usenovelonline Chapter 1: 1 On the Public Bus
Chapter 1: 1 On the Public Bus
Chapter One
In the sweltering noon of July, cicadas droned listlessly from the plane trees lining the roadside, during the hottest days of the year.
Niu Y County Southern Bus Station.
A dilapidated minibus bound for Lotus Township in Niu Y County was about to depart. The stuffy cabin was packed with people. Niu Y County was one of the poorest in West Chuan, and Lotus Township was the poorest among its towns. There was only this one bus a day, and moreover, it was an outmoded relic discarded by other towns. The cabin lacked air conditioning, making it as suffocating as a steamer, fogging up glasses at a moment's notice.
Despite the unbearable heat, the minibus still hadn't started. The driver, who also served as the conductor, yelled at the door, "Lotus Township, anyone else heading to Lotus Township?"
"It's scorching to death, why haven't we left yet!"
"My kid's about to get heatstroke, let's get moving."
"It's fully seated already, why are we still here, you've got eyes only for money."
A cacophony erupted inside the cabin.
Seeing that no one else was boarding, the driver muttered a few words of dismay before walking towards the bus, shouting impatiently, "Alright then, we're leaving, what's all that shouting about."
Just as the driver started the bus, a refined voice rang out, "Wait, driver, I'm going to Lotus Township."
"Okay!" The driver immediately opened the door and soon, he was left with his mouth hanging open, slightly dazed as he watched a svelte figure climb aboard.
She was a woman at least 1.7 meters tall, with delicate eyebrows and gold-rimmed glasses. Beneath the glasses were profound, captivating eyes, her jetblack hair simply coiled at the back of her head. Her skin was smooth and refined, and the white silk blouse stretched tight across her chest, exuding a blend of elegance and chilliness, sensuality tinged with a hint of sternness, awakening in any normal man a desire to conquer her.
This woman entering the rickety cabin was like a swan falling into a chicken coop, utterly out of place.
Which made all the more pairs of eyes inside the bus stare at her, and the previously noisy cabin fell silent for a few seconds.
Shen Yuerong slightly furrowed her brow.
In truth, she had some regret the moment she boarded. She had not expected the bus to Lotus Township to be so decrepit, and the cabin was not only stiflingly hot but also crammed with a mélange of odors from chickens, ducks, foot odor, and sweat.
However, Shen Yuerong quickly dismissed the thought of disembarking. Ever since she decided to break away from her family's arrangements and start from the grassroots in this remote and impoverished area, she was determined to forget she was a woman, unafraid to endure hardship. This was also why she didn't take official protection to Lotus Township, instead opting to sneak there on her own.
Looking down, she realized the coolness was emanating from the bald young man's thigh. In such oppressive heat, his face was astonishingly free of sweat, and there was even a chill coming from his body.
Shen Yuerong was amazed inside, thinking it was impossible. In such hot weather, not sweating could only mean one was extremely weak or sick, yet this young man looked very robust, with bright eyes.
Her curiosity piqued, she took a closer look at the bald young man and soon discovered something even more astonishing. The book he was holding was a book written entirely in English.
If she wasn't mistaken, it was Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations."
A man whose clothes added up to no more than fifty yuan, and who had just been released from prison, was now reading an English edition of "The Wealth of Nations." If her eyes weren't deceiving her, the young man was definitely putting on airs.
Shen Yuerong shook her head inwardly, thinking young people these days are not steady. Rather than holding "The Wealth of Nations," you might as well read an English novel to make it more believable. Besides, on this bus, aside from her, it was unlikely anyone else could recognize "The Wealth of Nations."
Just as Shen Yuerong was silently sneering at the young man.
A piercing cry interrupted her thoughts.
The woman sitting on the other side of the bald young man was a young mother holding an infant.
The cry came from the baby, and after the mother cooed a few words, the crying only grew louder. Muttering under her breath, the mother unbuttoned her cheap synthetic blouse and started to breastfeed the infant.
Shen Yuerong's cheeks burned upon witnessing this.
How could these rural women not be ashamed, breastfeeding their children in front of everyone like this?
Her gaze shifted, showing a look of disdain.
The bald young man sitting beside her had, at some point, put down "The Wealth of Nations" and was staring intently at the young mother's chest.
What a shameless wretch!
Shen Yuerong felt utterly contemptuous. This bald young man was indeed no good, feigning intellectuality with "The Wealth of Nations" just a moment ago, and now revealing his true colors.
He even had the audacity to steal glances at someone breastfeeding, truly faceless to the extreme.
With force, she slapped the bald young man's shoulder and glared at him fiercely.
Coming from a noble background and accustomed to the official circles, her glare was full of momentum; most people would cower under her gaze, but the young man looked back at her questioningly. Seeing that Shen Yuerong remained silent, he turned his head and continued to stare at the young mother.