Chapter 132: Chapter 78: Who Are You Calling Auntie?

Winter break was short to begin with, and with the New Year festival right in the middle, it seemed to pass much faster than summer vacation.

In a flash, it was just past the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month, with only a mere seven or eight days left until the New Year.

Zhao Rui and Zhao Ke had grown tired of staying at home, so they decided to return to their hometown for a few days.

Not only were their elders there, but the beautiful mountain and river scenery offered a freedom that truly surpassed the city.

Once the two brothers made up their minds, they acted immediately, booking tickets and hopping on a long-distance bus headed for their hometown.

With the popularization of private cars, many families had switched to driving themselves for daily travel, and few people took the bus anymore.

Even city buses weren’t very crowded.

However, during the New Year holiday, even on less busy routes, the bus was packed to the brim.

Most of the passengers were migrant workers and students heading home for the break.

Zhao Rui looked at the row of dark-haired heads in front of him and couldn’t help but wonder, ’I hope we don’t get hijacked again.’

Zhao Rui’s eyes narrowed. He circulated his Inner Strength to the acupoints around his ears, and instantly, a flood of countless tiny, miscellaneous sounds rushed in.

He carefully sifted through the sounds for any anomalies, partly to train his hearing and partly because he was genuinely worried some desperate fool might try to rob the bus.

The bus sped along, heading east across the wide, open plains under the warm sun.

Zhao Rui’s hometown was quite far from the city. The bus ride took over two hours, making for a time-consuming journey.

The two of them had ended up in the back, in a row of five connected seats.

Zhao Rui sat in the innermost seat by the window, while to Zhao Ke’s right were several other student-like figures.

They were probably also heading home for the holidays.

“I’m so jealous you got into Beicheng First Middle School. It’s the best high school in our city. And you’re already Level 4!”

One of the students said with a sigh, his eyes full of envy as he looked at the person beside him.

“Hah, that’s nothing. We have Level 5s in my class.”

“Really? That’s amazing.”

The students chatted without a care in the world. They were clearly Martial Arts Students, though they probably didn’t all attend the same high school.

Hearing that the people next to him were Martial Arts Students, Zhao Ke, who had been sitting pressed up against them, quickly scooted closer to Zhao Rui.

When it came to Martial Arts Students, caution was etched into his very bones.

It wasn’t that all Martial Arts Students were unreasonable, but if you ran into one who wasn’t, you were just asking for trouble.

Part of the journey home was on a county road. They had to pass through this rough, narrow stretch to reach the county seat.

This county road used to be in good condition, but it had fallen into disrepair over the years and was now full of potholes. With no local government funds, it was just left neglected.

As the bus turned onto the county road, it immediately began to lurch and sway.

It rocked back and forth so much that even someone who didn’t get carsick would start to feel dizzy.

“Why is it so backed up ahead?”

As the bus crawled along, someone in a window seat up front suddenly shouted.

As his voice faded, the driver slowed the bus down.

“Looks like there was a car accident,” someone said.

Upon hearing this, a wave of groans swept through the bus. They were so close to the station, and now there was a traffic jam.

Sure enough, the bus crept forward another few dozen meters and then couldn’t move at all.

“This damn road… I wonder how much the Court officials embezzled. They’re always talking about allocating funds for repairs, but you never see any action.”

“Exactly. I wonder what’s going on up there. I’m going to get out and see.”

Tired of waiting on the bus, a few people got off to have a smoke and check out the situation up ahead.

It wasn’t long before they returned with news.

Several vehicles had smashed together—a large truck and some smaller cars, as many as seven or eight in total. The entire road was blocked. It would be hours before anyone could get through.

Hearing this, a fresh wave of complaints erupted on the bus.

Zhao Rui and his brother were frustrated too, but there was no use in getting anxious. All they could do was wait quietly in their seats.

Fortunately, it was winter, and with the heater on, the bus was bearable.

About half an hour passed like this when a group of men and women suddenly approached from the front of the traffic jam. They went from vehicle to vehicle, especially the large buses, knocking on the doors and climbing aboard.

They would stay for a moment, then get off, now with a few young people following behind them.

“What’s that group doing?”

Someone at the front of the bus asked curiously.

“No idea. Are they looking for a doctor?”

Before anyone could guess, the group arrived at their bus, knocked, and climbed inside.

A middle-aged woman in heavy makeup at the head of the group scanned the passengers and yelled in a shrill voice, “Is anyone here who knows Martial Arts? Come out and help! Many hands make light work. If we move the cars, we can all get going!”

At her words, the passengers’ eyes lit up instantly.

That’s right! These people who practiced martial arts were all incredibly strong. If you got ten or so of them together, what car couldn’t they lift?

They were basically human cranes!

In an instant, all eyes turned to the back row, landing on the three high school students.

Most of the people on the bus had overheard their careless conversation earlier.

Who else would they look at? Some people’s gazes even swept over the Zhao brothers.

Seeing everyone looking at them, the high school students in the back row had extremely complicated expressions on their faces.

After a long, conflicted moment, they reluctantly stood up.

“Aren’t those two young men next to them martial artists, too?”

The woman in the lead frowned at Zhao Rui and his brother. The five of them all looked about the same age and were sitting together, so she assumed they knew each other.

“No, we’re not. Ma’am, we’re a little short on cash. Do you think you could sponsor us a bit? Seeing as you’re decked out in gold and silver, you’re clearly a rich person.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep