Last Bus of Route 13

I was staring at the little wooden figure carved from a root, lost in thought, when suddenly a voice came from behind:

“Grandpa, we have a visitor.”

Turning around, I saw a young woman in her twenties wearing overalls. Although her looks were ordinary, she gave off a very clean and refreshing vibe. For some reason, upon seeing Bun Hairstyle, she rolled her eyes at him impatiently.

“Xiao Zou, go to the back room and bring out the goods we finished carving last night.”

“Okay,” the girl named Xiao Zou replied, turning to go inside and fetch the goods for Bun Hairstyle.

Seeing that I had been staring at the wooden figures in front of me, Bun Hairstyle asked:

“I noticed you’ve been looking at those wood carvings for a while. Interested?”

Before I could respond, Master Zou looked up and said with a smile:

“Unfortunately, if it were anything else, I could give you one as a souvenir, but those wooden figures can’t be given away.”

I nodded and replied with a smile:

“Master Zou, these wooden figures are carved so well, they look just like real people. Did you imagine their faces while carving?”

Master Zou switched to a different carving knife and shook his head, saying:

“Root carving and wood carving are different. Root carving requires imagining the shape based on the natural form of the wood root, while wood carving can be done freely. Those little figures are wood carvings, not imagined; they have references.”

“References, like a painter drawing a model? Did you carve them based on real people?”

“Yes, but I don’t need the model to be present all the time. I just need one glance.”

After Old Master Zou finished speaking, I picked up the little wooden figure in curiosity. Although it didn’t have eyes, its features and expression were strikingly similar to Bai Fan!

I was about to ask Master Zou if he had seen Bai Fan when Xiao Zou came out from the back room carrying a large box, which she dropped on the ground with a loud thud.

This startled Bun Hairstyle, who quickly went over to check the contents, saying:

“Do you have a grudge against me? Every time you come to pick up goods, you drop them.”

Xiao Zou seemed familiar with Bun Hairstyle, playfully patting his bald head and saying:

“Baldy, I dropped it lightly. Last time you said you’d give me an iPhone for my birthday, but a month has passed since my birthday, and I haven’t seen a phone or even an apple!”

Bun Hairstyle lowered his head in embarrassment and said:

“Last time I came to pick up goods, I drank too much and forgot. Qiang-Ge wouldn’t short you an apple. Next time, I’ll make sure to deliver!”

I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard Xiao Zou call him Baldy. Bun Hairstyle was fine when sober, but once he drank, he bragged so much he forgot who he was!

While they were arguing, Master Zou put down the wood carving he was working on and said:

“Finished.”

Taking advantage of this, Bun Hairstyle quickly called me over to lift the box and rushed outside.

Xiao Zou chased us out the door, cursing him a couple more times, while Bun Hairstyle laughed heartily, stepped on the gas, and drove away.

On the way to deliver goods to Sister-in-law’s woodcarving shop, Bun Hairstyle whistled like a rogue, seemingly in a good mood.

I asked:

“I noticed that the box of animal wood carvings we just picked up also doesn’t have eyes. Are they sold like this in the shop?”

Bun Hairstyle shook his head while holding the steering wheel.

“Master Zou never carves eyes on living creatures. After bringing the goods back, we have to find a master to carve the eyes.”

“Isn’t it a hassle to hire someone for the second step? Can you still make a profit?”

“Can we make money? Guess how much we sell each of these wooden figures for after carving the eyes.”

I leaned back, thought for a moment, and said:

“I don’t know much about art, but I know these things aren’t cheap. I guess… 500 each?”

As soon as I finished speaking, Bun Hairstyle laughed disdainfully and said:

“Cost price is 500, selling price is over 5000 each.”

I was stunned:

“Ten times the price? How can such a small wooden figure be sold for so much?”

“That’s not even the selling price. Old Master Zou only provides us with one box of goods a month, no more.”

As we chatted, the car entered the commercial district and stopped in front of a luxuriously decorated woodcarving shop. Just as we moved the box inside, Bun Hairstyle’s mobile phone rang.

He saw the caller ID, frowned, and handed the phone to me, saying:

“It’s from Old Master Zou’s place. I bet it’s that little girl. You answer it and ask what she wants.”

I took the phone and answered it, and sure enough, as Bun Hairstyle predicted, Xiao Zou’s urgent voice came through:

“Baldy, something’s wrong. I packed the wrong goods. You need to bring them back quickly.”

I was taken aback and said:

“I’m a friend of Baldy. Packed the wrong goods?”

Xiao Zou hurriedly replied:

“Yes, the wrong goods.”

Then she lowered her voice and said softly:

“I packed a human carving by mistake. Please, can you help me bring it back? If Grandpa finds out, he’ll kill me.”

Packed a human carving by mistake. Not wanting to make things difficult for her, I said:

“No problem, I’ll bring it back for you. Can you tell me what’s different about the one packed wrong compared to the others?”

“The one I packed wrong has eyes carved on it. It’s easy to recognize. Please bring it back before tonight.”

A wood carving with eyes!

Isn’t Old Master Zou known for not carving eyes on any wood carvings?

Hearing Xiao Zou’s urgency, I agreed to help her find the wood carving and return it.

After hanging up, Bun Hairstyle worriedly asked if it was about Xiao Zou asking for a mobile phone. After I told him the content of the call, he was relieved.

I was rummaging through the box looking for the wood carving with eyes when Bun Hairstyle suddenly had a bright idea and patted me, saying:

“Hey, buddy, stop looking.”

“Why not look? Xiao Zou is scared and urgently needs it.”

Bun Hairstyle smirked and said:

“Scared of what? Didn’t you hear the little girl call Old Master Zou ‘Grandpa’? They’re family, no problem.”

I continued searching and replied:

“Still, I promised her. I’ll take it back and exchange it for the one without eyes.”

Hearing this, Bun Hairstyle grabbed my arm and said in a low voice:

“Why return it? We’ve been working with Old Master Zou for so long, and I’ve never seen him carve eyes on a wood carving. Although we have masters to add eyes, those who know the trade say the spirit isn’t quite right. A wood carving with eyes personally carved by Old Master Zou could sell for fifty to eighty thousand.”

“You said that once the wood carving has eyes, it will come alive, right? Aren’t you afraid?”

Bun Hairstyle sneered and said,

“Yeah, and I might as well say I’m the top boss in the city, would you believe that? It’s just a damn piece of wood, you think it can turn into a demon?”

Although I intended to return the wrongly carved wooden figure, after all, it was Bun Hairstyle’s goods. Since he wouldn’t let me touch it, I really had no way.

So, I stayed in his shop for another half an hour. Then, Xiao Zou called again.

Bun Hairstyle laughed and handed me the phone, saying,

“You answer it. Just tell her I’m not here, and you couldn’t find the goods.”

“Okay,” I replied. Seeing me agree, Bun Hairstyle went to the back of the shop to get busy.

I answered the call, but before I could speak, Xiao Zou burst into tears on the other end.

“Has it been delivered?”

I said slowly,

“It’s still me. Zhang Qiang isn’t in the shop. I couldn’t find that batch of goods, I don’t know where he put it. Sorry about that.”

Although I usually lie without a problem, for some reason, telling a lie right now made me feel extremely uncomfortable.

Hearing this, Xiao Zou cried even harder on the phone. I didn’t know how to comfort her, so I just quietly listened to her sobbing.

After a while, Xiao Zou calmed herself a bit and hoarsely said,

“Can I ask you a favor?”

“Mm, what is it? Go ahead.”

“Are you far away? If you’re not, could you help me buy a piece of wood from the raw materials market? I can’t go out conveniently.”

I had already promised her I’d return the wood carving, but now I went back on my word and felt even more guilty. Seeing her ask for my help, I agreed without hesitation.

I carefully wrote down the address of the wood market and the specifications she needed. After hanging up, I returned the mobile phone to Bun Hairstyle and took a cab to buy the wood.

The material Xiao Zou wanted wasn’t hard to find. I bought a piece according to her requirements and hurried to deliver it to her shop.

When I returned, the woodcarving shop’s door was tightly shut. Xiao Zou opened the door for me and quietly welcomed me in.

She took the wood, happily took out a carving knife from the cabinet, and sat down to focus on carving the wood.

Looking around and not seeing Master Zou, I asked,

“Where’s your grandpa? Not at home?”

Without looking up, Xiao Zou answered quietly,

“Grandpa is carving something in the backyard. He won’t be done until late.”

I sat across from Xiao Zou and watched her skillfully carve the rough shape of the wood. I suddenly understood and asked,

“Are you planning to carve a little figure yourself to fool your grandpa?”

Xiao Zou nodded, her hands working nonstop as she said,

“Yeah, Grandpa counts every piece before bed. If he finds one missing, I’m done for.”

“You have wood everywhere in this shop, why did you make me specially buy a piece?”

Xiao Zou replied,

“Grandpa knows exactly how many pieces of wood there are. You can’t touch them.”

“Oh,” I answered. Seeing Xiao Zou busy carving, I walked around idly and spotted the wooden figure that looked like Bai Fan. Picking it up, I asked,

“Xiao Zou, do you know who this wooden figure was carved after?”

Maybe I was disturbing her too much. Xiao Zou looked up impatiently and said,

“That was carved by Grandpa after a big sister when I was very young.”

I opened my mobile phone, found a photo of Bai Fan, and was about to show her to see if it was Bai Fan.

Without lifting her head, Xiao Zou waved her hand and said,

“Don’t bother me now. Wait until I’m done carving.”

Helpless, I put away my phone and sat quietly.

Maybe it was hard to imitate Old Master Zou’s craftsmanship. Xiao Zou carved very slowly. It wasn’t until nightfall that she finished carving the whole piece of wood into a little figure. The only difference was, she didn’t carve the eyes.

Xiao Zou wiped the sweat from her forehead, smiling as she looked over the wood carving from every angle. But for some reason, the more she looked, the angrier she became. In the end, she tossed the wooden figure aside, dejected.

Puzzled, I asked,

“What’s wrong? Doesn’t it look right?”

Xiao Zou lowered her head and said,

“It doesn’t. I doubt I can fool Grandpa with this.”

Hearing that, I got a little frustrated too. Was the whole afternoon wasted?

After a while, Xiao Zou picked up the wooden figure and handed it to me, saying,

“Let’s try anyway, but you have to carve the eyes.”

“What?” I said in disbelief.

“Are you kidding me? I have no idea how to do this. It’s just two eyes, a few cuts and you’re done. Why don’t you do it yourself?”

Xiao Zou whispered,

“No. Grandpa told me since I was little, I can’t carve eyes on wood carvings. I’ll draw them for you, you just carve along the lines I draw. Give it a shot.”

With that, she found a pencil and sketched the outlines of two eyes on the wooden figure.

Seeing how insistent Xiao Zou was, I asked, puzzled,

“Why can’t you carve the eyes?”

Xiao Zou didn’t answer. She went into the back room and soon came out with a leather pouch holding three carving knives, placing it in front of me. Pointing to each one, she explained,

“These three carving knives are Grandpa’s treasures. One is for carving human eyes, one is for beast eyes, and the last one is for carving dragon and phoenix eyes.”

I was stunned. So specific-this was serious!

Xiao Zou glanced at the time and hurriedly urged me,

“Grandpa will be out soon. Hurry up!”

“Alright,” I said. Barefoot, I wasn’t afraid of wearing shoes-if she wanted me to carve, I’d carve. I picked up a carving knife and started carving along the lines Xiao Zou had drawn.

Xiao Zou told me to keep carving while she went to the backyard to check how much longer Grandpa would be, then turned and left.

To my surprise, I actually had a knack for carving. Even though it was my first time holding a knife, I didn’t feel awkward at all. In about ten minutes, I followed Xiao Zou’s instructions and carved out two eyes.

Although the eyes lacked a certain spirit, their shape was passable. I thought, with so many wood carvings by the old man, if you didn’t look closely, maybe we could really pull this off.

I was admiring my handiwork, feeling quite pleased, when Xiao Zou ran back in and said Grandpa would be out in ten minutes. Seeing I had finished carving the eyes, she took the figure and praised me with a big smile.

Just as I was basking in my success, Xiao Zou’s expression suddenly changed. Staring at the carving knife in my hand, she asked in panic,

“Didn’t I tell you to use the knife for carving human eyes? Why did you use the one for carving beast eyes?!”