It's the students' fault if they are too popular.

After more than ten days, Tong Yao returned home again.

Since when, her mother Jiang Wu stopped urging her to fall in love and seemed to let her do whatever she wanted, which made her confused.

But that's a good thing for her.

Tong Hua did not get money from his father for his plan, but was instead accused of not doing his job properly. He usually spent money lavishly, and now he had to shamelessly ask his sister for money - in fact, if he just stood outside and said that he was Tong Sicheng's son and wanted to start a business, there would definitely be a lot of people willing to invest, but... he probably had a conflict with his father.

The atmosphere at home is not high. The son makes his father worry, and the daughter makes her mother worry - the latter is not aware of it and does not notice anything unusual when she returns home, so she just goes about her own business with peace of mind.

It was almost eight o'clock in the evening.

At this time, Ruan Qian was on a long-distance bus, listening to music on her phone and looking out the window quietly. It gets dark early in winter, and the bus slowly drove out of the city and onto the highway. Beyond the highway were the hills and wheat fields of the south.

The bus was only three-quarters full, and there was an empty seat next to her, so she could enjoy this small space by herself. She liked to sit by the window and look at other cars and people in other cars on the bus. There were houses not far from the highway, and most people who lived in such places built their own small houses, two stories high, which could be bought for 200,000 yuan. Although the transportation was inconvenient, Ruan Qian wanted to try such a life.

The journey home was seven hours.

She leaned against the window, closed her eyes, and just wanted to rest for a while, but fell asleep quietly.

-

-

The car body is stagnant.

Ruan Qian was awakened by inertia and the shrill voices of the middle-aged lady attendant, "XX is here" and "Is there anyone else who hasn't gotten off yet?" She subconsciously looked at the electronic clock on the front of the bus, which read "03:12" in bright red. It was indeed home. Xiangnan was not the last stop, and the bus had to continue driving, so she hurriedly got off the bus and dragged out her snakeskin bag before the luggage compartment was about to close. The door closed and the bus left with black exhaust fumes. She picked up her luggage and looked around, but she was stunned.

Like an island in the ocean, she seemed to have been thrown onto the highway.

How can it be? !

She took out her cell phone and found it was turned off, probably because she was listening to music and ran out of battery. She suddenly felt a creepy fear and turned it on with a little prayer - the screen lit up - she was very lucky, because a cell phone that automatically shuts down will still have some battery left when it is turned on again. As soon as she entered the desktop, the "low battery" warning popped up, with 5% left. Thanks to the construction of the motherland, the signal is full even in this seemingly desolate mountain and wilderness. Ruan Qian sneezed out of the cold, and when she looked at the time, she was completely stunned.

00: 03.

Either her cell phone had the wrong time or the clock in the car was broken.

She had no reason to doubt the companion who had been with her for more than a year.

Ruan Qian had no choice but to accept a cruel fact—

She was alone, lost on a highway more than 200 kilometers away from home late at night.

-

-

"The number you dialed is currently unavailable, please try again later..."

I can’t get through to my mother on the phone.

The battery dropped another 1%.

Ruan Qian took a deep breath and dialed her father's number with shaking hands. The beeping sound of the phone was a tormenting wait. After 56 seconds, a gentle female voice officially pronounced:

"The number you dialed is currently unanswered..."

Ruan Qian kicked the railing hard, almost in despair.

The loss of power does not stop for anyone.

3% of the battery.

The last person you can rely on.

She turned on the screen and tapped lightly on the three words "Teacher Tong".

The phone rang only three times.

"Hey?"

The little girl's nose felt sore and tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly held them back, sorted out her thoughts, and said with a nasal tone:

"Teacher Tong, I got off at the wrong station. I'm on the highway now and my phone is running out of battery..."

"Where are you?!"

Tong Yao, who was half asleep in bed, sat up, quickly put on her clothes, and asked anxiously, "Did you get off at the wrong station? Do you know the exact location? There should be a village where you get off. Is there anyone passing by?"

"No..." The little girl couldn't hold back her tears and cried, "Why did the car stop in such a remote place..."

She cried only for a moment, then wiped away her tears and said with a sob:

"Teacher Tong, I... I looked at the time. It should be more than 200 kilometers away from Xiangnan. I don't know anything else..."

"Don't worry, Ruanruan," Tong Yao was already panicking. She was trying hard to think of a plan. "Find a parking area to rest. Don't stand in a dangerous place on the roadside. If you can wait for the bus, ask it to stop. Don't get in other people's private cars..."

"Well..." Ruan Qian squatted down next to the street lamp. The railings were covered with ice in winter. She curled up into a ball and put on the hoodie inside her school uniform. Her tears stained her sleeves with dark spots. "Teacher Tong... I'm so scared."

"...Don't be afraid, the teacher is trying to find a solution." Hearing this, Tong Yao's heart broke. She forced herself to calm down and walked out quickly. "Ruanruan, can you contact your parents?"

The little girl cried even harder: "I can't get through to them on the phone."

"It's okay... The teacher is here, can you stay there? If there is a bus, you can get on it, and the teacher will drive over to find you..."

The call suddenly went dead.

Tong Yao was stunned. The "call ended" on the screen made her tremble. Something was out of her control. The child was falling into fear alone. How could she not be anxious? What was the bus station's phone number? Is there anyone accepting the call now? She knocked on Tong Hua's door in a hurry, and the noise was so loud that even Jiang Wu was startled.

"Brother, it's urgent!"

"Um, what's wrong?"

"Please drive me to Shonan! My student got off at the wrong station and is stuck on the road! We need to get on the highway!"

"Ah? You're still so stupid..." Before Tong Hua could finish his words, he received a murderous look from his sister. He choked and said quickly, "Okay, I'll drive."

The brother and sister rushed out of the house in a hurry. Jiang Wu stood at the door, looked at her anxious daughter, then turned around and went back to her room silently.

"Have you called the police?" Tong Hua started the car.

"It's being reported," Tong Yao said, as if to poke a hole through the screen, "Brother, will the traffic police take care of it?"

"Yes," Tong Hua took a cigarette and put it in his mouth without lighting it, "but it might be a bit slow at this point, and I don't know the exact location."

Tong Yao looked solemn. After calling the police, she called the bus station. The bus station was not open all day, and it was closed at night, so no one answered the phone. She tried to call the little girl again with a glimmer of hope, but the phone was still turned off.

"It's okay, Yaoyao. It'll only take a few hours. She won't wander around and we'll find her soon." Tong Hua said.

Tong Yao nodded gently. She had just gotten her driver's license not long ago, otherwise she wouldn't have let Tong Hua drive. She saved the phone number of Ruan Qian's mother, Ms. Gu, and tried to call. Unexpectedly, she was answered.

"Hello, Teacher Tong?" Ruan Qian's mother's voice sounded a little tired.

"Hello," Tong Yao bit her lip and looked at the night sky passing by quickly outside the window, "Ruan Xi is stuck on the highway."

-

-

There was a reason why Ms. Gu did not answer Ruan Qian's call.

Ruan Xi's father was not feeling well today, with vomiting and diarrhea. Ms. Gu took care of him all night. When she came back in a hurry, she saw her daughter's missed call, but when she called, the phone was turned off.

She was anxious, but had no news or solutions.

After receiving Tong Yao's call, Ms. Gu almost fainted.

"Don't worry, Auntie. I've called the police and they're on their way there now." Tong Yao was calm now. "I'll get Ruan Qian back safely."

"Teacher Tong, thank you... thank you... I don't know how to thank you..." Ms. Gu burst into tears.

"It should."

Tong Yao hung up the phone, sighed, and leaned her head against the window.

"Yaoyao, do you want to take a nap? I'll drive." Tong Hua turned up the air conditioner and asked considerately.

Tong Yao shook her head and whispered:

"Brother, thank you for your hard work."

Tong Hua smiled and said, "Why do my family members say these things?"

Such a majestic image is only superficial. In fact, Tong Hua felt so happy because of his sister's words.

Tong Yao stared at the roadside, knowing that it was still far away, but not daring to miss a second of sight, as if the little girl would appear on the roadside in the next second. A car came, and suddenly there were more water drops on the window. Tong Yao was stunned, and the water drops became more and more, until she had to turn on the wipers to see the road clearly.

"It's raining?" Her voice trembled a little.

"Not heavy, just drizzle." Tong Hua said.

"Can it be faster?" she said anxiously.

"I dare not go fast. It snowed the day before yesterday and the road is still slippery." Tong Hua exhaled, and suddenly, he turned the car aside and cursed at the car squeezing in the road, "Damn, do you know how to drive?"

Tong Hua drove much faster than the bus after all. The bus took more than four hours, but he arrived in just over three hours. Tong Yao stared at the roadside intently, and suddenly, she shouted:

"Front!"

Tong Hua slowed down and squinted her eyes. There was a person squatting on the parking strip in front of her with a large bag of luggage. He looked like a homeless person on the street. In the continuous rain, in the dark night, under the lonely street light, he seemed to be abandoned by the whole world. Tong Yao couldn't wait to get off the car. The squatting girl looked at her. She was wearing a coat and her face was covered with tears or rain.

"Soft!"

Tong Yao ran to Ruan Qian, feeling heartbroken. She hugged the little girl tightly, passing on and feeling her body temperature. Why is she so cold? Why doesn't she have an umbrella? After a thousand words, she just gently lifted the little girl's hair:

"Good boy, the teacher is here."

"Teacher Tong..." Ruan Qian's eyes were red, and she threw herself into her arms, "I'm sorry... I've caused you trouble again."

"It's okay, I don't mind the trouble." Tong Yao held her face and finally smiled, "I was just worried that you wouldn't tell me."

The rain wasn't heavy, but Ruan Qian was soaked for too long, and even her luggage got wet. She waited for hour after hour, and every car that passed by was a disappointment. She wanted to find a village, but was afraid that she would miss the rescue if she couldn't find it. Her shoes were soaked, and her feet were frozen. Finally, she waited for Teacher Tong in the parking strip where the ice and snow had not yet melted.

"I want to call my mother..." the little girl said timidly.

"Get in the car," Tong Yao followed the little girl to the back seat, "Your mother knows everything, call and let her know you're safe. Brother, tell the police."

"Okay." Tong Hua nodded, holding an umbrella, and went outside to smoke a cigarette.

The little girl was sobbing while talking on the phone, probably because her mother scolded her badly. Ms. Gu was also crying hard. Tong Yao took over the phone, comforted her with a few words, and said that she would send Ruan Qian home tomorrow.

"Wipe it off?" Tong Yao took a towel and helped the little girl wipe her hair. "Your hair is wet now."

Tong Hua got in the car and looked back at the harmonious scene of teachers and students in the back seat, feeling relieved. The girl named Ruan Qian nestled in her sister's arms like a drowned kitten, but his conversation between the two sounded strange.

"Teacher Tong, I'm cold..."

"Be obedient, hold me, and take off your shoes and socks."

"Teacher Tong, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay. Don't do such stupid things next time. Ask before getting off the bus."

It doesn't look like the atmosphere between teachers and students.

But what else could they be if not teachers and students?

Tong Hua put out the cigarette and threw it out of the window. A sweet "Thank you, Brother Tong Hua" came from the back seat, and he was very satisfied.

The car was on the road again in the rain.

"Have a sleep." Tong Yao looked down at the little girl in her arms and said softly.

The peaceful sleeping face of the person in her arms is her most precious treasure.

Chapter 78: Cocoon

The rain got heavier in the middle of the night.

The high beam lights illuminated the endless rain in the darkness, like wheat awns in the field, and the passing wheels splashed water like waves. Tong Hua yawned and said:

"It's raining so hard, luckily we came early."

Tong Yao said "hmm" and looked at the little girl in her arms. Ruan Qian was holding her waist and sleeping soundly. She was also feeling tired and was about to take a nap when she heard Tong Hua calling from the front:

"Fatty, are you sleeping? Not sleeping? It just so happens that I'm about to pass by your Feng Village. Please help me book two rooms."

After the call, Tong Yao asked softly:

"what happened?"

Tong Hua started yawning again, his mouth wide open:

"I, your brother, can't hold on any longer. I haven't slept for two days. The road condition is bad. There are still a few hours left. Let's drive again tomorrow. Fatty, remember, his home is right here."

Fatty Hu, one of Tong Hua's friends. Fengcun is a small town, and it is well-known on this section of the highway and is specially marked.