Now the people who hadn’t lost any money were unhappy.
“Bullshit, you moron. I’ve been sitting here quietly minding my own business. What does you losing your money have to do with me?”
The “imported clothes” woman shouted back, “I don’t care. All I know is I lost my money on this bus. If it doesn’t turn up, the driver and the ticket collector are both paying me back.”
“Pay up…”
“Pay up…”
Others who had lost money joined in the chorus. They all wanted their money back. None of them were rich—the cash they carried was their lifeline for starting a new life in Shenzhen.
As they shouted, they waved their arms. If the aisle hadn’t been so packed, they probably would have rushed straight up to the ticket collector.
Even so, those closest to the ticket collector started throwing punches at her.
“It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t taken those thirteen people, we wouldn’t have lost our money! The thieves have to be among those thirteen who got on last!”
“Exactly! Before they got on, our money was all safe!”
The ticket collector got hit.
The driver had had enough. He slammed on the brakes, stood up, and yelled, “Nobody move! I don’t care who stole the money—you’d better throw it out right now. Otherwise, I’m driving this bus straight to the police station!”
That seemed to have some effect—but only some.
—
Less than ten minutes later, someone shouted that there was money on the floor. Someone else tried to grab it, but the burly driver immediately blocked them.
The driver picked up the money on the floor, piece by piece.
Back in those days, when people traveled with money, they usually wrapped it in a cloth or a small pouch. Most of the money had been bundled that way.
And so, the bus witnessed the spectacle of people reclaiming their wallets after verifying the amounts.
Tian Tian watched, utterly amazed.
Clearly, the thief was also afraid the driver would actually go to the police station. They could have pulled out a knife to threaten everyone, but the driver looked like he could hold his own in a fight.
So they threw out some cash to smooth things over. But that definitely wasn’t all the money they had stolen. After this wave, some people got their money back, but more did not.
Tian Tian believed that if the aisle hadn’t been so packed, so crowded that the thieves couldn’t squeeze through to jump out the window, they probably wouldn’t have given back even that much.
The driver, clearly experienced, divided up the money, returned to his seat, and started the engine.
Then, those who hadn’t gotten their money back started yelling again. But this time, neither the driver nor the ticket collector paid them any attention.
Those who had recovered their money, meanwhile, stopped getting involved. They clutched their recovered cash nervously and looked around anxiously.
The standoff continued until the bus started moving. No one dared do anything else.
The atmosphere inside the bus grew very heavy.
But the “imported clothes” woman in the front row hadn’t gotten her money back. She clearly wasn’t the type to let things go. She immediately grabbed the young man closest to her and started frisking him.
Tian Tian watched, dumbfounded.
Bold! Truly bold! Isn’t she afraid he’s the real thief and might stab her in return?
The young man wasn’t a pushover. He shoved her hands away and slapped her across the face.
Crack! The crisp sound made everyone on the bus turn to look.
The “imported clothes” woman started screaming, “I’m going to sue you all! I’ll report this whole bus as a den of thieves! And you, you bastard—you dare hit me? I’ll make sure you can’t survive in Shenzhen!”
Ooh!
Everyone gasped. They were dying to see how this ordinary woman could possibly make someone “not survive in Shenzhen.”
“My son is a police officer at the Shenzhen police station! Not a single person on this bus is getting away!”
With that, she even shot a glance at Tian Tian out of the corner of her eye.
Tian Tian was speechless. How did I run into a crazy person just by stepping outside?
Still, no one paid the woman much attention. They all just watched quietly as she made a scene. Even the people who had been feeling carsick stopped feeling nauseous.
The “imported clothes” woman ranted for half an hour straight, until she saw the bus leave the wilderness and reach a populated area. Immediately, she made a move as if she was about to jump out the window and go to the police.
And then, things took another turn.
Out of nowhere, a stack of money flew through the air and landed right in the “imported clothes” woman’s lap.
She quickly snatched it up, clutched it to herself, and yelled at everyone staring at her, “What are you looking at? Never seen a beautiful woman before?”
Everyone on the bus rolled their eyes. But they couldn’t help feeling a little envious that she had managed to yell her money back.
However, the woman’s expression wasn’t all that pleased, which told Tian Tian that the amount returned definitely wasn’t enough.
But oddly enough, this time the woman didn’t make another fuss.
Tian Tian had been observing her all along, and at this point, she confirmed that this woman was also a clever one.
Tsk tsk…
The rest of the journey went smoothly. There were no more instances of being “sold like pigs,” and the thieves didn’t dare try anything again. The bus traveled safely all the way into Shenzhen territory. Another hour and they would reach their destination: Luohu Bus Terminal.
Just then, someone on the bus asked if it would pass by Renmin Road.
That road was close to the border checkpoint and was a well-known hub for smuggled goods.
Tian Tian perked up and looked toward the voice. Unfortunately, the aisle was too crowded to see who had asked.
But the ticket collector answered politely, “Yes, we pass by there. Anyone getting off at that stop, I’ll call out when we get there.”
Hearing this, many people started murmuring among themselves. The passengers on the bus were either heading to Shenzhen for work or to buy goods to sell elsewhere. Naturally, some knew about Renmin Road. Those who didn’t asked those who did. Soon, the bus grew lively again.
The vomiting auntie next to Tian Tian gently tugged at her sleeve.
Tian Tian looked at her. The older woman shook her head slightly, and Tian Tian understood her meaning.
She nodded back to show she got it.
She wasn’t stupid. Renmin Road was indeed a smuggled goods hub. But it was also full of shady characters and even shadier merchandise. Just because something was labeled “smuggled” didn’t mean it was good quality. Substandard products and counterfeit goods from small workshops posing as smuggled items were already around back then. Tian Tian’s first task upon arriving in Shenzhen was to find the village with the “vegetable patch” and settle there. Only then would she think about making money.
There were other rational people on the bus, but there were also those dreaming of getting rich quick.
So when the bus passed by Renmin Road, a whole bunch of people got off in a noisy stream. The air inside the bus instantly became fresher.
Only then did Tian Tian notice that the “imported clothes” woman had gotten off too.
Hadn’t she been shouting that she was a Shenzhen local? Why did she get off here? Watching her follow the crowd, it was clear she was also planning to dabble in smuggled goods.
But Tian Tian didn’t dwell on it. With the bus emptier, the ride was much more comfortable. She finally felt like looking out the window at the streets.
It was bustling, crowded, and construction sites were everywhere.
“Miss, where are you getting off?”
The vomiting auntie said quietly, “If you’re getting off at the bus terminal, remember not to engage with anyone trying to hustle you. Wherever you need to go, take the public bus once you’re out.”
Tian Tian appreciated the advice. She smiled and said, “Thanks for the tip. But I’m not going to the terminal. I’m getting off at the next stop.”
As for her exact destination, Tian Tian didn’t say.
They were just passing strangers—no need to go into detail.
As it turned out, when Tian Tian finally took a public bus, swaying all the way to Tianfu Village—the village with the “vegetable patch”—she ran into that same auntie again.
The two of them looked at each other, both equally surprised.
“Miss, are you here to visit relatives in our village?”
Tian Tian shook her head. I don’t remember seeing this auntie in my previous life, she thought. Back then, the factory where she had worked was near this village. But the factory provided room and board, so she never lived in the village. However, many villagers set up food stalls near the factory, and Tian Tian often bought from them. That was how she got to know the locals.
The elderly woman who had wanted to sell her the “vegetable patch” was one of them. That grandmother made excellent black sesame soup. Tian Tian had a bowl every couple of days, and over time, they became familiar with each other.
“Oh, so you’re here to rent a house? My daughter lives here. Come on, I’ll take you in. The building we live in still has vacancies. The landlady is my relative—she’s a really nice person…”
Tian Tian thought, It can’t be that coincidental.
And yet, it was exactly that coincidental.
Looking at the mother and daughter getting along so well with the “vegetable patch” grandmother in front of her, Tian Tian wondered why she had never seen them in her previous life. Also, if the grandmother was their relative, then why, when she wanted to sell the vegetable patch, had she approached Tian Tian instead?
Now that she had been reborn into this life, had she changed the future? Would the old grandmother end up not selling her vegetable patch to her?
Before Tian Tian could figure it out, she heard a familiar voice coming from the alley.
Standing in the courtyard, Tian Tian looked over—and there was the “imported clothes” woman, trudging toward them with a huge bag on her shoulder.
Seeing Tian Tian, the woman looked shocked. Then she yelled, “Are you following me?”
Tian Tian: …Where did this idiot come from?
After that silent complaint, Tian Tian found the whole day’s events a bit surreal. Shenzhen was so big, yet she kept running into people who had been on the same bus as her.
The world really was small…
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