There is a clothing department in the supply and marketing building, and Anna walked around, and she was in her early twenties, and for the first time in her life, she was reluctant to spend money on clothes. I turned around and went back to the train station, and near the entrance to the square in front of the station, I saw several people with accents that sounded like southerners selling clothes, with a woven bag at their feet and clothes hanging on their arms and shoulders. So in the past, after some bargaining, I finally bought a black coat that looked good at less than half the price of the supply and marketing building, and finally wrapped myself up, like a snail with a shell, and my sense of security was greatly improved.

Anna wants to pay back the mutton bun uncle. But his stall has been closed. I had to give up. I saw that there was still a stall selling twist flowers on the side. I went over and bought a few twist flowers and hurried back to the waiting room.

There were already a lot of people in the waiting room, with all kinds of accents mixed together, buzzing and commotion everywhere. Anna didn't see Li Mei at first. In the morning, her seat had been occupied by a middle-aged man. After looking around, she finally found Li Mei squatting in a corner, with the suitcase that Anna had asked her to take care of, and her face was as pale as a dead person.

Anna hurried over and handed her the twist flower she bought: "That's all there is to it." You make do with it. If you don't eat again, don't get dizzy again. By the way, where did you say you were going in the morning? Red Stone Well? You wait for me to ask if I have a ticket. Where should you go after buying a ticket, it's useless to squat here for another three days and three nights!" After speaking, he turned around to leave, but his trousers were pulled by someone, and when he turned around, he saw Li Mei slowly standing up from the ground, taking out a small hand-sewn cloth bag from her coat pocket, and a smile appeared on her lips, and said, "I don't know your name yet, but thank you." You're a good guy. I want you to keep this bag for me first, and I'll be back later. After saying that, without waiting for Anna to agree, she put the cloth bag on her suitcase, turned around and walked forward, her steps looking a little vain.

Anna looked at the small cloth bag she had left behind, and watched her back through the crowd and finally out the door of the waiting room, feeling that something was wrong. It's just that the two met in Pingshui, and it was not easy for her to catch up and ask questions like this. Listening to her tone, it seemed like she was going somewhere to do something. Just wait a minute. She didn't have a place to rush there anyway.

The small cloth bag left by Li Mei was tied very tightly, and a rope was wrapped around the outside a few times. I pinched it, and it seemed to be a roll of paper or something. Anna didn't do much research, put it in the inner pocket of the coat she had just bought, and went to the window of the duty room last night to ask for the fare.

The woman last night was gone, and she was replaced by a middle-aged man with glasses. The attitude is much kinder, and all questions are answered.

There is a direct train to S city, and the ticket price for a hard seat is 33 yuan and 5 jiao, and the sleeper is almost twice as expensive. The journey lasted a total of 56 hours, nearly two days and one night.

There is no direct access to the red stone well where Li Mei is going. The man with glasses said that Hongshijing is a forest farm, and there is only a bus station. You have to take a train to Luoping County first, and then take a car from Luoping County to get there.

Luoping County is not very far from here. The ticket price is four dollars and two cents. Departs in the evening and arrives early tomorrow.

After Anna thanked her, she decided to go with her to buy tickets when Li Mei returned.

Within her own ability, Anna is still willing to help others.

Anna was afraid that she would go far and wait for Li Mei to come back and not find it, so she waited in the same place. While waiting, I couldn't help but think about my parents again.

Now she has the money to pay for the journey. But then, really go back to S City to find your parents when you were young?

Intuition told her that it didn't fit.

But now, S City seems to be the only place she can go.

Maybe she can go back first and find a way to settle near her parents' lives, and see how things go later?

But here comes another problem. went to S City like this, and after removing the money for the train ticket, there were more than 100 yuan left, and it was impossible to support her for a long time.

As a black household, how did she cope with the difficulties of checking her household registration and finding a job in this society thirty years ago in order to maintain a minimum livelihood?

From time to time, there is a notice of the arrival of the train on the radio. The people on the side, after a while, came again, and the river flowed endlessly.

Anna was dizzy and dizzy, and she was in a daze until she felt hungry again, looked up at the wall clock, and realized that Li Mei had been out for some time. I don't know when she'll be back.

At this time, something suddenly seemed to be happening outside the waiting room, and several staff members hurriedly ran to the right-hand side, looking a little nervous. Seeing this, many passengers who were waiting for the bus also followed.

Anna didn't go out with her. She was still worried about herself. But thanks to the heated discussions of the passengers who came back after watching the excitement, she soon learned what had just happened outside.

“…… The old lady was in a hurry to get on the trumpet, and she couldn't open the pit door, there was something blocking it, so it took a lot of effort to push it open. At first glance, good fellow, I was so scared that I almost didn't pull it out!" A man said with a dancing expression of excitement, as if he was also there at the time, "Guess what? A young girl just leaned against the door, tied a knot with the laces off her shoes, hung one end on the latch, and put the other end in her neck, and just hanged herself! The police came, sealed the toilet and prevented people from entering the ......."

Anna chuckled in her heart, a hint of foreboding. Dragged the suitcase around and hurried out and rushed to the station toilet.

The toilet has been sealed by the police. Outside, there were people on the inner and outer three floors, and their eyes were fixed on the entrance. An old lady stood at the door of the toilet and was talking about what she had just experienced in front of a police officer.

Anna remembered the small cloth bag that Li Mei had kept for her before leaving, and hurriedly took it out of her pocket, untied it, and was surprised to find that it was actually a roll of rolled ten-dollar bills, and a corner of newspaper that looked like it had been torn out at random, on which some words were written in pencil.

Anna unfolded the newspaper and quickly glanced at the words on it, and her heart immediately pounded.

This is what Li Mei wrote to her. said that he was going to go to Hongshijing to join his aunt who lived in her house when he was a child. The 500 yuan was left to her by her dead mother. Because I hid it on my body, I didn't steal it with my luggage. She didn't want to live anymore, so she gave Anna a hundred, and the remaining four hundred, and troubled her to help transfer it to her aunt. Her aunt knew that she was going to her by train. His name is Li Hong.

Cold sweat broke out in Anna's palms, and she stared ahead with wide eyes.

Several people were carrying out on stretchers the man who had been looking for a short time. The person was covered with a canvas and could not see the head. But the feet are exposed.

The sneaker with the missing laces on her foot is Li Mei's.

After the police finished questioning the old lady, they said a few more words to the people at the station and left. The people watching the excitement gradually dispersed.

……

Anna sat on the edge of the steps where she had fallen inexplicably last night, her hands and feet cold.

Now she finally understands why Li Mei looks so abnormal.

Since she has 500 yuan by her side, which is not a small amount of money, it must be impossible to seek death because she lost her luggage. There must be something else.

As for why she had the idea of seeking death halfway through her marriage, and why she believed so much that Anna, who was in the middle of the water, would not swallow all five hundred yuan, there is no way to know these now.

Anna pinched the hot little cloth bag, sat for a long time, gradually settled down, asked the station staff about the location of the police station in front of the station, looked for it, and asked about the follow-up of the suicide in the station toilet.

The police officer who was making the record just now looked at Anna: "Do you know the deceased?"

"Not very familiar...... But I spoke in the waiting room and knew that her name was Li Mei......"

The police frowned: "The station administrator recognizes her." said that she didn't look right these days. The doctor came and said there was no way to save it. Pull directly to the funeral home. After a few days, if it is not claimed, it will be disposed of as a nameless corpse. ”

Anna said cautiously: "Comrade Public Security, although I don't know why she committed suicide, but I met her halfway, how much does the funeral home cost, I will pay for it first, and help her handle the aftermath." I've heard her mention that she has an aunt. I'll go tell her aunt later. Do you think that's okay?"

The police looked at her, "It's righteous!" I'll help you contact the funeral home. ”

……

Three days later, Anna bought a train ticket and boarded the green train to Luoping County. Arrived the next afternoon, went directly to the bus station, and got on the bus to Hongshijing.

This episode of meeting Li Mei changed her itinerary.

She decided to go to Aunt Li Mei first and bring her the five hundred yuan and the news of her death that Li Mei gave her. When you're done, go back to S City and find a way to settle down here.