Chapter 2: The River Breeze Blows on the Young Lad (Part 2)

  Is it a curse of fate that I am unable to possess the permanent right to peace?

  The road is so simple and clear, like a dream. But what about my road? It has long deviated from the broad avenue where everyone else is walking with excitement, and light has never dawned on it.

  The world won't become simpler by avoiding it, life won't be free from harm just because you're careful. The future has been redefined by escape, dominating the concept of survival, wandering on the edge of pain and loneliness, not expecting that silent spring will one day produce a mysterious awakening song.

  But who knows! The accumulated roar of a lifetime can only be wildly shouted in the depths of one's heart!

  Long Bao drank the wine that Jing Er had asked for him, his thoughts were a bit turbulent.

  Jing'er was really quiet, quietly watching him, not speaking, without disturbing him.

  Jing'er was also thinking about herself, wondering if what she did was right or wrong. Was she being overly cautious or handling it properly? Had she completely gone against Grandfather's instructions? What would be the consequences?

  Grandfather rarely gave people divination, and even if he did, he would only say a few cryptic words. How to understand them depended on one's own intuition. So what do these sentences actually imply? Are they just referring to yesterday's event or hinting at Longbiao's actions or his own future actions?

  Difficult to solve!

  But anyway, Long Han has escaped safely for now.

  When in danger, one must handle things decisively. Although it cost 600 yuan to charter a taxi from Changsha to Jiujiang, the price was a bit steep, but I finally managed to send this person I love with all my heart out of harm's way.

  They lied to Long Bao, saying Shi Wei and the others were fine, Autumn Ya and her brothers were okay, Wen Li was also fine, only Zheng Xue's injuries were a bit serious, but there was no danger to his life. For now, Long Bao had to avoid trouble for the time being, so they managed to get him into a taxi by pulling and dragging him.

  Jiujiang is a tourist city, where the Yangtze River levee has been splashed with Premier Zhu's tears. The famous tofu residue water conservancy project is always used as a teaching example by school teachers, and Jiujiang has since become renowned nationwide. It's not peak tourist season now, and there aren't many tourists around. People of all shapes and sizes stroll along the streets, and the exceptionally talented Longbiao and Jing'er stand out somewhat among the crowds.

  The hotel industry in the city is relatively developed, and the management of accommodation registration is very lax. The front desk lady at this hotel casually registered Jing'er's ID card and didn't ask if they wanted one room or two rooms. She seemed to be very familiar with the procedure and warmly arranged a double room for them.

  Jing'er and Long Bao walked calmly behind the hotel service girl, who was carrying a kettle of hot water. The girl couldn't help but envy them in her heart: such a handsome and beautiful couple, soon they would be passionately in love, they must be a pair of lovers, that woman definitely wasn't... she didn't have that kind of charm. Alas, they were really happy, able to travel everywhere, but what about me?

  The two of them took a shower separately and sat together on the sofa. Jing'er made a cup of hot tea for Longbiao.

  Long Bao waited for Jing Er to sit down, his eyes gazing at the bed in front of him with a hint of melancholy. After a while, he spoke in a slightly low tone: "Jing Er, you must be tired, go rest. I'll just sit here for a bit."

  Jing'er was a bit shy about the two of them spending the night in one room, and her girlish nature made her anxious. Although reason told her that she wouldn't have any possibility of being taken advantage of by Long Bao, after all, a young man and woman sleeping in the same room was a big stimulus to her youthful heart. Just as she was feeling embarrassed about this, she hastily covered it up and replied: "I'm not tired, I'm thinking about tomorrow's plans... hmm, Long Bao, why don't we go to Lushan Mountain tomorrow to clear our minds?"

  "Never mind, Jing Er, you go back to school tomorrow, the exams are in a few days. I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me, but my affairs, let's just stop here!"

  Jing'er gazed at Long Bao's face, which had a somewhat despondent expression. His resolute features seemed to have taken on a few years of premature aging under the dim yellow light, but Jing'er couldn't discern anything from it.

  Jing'er's mood suddenly turned gloomy: Ah, yes, whatever I say, I'm not Autumn Ya, maybe he's thinking of Autumn Ya and doesn't want me to disturb him! Jing'er felt a pang in her heart, but still summoned the courage to say: "Long Bao, I just did what any good friend should do, it's nothing. There are still several days before the exam, no need to rush back, let me accompany you to see Lushan's Wulao Peak, Sanquan Die and Longshou Cliff? My grandfather said that place is blessed with spiritual energy and has a unique landscape! How about it, Long Bao?"

  Jing'er, with slender and slightly curved eyebrows, bright and clear eyes, a straight and tall nose bridge, smooth and shiny cheeks, and long, soft black hair scattered over her shoulders, naturally exuding an irresistible pure quality that made Long Bao want to sink in. As he gazed at this incredibly moving face, he truly felt her love for him, and his heart suddenly had an urgent desire to confess, wanting to tell her all his thoughts and feelings from the past day, but this emotional impulse was immediately suppressed by his own willpower.

  I had long known Jing's kind intentions and had also seen the trouble that this matter would bring. The best of brothers didn't even leave a note for Jing to pass on to me, and Jing was vague about Wenli and Zheng Xue's injuries. He even dragged me into going to Jiujiang, all of which strongly confirmed just how serious things have become!

  If I don't rein in my emotions and let them run wild, if I fail to escape, Jing'er will definitely be implicated as well! I've already brought about my own fate of fleeing due to my own recklessness. If I'm going to flee, I must have the appearance of fleeing. How can I implicate my innocent brothers and friends? How can I indulge this girl's feelings for me? These feelings are absolutely harmful to both her and myself!

  Long Bao carefully chose his words, deliberated on the phrases, picked up the tea cup and took a sip, then spoke in a slow tone: "Jing Er, I need to have a serious talk with you about some things. You can question them if you don't agree, but ultimately you must follow through. I know things are already very severe, so I hope you can tell me the actual situation. I've mentally prepared myself..."

  Jing'er knew she couldn't deceive Longbiao any longer, so she reluctantly confessed everything she understood. Longbiao wasn't surprised; he also completely agreed that this calm surface was actually more sinister inside, and it could be inferred that there were hidden schemes here that the other side would not give up on. Now both sides were in the dark, each knowing nothing about the other's situation. Thinking about it, Jing'er's handling method was actually correct; perhaps he couldn't do it himself, after all, he had emotional baggage, and Jing'er, as an outsider, was clearer and more rational than him, who was directly involved.

  Long Bao refused to accept Jing Er's kindness in giving him more money as escape funds. She could understand Long Bao's feelings and didn't want to hurt his self-esteem, so she asked indirectly: "Then where are you planning to go? How will you cope with the situation in the future?"

  An escapee not only needs the will to escape, but also the theoretical knowledge of escape. He must learn to think outside the box. The escapee has his own psychology, and the pursuer has his own psychology and strategy. The best way to become a fish that slips through the net is to hide far away from the fishing net.

  "I have two hands, I can rely on my own strength to make a living," Long Bao knew that Jing Er was actually worried about how he would win the escape and survival in hiding. He smiled slightly and continued: "If a goose egg stone falls into a pile of goose egg stones, how can you accurately find it?"

  Jing'er also smiled and said: "Remember the characteristics of this goose egg stone carefully, and sift it carefully!"

  Long Wan smiled and asked: "If a fish that has escaped from the net of a fisherman returns to the river, how can the fisherman catch it again?"

  Jing'er thought for a moment, then said: "Immediately use the fishing net to surround the last river segment where the fish disappeared, and then tighten the net; or completely isolate this river segment, drain the water in the river, I believe we can catch it."

  "What if this fish is very fast and slips away to a place where the fisherman can't control it?"

  Jing'er already understood the implication, and Mimi smiled in response: "Hehe, let's notify the other fishermen to cast their nets and catch it. If we're lucky, maybe we can catch this cunning fish."

  Long Wan was very satisfied with this answer, and continued: "But this fish disguised itself without any characteristics, and it always sank to the bottom of the river, rarely showing its head, just one of the billions of fish in the river, just like other ordinary fish, could a fisherman from another region still recognize it?"

  Jing'er laughed even more deeply: "It's very difficult, but the problem is that this fish is really a bit too eye-catching. Its five senses, size, age and other characteristics are quite different from those of ordinary fish, and it doesn't have a fish ID card either. What to do?"

  Long Bao knocked his own head and said cunningly, "This fish will think of a way to get a fake ID with an older age and a more vague appearance from a county or city in another province. He'll disguise himself carefully, stay highly alert, and never stay too long in one foraging area."

  Jing'er smiled again, but her smile was especially bitter.

  Long Bao not only rejected her money, refused her means of communication, refused her communication plan, but also refused her yet unspoken love. However, his reason made it impossible for her to refute. His reason was simple: whoever makes a mistake has to bear the consequences alone; whoever brews their own bitter fruit has to eat it themselves.

  He said that although his flight after the crime was a cowardly act, it was because he had the possibility of being framed by others. His flight was to find an opportunity to investigate the truth, find evidence of the mastermind, achieve his ideal goal and then take revenge.

  His life may be limited to only thirteen years at most, he has no reason to bear any guilt, the one he hurt is a loser. His escape is a step back, but the result of taking a step back is to move three steps forward. The realistic significance of his escape far exceeds the social significance of surrendering to the law.

  Since it's an escape, there's no need to contact the previous relationship again. Ignorance is bliss, but knowing and not reporting is a serious crime. Since we know that contacting is useless, why bother? If you lose contact, then emotional investment is like pouring water into a bamboo basket! Since it's like pouring water into a bamboo basket, why not stop immediately?

  Jing'er closed her eyes, thinking of Longbiao lying on the other bed beside her. Tears could no longer be controlled, and at this moment, her tears not only flowed down her face but also in her heart.

  That day was when Changhan City police carried out a new arrest plan. That day was also the third day of Longbiao's intentional serious injury crime, in the morning.

  Jing'er stood in front of the long-distance bus from Jiujiang to Changhan, and once again, regardless of her maidenly reserve, she tightly hugged Longbiao, who was about to escape alone. Her infinitely sorrowful tears wetted Longbiao's chest and covered his face.

  As the long-distance bus disappeared into the distance, Longbiao opened a package that Jing'er had forcibly stuffed into his hands at the last moment. Inside, there was 1,000 yuan and a piece of paper filled with writing. The paper contained two poems.

  Phoenix Perches on Paulownia - A Gift for You in Jiujiang

  Beautiful shadows lean on willows, nine layers of cold fog, as if it's already deep autumn. Although I know that longing has no words, I'll lock my passionate heart in your tower.

  Each time lightly paying for spring dreams, the letter becomes candle ash, drunk brush writing still. Looking at the remaining solitary moon after the extreme wind and waves, shining on the river flowers with a different kind of melancholy.

  Butterfly Lovers - Farewell at Jiujiang

  Who can reduce the misty waves on the way? The words are broken, who can continue the poem. The moon is moistening the cold pavilion early in autumn, who can explain the sorrow of missing like this.

  The clear wind does not chase the startled geese. The parting intention is long, from now on flying to which place. The faint shadow of the geese moves suddenly, always feeling as if there is and also as if there isn't.

  Besides, no matter what reason you have, you should still keep in touch with me to grasp the situation. Take care! Missing you forever. Jing'er.

  The bus sped along a fixed route towards its destination, Changhan City.

  The wheels rolled on the asphalt road, and the trees, houses, and hillsides on both sides of the road quickly retreated backwards. The passengers in the car seemed to have become numb to this, except for occasionally glancing out the window, the rest were waiting for the passage of time with various postures until they reached their destination.

  She sat quietly by the window, enduring the cold air blowing down from the air conditioner above her head - a chill that ran from her spine to her neck. Her slender shoulders and hair lost their usual protective effect. Her soft hands tightly grasped her handbag, through which she gently felt the ancient sharp object inside.

  This sharp blade was the small knife that Long Biao had entrusted her to keep, the ancient and unadorned dagger, compared to the weapons on the battlefield, although it was humble and insignificant, its exceptional quality of being able to vanquish any obstacle could be completely discerned!

  The small knife was Dragon's scale, she could strongly feel that there was even his body temperature on the knife, his breath, his words, his thoughts, his eyes, everything about him.

  At this time, Shi Wei and Hai Tao were sitting in the dormitory with angry faces. Hai Tao was indignant: "These dog legs! Long Bian's leg was broken and he suffered a concussion, but they don't care! Zheng Xue was messed with a bit, and it's like they hurt his parents! And there's even a wanted order!"

  Shi Wei was very willing to understand Hai Tao's feelings, but his innate cautiousness made him as vigilant as a mouse on the lookout for a cat's trickery. He lowered his voice and said: "Hai Tao, don't say anything now, I'll close the door first, be careful that the bars may have installed listening devices."

  Du Cui immediately nodded in agreement, saying: "Yes, it's often seen in movies that police use secret listening devices to eavesdrop." As she spoke, she didn't forget to give a long, admiring glance to the clever and brave Xiao San as a reward.

  The result of the thorough search was undoubtedly nothing, but Shi Wei still had some doubts and suspected that he might have missed something earlier. At this moment, Shi Wei's expression was particularly like that of Shi Xiu in Water Margin, with his small eyes gleaming with a hint of slyness as he glanced around several hundred times, yet his overall expression still looked very serious.

  Du Cui and Wu Qingfen wanted to laugh but didn't dare, Hai Tao lay on the bed, putting his huge leg on Wu Qingfen's hand which was sitting on the edge of the bed, enjoying the gentle massage, while fiercely puffing on a cigarette.

  His bony fingers suddenly slammed on the desk, expressing discontent. "Bang!" His mouth released a fluent voice at an extremely fast speed: "***! Could it be that they installed the bug in the fluorescent light? In the stabilizer? In the wood? In the heel of my shoe? In my pen? In the wall?! Damn it! If I can't find you, won't I become the 'Eastern Pig'?! Ahh! Tomorrow I'll bring the leopard over and have it search!"

  Qiu Ya hid to one side, wiping away uncontrollable tears as she tidied up Long Biao's bed and books, ignoring Shi Wei's attempts at humor. A strong force supported her as she arranged the belongings that had been searched and thrown into disarray by the police. Now, she didn't dare think about the severe consequences, and she could only calm herself down by being surrounded by these objects that still carried a familiar scent.

  Shi Wei really wanted to know what Wen Xuan and Qiu Qin had said to Tiao Zi, and what Tiao Zi had said to them. He quietly pulled Wen Xuan onto the balcony and asked in a low voice.

  The text translates to:

  "With a guilty conscience, he honestly stated the facts, saying that everyone should believe in the fairness of the law, otherwise there wouldn't be a scale on the court's wall. He believed that according to the law, surrendering would lead to leniency. Longbiao was not yet 18 years old, and if the school stepped forward, the judge would give him a chance to reform and start anew. He must have advised Longbiao to quickly return and surrender, as this was the only correct path, and he shouldn't continue to flee. He thought that this was the only way to truly help his brother Longbiao, who had broken the law."

  Shi Wei called out Qiu Qin again and asked him some questions. Qiu Qin was somewhat annoyed by Shi Wei's questioning manner and gaze, as if he thought Qiu Qin was a traitor who had leaked secrets. He briefly explained the situation and then said: "What's wrong with Long Bao? Is he still resentful that Zheng Xue stole Wen Li from him? He even beat up Zheng Xue so badly! You say it yourself, now he must have committed intentional injury! And he should pray to God that Zheng Xue doesn't die! Doesn't he know the power of the Zheng family? What does he have to fight with others for? Someone like him who has offended a big leader's family and broken the law, how can he escape? This isn't just any ordinary criminal case! Others won't let him off easily!"

  "I'm telling you! He's in big trouble now! I specifically looked up the law books, and for someone like him, the sentence won't be light! His youth is probably going to be spent in prison! The wanted notice has already been issued, where can he escape to? In three days at most, just watch, our brother will be caught! The school might expel him immediately!"

  "Shi Wei! Now that things have become like this, what are you still messing around for? Shi Wei, your home is in Changhan, I advise you to be careful not to bring trouble upon yourself! If you provoke them, you can imagine the consequences of being retaliated against. Be careful that Zheng Xue will make you a scapegoat later on! You're not so unreasonable, are you? Talking about brotherly loyalty also has to be based on not harming oneself first. Take care of yourself, Old Six is already finished, don't get yourself involved, it's the best strategy."

  Shi Wei didn't find Qiu Qin's words strange, in his opinion this was very normal. Humans are selfish animals and self-interested creatures, there's nothing strange about that. He was just thinking of himself, which is perfectly normal. If Long Bao were just an ordinary friend or brother to him, he would have done the same thing.

  But can Qiu Qin understand the depth of Long Bao's friendship? Long Bao's strong and unyielding life force, his indomitable willpower, his unwavering spirit of struggle, his resolute gaze, his lofty ideals, his tumultuous experiences, and that innocent heart have long made Shi Wei swear to be his sworn brother for this lifetime.

  Is it necessary for you to refute Qiu Qin's logic and justify your own thoughts now?

  Without conflicts and confrontations between different minds and thoughts, one cannot mature; without the test of various events and times, it is impossible to determine the sincerity and depth of friendship.

  There is no right or wrong in how we treat friendships, we are just independent individuals who have our own decisions about what we put into them. Who can blame whom, interfere with whom, demand from whom, and resent whom?

  No one has the right or reason, because this friendship is just a feeling between friends who are constantly changing and unpredictable, that's all.

  As a result, their once pure and innocent friendship began to show irreparable cracks in the discussion of how to deal with the possibility that Long Wan might come to them for help.

  Haitao Shiwei could only exchange a bitter smile with each other, they both knew that from now on, the six sworn brothers who could truly be called brothers were only them and Longbiao.

  Looking back on the brotherhood oath two years ago, looking at the changes in the friendship of six people in this room over the past three years, Liao Ye was the first to end, followed by Long Bao's escape. Now, Qiu Qin and Wen Xuan have also left during the test of friendship. Shi Wei Hai Tao is very emotional, drinking silently, and they all realize: it turns out that sworn brotherhood is just like this - oath-taking, conflict, divergence in opinions and ways of thinking, someone fades away, facing difficulties and tests when help is most needed, conflicts and differences in ideology are exposed, and finally only the true bosom friends (best to have one or two) remain, and it's enough for a lifetime!

  Friendship is wine, things are wine, tests are wine, maturity is also wine, but only true and mature friendship is the real fine wine, which makes one's heart feel eternal and fragrant for a lifetime.

  At this time when they were still chatting in the dormitory, Long Bao had already carried his backpack to search for those fake certificate phone advertisements in various corners around Jiujiang Railway Station.

  This is the most important thing, and also what Jing'er worries about the most. Because for the police, no matter what reason you use to explain or cover up, a person without identification is a suspicious person, especially those who use fake IDs, they must be thoroughly investigated from their ancestors to personal experiences, reasons for coming out, usage reasons, real background, and real identity, and they have the right to detain you.

  Long Wan had torn off a few business cards, copied down over ten different phone numbers, pagers, and contact names. He dialed the first one on a public phone booth on the side of the road, belonging to a Mr. "Zhang Dahai", whose title was quite intimidating: Domestic Business Manager of Southeast Asia Certificate Production Group. His mobile number was **8888, pager number *, and on the back of his business card it read: Exquisitely designed, highly skilled craftsmanship, counterfeit products that are almost real, complete range of products including graduation certificates, ID cards, professional title certificates, master's and doctoral degree certificates, various qualification certificates, floating population certificates, single status certificates, marriage certificates, even divorce certificates! No deception, price negotiable, quality guaranteed, contracted by the People's Insurance Company, and certified by the ISO9001 and ISO9002 international quality certification systems.

  Dial the mobile phone number first, it's convenient and no need to wait.

  "Hello, the number you dialed is unassigned. Please check and dial again. SORRY......"

  Take another look at the number, no mistake, it's the one I dialed! How can it be an empty number?

  Forget it, let's just make a phone call!

  Waited for a while, no response. Let's take a look at another business card!

  This is Miss Wang Hongmei, the domestic business deputy general manager of Southeast Asia Certificate Making Group. There is also a mobile phone with the number **9999 and a pager number.

  "Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later. SORRY……."

  Long Wan couldn't help but smile wryly, it seemed that these people's mobile phones were all for show, and he could only hold onto the hope of calling them back.

  After making several calls, Long Bao waited anxiously in the phone booth.

  Ten minutes passed and Long Bao dialed again.

  This time I was lucky and someone answered. As soon as they picked up, they said: "Who are you?"

  "This voice is hoarse, with a slight Hunan accent, and it's unclear whether it belongs to Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang, or Mr. Li. Long Bao asked in non-standard Mandarin: 'Hello, are you Mr. Zhang, Mr. Wang, or Mr. Li?'"

  "Who are you? What's your business?"

  Long Bao thought for a moment and then said straightforwardly: "I'd like to find the gentlemen from Southeast Asia Document Manufacturing Group, I have something to discuss with them."

  The other party said: "You just say you want to handle the certificate, why bother! Say it, what kind of certificate do you want to handle?"

  Long Bao secretly delighted, this person is straightforward, a bit like Hai Tao's personality, and said: "I want to get an ID card."

  "The ID card will cost 80 yuan, pay a deposit first and pay the rest after it's done. Is that okay?"

  Long Bao thought for a moment and said, "Alright, when will it be ready?"

  The other party paused for a moment before saying: "Three days later, but if you want to speed up, you can also do so, but you need to add some expedited fees. Some have an additional 60 in the afternoon, and an additional 30 tomorrow."

  "How can it be so expensive!" Long Bo asked, "Can't you make it a bit cheaper?"

  It seems that the other party has grasped Long Bao's psychology, so with a difficult tone, he said: "This is the company's regulation, think about it, working personnel have to work overtime, and process the pictures, right? So I'll take the initiative to reduce some for you. For this afternoon's, I can give you 40 less, and tomorrow's will be 20 less. Can't be any less than that, or else the company will fine us, and at that time, I won't even have enough money for my wages and travel expenses."

  "Alright, I'll settle for this afternoon. Also, can you get me a real ID card, just like mine?"

  The other party was overjoyed, this must be a pig that can be slaughtered mercilessly. He deliberately hesitated and said: "It's like this, it's very difficult, but brother I'm willing to help you with this favor, only the price has to be very high. How about this, where are you? Let's go to Street Heart Park together to discuss face-to-face."

  The other party hung up the phone, and the phone rang again. It was a female voice, but it was unclear whether she was Miss Wang or Miss Liu from the Southeast Asian Certificate Production Group headquarters. Long Bao opened a new round of dialogue with her.

  This lady's price is much lower than that gentleman, obviously with honest professional ethics. According to her, their headquarters has solemnly made a social commitment to customers, and the customer is their god, their breadwinner. She is now next to the train station and can meet immediately for negotiation. Moreover, she said they have many real ID cards stolen by thieves at high prices, which can be freely chosen by you.

  Can you still call yourself "Miss"?

  My goodness! The whole mountain town of Tianlei Village's market is full of stout and short, wrinkled-faced, pockmarked, and dim-eyed old ladies who are more cunning than Shi Wei. They vigilantly size up this tall and handsome young man.

  She figured out that Long Bao was her fellow Hunanese and from the same region of Xiangzhong, so she felt less guarded when she saw a familiar face. She took a quick Polaroid photo with Long Bao, agreed to meet at 4 pm at the usual place to hand over the goods, and quickly left after receiving a deposit of 20 yuan. She promised to get Long Bao a genuine ID card that met his requirements, but charged him 300 yuan for it.

  Long Bu had nothing to do, thought of Jing Er's previous gift of "Sun Tzu's Art of War" and "Guiguzi Quanshu", so he came to Xinhua Bookstore and found them.

  At 4 pm, both ID cards were delivered to Long Bao's hands. This fake ID was not well-made and could be easily identified with a closer look, let alone deceive those professionally trained, sharp-eyed police officers.

  Long Bao was very dissatisfied, Long Bao wanted to return the goods, but "Miss" Dama disagreed and guaranteed with all her might: "This quality ID card can guarantee that you can stay in hotels and travel agencies, except for bank staff and police officers. No one else will suspect! Little brother, this is absolutely a best-seller nationwide!"

  This is the real ID card of Ao Cheng, according to "Miss" Dama, who said she had visited many relatives and friends and searched for it with great difficulty seven years ago. The surface has been blurred by sweat and water marks, but roughly speaking, it still looks a bit like Long Bao, who is not very satisfied either.

  "But, missus, the reason is quite sufficient: 'You're so handsome, how could you possibly find someone who looks exactly like you? I spent 300 yuan to buy this ID from a thief for you... Look, it's from Jiangxi Province, Jingdezhen City, Gutang Township, Gaoyan Village, Group 9, and the age is 24 this year. The ID photo was taken seven years ago, so of course, your appearance must have changed, right?... See, he has a bit more facial hair, his face is longer, his nose is higher, his eyebrows are thicker, and his chin is squarer, isn't that just like you?... And look at the name, Ao Cheng, it sounds good with yours!"

  Chapter 3: The River Breeze Blows on the Old Young Man (Three)

  Jing Er was startled by Xiao Buzhi's joke.

  In the afternoon, Jing'er returned to her dormitory, washed away the fatigue and dust, lay down on the bed and dozed off for a while. Suddenly, Xiao Budian, Xu Susu, crept up to her and shouted in a cold voice: "Su Jing'er, raise your hands, you've been caught!"

  Jing'er was still deep in thought when she suddenly opened her eyes to see Xu Suxu's face close in front of hers, asking mysteriously: "Honestly, where did you go for the past two nights? Tell me the truth!" Before Jing'er could respond, Xu Suxu continued talking non-stop: "Jing'er, do you know that Autumn Ya's boyfriend is Long Bao from the Water Conservancy Engineering Department? He's a murderer! A fugitive! The whole city is looking for him now!"

  Jing Er's heart was greatly shocked, and her hands were really ruthless! They actually started a manhunt! Fortunately, she reacted quickly. She still pretended to be surprised and asked: "Really? What's going on? Tell me."

  Xu Susu started chattering away, and as she spoke, her expression suddenly turned strange. "Jing'er, hehe, it seems like you received a phone call that night and never came back! Is that right? And didn't you also know Long Bao? Hehe, could it be that you've been with him for the past two days?"

  The speaker is unintentional, the listener is intentional. Jing'er was really startled by her joke, and her heart almost jumped out of her throat. But she immediately rebuked sternly: "Su Su! I went to play with an old classmate from my hometown for two days! You must not speak nonsense! This is a big deal, you can't talk nonsense, if you do, it will cause big trouble!"

  Xiao Budian Xu Susu stuck out her tongue.

  Du Ci accompanied Jing Er to the dormitory to visit Qiu Ya, who had her head covered with a towel and was sobbing slightly, her slender figure shaking with restrained sobs.

  Jing'er clearly understood the blow this matter had dealt to Qiu Ya, but she urgently needed to know from Qiu Ya's mouth about the current dynamics and situation in order to inform Long Bao who was still waiting for news in Jiujiang. She and Qiu Ya were considered good friends and fellow townspeople, so all comfort and consolation seemed very natural.

  Qiu Ya ignored everyone and the more Jing Er tried to comfort her, the harder she sobbed.

  Du Ci gently pulled Jing Er and whispered in her ear, "Forget it, she's always like this. After that, he gestured with his hand to go outside and chat.

  What Du Cizui knew was the most important, and judging from the current situation, Long Bao's only option was to flee to a distant place, change his name, and hide his identity. His studies were completely over, and neither he nor himself could hold onto any unrealistic fantasies anymore. The only thing left to consider was how to continue escaping and how to survive on the run.

  Xiao Bu Dian Xu Su Su's international joke is actually his own Achilles' heel. If sensitive people make connections and guess, then... does Grandpa's instruction to "not care about anything" include this meaning? How should the other sentences be understood?

  Ding ding!

  A ringtone broke into Jing'er's contemplation as she sat alone on the playground.

  Look at the phone display, ah! The area code of Jiujiang is 0792!

  Longbiao changed to a private inn, which was a small hotel with a daily rent of 12 yuan. It was a large room with four beds. Longbiao lay on the bed by the right rear window, flipping through his newly purchased "Gui Guzi Quanshu". He raised his wrist to look at his electronic watch, it was 9:40. He decided to call Jing'er to thoroughly clarify the current situation.

  Jing'er told Long Bao everything she knew. After hanging up the phone, Long Bao clenched his fists tightly.

  I've been wanted after all! It's come to this!

  Making a decision is painful, but the thinking that goes into making a decision is even more unbearable; making a decision means choosing, and it means having to abandon one's past from now on; making a decision means using someone else's name and pretending to be someone else's surname, while forgetting one's true self-designation. Such a decision is a helpless shame, a burden of guilt for the soul.

  Since it has been decided, it means that one must forcibly forget the past and truly regard oneself as Ao Cheng, a 24-year-old from Gaoyan Village, Gutang Township, Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province.

  The decision was made to escape, and the escape was for life, for survival. A person who escapes has no future, only thinking about how to live and how to escape. The continuation of emotions now has little meaning, heaven knows how many more hardships and difficulties a lonely self will experience. Since the decision was made, one must thoroughly cut off all true feelings and thoughts of autumn leaves, cannot drag down or implicate this good girl. It can be imagined that she is now bearing the sorrow alone, with only a handful of lonely heart to offer blessings of guilt.

  I can no longer contact them, I can no longer bring trouble to them. I am confident that without a clue, the police will not be able to catch me. I will be a fish that sinks to the bottom and feeds far away from the fishermen's nets.

  Fugitive, its accurate concept is to survive out of necessity and avoid legal pursuit. Fugitive, not only need to disguise one's identity but also must make use of legitimate means to sustain oneself. Now it seems that the first route for fugitives should be Jiangxi Jingdezhen, believing that with a strong physique, making a living shouldn't be a big problem.

  According to probability theory, with such a large country and so many people, it is impossible for the police to know that I used the identity of a young man from Jiangxi and hid in Jiangxi. Moreover, Jingdezhen was only my first destination for escape. Since I am now a person from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, I must have some understanding of the local customs, geography, human feelings and dialects of Jingdezhen, Jiangxi.

  The bus is at 7:30 in the morning, heading to Jingdezhen, a place I don't know at all.

  Long Bao lay on the bed thinking.

  Unfamiliar city, unfamiliar streets, unfamiliar accent, unfamiliar crowd.

  In the afternoon, Long Bo carried his bag and stood at the entrance of the long-distance bus station.

  The first thought was that I had to get used to all this strangeness as soon as possible, otherwise I wouldn't be able to talk my way out of trouble in special circumstances.

  The content of language has become a thorough disguise for the sake of self-interest, and speech as the voice of the heart is now just nonsense on a fake individual. Lying, with mouths full of lies, has sadly become a weapon to protect one's own survival!

  Long Wan smiled wryly and shook his head.

  In the city, a large part of the migrant workers who make a living by building are manual laborers in urban construction. Longbiao put his bag in a small inn, hastily ate a 3-yuan boxed lunch, and immediately went to find a construction site. Although he was not skilled in bricklaying, he was familiar with architectural theory and could sell his physical strength for food and clothing.

  There wasn't a laborer who looked neat and clean, Longbiao specially messed up his hair and didn't wash his face, he had to look like a laborer.

  This is a building under main structure construction, the wall frame is still being built, the cement mixer is rumbling, people are bustling about on the construction site, and trucks are constantly loading and unloading sand and gravel.

  First, find the foreman and ask him to allow himself to work. This man with a whistle hanging from his neck, wearing a light yellow hard hat, without any dirt on his body, constantly patrolling, about forty years old, should be the foreman!

  Long Bao walked up calmly and asked in Mandarin with a sincere expression: "Excuse me, uncle, do you still need help with work here?"

  This guy is indeed a small contractor, with vigilant and suspicious eyes sizing up this tall and big young man. No matter how he looks at him, he doesn't seem to be the type of person who does this kind of work! And he's an outsider! Most people working here are from Jingdezhen, many are even from the same village as themselves, even if they don't know each other personally, someone must have introduced them. Who knows what this guy's background is or what he's doing? Now that we're not short of people, just ignore him.

  This man's authoritative and decisive wave of his hand, said in a loud voice: "No need, no need! Go ask another family!" After that, he turned around and walked towards the loading and unloading truck that had just driven in, loaded with cobblestones, not giving Long Bao any chance to continue speaking.

  It seems like this house has no hope, let's move on to the next one. Hopefully, when the east is dark, the west will shine.

  In front of this building, the main framework has been completed. Long Bao looked around but couldn't see many workers. He easily spotted a thin young man with an expressionless face walking in from outside. Long Bao hastily asked: "Excuse me, brother, where is the foreman?"

  The thin young man gave him a cold glance and said with hatred, "The foreman is dead, eaten by wild dogs! What business do you have with this **-raised person?"

  Long Bao felt a bit strange about his words and said: "Oh, I think I'll go ask the foreman if they need people to work here."

  The thin young man was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "You'd better hurry up and go somewhere else, the boss here has no conscience! I've worked for three months, but only got paid 200 yuan. His mother... Now the big contractor has run away with the money, and the small contractor dare not show his face!"

  As he spoke, he suddenly fixed his eyes on Long Bao's face and asked in doubt: "You're an outsider, aren't you? How did you end up doing business in such a small place?"

  Long Wan was just about to test his lie, and he said in a low voice: "My hometown is actually Gutang Township, Jingdezhen, but I've been living in Hunan since I was young. Now that I'm back, I came out to find some work and make some money to support myself. So what I said wasn't my native dialect, you see, you can tell just by listening!"

  The thin young man thought for a moment, feeling that it seemed to be the case. Looking at this young man who was quite polite and tall and strong, he must be good at working. He kindly said: "It's like this, I'm from Fenggang Town, which is 70 or 80 miles away from your hometown. I've been there before, and it's not bad. If you really want to find a job, wait a moment and I'll take you to a place to try. I have many friends working there, how about that?"