If You Don't Go To Hell, Who Will?

Chapter 24: Childhood Sweetheart

This two- week excursion was finally coming to an end. On the last day, we all got together for one final dinner.

The cook excelled himself and made a full fish feast for us. Steamed fish, stewed fish, grilled fish, fish head soup... all of these were on the table. When I looked at the delicious food on the table, I immediately forgot all my feelings of disappointment.

Miss Fourth was also a foodie. In her eagerness, she accidentally got a fishbone stuck in her throat. These fishbones were hard, and it was very difficult for her to swallow. When we were all panicking, Lu Zijian, with the aid of a flashlight, calmly reached down her throat with two fingers. In a low voice, he assured her , " Don't be nervous...!"

Li'l second came to me and whispered, " Lu Zijian is so cool.."

I was speechless.

In the next moment, Lu Zijian pulled out a fish bone with his fingers. It was approximately two centimetres in length. Everyone was shocked at his skill. I was the only one who was looking at the whole event with silent sadness... this was the nth time that Lu Zijian as a hero saved the beauty. But the beauty was once again not me.

While every one was eating, Lu Zijian carefully deboned a piece of fish and placed it in the dish of Miss Fourth

I was saddened so much that I no longer felt anything

The next day, all of us packed our stuff. The two brothers went straight to the train station while the others went to the bus terminus. Miss Fourth was taking the flight to B city. Lu Zijian chose a silly reason to accompany her to B city.

As I looked at Lu Zijian and Miss Fourth in the car and waved good bye to them, my heart hurt tremendously. Suddenly, Miss Fourth got down from the car and came running to me. I thought she was going to really miss me and wanted to hug me. But as I bent forward to hug her, she grabbed my collar and pulled me close to her. In my ear, she whispered, "You better let go the idea of Lu Zijian. Otherwise I will kill you!"

I was so shocked that cold sweat flowed down in two rivulets to her shoulder.

After Miss fourth and Lu Zijian left, Zhong Yuan and I were the only ones left for the ride to the interstate bus terminus. I scratched my head and looked at Zhong Yuan in surprise. This guy was supposed to fly to Shanghai in the evening, I thought he was going to be in the same car with Lu Zijian. But he refused to go with them and I had no idea why. Zhong Yuan was neither shy nor sensitive, so everyone knew that he would never forgo the taxi just because he would was worried about being a third wheel between the two of them.

Zhong Yuan looked at me and smiled, " Suddenly, I feel like travelling."　　

I scratched my head, " Travel? Where are you going?"

Zhong yuan said, " I am tired of going to touristy places. I want to go to the countryside and enjoy nature in all its untainted glory.'

"Oh ok, good bye".I held up my ticket and started to look around for the bus I was supposed to take. Where Zhong Yuan was going had nothing to do with me after all.

But I heard him muttering to himself , " I have no idea how much a hotel in the countryside costs. How much do you think it would be per day ?"

My ears perked up, " Where are you planning to go?"

Zhong Yuan shook his head with a blank look.

This time I said, " This year, farmhouses are the in thing. Hotels in the country are too expensive. What's your budget?"

Zhong Yuan put up two fingers.

" Twenty? " I asked, my arms over my waist, " Are you dreaming?"