Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 216 The Madman (He's got a knack for this +1)

The group turned to look, and Chen Hui raised his chin, ready to scold them. Li Na quickly interrupted, "What's your zodiac sign? You have long ears and a long mouth, a grown man talking like an old woman. Who knows you? How can you be so shameless?"

Laughter erupted over there, with several people chattering and making comments. This guy laughed too, picked up his glass, and said to Li Na, "Come on, sis, let's have a drink. I was wrong, this guy's mouth is like a knife."

Li Na raised her glass and clinked it against his, but didn't drink. She said, "Is that enough? Is there anything else you want to say?"

The other side laughed again. This guy tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass, saying, "Alright, I won't mess with you anymore. This is a real spicier than you, damn it." When he went back, he was met with another round of laughter from his tablemates.

The restaurant owner, a cigarette dangling from his lips, chuckled and said, "Don't pay them any attention. They've had too much to drink; they're just making a ruckus all day."

The group didn't take it seriously and continued eating and drinking. The owner's cooking skills were decent, and they enjoyed the meal. Stewed goose was indeed a rare find on the market.

After eating and drinking their fill, Xiao Wei got up to pay the bill, and the group went out to the train station to buy tickets.

The train station was just across the street, so we didn't drive anymore and crossed the street.

The ticket office was located on the right side of the station square, in a separate building right next to the main road. We walked over there, talking as we went.

The area around the station is full of state-run restaurants and video arcades. Just ahead is the exit, so it's quite crowded and noisy, with loudspeakers constantly blaring messages to attract customers.

Stepping into the ticket hall, which was cold and no different from the outside, there weren't many people buying tickets. After queuing for about ten minutes, it was the turn of the three of us. After buying our tickets, we all came out.

These days, you don't need an ID card to buy tickets; you just pay and you're in a huge square. You can see the tank on top of the monument as soon as you step out of the ticket hall.

In the middle of the square is the waiting room, with the main entrance directly facing the square, allowing anyone to come and go as they please. There are no security checks or iron railings to navigate around. At this time, the waiting hall is a bit chaotic and dirty, with all sorts of people, including some who come to sleep. The waiting room is heated, which is much better than outside, and the benches are long wooden chairs where you can lie down.

By the time I bought my ticket and came out, it was already dark outside. The station was lit up everywhere, and I couldn't see the rooftops across the square anymore.

After walking a few steps forward, a little further away from the ticket hall, the number of people decreased significantly. The square was practically deserted on winter nights, unlike in summer when it was full of people sleeping.

Everyone had nothing to do at the moment, so they chatted idly as they strolled around, when suddenly a loud "Ah—" rang out.

Several people turned their heads to look, and saw a man carrying a bag running out of the waiting room shouting in the dim light.

Xiao Hong gripped Xiao Wei's arm tightly, Chen Xiao hid behind Chen Hui, and Sister Jin, clutching her chest, looked at the man and said, "My god, that scared me to death! That scream... this person's gone mad!"

Xia Maosheng stared wide-eyed at the scene, pointed, and exclaimed, "Holy crap, holy crap, he's throwing money! Money!" He then charged forward.

Luo Qinghe, Qi Guangjun, and Yang Tiebin all ran after Xia Maosheng, not far at all, about twenty meters.

Li Na grabbed Jin Jie and ran, saying, "Quick, quick, is it really money?"

Chen Hui looked at Xiao Wei, and Xiao Wei said, "Let's go take a look."

When Xiaowei, Chen Hui, and the other three arrived, there were already fifty or sixty people gathered in the square, all bent over and searching on the ground. Only a few paths had been cleared along the edges of the square; most of the snow in the middle remained untouched. The blue coins were very conspicuous on the white snow, and dozens of people were running around picking them up.

The crazy man was still there, but this time he stopped running. He pulled a handful of money out of his pocket, yelled, and threw it into the air. The wind blew it down onto the square, and the pocket landed at his feet. People who came close enough to pick up the money were only two steps away from him, searching all over the place. No one remembered to pick up his bag.

Soon, the station police rushed out of the police station, blowing whistles and shouting as they surrounded the area, accompanied by some station staff. Someone had gone to call the police.

The person who threw the money was quickly apprehended, and the police confiscated the money bag. Several officers began to disperse the crowd that was scrambling to pick up the money, demanding that they hand it over. And then…

Suddenly, the square was deserted.

Xia Maosheng and the others jogged over to Xiao Wei and Chen Hui. Xia Maosheng excitedly laughed and said, "It's really money, all money! Damn, this old bastard is really rich, there's a huge bag of it."

Yang Tiebin was also laughing, saying, "To be able to throw out over 100,000 yuan in a short time, all in fifty or one hundred yuan notes, how much of a shock must they have received?"

Sister Jin, holding up two hundred yuan, asked, "How much did you find?"

Li Na said, "Bullshit, by the time I got there it was all gone. I only threw away 350. These people are too fast. I could see one bill, and it was gone in a flash."

Sister Jin shook the two hundred yuan in her hand and said, "That's more than mine."

Qi Guangjun was holding a handful of money in both hands, counting it one bill at a time. Yang Tiebin looked at him and said, "Damn, what happened to you? Did someone beat you up? Your nose is bleeding."

Qi Guangjun nodded, sorting through the money, and said, "I was so busy getting change that I didn't see who hit me." He then raised his hand and wiped his nose with the back of his hand.

Chen Hui said, "Let's go, cross the road, get in the car and go. If we stay here in the open, the police will come looking for us." The group watched the car cross the road. Actually, there weren't many cars. These days, 90% of cars belong to the government and are usually parked in the garage at night when there's nothing to do.

Once on the bus, Qi Guangjun shook out the neatly arranged money and said, "Eight hundred and fifty, haha. Good ticket today, I've made a good profit."

Li Na asked Yang Tiebin, "How many did you pick up?"

Yang Tiebin reached into his pocket and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a handful of bills that were all crumpled into balls. He straightened them out one by one, noting that there were a few broken bills among them. He casually tossed them aside and said, "Come and check tomorrow morning; there will definitely be plenty of broken bills in the square."

Li Guangzhao was also rummaging through his pockets, saying, "Yeah, there definitely is. The two of them tore it open with a single pull."

Xiao Wei asked Wang Zhilong, "And you?"

Wang Zhilong said, "I only have five hundred yuan, that's not much."

Yang Tiebin cleared out the money, removing a few half-notes. It was 2,100 yuan, and Li Guangzhao had 1,300 yuan. He had more half-notes in his hand.

Everyone looked at Xia Maosheng, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick wad of cash. He counted it—seven thousand eight—and said, "I got there early and was close to him. He threw two of them next to me, and I picked them up without trying to steal them."

Chen Xiao stretched out her fair, delicate hand and said, "We'll share half when we meet. I didn't get a single penny."

Xiao Hong also reached out her hand: "We'll share half when we meet."

Jin Jie and Li Na exchanged a glance, then quietly stretched out their small hands, four delicate white hands raised in front of Xia Maosheng.

(End of this chapter)