Fast Travel Absurdity Sutra

In the struggle between desire and reality, Song Xiang ultimately failed to hold on to her inner defenses and completely succumbed to the tempting magic of money.

The comfortable days of the past have now turned into nothing without Zhou Tian's support.

Zhou Tian was like a bird that had escaped from a cage, determined to go out on his own. From then on, they became strangers and had no connection at all.

Song Xiang's life suddenly plummeted from the clouds to the bottom of the valley. She felt hungry every day. The hunger came in waves like a surging tide, making her dizzy and stars flashing in front of her eyes from time to time.

In the cold winter, the biting cold wind is like a sharp blade, cutting through the small town wantonly.

The trees on both sides of the street have long lost their former lushness, leaving only dry branches trembling in the wind, struggling helplessly.

The ground was dirty from being trampled by pedestrians, and occasionally you could see a few puddles of water, which sparkled coldly in the weak sunlight.

Just when Song Xiang was almost in despair due to the unbearable hunger, Xia Jun took her to the coveted state-owned restaurant in the town.

Song Xiang followed Xia Jun closely all the way, her steps light but with a hint of urgency.

The clothes she was wearing were a little thin and could not protect her from the cold wind, so she could only wrap herself tightly.

She looked at Xia Jun's back, her eyes filled with complex emotions, including a desire for food, as well as helplessness and self-mockery about her current miserable appearance.

The moment they stepped into the restaurant, Song Xiang felt her empty stomach protesting strongly, and the hunger was so strong that she could swallow a cow.

In the restaurant, the lights were dim and soft, the tables and chairs were neatly arranged, but there was an indescribable sense of desolation.

The white paint on the walls was somewhat mottled and peeling.

A young woman in her twenties stood behind the counter. She was dressed in plain work clothes, her face a bit professional and indifferent. She glanced casually at the two of them, then returned to her usual calm demeanor.

The entire restaurant was empty and eerily quiet. There wasn't a single diner in sight, only the chandeliers silently emitting light.

Song Xiang staggered in, her heart full of desire for food, and she didn't notice that the door behind her was still open.

A gust of cold wind seized this opportunity and rushed in, bringing with it the biting cold of winter, instantly making the already deserted restaurant even colder.

The waiter was standing at the counter sorting things out. When the sudden cold wind blew, he couldn't help but shiver and his body trembled slightly.

Her originally calm face immediately wrinkled into a ball, a trace of anger flashed in her eyes, and she shouted at Song Xiang without any courtesy:

"I say, why don't you close the door when you come in? Don't you know what season it is?"

The voice echoed in the empty hotel, with a sharp accusation.

Song Xiang was startled by the sudden scolding. She subconsciously shrank her head and her neck shrank into her collar like a frightened turtle.

A blush spread across her face, filled with embarrassment and guilt. She quickly turned around and walked hurriedly towards the door.

The door creaked in the cold wind. She reached out and grabbed the door handle, pulled hard, and closed the door tightly.

The thick cotton curtain hanging at the door swayed slightly a few times as the door closed, and then fell down quietly, instantly isolating the annoying cold wind from the outside. The restaurant returned to its previous tranquility and warmth, with only the waiter's still dissatisfied breathing faintly floating in the air.

The waiter watched Song Xiang hurriedly closing the door, curled his lips slightly, and rolled his eyes at her. The eyes were rolled so tightly that only the whites were left. The dissatisfaction and disdain in his eyes were beyond words. It was obvious that he was extremely dissatisfied with her behavior just now.

Seeing the awkward situation, Xia Jun hurried forward to smooth things over, his face full of ingratiating smiles, and said, "Waiter, please don't be offended, we are here to eat. My girlfriend is here for the first time and is not very familiar with the environment, so she is a little reserved. Please be magnanimous and bear with us. Let's order now, order."

Upon hearing this, the waitress rolled her eyes again, so much so that you could see the bloodshot behind the whites of her eyes. However, this time she managed to hold it back, only curling her lips slightly without saying a word.

When Song Xiang heard Xia Jun introduce herself as his girlfriend, her face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple.

The blush spread from her cheeks to her ears. She lowered her head and unconsciously twisted the corners of her clothes with her hands.

At this moment, she no longer cared about the waiter's unfriendly attitude. Her heart was full of shyness and sweetness. She sat down next to Xia Jun slowly, a little reserved but with a hint of expectation.

You know, this was the first time that Xia Jun admitted in public that she was his girlfriend. This sudden happiness made Song Xiang feel like she was in a dream. Everything around her became blurry. Her heart was beating like a little rabbit, and she couldn't care about anything else.

Only then did Song Xiang notice that there were no common menus in the restaurant.

The waiter pointed expressionlessly at the blackboard on the wall.

There were a few dish names written crookedly on the blackboard with chalk.

Xia Jun narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at it carefully, and after a little thought, he ordered a plate of mouth-watering braised pork, two plates of steaming hot meat buns, and a plate of cabbage stewed with pork belly that exuded a rich aroma.

Perhaps because there were not many customers in the restaurant, the food was served quite quickly.

After a while, the dishes were served one after another. The braised pork was bright red in color, and the shiny pieces of meat piled up like a small mountain on the plate. The rich aroma of meat spread instantly.

The big meat buns are white and plump, and the full dough can hardly hold the meat filling inside. They are steaming hot and emitting an enticing mixture of wheat and meat aroma.

The cabbage stewed with pork belly has a rich broth, the cabbage is cooked until soft and tasty, and the pork belly is fat and lean and melts in your mouth.

Song Xiang's eyes revealed an extreme desire for food. She grabbed a bun with lightning speed, and her movement was so fast that it almost brought up a breeze.

She stuffed the bun into her mouth and bit it hard. Her cheeks bulged instantly. As she chewed, the fragrance of the bun filled her mouth.

Only after eating this one bun did she gradually feel a hint of warmth in her stomach, which had been hungry, cold and empty for a long time. A warm current was slowly flowing in her stomach, dispelling the coldness and discomfort that had lasted for a long time.

Recalling the experiences during this period, Song Xiang couldn't help but frown slightly.

Every day she sat around a simple table with the educated youth to eat, but the food was really unbearable.

Most of the food in front of me was coarse grains that felt like sandpaper scratching my throat and were extremely difficult to swallow.

Occasionally, it would be served with a plate of dry pickles without any oil or water, and a plate of bland radishes.

The bland soup looked so watery that it made people lose their appetite. Every bite felt like a difficult task and was so difficult to swallow.

But even so, in order to survive, she could only force herself to put the food into her mouth again and again, and her inner desire for delicious food became stronger and stronger in this torture day after day.

When the second dish was brought to the table steadily by the waiter, Song Xiang's performance was already quite impressive.

She had already quickly eaten six or seven buns. The way she wolfed them down showed that she had been hungry for a long time. Even her cheeks were stuffed with food. She was still tightly holding half of the bun in her hand, and the oil was glistening at the corner of her mouth.

There was a glint of contempt in the waiter's eyes and an expression of disgust on his face.

Unfortunately, Song Xiang didn't pay any attention at all.

All she could see was the food on the table.

In comparison, Xia Jun's eating manners were slightly more elegant.

He ate slowly and steadily, and although his movements showed a bit of the eagerness of a hungry man, he still maintained basic composure.

During this period, he often ate out for various reasons, so his desire for food was naturally not as eager and uncontrollable as Song Xiang's.

However, the food on the plate also had a great appeal to him. He picked up the dishes in an orderly manner and ate them one bite at a time, one bun at a time.

After eating this meal, Song Xiang felt that vitality and energy were injected into her body again, and she instantly turned from a dying person back into a lively and energetic state.

The flame of hope and longing rekindled in her eyes, and the haze brought by the hardship and hunger in her previous life was swept away.

She secretly made a decision in her heart, which was to follow Xia Jun wholeheartedly.

In her opinion, this kind of life where one has food and drink and no longer has to worry about food and clothing is what people should live. It is a world of difference compared to her previous life of hunger, cold, loneliness and helplessness.

So, under the cover of the deep night when everything was silent, Song Xiang, Xia Jun and Liu Min, like ghosts in the dark night, frequently shuttled through the mysterious and unknown world of the black market.

They all carried heavy bags filled with various goods on their backs, and the bags made a slight friction sound as they walked.

In the narrow, dim and damp alleys, they conducted secret transactions with people of all kinds and identities.

Xia Jun stood at the forefront of the transaction, like an experienced negotiator, with a shrewd and cunning light in his eyes, which seemed particularly bright in the dim alley.

He spoke eloquently, telling the buyers all the advantages of the goods, from their quality to their scarcity, from their practicality to their aesthetics, leaving out no detail, trying to use his eloquence to exchange for a higher price and gain more benefits for their "career".

Song Xiang was like a frightened deer, looking around nervously.

Her hands subconsciously clenched the corners of her clothes tightly, and her knuckles turned slightly white due to the force.

Her already pale face looked even more bloodless in this tense atmosphere. Any slight movement around her, such as the sound of light footsteps in the distance, or a dark shadow suddenly flashing at the end of the alley, would make her heart beat faster, her body tremble slightly with fear, and her eyes were full of fear and anxiety.

As for Liu Min, he always hides quietly in the shadows and rarely appears directly at the transaction scene.

He is like a conductor behind the scenes, controlling the entire situation without making a sound.

His eyes were calm and deep, able to see through all the fog and variables in the black market. He could make accurate decisions based on Xia Jun and Song Xiang's actions and reports, determining every step of their adventure in this black market.

When purchasing goods, they need to sneak around the village and surrounding areas to find items that can be sold at a good price on the black market.

Xia Jun often searches for precious herbs in the mountains late at night under the moonlight.

However, these herbs grow in hidden locations and are rare in number.

He had to spend a lot of time searching, and sometimes he would accidentally scratch his hands and feet on the thorns, and his clothes would be torn to shreds.

Song Xiang tried to buy some homemade food or sellable items from the villagers at low prices, but the villagers were suspicious of them and unwilling to deal with them. Song Xiang often had to say all the nice things he could to barely receive a few dollars, and he had to worry all the time that the villagers would spread the news.