My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times-Chapter 69 - 68: Ah, Youth

At the bus stop.

"What exactly is a bus?" Yan Jiangxue asked with great excitement. "I’ve never ridden one in my entire life!"

"Me neither," Lu Xuan said with a gentle smile. "It used to be too expensive for me... And now, I figure we can’t always be bothering Uncle Ao. Besides, the sun’s really strong today. I looked up the routes, and this one goes straight to the Lower City District."

Xiaoyan took a bite of a warm, roasted sweet potato and said with a laugh,

"It doesn’t really matter, you know. To be honest, with our Physiques, we’re already immune to heat and cold..."

"So, you want to walk?"

"No way! I want to try it!"

Before long, an exquisite public hover-car pulled up to the platform. The gust of air it created lifted the hem of the girl’s skirt, revealing a pair of fair, straight calves.

This was the most expensive route. A regular bus cost only two dollars, while the hover-car was thirty—fifteen times the price.

For the Little Lu Xuan of the past, this was an astronomical price. Now, however, it was nothing at all.

The boy and girl boarded the vehicle cautiously. After paying with their phones, they found a pair of empty seats and sat down side by side.

"Xiaolu, Xiaolu, I sent you the files you wanted! Don’t forget to look at them later!" Yan Jiangxue said, swinging her feet as she curiously looked all around.

"Oh, right, Xiaolu. After we visit the shantytown, are we going straight to Taishan?"

"Either is fine, but I think we should wait for summer vacation in July... Or we could wait until after Ji Boduan’s birthday. Otherwise, it would be too rushed."

"Do we really have to go to that birthday party...?" Xiaoyan pouted. "He’s always calling you ’kiddo,’ and you don’t even get mad."

Lu Xuan chuckled.

"I did promise him, so I have to go... Ji Boduan isn’t a bad person at heart. He just likes to be the center of attention. That’s just how young guys are."

"What about you?" Yan Jiangxue asked, blinking her large eyes. Sunlight streamed through the window, falling across her. The nape of her neck, peeking out from under her hair, was fair with a rosy tint.

Lu Xuan considered this seriously for a moment before replying,

"I suppose I like it too. It’s just that back then, I was too weak. Hiding and keeping a low profile was the best way to protect myself."

"What about now?"

"Things are different now. The incident in the shantytown taught me that once you’re strong enough, you have to show your teeth a little. It’s the best way to minimize trouble and make people who are looking for a fight think twice."

As he spoke, Lu Xuan’s face turned a faint shade of red.

The girl was listening to him intently, leaning very close. A faint, pleasant scent kept wafting into his nostrils. It smelled so good... so good that his heart skipped a beat, and then another.

Yan Jiangxue noticed this and broke into a dazzling smile, her eyes crinkling into crescents.

"Why are you blushing?"

"You smell good," Lu Xuan answered honestly.

"Oh really? What do I smell like?" Yan Jiangxue’s smile grew even wider, her shimmering eyes sparkling with life.

"A bit like peaches, but fainter. Nicer, actually."

Lu Xuan leaned in a bit clumsily to take a sniff. This time, it was Xiaoyan’s turn to blush crimson.

"Hey, you’re so shameless!" Xiaoyan exclaimed, both embarrassed and annoyed.

Lu Xuan just laughed like a goofball, scratching his head.

"Xiaoyan, you don’t seem as socially anxious as you used to be!"

"Your shamelessness must be rubbing off on me!"

Inside the car, many of the tired, middle-aged passengers glanced over at the young pair. Their cheerful energy seemed infectious, and some of the numb expressions on the adults’ faces began to soften.

"Ah, to be young..." one of the men sighed wistfully.

It was a hover-car, after all, so it was incredibly fast. Before long, they arrived in the Lower City District.

After they got off, they found the platform wasn’t far from the shantytown. They could see it in the distance after just a short walk.

"There it is, just ahead," Lu Xuan said with a soft smile. "See? Pretty run-down, isn’t it?"

Yan Jiangxue gazed into the distance. The Entrance to the shantytown was remarkably narrow. As for the road, forget the alloy bricks of the Upper City District—it was worse than the concrete pavement of the Lower City District. It was just a plain dirt path.

Just as they reached the Entrance, they bumped into Butcher Zheng, who was pushing a handcart and getting ready to set up his stall, a wide smile on his face.

"Uncle Zheng!" Lu Xuan called out, waving his hand.

Butcher Zheng stopped in his tracks, his smile growing even wider.

"Well if it isn’t Lu the Kid... And who is this?"

His eyes fell on Yan Jiangxue, and he was visibly stunned for a moment. ’What a pretty girl!’

’Could it be...?’

Butcher Zheng’s gaze flickered back and forth between the young man and woman, his smile turning mischievous.

"This is my friend, Yan Jiangxue. The best kind of friend!"

Yan Jiangxue greeted him quietly,

"Un... Uncle Zheng."

She was still just as shy around strangers.

"Ah, Xi-Xiaoyan! Hello, hello!" Butcher Zheng hurried to greet her, a little flustered.

As he spoke, he shot another mischievous glance at Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan was rendered a little speechless and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, Uncle Zheng, has something good happened recently? You seemed so happy just now..."

"Hah!" Butcher Zheng’s spirits lifted. "You weren’t around, so of course you wouldn’t know. People from Longque Technology came by and announced that they’re going to redevelop our shantytown, for the city’s appearance or something like that!"

He grew visibly excited.

"They’re going to rebuild all the wooden shacks into proper houses! I heard they’re also going to expand the area, pave the roads, and even build a public square!"

"That’s amazing," Lu Xuan said, a little surprised. "Did Longque Technology say anything about the cemetery?"

"Nope. Didn’t the cemetery go to Sakata Heavy Industries? It seems like Longque Technology is just doing a good deed... Old Chen and the others were guessing it might be thanks to Xiaosang."

Lu Xuan thought for a moment but didn’t dwell on it. He just smiled and waved.

"Alright then, Uncle Zheng, I won’t keep you from setting up your stall. I’m going to show Jiang Xue around."

"You got it!" Butcher Zheng replied, pushing his cart away with a hearty laugh.

After watching Butcher Zheng leave, Lu Xuan turned his head and said with a gentle smile,

"It was you, wasn’t it, Xiaoyan?"

"What are you talking about?" Yan Jiangxue played dumb.

"Oh, you..." Lu Xuan chuckled happily. "In any case, on behalf of all our neighbors in the shantytown, thank you."

A couple of days ago, Lu Xuan had seen Uncle Yan on the news. The words "Chairman of Longque Technology" were displayed in huge letters next to him, so he naturally figured out the real reason for the shantytown’s redevelopment.

Yan Jiangxue lowered her head in embarrassment.

"It was nothing, really. I just heard you say how hard life was in the shantytown, so I mentioned it in passing to my uncle..."

As they spoke, the two walked into the shantytown. The dirt ground still smelled as sour and foul as ever, but the girl showed no sign of disgust. Instead, she looked all around, her face filled with curiosity.

"Xiaolu, Xiaolu, is this really where you grew up?"

"Yes. I came here seven years ago. I was only nine back then..."

"Nine years old... you must have been adorable when you were little."

"I doubt it," Lu Xuan said, shaking his head. A flicker of memory crossed his face. "And just like that, seven years have gone by."

’So many things came to mind. The great disaster seven years ago, fleeing for his life, killing for the first time just to survive...’

’Then Grandpa Chu taking me in, the dreamscape opening up, meeting Teacher and Senior Brother Zhang...’

’It all started seven years ago.’

"Seven years... just like that," he sighed again.

Xiaoyan watched him quietly, her large eyes filled with a mixture of affection, joy, and nostalgia. She whispered,

"Yeah. In the blink of an eye, so many Years go by."

"Seven years isn’t that long, is it?"

"It’s a very, very long time!"

The two strolled through the shantytown. Lu Xuan greeted neighbor after neighbor, proudly and happily introducing the girl by his side. Each of them would exclaim in surprise,

"What a pretty girl!"

They went to Old Chen’s stall for sugar-roasted chestnuts and to Old Li’s for roasted sweet potatoes. They went to see the high walls erected by Sakata Heavy Industries, and then to the brand-new cemetery to pay their respects at Old Chu’s cenotaph.

Yan Jiangxue paid her respects alongside Lu Xuan, placing down the chestnuts, sweet potatoes, a bright red apple, and a freshly picked little peach.

"Chu Tai..." Yan Jiangxue murmured, gazing at the tombstone, her voice nearly inaudible.

"That name sounds so familiar."