Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1003 263. Go Home, Go Home [Part ]

The Chengdu Philharmonic Orchestra may soon be on a highway, but this is still uncertain and remains to be tested by time.

But the viaduct leading to Rongcheng Station in front of them was already full of vehicles, and they didn't move at all. No matter how angrily the drivers honked their horns, they couldn't change this fact.

"There is an accident five kilometers ahead. Vehicles are moving slowly. Please take a detour in advance."

The navigation voice prompts made Mu Xin and the driver feel a little overwhelmed at the same time.

As soon as Mu Xin got on the bus, he told the driver that he had to catch the 5:30 train. When the driver heard 5:30, he directly suggested taking Mu Xin to the nearby subway.

The driver asked Mu Xin to cancel the ride-sharing order and he would take Mu Xin to the nearest subway station and give him eight yuan.

Mu Xin saw that there was a bit of traffic on the way to the subway station. He thought it was troublesome to carry so many things on and off the train. He wondered how it was that he couldn't reach Rongcheng Station after an hour and a half. It was only 15 kilometers. How congested could it be?
So Mu Xin told the driver to drive without worry and generously said that she could just change her ticket.

They say that at worst you can just change your ticket, but how can it be so easy to change your ticket for a sleeper berth before the New Year?

Mu Xin did hold a glimmer of hope. She had experienced this kind of rush to catch a bus too many times and had been able to get on the bus smoothly every time, so she didn't think there would be any problem this time.

After finally getting in line and getting on the elevated road, we encountered an accident ahead.

Now it was too late for Mu Xin to take the subway, and he had even dragged the driver onto the overpass.

"I'm fine," the driver felt a little guilty when he heard the girl say that, after all, the steering wheel was in his hands, "The key is that you have to take the bus at 5:30."

Mu Xin: "I can change the ticket. Sorry for taking up your time."

The driver waved his hand: "Even if I don't pick you up, I have to take the elevated road."

The driver took Mu Xin's order because he was going to play cards with his friends near Rongcheng Station.

"Hurry up and check your ticket," the driver reminded again, "Given the current traffic conditions, even if we get to the train station, you won't have time to check your ticket."

"Uh-huh."

Mu Xin is already making a plan to take four trains. It’s actually not that bad, as the time is still about the same as the originally planned time to get home, except that he can’t take a sleeper berth the whole way.

Just then, a WeChat message popped up from the top of the phone screen.

Lao Tang: Where are we? Is it crowded?
Looking at the three funny exclamation marks on the screen, Mu Xin suddenly felt less depressed.

Xin: We’re still on the elevated road and it’s indeed a bit congested. Have you set off?
Lao Tang sent me a first-person photo of himself sitting on a shared yellow car waiting for the traffic light!

Then: Fortunately you left early. Tianhu Avenue was already heavily congested and it was too crowded to take a taxi. I planned to ride to the subway station, which only took me fifteen minutes.

Mu Xin had to give Lao Tang a thumbs up. Isn't this a man who endures hardships without hesitation?

Lao Tang’s bus leaves at 8:15, which is nearly four hours away. He could have easily gotten to the train station, but he insisted on riding a bike.

It must be tiring to carry such a big bag.

Xin: Ride your bike carefully, stop looking at your phone, and pay attention to safety.

Fifteen minutes passed in a flash. Mu Xin and the driver chatted about Chengdu's delicacies while swiping her ticket and praying that the huge billboard outside the window would disappear from her sight.

I have been walking for twenty minutes just to see this billboard.

At four fifty, the sky outside the window gradually darkened, and Mu Xin received a message from Lao Tang again.

It's a photo of a crowded subway car.

Xin: This is the first time I feel there are so many people in Chengdu.
Lao Tang: The New Year is the same everywhere. You are almost there, right?
Mu Xin glanced at the map, sighed, and then edited: There are still nine kilometers to go.
-
Nine kilometers?
Lao Tang's heart skipped a beat.

Then came another message: I'm afraid I'll have to reschedule.

Lao Tang quickly made a phone call.

Three minutes later, Lao Tang sighed helplessly. He really wanted to blame the driver for not listening to his advice.
But how could he say such words? It would only cause trouble for others.

After a round of comfort, Lao Tang hung up the phone and opened the train ticket APP.

It's a headache to see it all. Researching ticket changes at this critical juncture can be said to be directly entering the regional ticket grabbing mode.
-
Time passed quickly and it was seven o'clock in the afternoon. It was already dark outside Rongcheng Station.

I don’t know where the K818 heading north has been seen. In a fast food restaurant near Rongcheng Station, Mu Xin had just hung up the phone with Li Ang and the waiter had just brought a bowl of noodles that he had ordered.

It was enough for Lao Tang to know about this matter. Mu Xin really didn't want to trouble another person, so she told Li An that everything was going well.

It was indeed going smoothly. At least she now had enough power in her power bank and had hot noodle soup to eat.

After more than an hour of fruitless efforts with Lao Tang, she could only take things one step at a time on the rest of the journey home.

Now, apart from buying a 2,000 yuan plane ticket, she has no other way to guarantee that she will get home on time.

Facts have once again proved that Mu Xin was too optimistic. The route with four transfers requires a change of trains at the second stop, and fifteen minutes of transfer time is obviously not enough.

Regarding Lao Tang's suggestion to consider the air ticket issue, Mu Xin's attitude was that she would rather not go home for the New Year than let the airline earn this money.

Let’s go to Zhengzhou first. She has already grabbed a hard seat ticket to Zhengzhou departing from Rongcheng East Station at 9:30.

After finishing the noodles in the bowl, Mu Xin also drank the soup.

At exactly 7:30, she leisurely walked to the subway station.

She is going to Rongcheng East Station now.

Chatting with Lao Tang along the way, Mu Xin didn't feel that time was passing slowly. As long as he could get home, it was fine. It didn't matter whether he got home early or late.

She would have to bring some delicious food to Lao Tang when she returned from the New Year. Apart from anything else, during these two hours, Lao Tang seemed much more anxious than her, as if he himself wanted to change his flight ticket and replan his route.

As a friend, even if Mu Xin didn't care about himself, he was deeply touched by Lao Tang's action.

Lao Tang is such a good person.

Xin: Get your things ready to get in the car!
The time came to 7: and the gate of A opened again.

Lao Tang was originally in the first line at the front, but he did not enter the station with the first wave of people, and he was always worried.

Lao Tang: Where have you been?
Xin: There are two more stops. Stop looking at your phone and report that you are safe when you get on the bus!
With four more stops to go, there shouldn’t be any problem this time.

Lao Tang: Please take another look at your ticket and confirm the station time.

Lao Tang was really worried that Mu Xin would make a mistake in a hurry and book the wrong ticket or check the wrong station.

Then he received a screenshot of the ticket sent by Mu Xin. After confirming that it was correct, Lao Tang felt that he could enter the station with confidence.

But as he thought this, his feet seemed to be rooted to the ground.

Seeing that fewer and fewer people were entering the station, Lao Tang withdrew his gaze and he was the only one left around.

I don’t know why, maybe a usually calm person will do something extremely crazy once he falls into some impulsive emotion. I don’t know what Lao Tang was thinking, but he just turned around.

With only five minutes left before the ticket checking deadline, Lao Tang left the ticket gate.

According to the ticket information sent by Mu Xin, Lao Tang went directly to the B13 ticket gate on the second floor.

It’s strange to say, given Lao Tang’s personality, he would never disrupt a plan unless it was absolutely necessary.

But he had now disrupted his plans, and he was well aware of the consequences of doing so.

It wasn't just Mu Xin's sleeper ticket home that was hard to get. At this moment, every sleeper ticket was hard to get, including his.

For the same distance, sitting in a hard seat and sitting in a sleeper berth are two different concepts.

Lao Tang knew that the choice he made at this moment would directly lead to him sitting all the way back home. The strange thing was that he didn't think it was a big deal at this moment.

Just sit back and go back.

But he had to watch Mu Xin enter the ticket gate first, otherwise he really couldn't leave with peace of mind.

Lao Tang didn't think about why he did this. He was just a colleague with whom he had a good relationship, and an adult who had been abroad. Was it worth it for him to worry like this?

He even went so far as to disrupt his own plans to return home.

Lao Tang's mind was hot at the moment and he didn't want to think about anything. He just wanted to see Mu Xin walk into the ticket gate with his own eyes.

There were no seats left near the B13 ticket gate. Lao Tang turned around and suddenly saw a middle-aged couple standing up. He hurried over and took one of the seats.

As soon as he sat down, Li Ang's message came.

"Have you entered the station yet?"

Lao Tang replied: It’s in, it’s in, everything is going well, don’t worry.

Ang Lee: Fortunately you left early. I'm not going to lie to you, this is the first time I've seen such a traffic jam in Chengdu. We've been stuck on the elevated road for an hour. I shouldn't have gone out in the afternoon. It would have been much better to just stay at home after class, turn on the TV and order takeout.

Lao Tang: Hahaha, so how did you see it?
Ang Lee: I’m a little confused now. It’s over budget, by quite a bit.

Lao Tang: What car?

Ang Lee: Lexus

Lao Tang: es?

Ang Lee: Well, do you know this car?

Lao Tang: Mr. Huang has a 300. I've driven it a few times and it feels good. You know what? This car suits your temperament.

Ang Lee: Stop joking. It’s hard enough to get 200.

Lao Tang: Just get a hybrid. That’s what you’re lacking now.

Ang Lee: I am planning to look for a house after the New Year.
Lao Tang: Anyway, if you ask me for my opinion, I suggest you do it all at once, but you can see for yourself. I haven't driven the 200. The Internet says that the power is not good, but I don't know the details. Have you two test-driven it?

Ang Lee: I'm in the test drive car right now!
Puff! Lao Tang couldn't help it.

Lao Tang: No, how did you drive the test drive car onto the elevated road?

This question is both funny and helpless.

On the one hand, it is indeed Mr. Xiaomi’s personal technical skills that are insufficient.

On the one hand, the traffic jam made everyone anxious and no one gave way to anyone else. The test drive route was under the overpass, and Teacher Xiaomi was afraid of scratches, so in the end he didn't turn out and just followed the car in front onto the overpass.

Fortunately, the salesperson was good-tempered and very polite along the way. He also gave various explanations and suggestions during the traffic jam, which left a very good impression on Ang Lee.

Ang Lee: Well, I won’t say any more. You should take a rest. Let me know in the group chat.

Lao Tang: Yeah, you two should be careful.

After putting down his phone, Lao Tang felt much calmer, but then he realized another problem: what should he say if Mu Xin asked him later.

Sudden stomach upset? Missed the train?
At this time, the screen flashed the message prompt again.

Lao Tang hurriedly clicked it.

Xin: Have you gotten on the bus? Why is there no movement?

Lao Tang scratched his head and thought, what should I do?

At the elevator entrance on the second floor of the waiting hall, Mu Xin was pulling her suitcase in one hand and holding her cell phone in the other. Seeing that Lao Tang didn't reply to her message, she guessed that the other party had not yet settled down, so she didn't ask any more questions.

Looking for the B13 ticket gate, Mu Xin felt like he had been walking for a long time before he got halfway.

There was nothing he could do about his short legs, so after taking a rest, Mu Xin continued to move forward dragging the suitcase.

Just as he was about to turn, Mu Xin suddenly stopped and a strange smile appeared on his face.

She wanted to find a seat to sit, but she saw a very familiar black woolen hat at first sight.

She also complained about the cartoon character on the hat.

Then Mu Xin walked straight towards the cartoon man on the hat.

Lao Tang, holding the phone, seemed to have sensed something. He turned around and saw Mu Xin was less than three meters away from him.

"You're finally here!" Lao Tang raised his voice as if to cover up something, his eyes wandering as he stood up and made way for his buttocks, "Hurry up and sit down and rest for a while."

Lao Tang didn't dare to look directly at Mu Xin, but Mu Xin kept looking directly at Lao Tang.

Walking in front of Lao Tang, Mu Xin raised his head and said happily, "Aren't there two seats here?"

"Huh?" Old Tang looked back and adjusted his hat awkwardly, "There was someone sitting next to me just now."

Mu Xin sat down, and Lao Tang followed and sat beside him.

No one spoke for a while.

Lao Tang didn't know what to say, and Mu Xin didn't know how to talk to Lao Tang.

From the moment he saw Lao Tang’s hat, Mu Xin felt his scalp tingling.

On the short journey of less than ten meters towards Lao Tang, Mu Xin thought a lot, more than she had thought after she parted with Lao Tang last night and listened to his explanation.

Last night Lao Tang’s explanation was: Haitao and the others were just making trouble, don’t take it seriously.

If another man had explained it to her like that under the circumstances, Mu Xin could only smile and tell the other person: Big brother, just don't think too much about it.

But the person who explained was Lao Tang.

Mu Xin already knew Lao Tang's character very well. Lao Tang was a good man who always cared about others.

In the process of getting along with Lao Tang, Mu Xin would sometimes be angry with Lao Tang, especially when he learned the reason why Lao Tang came to Chengdu.

How could you let yourself down like this! ! At that time, Mu Xin wanted to help Lao Tang get his December salary back.

But after going through many things, Mu Xin understood that there needs to be a sense of boundaries when people get along with each other, no matter what the relationship is.

So after repeated thinking, she concluded that Lao Tang's final explanation to her yesterday was: Lao Tang simply didn't want to cause any misunderstandings between them because of a few jokes between friends.

There is another reason why she finally thought this way, because in her opinion, Lao Tang is a person with the same attributes as her, maintaining the boundaries between people.

No matter how approachable Lao Tang was in his words and actions, no matter how considerate he was of others, even if he was willing to sacrifice his own personal interests, Mu Xin could still feel that layer of film that seemed to be growing on Lao Tang's body and insulating him from the outside world.

But now Lao Tang took the initiative to break his own sense of boundaries and appeared here.

why?
Mu Xin had to overturn her conclusion from last night.

Now she had to rethink.

But what else is there to think about?
She had already been in a mess all night, had a day of classes, and was stuck in traffic for an entire afternoon. At this moment, she didn't want to go over every frame of the two of them from the time they met until now in her mind again.

"why?"

Mu Xin is indeed lazy about some things and doesn't like to beat around the bush.