Forced into a romantic relationship

Chapter 252 On the Journey
The next morning, Han Zhou and his group boarded the earliest bus and headed to a place called Linhai Town.

However, Linhai Town was not their final destination. Anticipating that Xiao Xiaoxiao would still be sleepy this morning, Han Zhou asked her about the itinerary early in the morning. He learned that after arriving in Linhai Town, they would need to transfer to another bus, and the entire journey would take about three hours.

Lin Anyu was absent-minded the whole way, clearly still thinking about what happened last night, with Bai Tongtong beside him, who looked like a well-bred young lady.

The girl arrived at the station earlier than the others, and seemed very enthusiastic about going to the fishing village together.

To be honest, Lin Anyu didn't really want to sit with Bai Tongtong, but he couldn't ask her to change seats, so he could only gaze out the window in deep thought.

Xiao Xiao fell asleep as soon as she got on the bus. Buses are not like trains, and the journey is quite bumpy, so we couldn't let her sleep soundly by herself. She might bump her head if we weren't careful. Therefore, Gu Zheng had to sit next to her to take care of her.

It wasn't that she disliked Xiao Xiaoxiao, but compared to this girl, she would naturally prefer to sit with Han Zhou, even though they were only separated by an aisle. She was still a little annoyed.

It wasn't a holiday, so it wasn't common to see passengers heading to Linhai Town so early in the morning, especially a group of young people. There were only five passengers on the bus. As the driver drove, he asked, "Are you going to the sea banquet in Linhai Town?"

"A seagull?" Lin Anyu, who was closer to the driver, asked curiously, "What is a seagull?"

"It's a custom in Linhai Town," the driver chuckled. "I didn't know about Haiyan. Looks like I guessed wrong. You must be students going to sketch, right?"

Linhai Town has beautiful scenery, which is well-known in Beicheng. High schools, junior high schools, and even universities often organize sketching trips to the town to enjoy the natural scenery.

"Master, you overestimate us. None of us can draw, so what are we supposed to do?" Lin Anyu said cheerfully. "Couldn't we just be visiting family?"

"It can't be a family visit. I can tell you're from out of town at a glance. I'm not bragging, but unless you're driving yourself, you almost always have to ride in my car to get to Linhai Town. You're all handsome men and beautiful women. If you were really from the town, I would have remembered you by now."

"That's right."

Lin Anyu puffed out his chest and nodded in agreement, though it was unclear whether he was agreeing with the driver's analysis or with the comment, "You're all handsome men and beautiful women."

Just then, Bai Tongtong suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Um, actually I can draw."

Lin Anyu was taken aback, then scratched his head awkwardly: "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay." Bai Tongtong gently shook her head. "I was just reminding you."

Han Zhou, oblivious to their whispers, asked, "Master, do you know anything about Jianyan Village?"

"See Yancun?" the driver repeated, as if confirming.

"Yes, the 'jian' in 'to meet' and the 'yan' in 'salt'."

Han Zhou also found the name a bit strange when he first heard it, but after Xiao Xiao told him that the village's main business used to be salt production, he no longer found it strange.

"I've never heard of that before..."

After thinking for a long time, the driver finally shook his head regretfully, "I know quite a bit about the villages near Linhai Town, but this is the first time I've heard of this village name."

As an experienced driver, he felt somewhat ashamed of his limited knowledge.

It does seem to be a rather remote place... Everyone thought to themselves, and they all glanced at Xiao Xiaoxiao, who was fast asleep. They thought that it was quite inspiring that she could get into Lincheng University from such a remote place.

In this way, it's not hard to understand her smug attitude. It's estimated that her status in school was similar to that of Guzheng, always firmly holding the top position, perhaps even by a wide margin. After all, it's unlikely that many students from such a small place could be admitted to Lin University.

It's not that people from small towns are stupid, but some things have to be acknowledged. Educational resources are very important. The more economically developed a place is, the better its educational resources are, while the less economically developed a place is, the worse its educational resources are. It's not a question of fairness, but the inherent differences obviously exist; otherwise, different exam papers wouldn't be used for the college entrance examination.

It is extremely rare to be able to get into a good university in a small, underdeveloped area, especially after thinking about Xiao Xiaoxiao's suffering from insomnia. Even someone as proud as Guzheng felt a sense of awe.

However, more questions arise. Since it's such a remote place that even seasoned veterans haven't heard of it, it's even less likely that Han Zhou would go there. Can he really find his "lost memories" there? And what exactly is in the place Xiao Xiaoxiao is talking about?
The bus sped along the highway, and some passengers gradually boarded along the way. The journey became less pleasant after that, as the road ahead was quite bumpy, and the bus would occasionally "jump around." Xiao Xiaoxiao was swaying from side to side on the bus, and if Guzheng hadn't been watching over her, she might have already banged her head against the window several times.

Han Zhou pretended to close his eyes and rest, but was actually checking the suddenly updated monthly store.

He didn't know if it was because of the main quest or because there was something special about this month, but the goods this month were quite novel. He read the product information several times before he could roughly confirm the purpose of the goods.

First up is this "mysterious brocade pouch." The name alone is out of character for the status bar. The ability to obtain mysterious information after opening it gives it an air of mystery and awe. Han Zhou can't figure out its purpose yet, but he guesses it might be related to the "mysterious footprints" he encountered last night.

He had previously guessed that at least one of the items offered in the status bar would be something he needed at the moment, such as the initial status temporary solidifier and the subsequent task detector, both of which were the items he needed most at his current stage.

Therefore, the phrase "may provide some hints or help for your current situation" in the product description of the mysterious pouch most likely refers to the "mysterious footprints" incident. After all, normally he would have absolutely no clue about such supernatural phenomena, otherwise it couldn't be teaching him how to make money or how to deal with relationship problems, right?
The appearance of "sleeping pills" could corroborate Han Zhou's conjecture. He had a feeling that this stuff was prepared for Xiao Xiaoxiao's insomnia problem.

To be honest, this treatment is a bit exaggerated. You know, Zhong Ling, who is an unlockable character, is still troubled by the problem of not being able to speak. There is no "megaphone" or similar item in the status bar. Is Xiao Xiaoxiao that special?

However, it must be said that, putting aside other issues, the versatility of insomnia pills is quite good. They are inexpensive and effective. If he can't sleep in the future, he can take one pill himself. If he takes a few more, they can also be used as a sedative. They are a perfect tool for home and travel.

I just don't know if it's colorless and odorless.

The function of the "State Extractor" is not difficult to understand. Simply put, it generates a new state out of thin air to replace the current random state. It seems to be just an extra chance to manually refresh the random state, but whether it's the high price of 111 points, the purchase limit of once every three months, or the words in the notes such as "causes huge deviation" and "necessary correction," they are all repeatedly emphasizing one thing to Han Zhou—

This thing is not simple.

Han Zhou felt intensely curious, but considering that the status extractor only provided a seven-day trial card, it would be a waste to use it to replace "Leave it to fate". He decided to buy a status bar slot expander first and then try it out.

This item permanently adds a random status slot, which can then be used to replace the status given by the status extractor, continuing the "Leave it to fate" effect. As for the "Skill Extension Pill," its effect might seem a bit difficult to understand, but Han Zhou figured it out. It's somewhat like a character in a game undergoing a job change after reaching a certain level, offering multiple development paths. After spending fifty points, you can choose a path to "change jobs," practice for a while, and then master new skills.

For example, being "proficient in cooking" might allow you to switch careers to become a "pastry chef" or something similar.

It's okay if you don't want to change jobs; you can also take this as a pill to increase proficiency, but the cost-effectiveness is probably not high.

What Han Zhou was most concerned about was the fifth item, "an interesting draw with varying odds," the effects of which could only be seen after the draw, which was quite rare.

In short, whatever the reason, the quality of the goods this month is quite good, and they are basically worth buying. Han Zhou originally planned to draw a lot now, but the bus suddenly stopped, as if there was a problem.

"What's wrong, Master?"

"Why did you stop suddenly?"

The passengers were clearly a bit confused. They hadn't even reached their destination yet, and no one seemed to be getting on the bus. Why were they stopping?
The driver gave a wry smile: "Take a look for yourselves."

Han Zhou stuck his head out of the car window and looked out curiously. He found that there were many vehicles parked in front of him, and the road seemed to be blocked.

Other passengers also noticed this and wondered, "I've traveled this road many times, and there are usually hardly any cars on weekdays. Why is there a traffic jam today?"

"It's probably because of the sea banquet," someone casually remarked.

An elderly man shook his head: "Haiyan isn't a holiday, and even the people in Linhai Town don't pay much attention to it. There's no way there would be a traffic jam. Something must have happened."

While everyone was speculating, the driver got out of the car to check the situation. He returned to the car shortly afterward and said, "I heard that a tree broke and blocked the road ahead. It will be moved soon and won't take long."

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike Han Zhou and his group, most of the other passengers were busy making a living. Some were carrying tools to work on construction sites, and their time was precious and could not be delayed.

The old man just remarked, "The public security is so much better now. A few years ago, no one would have dared to relax so easily when the car stopped."

When the car came to a stop, Lin Anyu fell right into Bai Tongtong's arms. Although he had apologized several times and she just smiled and said she didn't mind, he was still extremely embarrassed. Seeing this, he quickly became the straight man and tried to ease the awkwardness.

"Sir, what do you mean by that?"

"Young man, are you from out of town?"

The old man glanced at him and said with a chuckle, "Do you know what Beicheng used to be called?"

"do not know."

Lin Anyu shook his head blankly, then heard Bai Tongtong beside him laugh and say, "Beicheng has many nicknames, such as 'Pearl of the Sea,' 'Blue Fire City,' and 'City Surrounded by Silver Beach,' but I think what you mean is not a good nickname, but some bad nicknames, such as 'Bandit City'?"

Han Zhou glanced at her in surprise, while the guzheng beside him muttered softly, "I know all that too."

He was both amused and exasperated: "I know you know, but let's hear what the old man has to say first."

The driver chuckled, “Beicheng does have that nickname, but calling it a bandit city is a bit of an exaggeration. I’ve heard that there used to be quite a few pirates here, but there were relatively few highway robberies.”

"Pirates?" Lin Anyu was surprised; he had only ever seen this term on television.

As if knowing what he was thinking, the driver explained, "It's not as exaggerated as it's on TV. He just robbed someone and then fled overseas, robbed someone overseas and then fled back. He basically lived a life of hiding and running away."

"That's pretty outrageous..." Lin Anyu didn't seem to agree with his point of view; it was indeed quite absurd to snatch things wherever he went.

Perhaps feeling that someone had stolen his chance to show off his knowledge, the old man tapped his cane and said in a serious tone, "Young Zhang, you're wrong about that. You didn't experience that era and don't know how dangerous it was. If there weren't many people robbing people on the road back then, why would I say that everyone was afraid to relax after parking?"

"Yes, yes, you're right, sir."

The old man was clearly referring to the driver as "Little Zhang." He didn't want to argue with him, so he chuckled twice and shut up.

The old man was satisfied: "But it's not that scary. There have been fewer and fewer robberies on the road over the past ten years, and we haven't seen any recently. But we weren't mainly afraid of the robbers back then. After all, there were only young and strong men on the bus. When everyone was together, the robbers weren't a big deal."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

Seeing that he was deliberately putting on airs, Lin Anyu obliged and became his straight man.

The old man coughed, took out his thermos to moisten his throat, and said seriously, "Of course I'm afraid of human traffickers. Back then, human traffickers were the scariest. They had countless ways of abducting children. Sometimes, in the short time it took to park the car, the child in the car could disappear. Isn't that terrifying?"

"This is bizarre, absolutely bizarre," Lin Anyu nodded repeatedly.

"Don't be fooled by the improved security situation now. You can still find human traffickers in these remote villages. If you have children, it's best to live in the city, or you might get into trouble," the old man warned earnestly.

As he spoke, Xiao Xiaoxiao, who had been in a daze, finally woke up.

Merry Christmas everyone!

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(End of this chapter)