Shan Yu leaned sideways in the back seat, his head bouncing back and forth between the window and the backrest like a resilient ping-pong ball.
The road had been bumpy for over an hour without a smooth patch. The car was filled with deafening music, and it was pouring rain outside. The constant bumping and noise were making him dizzy. He couldn’t be bothered to steady his head anymore; his neck was already sore.
Liu Wu, who was driving in front, said something, but he didn’t hear it clearly.
“Hmm?” Shan Yu responded, shaking his head.
Liu Wu grabbed a karaoke microphone from the passenger seat and shouted, “Pick up the phone, dear cousin!”
Shan Yu fumbled for a while and finally dug out his phone from between the seats. It was a number marked as spam, already disconnected.
He stuffed the phone back between the seats. “Good ears, huh? You could hear that.”
“I’m young,” Liu Wu still held the microphone.
“Put that thing down,” Shan Yu frowned. “With this crappy road and this crappy rain, focus on driving.”
“Do you think I want to hold it?” Liu Wu continued holding the microphone.
“Alright, I can hear you!” Shan Yu sighed, lifting his left leg, which was in an external fixation brace, and struggling to sit up straight. He looked at the white rain fog outside the window. “Didn’t you tell me the weather forecast said light rain today?”
“You look at it now, it’s still light rain. This is called localized heavy rain,” Liu Wu said.
“How much longer till we arrive?” Shan Yu asked.
“Navigation says four kilometers left,” Liu Wu replied.
“Qian Yu opened a guesthouse in the middle of nowhere…” Shan Yu muttered.
“I told you not to take it over,” Liu Wu said.
“Do you think I wanted to take it over?” Shan Yu kicked forward with his right leg.
“I know,” Liu Wu glanced at him through the rearview mirror, speaking softly, “Don’t get mad. Haven’t I taught you well these past few years…”
Shan Yu squinted his eyes and remained silent, just staring at the back of Liu Wu’s head.
Liu Wu raised his hand to touch his head and changed his tone. “Actually, that place is quite nice. I’ve been there. It’s some kind of themed town… or ancient town or something. Once the ski resort opens, business will surely be good.”
“The small town we just passed had a sign saying it’s an ancient town,” Shan Yu said.
“Yeah,” Liu Wu nodded, “That one is a real ancient town.”
“So, Boss Qian’s guesthouse is in a man-made ancient town?” Shan Yu asked.
“Tourism development, better facilities,” Liu Wu explained.
“Fine,” Shan Yu chuckled a bit, “Whatever.”
After driving for about another half hour, the rain had lessened significantly, revealing a muddy, broken road. Strangely, seeing the road surface seemed to make the car bump even more.
“How’s your leg?” Liu Wu asked.
“Not good. I need you to carry me and fly,” Shan Yu replied.
“… Maybe you should reconsider this,” Liu Wu sighed. “Even if you wanted to reopen with your leg like this, you wouldn’t be able to do anything. There are a lot of things to handle, like hospital follow-ups and removing the brace.”
“I’ll remove it myself,” Shan Yu said.
Liu Wu paused and gave a thumbs up. “You’re amazing.”
Shan Yu didn’t respond, just looked out the window.
“If you don’t want aunt to know where you are, it’s not hard,” Liu Wu said. “You could stay at my place. I recently rented a new apartment with two rooms.”
“Just drive,” Shan Yu said.
Liu Wu could see the displeasure on his face and shut his mouth. But not for long; he seemed to muster the courage to add something, took a deep breath, and just as he was about to speak, a loud bang sounded outside.
“Hmm?” Shan Yu looked up.
“Ah, shit!” Liu Wu was startled and hit the brakes. The car immediately slid forward in the mud at an angle.
“Why the hell are you slamming the brakes at a time like this?! Want to die? There’s a knife in the back; use it to slit your throat!” Shan Yu braced against the seat in front of him to keep his injured leg from crashing forward.
“What was that sound?” Liu Wu asked after regaining his composure once the car stopped.
“The sound of me setting off firecrackers at your grave.” Shan Yu struggled to sit back up.
Liu Wu didn’t speak; he just looked at him with sincere confusion in his eyes.
“The tire’s punctured,” Shan Yu’s anger subsided as he looked out the window at the tire.
“How long has this tire been used?”
“I don’t know. What do we do?” Liu Wu was a bit panicked, peering out the window to check. “Damn! It’s really flat, how did it go flat so fast?”
“Change the spare tire,” Shan Yu said.
“No spare tire,” Liu Wu seemed desperate. “This seems to already be the spare tire.”
“Where’d you get this car?” Shan Yu sighed. “Did you steal it from a junkyard?”
“I borrowed it from a friend. I’m just a college freshman; getting a car to bring you here is already a miracle,” Liu Wu also sighed, closing the window. “What now, bro?”
“Just keep driving,” Shan Yu said.
“Can we make it?” Liu Wu hesitated, not starting the car.
“Do you have a tow rope?” Shan Yu asked.
“Yes, I have one. How do we use it?” Liu Wu turned to look at him.
“Attach it to the bumper, and you pull in front,” Shan Yu said.
Liu Wu stared at him for two seconds, then turned around and started the car.
.
“Rui-ge.” Chen Jian walked into the shop, called out, kicked aside the scattered parts and tools on the floor, and hooked a chair over with his foot.
“He’ll be back in a bit, went to town with Xiao Pan.” Chen Xiaohu came out of the inner room, holding a rag. She paused when she saw him, “Did you come here in the rain?”
“Sister-in-law,” Chen Jian greeted, “It suddenly started pouring halfway, and my umbrella got blown away.”
“Take off your clothes, I’ll dry them for you,” Chen Xiaohu said.
Chen Jian sat on the chair and ran his hand through his hair, “Just give me a towel, I’ll dry my head.”
Chen Xiaohu went inside and brought out a towel for him.
Chen Jian took the towel and looked at it.
“It’s clean!” Chen Xiaohu said, “I know you’re picky; I wouldn’t give you one Rui-ge has used.”
Chen Jian smiled and draped the towel over his head.
“You’re going to keep wearing those wet clothes?” Chen Xiaohu asked.
“Yeah,” Chen Jian responded.
“You’re crazy; don’t be shy about it.” Chen Xiaohu looked at him disdainfully, “If my son hadn’t died, he’d only be a year younger than you. Hurry up, or you’ll catch a cold!”
Chen Jian raised his hand and took off his soaked shirt.
Outside, a car drove up the narrow path in a jerky manner. There was a canopy in front of the shop, so the car couldn’t get through and had to stop by the roadside.
Chen Jian immediately noticed that the car’s left rear tire was flat, and the rim was even a bit deformed. He wondered how it managed to get here.
The driver opened the door and ran into the shop, looking at Chen Jian, “Mister, can you fix a tire?”
“The rim is deformed. Just fixing the tire won’t help,” Chen Jian said.
“Do you have a tire here? Can you replace it?” The driver looked around.
Chen Jian didn’t respond. From that glance, the driver should already be able to tell that this shop’s tire operations were basically limited to repairs. If there was a tire here, it would only be for a motorcycle.
“…Bro,” the driver walked back into the rain and went to the car, “What do we do? It looks like they can’t replace the tire here.”
A few seconds later, the driver came back, now completely wet from head to toe, and said, “Then can you just fix it for now, as long as it can drive?”
Chen Jian looked at the person in the back seat of the car. The window was closed, so he couldn’t see clearly, but it seemed pretty ostentatious. Driving a beat-up car, making the driver run back and forth in the rain to relay messages.
“I can’t fix it right now,” Chen Jian said.
“Why not?” The driver raised his voice, a bit anxious, and said, “You don’t seem to have other work.”
“The worker isn’t here!” Chen Xiaohu came out of the inner room and said, “He went to town and will be back in about twenty minutes. If you can wait, then wait.”
“Isn’t he the worker?” The driver, not giving up, pointed at Chen Jian and asked again.
“He can’t,” Chen Xiaohu said, “He’s our guest.”
“…Oh.” The driver gave up.
“Why don’t you sit for a while?” Chen Xiaohu pointed to a chair.
The driver seemed a bit embarrassed and didn’t move, glancing at Chen Jian.
“What, you fancy my chair?” Chen Jian stood up and said, “Want me to give it to you?”
“No,” the driver waved his hand, “I’ll wait in the car.”
Liu Wu, soaked in rain, got back into the car. When he turned his head, water from his hair splashed all over Shan Yu’s face, “They said the repair guy would be back in twenty minutes. Do we wait? Is your leg getting seriously swollen?”
“Let’s wait. This car probably can’t go any further,” Shan Yu lifted his leg onto the seat and wiped his face with a tissue, “Couldn’t you wait inside the shop? Running back and forth in the rain.”
“My brother really cares about people!” Liu Wu smiled, touched.
“You splashed water all over my face!” Shan Yu said.
“You said you were thirsty just now,” Liu Wu replied.
“Don’t gross me out,” Shan Yu looked at the repair shop through the car window and asked, “Do they sell water there? I saw a fridge.”
“I’ll go ask. I’m really thirsty too.” Liu Wu prepared to get out.
“Addicted to getting rained on? Stay in the car.” Shan Yu pulled him back and rolled down his window. Rain immediately splashed in. He quickly whistled sharply and loudly toward the shop, more efficient than shouting.
The person with the towel on his head inside the shop looked up at them.
Before Shan Yu could speak, he turned his head away again.
“Wasn’t that impolite?” Liu Wu asked.
Shan Yu looked at him.
“Wasn’t it?” Liu Wu asked.
Shan Yu sighed, turned his head, cleared his throat, and shouted over the rain, “Hey, curly hair!”
The person with the towel on his head looked over again.
“Do you have water?” Shan Yu asked.
Curly Hair stared at him for a few seconds. Shan Yu was about to shout again when Curly Hair spoke.
“Only five minutes! What’s the rush?!”
Shan Yu silently closed the window and looked at Liu Wu, “Maybe you should go over there.”
“Water? Yes, we have some,” Chen Xiaohu pointed to the fridge, “Help yourself and scan the code.”
“Will the mechanic be back in fifteen minutes?” The driver asked as he took some water and scanned the code.
“I told you twenty minutes,” Chen Jian said.
“Hasn’t it been five minutes already?” the driver asked.
“…It’s not that precise,” Chen Jian said, looking at him, “It’s just an estimate.”
“Are you in a hurry?” Chen Xiaohu asked.
“Yes.” The driver glanced back at the car and said, “My brother…”
“Why don’t you help them take off the wheel first, Chen Jian? That way, they won’t have to wait until the others come back to start,” Chen Xiaohu suggested.
“Alright.” Chen Jian nodded.
The driver ran back to the car, handing the water through the window.
“Worried they’d run off if they couldn’t wait?” Chen Jian asked, “Their car can’t go anywhere like this.”
“Not really,” Chen Xiaohu said, “It just looks like that kid is having a hard time running back and forth. He is about your age, right? And he’s already driving for someone.”
“Doesn’t this job earn more than I do?” Chen Jian laughed, picking up the jack and walking toward the car.
“Take off the wheel first,” the driver instructed the person inside.
“The person needs to get out,” Chen Jian said.
“The weight doesn’t make a difference,” the person in the car said.
Chen Jian had never met someone so full of airs before. He leaned on the car window and looked inside. A young man was reclining in the back seat, turning his head to look at him. Several thin black lines of tattoos extended from the side of his neck to behind his ear.
“It’s not safe to work with someone in the car,” Chen Jian said, “If you want it fixed, get out.”
The young man didn’t respond.
“Is your leg not convenient? Do you need me to carry you out?” Chen Jian asked impatiently.
The man didn’t answer; he just reached out to open the car door.
“Make way, make way,” the driver squeezed over, holding the man’s arm.
Chen Jian watched as the man struggled to extend his right leg out, then carefully supported by the driver, he slowly got out of the car.
Then Chen Jian saw a section of a metal brace exposed under the man’s pant leg. He was stunned and then at a loss. He hadn’t expected that the person who had been sitting in the car actually had an inconvenient leg.
“How about…” Chen Jian hurriedly supported the man’s arm, “You just sit in the car.”
The man reached back into the car and pulled out a folding crutch, snapped it open, and supported it on the ground, straightening up to face him, “Are you messing with me?”
“…No.” Chen Jian answered.
The two of them went inside and sat down. Chen Jian skillfully removed the car tire and dragged it under the canopy at the entrance.
“Where’s the puncture?” the driver asked, coming over.
Chen Jian looked around and pulled out a triangular spike from the tire tread.
“Damn!” the driver exclaimed in surprise, “Someone must have thrown this on purpose, right?”
“Who on earth would do that?!” Chen Xiaohu came over to take a look and exclaimed too, “It wasn’t us! We don’t do that kind of thing!”
“This thing couldn’t have just accidentally fallen there. We don’t use this normally.” The driver was a bit angry, holding the triangular spike and showing it to the man, “Bro, look.”
Shan Yu glanced at the spike in his hand, then at the proprietress beside him and said, “Throw it away. Are you keeping it as a souvenir?”
Liu Wu hesitated but didn’t move.
“Then take it back and play with it,” Shan Yu said.
Liu Wu came to his senses and threw the spike onto the concrete floor nearby.
Right now, they were counting on this shop to fix their tire. It wasn’t appropriate to argue about this.
The tire was off, and the cause of the blowout was found. The four of them sat inside, silently watching the rain outside, waiting for the mechanic to return.
Chen Jian didn’t know how the other two felt, but he felt a bit awkward.
It was Chen Xiaohu who broke the silence, “Are you guys going to the town inside for a visit?”
“Not a visit,” the driver said, “My brother took over a guesthouse, going in to check it out today.”
“Guesthouse?” Chen Xiaohu glanced at Chen Jian, then asked, “Which one?”
“Called… called… what was it again?” The driver frowned, thinking for a while, “Oh, called Zhenxi.”
“Zhenxi? Mr. Qian’s place?” Chen Xiaohu seemed a bit surprised.
“What’s up?” the man immediately asked.
“Nothing,” Chen Jian said, “That guesthouse has been vacant for almost half a year. I didn’t expect someone to take it over.”
“Is there a problem with it?” The driver seemed to sense something and followed up.
“No, we don’t know either.” Chen Xiaohu smiled, “We live quite far from there. What’s your surname?”
“Liu Wu,” the driver said, then looked at his brother, “My brother’s surname is Shan, Shan Yu.”
“We’re all surnamed Chen,” Chen Xiaohu pointed to Chen Jian, “Chen Jian. There are a lot of Chens around here.”
Shan Yu acknowledged with a sound but didn’t say much else.
“Do you all live in the town?” Liu Wu asked.
“We go back and forth; we also live in the old town,” the proprietress smiled, “Chen Jian is usually in the town, so you’ll probably see him often in the future.”
“Oh.” Shan Yu glanced at Chen Jian.
