shouted, knife in hand, as he approached threateningly.
The middle aged man seemed to react only then. He smiled innocently.
“How could that be? I’ve been sitting here the whole time.”
Hearing this, the yellow haired man glanced around. More and more people were gathering, and panic flickered across his face. Afraid the police might arrive, he was about to leave when the middle aged man suddenly stood up and smashed a heavy fist straight into his forehead.
The yellow haired man collapsed instantly.
At that moment, the woman rushed over, grabbed her bag, and ran off without even saying thank you.
I shook my head. The middle aged man calmly packed his luggage, folded his newspaper, and walked toward the ticket gate.
I glanced at him a few more times before looking away. One thing was certain. That man’s hands were no ordinary hands.
After boarding the train and sitting down, I saw someone approach. When I looked up, I realized it was the same middle aged man from the station.
He checked the seat number beside me and broke into a pleased smile. He put down his luggage and sat next to me.
As soon as he settled in, he asked casually, “Young man, where are you headed?”
“Yunnan.”
At my answer, his eyes lit up. “What a coincidence. I’m going to Yunnan too.”
He laughed and patted my shoulder. “Looks like fate brought us together.”
He then pulled out a pile of food from his bag and offered some to me. When I declined, he shrugged and started eating on his own.
- Writer
