Global Film Emperor

Chapter 59 Going Home
"It's the third watch of the night~ when we go into the embroidery room~"

The two got into bed~

"The scented powder sachet has been untied, revealing the fragrance of chrysanthemums~"

"A flower is picked by the lover, so happy hey ho hey ya~"

"Ask your husband if his mother smells good~"

Today is the eve of the Lunar New Year. After spending a few more days lounging around at the company, he is finally going home. Compared to the previous years when he returned home looking disheveled and penniless, this year he can finally hold his head high.

Singing a cheesy tune, Lu Ze packed a few clothes, and even the short distance between the wardrobe and his suitcase was enough for him to start dancing the Yangko, feeling incredibly happy.

Few people who are away from home don't miss their family. Although Lu Ze had gotten used to living alone in another city, the thought of seeing his parents again inevitably made his homesickness stronger.

Hearing that Lu Ze was going home, Shen Jinghan booked a plane ticket for him. It's not easy to book an economy class ticket during the Chinese New Year. Lu Ze could only marvel at Shen Jinghan's extensive connections.

After packing his luggage, Lu Ze went downstairs and hailed a taxi. Since it was almost Chinese New Year, he didn't mind spending a little money. He checked his luggage, got his boarding pass, and charged his phone in the waiting room.

Lu Ze estimated that it would take a two-hour flight to Fengtian, the provincial capital, then a three-hour train ride to Lühua City Railway Station. From there, he would take a one-hour bus ride along the national highway, get off at the town, and then take a half-hour donkey-drawn taxi to his village. The transportation was quite convenient.

Lu Ze was familiar with airplanes, having even flown in first class, so he wouldn't make a fool of himself. Holding his boarding pass, he found his seat, put his bag down, plopped down, and breathed a sigh of relief.

It's Chinese New Year, so there are bound to be a few children on the plane, which Lu Ze understands. But what Lu Ze just can't understand is why not a single child on the plane is obedient!

As soon as the child in front started crying, the children behind followed suit. Lu Ze, sitting in the middle, enjoyed the 3D surround sound. The small headphones provided on the plane were not very loud and were uncomfortable to wear. Lu Ze could only endure the heavenly sound and shrugged with the uncle in the seat next to him, expressing his helplessness.

Two hours later, Lu Ze got off the plane, picked up his luggage, and rushed to Fengtian North Railway Station. He could only buy a standing ticket for the train.

If home is heaven, airplanes are earth, and trains are hell! There was no room for anyone to get on; it was the passengers behind who had to push Lu Ze up by supporting his buttocks.

In previous years, when Lu Ze went home, he would take a bus from Hengdian to Shanghai. There were buses originating in Shanghai that passed through Lühua. He would drink less water along the way and just endure the twenty or so hours to get there.

In just three hours, Lu Ze has already experienced what it means to be desperate. Putting aside everything else, just the fact that he is standing in the smoking area and an old man next to him smokes six cigarettes in twenty minutes is almost making Lu Ze nauseous.

By the time they got off the train, Lu Ze was practically dead. He lay on a bench at Lühua Railway Station for an hour before recovering.

"Where are you going, bro? To Fengtian? Fengtian! Fengtian! We still need two more people, it's thirty-five each, if we're short two, we'll just go."

"Haicheng! Haicheng! Anyone going to Haicheng? I'm leaving on the 20th! Where are you going, little sister? Going to Haicheng? 20, don't go any further in, you'll have to wait. I'm leaving right now, it's 20, are you coming or not? Okay! Get in the car, I'll help you with your luggage."

There are always some people shouting at the entrance of the bus station, and Lu Ze didn't feel anything when a group of women in their fifties and sixties called him "little brother".

"Are you taking National Highway 303? If so, I'll get on the bus. I'll get off at Zhao Jia Bangzi. Could you stop for me?"

Because he got off midway, the driver charged Lu Ze five yuan less. After getting back on the bus, Lu Ze sat in his seat, feeling a little dazed. This year's bus was a proper old-fashioned bus, which was actually quite good.

In the past few years, he used to ride in those old-fashioned buses that were retired and used for fare collection. Back then, when it rained heavily outside, it would drizzle inside the bus, with rainwater spraying in through the windows.

As for even further back, we have to go back to Lu Ze's childhood. At that time, Li Yumei often fought with Lu Weiguo. After the fight, Li Yumei would take Lu Ze back to her parents' home.

He remembers that back then, every bus was overloaded. His mother would always have him sit on a small plastic stool between the large seats on both sides, and he would sit on Li Yumei's lap for hours on end.

He had encountered robbers in the 1990s and was also caught overloading on a bus in 2000. In short, Lu Ze still had many memories of buses.

When we arrived at Zhao Jia Bangzi, it was already past 2 p.m. There were no sanitation workers in the town, and the road was covered with snow, which was already a foot deep.

Lu Ze was thrilled to hear the familiar accent, which eased the fatigue of his journey. He had attended junior high and high school in Zhao Jiabangzi. Back then, he had to get up at five o'clock every day to go to school. Li Yumei would get up even earlier than him to heat up his food. After eating, he would wait at the bridge at the village entrance for an old, dilapidated minivan to take the four children from the village to school.

The small restaurant that had been open since his junior high school days was still standing. Lu Ze was a little hungry, so he went inside. "Hey! Isn't this Da Ze? You've been back for a while now? Da Cai, come and see who's here."

"Just got home? Auntie, you haven't changed at all. Uncle Cai, can you cook me a dish and a glass of baijiu? It's so damn cold."

Lu Ze had been taciturn for a long time and had hardly ever done it, but when he returned to his hometown, he could never stop talking. That's how country kids are; he learned to swear from the old women in the village and he would start a three-part swearing routine with his best friends.

"Little Guo, do you still recognize me? Don't you remember how you used to drag me to the back room to play with the Little Tyrant when we were kids?"

Although the proprietress hasn't changed much, she and her husband Da Cai have actually aged. The six-year-old child they brought when they first opened the business is now in college. When she saw Lu Ze, she was still a little shy and didn't say anything, just smiled.

After having a drink with Da Cai, Lu Ze realized he hadn't been to this restaurant in years. Once inside, he couldn't stop talking about all sorts of changes.

It wasn't until four o'clock that Lu Ze put down his chopsticks and prepared to leave. When it came time to pay the bill, the couple refused to accept it, but Lu Ze insisted on paying anyway. How much money could one earn in town? He was supporting his family now and knew how difficult it was to do so.

As he was leaving, he glanced back and saw the family of three smiling and telling Lu Ze they would come back in a couple of days. But who knew when they would actually see each other again?

Sitting on the red three-wheeled motorcycle, which Lü Hua calls a bullet, it sped along when revved up. It was fine on the national highway, since it was an asphalt road and the snow had been cleared. But it was a different story in the latter half, when it sped off onto the snow-covered, frozen dirt road.

"Hey, Master, slow down. I'm not in a hurry to go back, so please take your time."

The driver of this bullet-shaped car looked to be in his forties, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. When he stepped on the gas, his facial expression was ferocious, as if he wanted to devour this dirt road.

Have you ever ridden in a car during the Qatar Rally?

"Never sat in it before."

"Let me show you!"

That beat-up car had no shock absorption whatsoever. After paying and getting out of the car, Lu Ze felt numbness in his feet and his legs were weak. He staggered as he opened the back seat, took out his luggage, and watched the Qatar Rally driver leave.

"Is he a fucking idiot?!"

He stood on the bridgehead, the same bridgehead where he used to wait for the bus when he went to school. The river below was frozen over, and the current was much smaller than when he was a child. He estimated that it would dry up in another ten or eight years.

However, the depth is still worth considering. When I was a child, the water here was not deep, only up to my ankles. There were also wild crayfish, which could be caught by simply turning over the rocks. There were also many fish fry. When Lu Ze was a child, he often caught small fish to feed the chickens, ducks and geese at home.

Later, the river was used for sand mining, and the water became very deep and murky. People who jumped in would disappear instantly. One of Lu Ze's childhood playmates drowned in this river.

As soon as he got home, all the memories came flooding back, and he walked toward the village with a smile on his face.

The village roads were in terrible disrepair, all full of potholes, and looked incredibly dilapidated under the setting sun. After all, all the young people in the village had left, and the elderly didn't have the ability to repair them.

"Daze".

Lu Ze suddenly heard someone call him. He had been looking down at the ground, but in that instant he looked up and saw Lu Nan with her arm around a man's. Lu Nan was smiling happily and waving at Lu Ze.

The man's hair was already white, and his beard was half black and half white, but the golden sunlight gave his white hair a golden sheen.

Lu Ze smiled, a smile more genuine and happier than any he had ever shown in public, and said to the man.

"Dad, I'm back."

"."

(End of this chapter)