The driver, through his observations, found several peculiar things about the young man in the passenger seat.
He was dressed very plainly, always carrying a dilapidated satchel with a white phoenix pattern embroidered on it.
He looked rather honest, but he had lost an eye and usually wore a baseball cap and sunglasses to conceal it. Big wind novel
He spoke quite amiably, chatting with the driver for a long time during the journey. The driver found that he seemed to have been to many places and understood things from all over the world, even more so than a truck driver who had been through thick and thin. This was very rare for a young man.
He was very talkative but also extremely discreet. No matter how the driver tried to probe indirectly, he revealed absolutely no information about his identity.
However, the driver did have some speculation about his identity.
Wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses, besides covering his blind eye, he seemed to want to hide his presence from others.
If he wasn't a wanted criminal, then he was likely on the run from enemies.
But, who had this kid offended to be so cautious even after being away from Rongcheng for so long?
As the car drove on the highway, night fell in an instant. The truck driver did not enter a service area, but instead, found an exit and drove straight off, then pulled over to the side of the road.
Yan Shouyi observed the surroundings and asked in confusion, "Brother Yang, why aren't we stopping at a service area to rest?"
The driver called himself Brother Yang, but in reality, he was only twenty-six or twenty-seven. It was just that due to sun exposure, his skin was dark and wrinkled, making him look around forty. Big wind novel network
Brother Yang took out instant noodles and hot water, and while preparing them, replied:
"It costs money to stay overnight at a service area, and the security guards inside will try to make things difficult for us. I don't have spare cash to give them!"
Some service area guards were quite unscrupulous, demanding "garbage disposal fees" from drivers who wanted to stay overnight. If they refused, they wouldn't be allowed to park, or they would be disturbed all night by guards coming to bother them.
Drivers who traveled by day and couldn't rest peacefully at night would drive tired the next day, easily leading to accidents.
Therefore, some drivers were unwilling to stay overnight at service areas, and Brother Yang was one of them.
However, it wasn't because he couldn't swallow his pride, but because he was poor.
Seeing Yan Shouyi remain silent, Brother Yang explained to himself:
"The boss who paid me only said to take you north, but didn't mention taking care of you along the way. So, you eat what I eat, and live how I live. If you want to have a big meal or stay in a hotel... that will cost extra."
Yan Shouyi was exasperated, not expecting to encounter such a "pay-extra" person right after leaving Rongcheng.
He felt his pocket and suddenly felt a pang of awkwardness.
Besides the one thousand yuan he had casually put in his pocket before leaving home, he didn't seem to have any other cash.
Furthermore, to avoid being discovered by the eyes and ears of the major sects, Yan Shouyi couldn't use any of Lin Zitong's bank cards or credit cards outside.
Once there was a transaction record, it could be discovered by people from the major sects, thus drawing trouble upon himself.
Therefore, Yan Shouyi was now poorer than the driver Brother Yang, with only one thousand yuan to his name.
"Instant noodles it is then!"
Yan Shouyi jumped out of the car, took the instant noodles Brother Yang had prepared, and the two squatted by the roadside, eating and chatting.
Cars passed by on the highway from time to time, but no one paid any attention to the strangers by the roadside, especially as they looked like ordinary people.
Brother Yang was surprised by Yan Shouyi's genuine nature, not blaming him at all for not providing him with better food and lodging.
"Hey, don't blame me, brother. I have my own difficulties," Brother Yang said, feeling a little guilty. After all, he had received so much money, and even if he had stayed in hotels and eaten at restaurants all the way, he would still have made a profit.
Yan Shouyi slurped, eating half a bowl of noodles in one go, and then asked in surprise, "What happened to you?"
Brother Yang, being an open book, recounted his past in one go:
"My mother died during childbirth when I was born. My father was a murderer and went to prison when I was very young. I grew up with my grandfather. After dropping out of junior high, I drifted around in society. I finally managed to marry a wife, but after she gave birth, she ran away because she disliked my poverty."
"Originally, I thought my life couldn't get any worse. At least I still had a daughter. But fate plays tricks on people. My daughter was diagnosed with leukemia last year, and the cost of her medication alone is astronomical every day... So, I can only save where I can. Don't look at me saving money on this bowl of instant noodles; I'm actually saving my daughter's life."
"Alas, brother, I think you're an honest person, so I'm telling you my troubles. I wouldn't tell others. Don't mind it. Tomorrow, before we get on the highway, I'll take you for breakfast. Don't ask why it's breakfast; breakfast is cheap!"
Yan Shouyi tilted his head to look at Brother Yang, feeling a surge of emotion.
In fact, Brother Yang's fate was somewhat similar to his own.
If I weren't a descendant of Lu Ban, perhaps my life's trajectory wouldn't have been much different from Brother Yang's.
All beings suffer. You and I are merely members of the vast populace.
Yan Shouyi patted Brother Yang's shoulder comfortingly and said, "Heaven will not treat you unfairly. You will be happy."
"If you're not going to eat your noodles, don't pour them away, give them to me."
"..."
"Do you smoke?"
"Give me one."
After they had eaten their fill, they squatted by the roadside, smoking.
After chatting for a while longer, Brother Yang, who had been on the road all day, started yawning.
He got up, opened the passenger door for Yan Shouyi, and took out a hammock from under the seat, tying it to the truck's fuel tank.
Yan Shouyi asked in surprise, "What are you doing now?"
"Alas, it's not safe to stop the truck at a service area. There might be fuel thieves in the middle of the night, stealing thousands of yuan worth of fuel. I have to keep watch all night!" Brother Yang said with a wry smile.
Yan Shouyi fell silent for a moment, then nodded silently. He climbed into the passenger seat, covered himself with a blanket that smelled of smoke, but did not close his eyes.
His mind was filled with countless thoughts.
Brother Yang, however, seemed relaxed. Within three minutes, Yan Shouyi heard the steady and loud snores.
These snores, like thunder, were practically a human alarm. Any fuel thief within a two-kilometer radius would probably not dare to approach, right?
Thinking of this, Yan Shouyi couldn't help but smile. He then emulated Brother Yang's carefree demeanor, closed his eyes, and began to rest.
Time flew by until the latter half of the night.
Yan Shouyi was suddenly woken up by a subtle noise.
He frowned, held his breath, and focused on sensing the situation outside the car.
His hearing was very sharp. Just by listening to the sounds, he could roughly simulate the scene outside the car in his mind.
And at this moment, Yan Shouyi clearly felt that there were three sneaky figures outside, crouching low and moving through the grass, slowly approaching the truck.
Were they fuel thieves?