Qin Yue set off early the next morning. He didn't inform anyone nor did he bring a lot of things.
He only packed a few change of clothes and all his life's savings.
When he got to the train station, he bought a ticket for a train that would arrive in fifteen minutes.
He sat down on the hard bench. Looking at the post office right on the other side of the platform, he suddenly felt impulsive.
Qin Yue packed his bags and went over asking if he had any mail. The clerk looked him up and down before asking for his name.
He gave it and after checking, his eyebrow shot up in surprise.
"You received a package last night, wait here and I'll get back to you."
Qin Yue was stunned. Luckily the man didn't need him to say anything and had already left.
He didn't think he would actually receive anything. This was the first time he was getting something through the mail.
A few minutes later, the clerk returned, holding a slim envelope.
The envelope was slim with his name written on it in black ink. He received it from the clerk and crossed back to the train station.
His hands were itching to open the package but his train arrived with a loud hoot and he had no choice but to put it together with the rest of his luggage.
He would check it later.
After fighting intensely against the crowd who were pushing and pulling each other, he finally boarded.
He found his seat and lowered himself onto the hard bench. This was one of the older green trains and it's comfort was greatly lacking.
But this was the best he allowed himself and could only do with it. Now settled down, he opened the envelope with some trepidation.
When he saw the plain paper, his heart skipped a beat. He pulled it out slowly and his hands trembled slightly when he saw the bold heading;
Admission Notice.
Qin Yue didn't dare to believe but the truth was right in front of him. His eyes teared up as he carefully put the letter back into the envelope and secured it in his bag.
He had applied three times before and was rejected every time. He thought he had stopped yearning but it seems like he always held onto a shard of hope deep down in his heart.
He exhaled, letting out a shakey breath as a smile formed on his lips. It wasn't the cold one he gave to the village chiefs wife but a pure smile straight from his heart.
Qin Yue had never known what it meant to feel happy. But today he suddenly understood. So this was what happiness was like.
With renewed hope, he thought to himself that maybe things would finally change for the better.
After hours of travel and several different stops, Qin Yue finally made it to City B. He looked at the people walking hastily.
The air in the city felt different. The suffocating feeling he always had back in the village was gone.
His eyes lit up as he walked into a mall. He scanned the items, going to the electronics section and buying himself a phone.
He held onto it tightly. Back in the village, everyone used the village chief's telephone to make calls and they wouldn't deliberately buy a persona phone just to save money.
He didn't have any need for a phone previously but now that he was in the city, he would surely have to buy one.
On his way out, he bumped into a man who looked to be his age and the things in his land almost slipped down but fortunately he caught them in time.
"Sorry."
The other man looked at him in distaste.
"Even a begger can casually walk into the mall now?"
Qin Yue paused, his guilt at hitting the other party dissipating completely.
"Please mind your words."
The man raised an eyebrow, then scoffed.
"Oh, our little begger here has quite a lot of pride."
Qin Yue was about to speak when a beautiful woman in a red dress walked over in steady steps.
When the boy saw her, all his arrogance vanished.
"Mother"
The woman didn't even spare him a glance and nodded at Qin Yue.
"I'm sorry about my son. I failed to educate him properly leading to this."
Qin Yue didn't expect an apology and seeing that she meant it, he was at a loss for words.
"It's okay."
The people who had gathered to watch muttered to themselves.
"I thought it was the parents teaching that made him like this but it seems like it's all his fault."
"Sometimes, parents really have no control over their children's actions."
"Aiya this lady looks so well bred and gentle. Too bad her son is like this."
Qin Yue glanced at the boy from the corner of his eyes and noticed that his face was flushed red.
He didn't want any trouble so he said thank you to the lady and turned to leave.
She asked him what he wanted as compensation for her son's unreasonable actions but Qin Yue shook his head.
However she insisted and he left the mall with a gift card and a VIP discord card that didn't have an expiration date.
He had a feeling it was something she had them pint out specifically for him and had no choice but to receive them.
After leaving, he registered a sim card and took everything together with him to a cheap hotel.
He paid for two nights and once he got to his room, he took a through bath, getting rid of all the dust, sweat and grime from the journey.
Qin Yue dried off hastily and sat on the bed. He opened the phone box and turned it on, unknowingly showing the eagerness of a child.
After the phone booting was complete, he looked over it once more. Not only was he in the city but he also had a phone.
And as for what happened in the mall today, it was quite strange. The whole journey was strange.
He didn't think anyone would intercede for him much less take his side. Unexpectedly, everyone say that he was the innocent one.
He was worried about encountering robbers or loosing his items but everything happened so smoothly it was suspicious.
He had been living in the edge for so long that a normal life was foreign to him. He didn't know how long this would last but he would enjoy it while it did.