There was a clothing department in the supply and marketing building. Anna took a walk around and was in her early twenties. She was reluctant to spend money on clothes for the first time in her life. She turned her head and went back to the train station. Near the entrance of the square in front of the station, there were several people in the south selling clothes, putting a woven bag at her feet, and clothes were hung on her arms and shoulders. She was enthusiastic when she saw people. So she went over and bargained, and finally bought a black coat with less than half of the supply and marketing building. She finally wrapped herself up, like a snail with a shell, and her sense of security was greatly improved.

Anna wanted to pay the uncle's money for the mutton bun, but his stall had already been collected. She had to give up. Seeing that there was a stall selling mohua left beside her. She bought a few mohuas 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, and there were buzzing sounds everywhere, which was chaotic. Anna didn't see Li Mei at first. The seat she sat in the morning was occupied by a middle-aged man. She searched everywhere, and finally found Li Mei squatting in a corner, with the suitcase Anna placing her care for, her face pale like a dead person.

Anna hurried over and handed her the braised flowers: "This is the only one. You can make do with something. Don't be dizzy again if you don't eat it. By the way, where did you want to go in the morning? Hongshijing? You wait for me to ask if there are any tickets. If you buy the ticket, you should go wherever you should go. If you squat here for three days and three nights, it's useless!" After saying that, he turned around and wanted to leave, but someone pulled him away. He turned around and saw Li Mei slowly standing up from the ground, took out a small hand-sewn cloth bag from her pocket, and a smile appeared on her lips, saying, "I don't know your name yet, but thank you. You are a good person. I think you can save the bag for me first, and I'll come back later." After that, without waiting for Anna to agree, she put the bag on her suitcase and turned around and walked forward, her steps looked a little squinting.

Anna looked at the small cloth bag she left behind, watched her back pass through the abortion and finally exit the waiting room door, feeling something was wrong. But the two met by chance, and she couldn't catch up with her and asked questions. She seemed to be doing something. She would wait for a while. Anyway, she had no place to rush to go.

The small cloth bag left by Li Mei was tied tightly, and she wrapped it around with a rope a few times. After pinching it, it seemed like a roll of paper or something inside. Anna didn't study it much, put it in the inner pocket of the jacket she just bought, and came to the window of the duty room last night to ask about the fare.

The woman was gone last night and changed into a middle-aged man wearing glasses. She was much more kind and asked questions and answered questions.

There is a direct train to S City. The hard seat ticket price is 33 yuan and 50 cents, and the sleeper berth is almost twice as expensive. The total driving distance is 56 hours, nearly two days and one night.

There is no direct way to Hongshijing that Li Mei is going to. The man in glasses said that Hongshijing is a forest farm and only has a bus station. You have to take the train to Luoping County first, and then take a bus from Luoping County to get there.

Luoping County is not very far from here. The ticket price is four yuan and two cents. The train departs in the evening and will arrive tomorrow morning.

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

Within his own ability, Anna is still happy to be able to help others.

Anna was afraid that she would not be able to find Li Mei when she walked away and waited for her to come back, so she kept waiting in the original place. While waiting, she couldn't help but think about her parents again.

Now she has the travel expenses. But next time, she really goes back to City S to find her parents in her youth?

Intuition told her that this was not suitable.

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

Maybe she could go back first and find a way to make a living near her parents' lives, and then look at the situation later?

But another problem arose. I went to S City like this and took the train tickets to spend more than 100 yuan left, and it was impossible for her to support her for a long time.

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

From time to time, notices of the train arrival station were heard from the radio. People next to them walked and came again, flowing endlessly.

Anna was dizzy and dazed until her stomach felt hungry again. She looked up at the wall clock and realized that it was already some time before Li Mei was out. She didn't know when she would be back.

At this time, something suddenly seemed to have happened outside the waiting room. Several staff members hurriedly ran to the right, looking a little nervous. Many passengers waiting for the bus followed them out when they saw this.

Anna didn't go out to watch the fun. She was still worried at this moment. But she soon learned what happened just now by the passengers who came back after watching the fun.

"... The old lady was anxious to get on a small trumpet, but couldn't push the door open. There was something inside. It took her a lot of effort to push it away. When she saw it, she was so scared that she almost pulled it out!" A man was talking with excitement, as if he was there at the time, "Guess what? A young girl leaned against the door, tied a knot with the untied shoelaces on her shoes, hung her one end on the latch, and put the other end on her neck, and hung herself to death! The police have come, and sealed the toilet and kept people in there..."

Anna's heart skipped a beat, and a trace of ominous signs flashed through her. She dragged her suitcase and hurried out and rushed to the station toilet.

The toilet has been blocked by the police. People on the inside and outside are staring at the entrance. An old lady stood at the door of the toilet and was talking about her experience just now, facing a policeman Balabara.

Anna remembered the small cloth bag that Li Mei asked her to keep for her before leaving, and hurriedly touched it out of her pocket and unbuttoned it. She was surprised to find that there was a roll of ten-dollar bills inside, and there was also a corner of the newspaper that looked like it was torn off randomly, and some words were written in a pencil on it.

Anna opened the newspaper and quickly glanced at the words on her head, and her heart immediately started to pound.

This was written by Li Mei to her. She said that she was going to Hongshijing to join her aunt who lived in her house when she was a child. The five hundred yuan was left to her by her dead mother. Because she was hiding it on her body, she was not stolen with her luggage. She didn't want to live anymore, so she gave Anna one hundred, and the remaining four hundred. Please help her transfer it to her aunt. Her aunt knew that she was taking the train to her place. Her name was Li Hong.

Ana's palms were sweating coldly, and she opened her eyes wide and looked ahead.

Several people were carrying out the person who had been looking for a short-sighted person inside on a stretcher. The man was covered with a piece of canvas and could not see his head. But his feet were exposed.

The sneaker on my feet without shoelaces is Li Mei’s.

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

...

Anna sat on the stairs where she fell for no reason last night, her hands and feet were cold.

Now she finally understood why Li Mei looked so abnormal.

Since she has 500 yuan, it is impossible for her to die because she lost her luggage. There must be other reasons.

As for why she had the idea of ​​seeking death halfway through her marriage, and why did she believe that Anna, who was indifferent to the sky, would not swallow all five hundred yuan, there is no way to know about this now.

Anna held the hot little cloth bag and sat for a long time. She gradually calmed down. She asked the station staff about the location of the police station in front of the station, looked over, and asked about the follow-up of the suicide incident in the station toilet.

The policeman who made the record just now looked at Anna: "Do you know the deceased?"

"I'm not very familiar with it... but I've spoken in the waiting room and I know that her name is Li Mei..."

The police frowned: "The station administrator recognized her and said that something was wrong with her looking at her these days. She committed suicide! The doctor came and said that it was helpless. He directly pulled the funeral home. After a few days, he would be treated as an unknown body."

Anna said carefully: "Comrade Public Security, although I don't know why she committed suicide, I met her halfway. How much does it cost to the funeral home? I will pay for it first and help her with the funeral. I heard her mention that there is an aunt. I will notify her later. Do you think this is OK?"

The police looked at her and said, "It's very righteous! OK. I'll contact the funeral home for you."

...

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

The episode of meeting Li Mei changed her itinerary.
Chapter completed!