Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Exceptionally Talkative Driver

Back at Taishan Airport, Jiang Ming had told Feng Yisheng that he could call on him for help with anything. Once the call connected, Feng Yisheng handed the phone directly to a police officer. He had no idea what Jiang Ming said on the other end, but the policeman who took the call hurried out of the office, glancing back at Feng Yisheng with a look of half-belief, half-doubt. Before long, another officer arrived—a rather corpulent man, more accurately described as obese than simply large.

Judging by the way the previous officer deferred to this man, it was clear the newcomer was of higher rank. Sure enough, when Feng Yisheng overheard the two addressing each other, he realized the portly officer was the chief of the airport police station. After the chief finished his call, his attitude toward Feng Yisheng changed completely. Originally, procedure required everyone to wait in line to give a statement, but now Feng Yisheng was allowed to simply sign his name, with the promise that his statement would be filled in later based on the others’ accounts.

…

As he was leaving the station, Feng Yisheng bid Li Ran farewell and walked out empty-handed. At the airport exit, he could feel Fan Jian’s venomous glare burning into his back. Naturally, Feng Yisheng paid it no mind, but if Fan Jian was foolish enough to seek trouble, he would have only himself to blame for what happened next.

Out at the curb, Feng Yisheng hailed a taxi. He’d thought about using a ride-hailing app, but without his phone, that was impossible. In the end, all the convenience in the world meant nothing without a phone, much like a skilled cook without any rice to make a meal.

…

The drive from the airport to Feng Yisheng’s home would take over an hour. He’d always heard that taxi drivers were masters of small talk, and now he found it to be true. As soon as he got in, the driver began peppering him with questions. “Coming back from a trip, young man?”

The driver wasn’t entirely sure, seeing that Feng Yisheng carried nothing with him and looked like a teenager of seventeen or eighteen.

“Yes, sir,” Feng Yisheng replied, unwilling to explain that he’d somehow ended up touring Taishan for no particular reason.

“Good for you! Not many your age would travel alone. You’re braver than my eldest,” the driver commented.

“How old is your eldest?” Feng Yisheng asked politely.

“My oldest? He’s twelve—he’ll be starting middle school this fall.”

Was that even a fair comparison? Feng Yisheng was speechless.

When Feng Yisheng didn’t respond, the driver kept going, “You live in Azure Gardens, don’t you? That’s an expensive area.”

Azure Gardens was indeed the name of Feng Yisheng’s neighborhood. He nodded, “Yes, that’s right.”

“Property prices there are sky-high! I’ve heard from a few friends that buying an apartment costs at least three million. Even if I drove a taxi for thirty years without spending a cent, I still couldn’t afford one,” the driver said with a sigh. “Housing prices in our country are just outrageous these days. The wealthy buy several homes at once, while folks like us would be crushed even trying to buy half an apartment.”

Feng Yisheng had no idea how to respond to the driver’s lament, so he simply agreed, “You’re right, sir.”

“Say, did you hear about the fire at Meiling in the western suburbs of the new economic zone a week or so ago?” the driver changed the subject, bringing up recent news in Changnan City.

A week ago? That might have been the night before he ended up at Taishan. “Was it nine days ago?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think so. You know about it too?”

Feng Yisheng smiled, “I’ve been away for half a month, so I only heard about it from a friend on WeChat. Could you tell me what happened?”

“It’s nothing special. I don’t know the details, but a lot of people are talking about it. I heard from a friend that there were clear signs of fire, and then a rainstorm put it out. The burned area was almost a fifth of Meiling. Another friend said the heart of the fire destroyed a wide garden, and it didn’t look like the work of machines—it looked like it had been blown up. The story even made the provincial news, but they never said what caused it.”

Feng Yisheng’s expression grew odd. Could this be related to the dream he’d had that spring night? But on reflection, there seemed to be no direct connection.

The driver continued, “The world feels less safe these days, but I, Old Hu, have still enjoyed a peaceful life for fifty years.”

He sighed, “Even if I were to go now, I’d say I’ve lived long enough. It’s your generation I worry about—best not to go out late at night, lest you run into something strange.”

“What do you mean by that?” Feng Yisheng asked.

“Let me tell you,” the driver began, “Once, I was taking passengers home around midnight. After dropping them off at the gate and parking to smoke a cigarette, I looked up and saw they’d vanished into thin air. Gave me quite a fright. When I told my wife, she said I was just exhausted and seeing things. I almost believed her, but later, drinking with friends, I heard others had seen similar things. That made me think it wasn’t so simple after all.”

“Thank you, sir, I’ll keep that in mind.” Feng Yisheng thought to himself that the people the driver had seen were likely cultivators passing between the mortal world and the realm of cultivation, but if they crossed so freely, weren’t they afraid of breaking the laws of that world?

“You’re a bold one, traveling alone at your age. But that’s just how your generation is,” the driver went on. “Back in my day, kids of fourteen or fifteen would leave home to work.”

…

An hour later.

“Ah, home at last!” Feng Yisheng exclaimed as he stood at the entrance to Azure Gardens.

The taxi driver had chatted all the way, covering everything from housing prices to national affairs and the strange things he’d experienced, treating Feng Yisheng like an old friend. But now, standing before his building, Feng Yisheng had only one thought: to go home. He walked past several buildings to his own entrance, climbed to the fourth floor, and stopped at his door. He had no key, but with his fingerprint, he could still unlock it.