Though startled for a moment, Fan Dongdong quickly regained his composure, shifting from fear to delight.
"Hello, hello! Are you here for cycling too? Which direction did you come from?"
Wen Qian had already closed the door, but as the other person's voice grew closer, Wen Qian stood by the window: "I came from Xia Province."
"Oh, it seems we came from opposite directions then, I came from Qing Province."
Fan Dongdong threw his bike by the entrance and walked over, his expression excited.
"Ah, it's been so long since I've encountered another person. I've been camping alone recently. I was quite startled when I saw the abandoned shack, never expecting to actually meet you here.
"Are you alone? How many days have you been cycling?"
"I haven't tidied myself up in a while, but it doesn't matter since no one's around," he laughed.
Wen Qian watched as the other person chattered on incessantly, not caring whether she responded or not, probably because it had been so long since he last spoke to anyone.
He was now letting out all the pent-up words he had accumulated.
Of course, Fan Dongdong realized he was talking too much, so after that he said he would go find a room to set up his tent first.
The other person appeared to be in his twenties too, but his face was blotched with dirt, his hair greasy, looking like he had been cycling for a very long time.
Fan Dongdong chose the room farthest from Wen Qian, also on the first floor, and quickly set up his tent before inquiring about Wen Qian's route.
Of course, when asking others, he would first explain the route he had taken. Fan Dongdong traveled from Shu Province through Qing Province, now in Xia Province, and still planned to go to Jiang Province.
After reaching Jiang Province, he would take a train home.
For him, the most treacherous and highest altitude portions had already been traversed.
When he asked Wen Qian, she told him she started from Xia Province, went to Qing Province, and would then return home.
Fan Dongdong sighed: "Ah, it really is the case that our future paths are opposite. I had hoped to have a companion on the road."
The quality of food and accommodation didn't matter, having no one to talk to was the hardest part, feeling like cobwebs were growing in his mouth.
Afterwards, Fan Dongdong prepared dinner, which was instant noodles cooked with mineral water.
He also asked Wen Qian what she wanted to eat. Wen Qian said she would have instant noodles too, of course eating the same as others since there was someone else present.
However, just having plain instant noodles wasn't enough, so Wen Qian added baby cabbages and sausages to hers.
Soon, the familiar aroma of instant noodle seasoning packets wafted through the air. After cooking, Fan Dongdong ate in the hallway outside the rooms, occasionally chatting with Wen Qian.
Wen Qian's door was open, and she sat by the entrance eating.
The two maintained a distance from each other.
Fan Dongdong seemed to realize that Wen Qian was quite cautious, so he didn't try to approach her. Conversing from a distance was just fine.
That night when it was time to sleep, Wen Qian placed bottles by the window sill, and a large rock she had picked up on the road behind the door.
She had just casually picked it up and stored it in her spatial storage, although she didn't know what it could be used for.
With another unfamiliar person in the abandoned house, Wen Qian felt uneasy sleeping, even though she didn't think the other person was bad.
But she was still worried about misjudging the situation.
The night passed peacefully. The next morning after a quick breakfast, Fan Dongdong bid farewell to Wen Qian and left.
Only then did Wen Qian come out, eat breakfast, and resume her dismantling work from top to bottom.
Her speed wasn't fast, but she grew more skilled. By the afternoon, all the boards had been collected, leaving only a few beams.
So Wen Qian decided to keep going and remove the steel beams as well, hoping to leave the next day.
By evening, she had finished dismantling what needed to be dismantled.
Although she had dismantled two rooms on two floors, two of the walls were actually shared.
If Wen Qian wanted to restore it, she could probably only restore it to a single two-story room.
The last thing to dismantle was the staircase, which was separately reinforced outside the temporary housing. Wen Qian planned to dismantle it the next day.
When it was time for dinner, Wen Qian ate a boxed meal in her room, which also included lotus root and ribs she had previously stewed.
Being able to eat this now was truly a blessing.
Before she had finished eating, there was movement outside - someone else had arrived.
Were there really that many people on this road? Wen Qian felt a bit dazed, thinking she had lingered here for too long and should have moved on earlier.
"Is anyone there? Hello, hello, I'm coming in, just letting you know."
It seemed a tradition to greet first upon entering, so Wen Qian responded that there was someone.
The other person's reaction was identical to Fan Dongdong's, first startled then delighted. But upon seeing Wen Qian's face, the person's expression turned to one of disbelief.
"There's really a girl traveling alone? How long have you been on the road?"
The person looked Wen Qian up and down, feeling there should be others accompanying her.
Wen Qian said she came from Xia Province.
"Oh, I see, that route is relatively easy then. Did you come from Mangge City? Then you haven't been traveling too long."
The person glanced behind Wen Qian, trying to confirm if she was alone.
This place wasn't large - whether looking through the windows or the entrance, the rooms inside were all visible.
Although he didn't believe she could travel alone, Wen Qian was indeed alone.
"You really are alone, huh."
Wen Qian said: "Aren't you alone too?"
"That's different." With that, the person chose the room next to Wen Qian's. "I'll stay here tonight. Say, you're alone here, aren't you scared? Let me stay next door and keep you company."
Wen Qian felt something was off, but this wasn't her territory, so she couldn't say much.
After putting his belongings down, the person poked his head out again to chat with Wen Qian: "Why did you come here?"
"Then why did you come here?" Wen Qian responded with the same question.
"Just wandering around."
Wen Qian: "I'm just wandering around too."
The person laughed: "Then we're quite like-minded."
Wen Qian still didn't respond, inwardly mocking, "Like-minded, my foot."
The person continued unprompted: "People who travel this route, some do it as a challenge to themselves, some want to see the beautiful landscapes. Of course, there's also a possibility that some heartbroken people come here to purify their souls."
Seeing Wen Qian's silence, the person smiled: "I'm just kidding, haha."
In daily life, Wen Qian could easily perceive from others' words and actions whether they looked down on her, because it's something that can't be hidden.
If someone is careless, blunt, or harsh, making it part of their character or persona, then they won't choose when, where, or with whom to express it - simply put, they'll act that way anytime, anywhere, with anyone.
But some people are different. They'll be tactful with their superiors, paying attention to details and using language carefully while displaying emotional intelligence. Yet with their colleagues, they won't do the same.
Some will immediately speak harshly to their family members, but be polite to strangers.
Others will speak with decorum when facing stronger individuals, but when facing weaker people, they'll either mock and ridicule, or recount the person's embarrassing moments, completely unconcerned about the person's displeasure.
This person had not even set up his tent before asking Wen Qian all sorts of questions - where she was from, how old she was - and never first offered his own information, only persistently questioning Wen Qian.
Seeing Wen Qian not responding, he muttered to himself: "Ah, I asked the wrong thing, girls are sensitive about age, I shouldn't have asked a girl her age."
From his words and facial expression, Wen Qian felt this person was less reliable than Fan Dongdong before.
This was not at all proper etiquette between strangers.
