Which way to go is the road?

He slept very soundly, perhaps because he was too tired! His eyes struggled to open, but the glaring light made them close again, repeating this several times. After his eyes adjusted to the light, Xiang Fei looked around the room. Although he had observed the room before entering, he still couldn't shake off the strong sense of unfamiliarity, probably because he had just woken up!

After resting his head on his hands and spacing out for a moment, Xiang Fei threw off the covers and jumped out of bed.

Feeling a bit thirsty after putting on his shoes, Xiang Fei opened the door and went out to find the water room. It turned out that just a few steps further down the corridor was the communal kitchen, with various power strips on the walls and stoves and gas cylinders on the counter, though he couldn't tell if it was for public or private use.

Xiang Fei walked to the tap and washed his face. He cupped his hands and drank a few mouthfuls of tap water, immediately feeling much more refreshed. Even the various sounds coming from both sides of the corridor seemed exceptionally crisp. On his way back to his room, he unconsciously hummed a song: "Swinging my hair, I stride away, showing no pity for the little sorrow in my heart!"

"Hey, keep your voice down in public, especially if you're tone-deaf. You're disturbing the peace, you know?" A voice suddenly popped out from the door of the room next to Lao You's.

Xiang Fei looked in the direction of the sound and immediately shrank back in fright—the girl in front of him looked like she had just come out of the kitchen, her face was covered in soot, a skull was drawn on her vest, and she had a red and green ponytail tied behind her head. She was staring at him with a disdainful expression.

"Okay, I'm paying attention!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xiang Fei had already opened the door and rushed into Lao You's room, clutching his chest and exclaiming, "Damn it, a ghost in broad daylight!"

After saying that, Xiang Fei muttered to himself, "Is it day or night now? How long have I been asleep?"

He looked around but couldn't see a clock. He opened the door and looked left and right but couldn't see a ray of sunlight. He wanted to go out and check the time, but he didn't have the key to the room and couldn't lock the door. After thinking it over, he decided that he could only stay at home and guard the door.

Xiang Fei opened his backpack and took out the novel he had read several times—"Ordinary World"—and began to focus on Shao Ping and Tian Xiaoxia in the novel.

About half an hour later, Lao You pushed open the door and staggered in: "Come on, let's go eat! Dong Lu is waiting outside!"

Xiang Fei followed Lao You outside. Remembering the "female ghost," he asked Lao You, "Who's the girl living next door? She looks like a ghost! She scared me!"

"You country bumpkin, you look like a ghost! That's not your natural appearance, it's makeup! It's called smoky makeup. Did that scare you? Stay away from her in the future, or her boyfriend might beat you up!"

"Someone actually wants a woman like that? Don't worry, I'll keep at least two meters, no, five meters, away from him from now on!"

"Two meters is manageable, but five meters is impossible. Our room is only three meters wide, and the layout of this basement is the same. The two rooms together are only six meters. You want to stay five meters away from her? Unless you sleep in the toilet!" Old You tilted his head as if deep in thought, counting on his fingers. Finally, he gave Xiang Fei a mocking look and walked forward quickly.

Xiang Fei was caught in the trap and stood there pondering Lao You's words. Seeing Lao You walk away, he hurriedly chased after him.

"Oh right, you said you scared me too, who else got scared!"

"Her!" Old You said, raising his head and gesturing forward with his chin.

Following the direction Lao You pointed, Xiang Fei saw Dong Lu ahead. She had changed into a short-sleeved T-shirt, but it was still white, paired with light brown shorts and blue and white canvas shoes. She looked sunny and beautiful! In particular, her long, beautiful legs attracted the attention of passing men. It was evening, and the setting sun shone on Dong Lu, giving her a dazzling glow that made people stare in a daze.

"What are you looking at? Get over here right now! Don't you recognize me after just one afternoon? If you keep dawdling, I'll kick you like a leaf in the wind until you can't take care of yourself!"

Xiang Fei sighed with a wry smile, muttering to himself, "A beautiful woman's appearance and this man's personality are really mismatched!"

"Agreed, and also, her breasts are too small, it doesn't match!"

Xiang Fei was surprised that Lao You had overheard his mutterings and given him a reply like a kindred spirit. He and Lao You exchanged a smile and walked out.

"What were you two talking about just now? Were you talking about me?" Dong Lu's expression turned fierce with these words, sending chills down one's spine.

"No! No! Xiang Fei was also scared by that female ghost next to us. He asked me who else was scared, and I said you were too!"

"Ah! Right, I just sang one line of a song, and that female ghost opened the door and called to me. I turned around and almost peed my pants!"

"This basement is a melting pot of all sorts of people; you wouldn't be surprised to find all sorts of oddballs here, so I just didn't bother going in. But for a grown man like you to get scared by a woman is really useless! Where did your chivalrous spirit go?"

"I've spent it all to protect your wallet, okay? By the way, where are we going to eat?" Xiang Fei said, even letting out a burp, which drew disdain from the two people next to him. He then slowly added, "Actually, it doesn't matter whether we eat or not. I ate two packets of instant noodles before going to bed, and now that I've just woken up, I really can't eat anything else. The instant noodles haven't even been digested yet!"

"Perfect timing, let's go get some barbecue. You're lucky, someone's treating! Hey, Lao You, aren't you going to work later?"

"I took the day off to celebrate your return. Let's go to work together tomorrow!"

"Let's go then, let's skip the bus and walk! The weather's nice, let's take a stroll!"

"Are you willing to make that person wait that long?"

"What's there to be reluctant about? He's not my boyfriend. You believe me? This guy must have had a fight with that spoiled girl, that's why he thought of us. Otherwise, you won't see him during the summer vacation!"

"I smell vinegar! Did someone knock over their vinegar bottle?"

"No way, I can't smell it!" Dong Lu's eyes darted around, and she suddenly realized, "Are you kidding me?" As she spoke, she used her right thumb and forefinger to pinch a small piece of flesh on Lao You's arm hard, making him wince in pain.

"Dude, help me! It hurts so much! Ouch! Sister Lulu, please be gentle!"

"Hey, who's that?" Xiang Fei changed the subject, trying to save Lao You, while also wondering who could make Dong Lu, this tomboy, jealous.

"A bitch!" Unexpectedly, the two turned their heads simultaneously and answered in unison. Seeing that Lao You was on her side no matter what, Dong Lu let go.

In Xiang Fei's opinion, the two people's use of the word "cheap" was not the same. Lao You used the word mostly because he was being pinched, but as for Dong Lu, he couldn't quite understand it! In any case, Xiang Fei was very interested in the "person" he was about to meet.

The three people walked out of the residential area, through the alley, and onto the main street!

Without the scorching sun, residents of the neighborhood, shop owners, and students from nearby schools strolled leisurely along the streets. Children played and dogs trotted about in the park, a gentle breeze rustled the green grass and trees.

This is what the people of Yandu call "strolling"—not simply exercising the body, not just for relaxation and emotional release, and not a walk with a strong purpose. Perhaps even combining all of these wouldn't be perfect. Taking a stroll every morning or evening brings joy and energy, and even increases appetite when you get home for dinner.

At this moment, Xiang Fei was freed from the gloom that had been weighing on his heart for so long, and suddenly felt enlightened. It was as if he had become moldy from being in a long period of tension, anxiety and loss, and the afterglow of the setting sun was the ray of sunshine he needed most.

As the three walked, they came to an IP phone booth. Xiang Fei wanted to let his family know he was safe so his parents wouldn't worry. He quickly walked over, picked up the phone, but didn't know how to use it.

"Call home?" Before Xiang Fei could answer, Dong Lu took out an IP phone card and inserted it into the jack: "You can dial now."

Xiang Fei smiled gratefully, and upon hearing the dial tone, he dialed his own home phone. After two rings, someone hurriedly answered the phone.

"Feifei? Where are you?"

"Yes, I've arrived in Yandu and found a place to stay, so don't worry!"

"Why did you leave without a word? Couldn't you have told your mother what happened?"

"It's nothing, I just didn't want to stay in the village anymore, so I came out to try my luck. I'll call you every month from now on. I'm not a child anymore, so don't worry about me."

"Um, is there a phone nearby? How can your family contact you from now on?"

"I live in the basement, there's no phone there! I'll contact you later!" As I was saying this, Lao You patted me on the shoulder, held up her phone screen to my face, showing a phone number. "Mom, wait a minute! Write this down, this is my friend's phone number, yes, we live together."

……

After finishing the call, Xiang Fei clasped his hands in thanks to Dong Lu and Lao You. Although he had only known them for less than a day, he felt a sense of déjà vu and quietly recognized these two as friends.

After walking for more than 40 minutes, they arrived at a street corner. Looking inside, they saw all kinds of snack shops and roadside stalls, selling spicy hot pot, barbecue, Lanzhou ramen, stinky tofu, grilled cold noodles, and more. The variety of snacks was truly extraordinary, and the street was very crowded, with some places even requiring a queue.

Later, Xiang Fei learned that almost every university has such a food street, catering to batches of students and leaving them with bittersweet memories to cherish.

Xiang Fei and his group stopped in front of a barbecue restaurant called "Jianghu" but did not sit down immediately. Dong Lu and Lao You looked around, searching for the "person" they had mentioned.

"Hey! Lao You! Dong Lu! Over here."

Looking in the direction of the voice, "that person" was a fair-skinned young man, about 1.75 meters tall, who was quite handsome at first glance. "That person" also had a cigarette between his right and left. When he saw Dong Lu and the others walk over, he took another puff, and his smiling face was temporarily obscured by the smoke.

"Why are you so late? I've been waiting for half an hour! You guys are such a pain!" Seeing the extra person, the fair-skinned young man paused for a moment and asked, "I've never seen this guy before, who is he...?"

"Oh, this is a friend I met on the train back, his name is Xiang Fei! This is Zhang Fang, a true Yandu man, and also my classmate," Dong Lu introduced them.

"Hello, my name is Xiang Fei!" Xiang Fei said, extending his hand, indicating that he had learned this social etiquette.

"Hello, Zhang Fang." Zhang Fang responded politely, shook hands, and then took out a cigarette to offer as a handshake.

"I don't smoke, thank you!" Xiang Fei quickly waved his hand, and Lao You took it, took out a lighter from his pocket and lit it. To Xiang Fei's surprise, Dong Lu also took one and gave it to Lao You, smoking it intermittently.

"If you don't know how to smoke, don't waste it!"

Zhang Fang seemed quite concerned about Dong Lu, but it appears Dong Lu didn't appreciate it.

"Mind your own business! Who do you think I am? Just mind your own business and take care of your little Jiaojiao!"

"Don't even mention her! We just had a fight, and she cut her hair a little shorter, which I didn't even notice, but she still says I don't pay attention to her and don't care enough about her! I'm so angry about this. Why are you women so petty?"

"Who's being petty? Don't compare me to her. I'm not a rich lady, and I don't have a 36C." Dong Lu actually got angry, which was quite unlike her usual carefree self.

"Alright, that's enough. Everyone's here. Let's order food and drinks, and chat about something pleasant!"

Before long, peanuts, snails, lamb skewers, beef tendon and other various foods filled the table. In addition, a large bucket of draft beer was brought out. Zhang Fang filled four glasses, then thoughtfully placed them in front of everyone, and then raised his glass.

"Let's have a fight for Dong Lu's return and Xiang Fei's joining!"

The four men raised their glasses and clinked them together, tilting their heads back to drink their respective glasses. Xiang Fei took a big gulp and was about to put his glass down, but seeing that the other three didn't seem inclined to do so, continuing to sip their drinks, Xiang Fei followed suit, drinking in large gulps. Before he knew it, he had finished his glass, and looking at the other three, he saw that half of their glasses remained on the table.

Xiang Fei looked at his empty glass, feeling embarrassed to let Zhang Fang refill it, especially since the wine barrel was right next to him. Zhang Fang, however, had sharp eyes; he noticed the empty glass in front of Xiang Fei, reached out, took it, refilled it, and put it back.

"Xiang Fei has a huge capacity! He can down one in a flash!"

"Oh dear, I thought you were going to finish your drinks since you weren't putting them down! They were empty in no time, but you put them down after only drinking half! Being too honest isn't good!"

This remark amused the other three. Old You laughed and said, "Next time, we'll let you know how much you're going to drink!"

"Hey, let's have another one!" Dong Lu suppressed a laugh and winked at Zhang Fang and Lao You.

"Alright! Cheers!" Everyone responded and clinked glasses again. This time, Xiang Fei was much smarter. He drank half a glass and put it down. Looking at the other three, they only took a small sip, and the half glass of wine in their glasses was still bubbling with bright bubbles.

"Hey!... This is too much! Can we still drink this wine?" Xiang Fei realized he had been tricked by the three of them and laughed. The other three, needless to say, laughed even more unrestrainedly after their scheme succeeded.

"Okay, Xiang Fei is really interesting. We'll definitely take you with us next time we play!" Zhang Fang picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp. Dong Lu and Lao You also picked up their glasses and drank them down as well. After the three of them finished drinking, they even urged Xiang Fei to drink it all.

"I've already had two drinks, while the three of you have each had only one! I need to remember, we need to even things out in the end, so you can't drink less!" After downing two large jugs, Xiang Fei started to feel a little dizzy.

"Don't worry, don't worry! I can't drink much. By the way, what kind of job are you planning to look for? We'll keep an eye out for you!" Dong Lu remembered that Xiang Fei only had 150 yuan on him and felt that finding a job should be his most important thing right now!

"I don't know either, as long as I can make money, that's fine. I only graduated from high school, I don't have much of a diploma! I'll just find a job for now, I'm not picky!"

"Yandu is big, with many job openings, but even more people! Finding a job is a matter of luck, but if you're not picky, you should be able to find one easily! Go look around tomorrow and we'll ask around for you too!" Old You took a drag of his cigarette, and as he spoke this long string of words amidst the swirling smoke, he choked and coughed. He took a sip of beer to soothe himself.

"Why didn't you go to university after graduating from high school?" Zhang Fang asked, puzzled.

"I've taken the exam three times..." Xiang Fei shared his bumpy journey to the college entrance exam with everyone, and told them how he decided to run away from home and how he came to Yandu. Everyone sighed and said words of encouragement and comfort, and the atmosphere became a little somber for a moment.

"Hey Xiang Fei, you forgot the part about the act of bravery, Zhang Fang, you know what? Without this guy, my wallet would have been stolen a long time ago!"

"Really? Come on, tell me, what exactly happened?"

Xiang Fei coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and began his performance.

"At 5 a.m. that day, the crowd standing in the carriage stirred. A young man with blond hair walked out from the aisle. He had shifty eyes, a sallow complexion, and an excitement that shouldn't be there at that time. He stopped at the connecting area between the carriages, covered his forehead with his hand to shield his darting eyes, and looked around. Suddenly, he fixed his gaze on one spot and didn't look away. It turned out that a girl's handbag had slipped out of her arms and fallen to the ground because she was fast asleep."

Xiang Fei paused here, took a sip of wine to moisten his throat, and Lao You and Zhang Fang urged him on. Even Dong Lu, the person involved, stared with bright eyes, waiting for him to continue.

"Instantly, the blond-haired thief, like a wolf seeing a sheep, an eagle seeing a chick, his eyes gleaming with excited green light, couldn't let this opportunity slip by. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and tossed it out—perfectly, not too far, not too close, it landed right next to the girl's handbag. The blond-haired thief then tiptoed over, crouched down, and, under the guise of picking up the wallet, reached into the handbag, unzipping it to take his valuables. But unexpectedly, standing beside him was a valiant man, eight feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with hands as big as buckets, piercing eyes, and a square face exuding righteous indignation!"

"Stop talking nonsense and tell me what happened next!" Dong Lu smiled and nudged Xiang Fei, then curiously glanced at his enormous hand, her face immediately filled with disdain.

"Dong Lu, don't interrupt! This is the most exciting part!" The two people next to her were unhappy!

"At the critical moment, the hero gathered his strength, glared fiercely, and kicked out with tremendous force. The blond thief fell like a leaf in the wind in front of the girl, sprawled on his back, his face deathly pale. The girl, now awakened, hurriedly asked what had happened. The thief lied, claiming he had returned lost property to its owner, and then fled, disappearing without a trace. When the thief caught sight of the hero, his eyes flashed with malice, and evil thoughts arose in his heart! But the hero was not one to suffer in silence. His piercing gaze, sharp as metal, terrified the thief, who fled in terror, his soul nearly leaving his body! Truly: A blond thief, arrogant and reckless, plotting evil, but a hero stepped forward to help, protecting Dong Lu and upholding her conscience."

"Bravo!" The three of them clapped at the same time, as if they had just finished listening to a story or a crosstalk performance.

"I never expected you to have such a talent for speaking eloquently. It's a waste of your talent that you don't study storytelling!" Old You sighed as he spoke.

"Come on, this is all thanks to the martial arts novels I read in high school. I always got high marks on my essays! But what's the use? I still failed the college entrance exam!"

"Let's not talk about the past anymore. Now that you're in Beijing, just focus on developing your career. There are many paths to Rome, not just the college entrance exam!" Zhang Fang was quite considerate, and his words made sense.

"Yes, we might not even have the guts to do something as righteous as you, let alone speak so eloquently afterward. Come on, let's drink to this burly hero!"

"Cheers! Let's cheer for those sharp-eyed little eyes!"

The four of them clinked their glasses together, this time with extra force, making a crisp "clang". After Zhang Fang, Dong Lu, and Lao You finished half a glass of wine and put down their glasses, they found that Xiang Fei was still holding his glass without drinking a drop.

"Why aren't you drinking?" Zhang Fang asked curiously.

"Afraid of being tricked by you? You've finished drinking? I'll drink now!" Xiang Fei said, tilting his head back and gulping down half a cup, then taking the opportunity to let out a burp.

Once again, hearty laughter echoed through the beautiful night. Everyone chatted, joked, and played various games without restraint! Xiang Fei's innocent earnestness, honesty, and simplicity brought a lot of joy to everyone. His eloquent speech also impressed the college students. However, the three of them talked about their college life, which made Xiang Fei both envious and worried. The gap in their academic backgrounds seemed like an invisible chasm, and he worried that it would become an obstacle to their future interactions. Perhaps this was just his overthinking.