Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1144: Personal Electricity

It moved forward at an astonishing speed, several times faster than the fastest thousand-mile horse in Daqi. Looking further ahead, the streets were bustling with people, but there was no familiar carriage to be seen. Instead, there were colorful tin boxes. These tin boxes were somewhat similar to the boxes on the "Long Snake", but they were smaller in size. Some were black, some were red, and some were blue. They moved freely on the streets, without being pulled by horses, but they could move quickly, and from time to time they would make a harsh "beeping" sound. The pedestrians on the street were dressed in all kinds of clothes, which made Xiao Che dazzled. Some men had the same short hair as the girl, wearing black "Western-style" clothes with upright collars, colorful belts, and trousers tightly wrapped around their legs. Some men wore traditional long gowns and jackets, black hats on their heads, and walked slowly with a cane in hand. Some women wore leg-revealing skirts that only reached their knees, revealing their smooth calves. They wore high heels that made a "clacking" sound as they walked. Some of them had their hair permed into curls, while others had it casually draped over their shoulders. They carried a small leather bag and walked down the street, chatting and laughing. What made Xiao Che even more incredible was that some pedestrians held a black square object in their hands, about the size of a palm. From time to time, they put the square to their ears, talking, and wearing various expressions on their faces, as if they were talking to people in the distance. This scene reminded him of the legendary "Thousand Mile Sound Transmission" secret technique in the palace, but that secret technique was just a legend.

He arrived in this southern coastal city at six in the morning. The green train had rattled and swayed for twenty-eight hours, and when he disembarked, his legs were still numb from inertia. Stepping onto the polished marble floor of the train station, he felt a sense of weakness beneath his feet, like treading on the sun-baked ridges of his hometown fields, yet without the sense of solidity. He looked down at his shoes—they were imitation leather shoes his mother had bought from the town market before he left. A thin layer of dust stained the black uppers, and in the cracks of the soles, a few grains of the yellow mud characteristic of the mountains behind his hometown were embedded. The yellow mud had rubbed off on him the day before he left, while helping his neighbor, Grandpa Wang, carry firewood. His mother had kept saying, "The city is clean, don't bring your tacky side with you." But he squatted on the doorstep for a long time, rubbing, unable to completely remove the stubborn particles. Finally, his mother sighed and said, "Forget it, I'll find a shoe store to clean it when we get to the city." He knew, however, that he probably wouldn't want to spend the money. The exit was flooded with people, each in a hurry, dressed in a shiny coat and carrying a delicate suitcase. Only Lin Shen was carrying a washed-bleached canvas bag. It contained pancakes his mother had made overnight, two changes of clothes, and the stack of employment letters, the edges of which had curled from his repeated caressing. He stood there for a long moment, gazing at the towering glass-walled buildings before him, listening to the constant honking of car horns and the unfamiliar dialect. His heart felt like an invisible hand gripping him, and even his breathing became rapid. He recalled how the village chief had seen him off beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance before leaving. He'd patted his shoulder and said, "Lin Shen, you're the first kid from our village to be admitted to a key university and find a job in a big city. Don't forget your hometown when you become successful." He'd nodded vigorously, his heart filled with hope for the future. But now, standing in this unfamiliar city, that hope was tinged with timidity, like a candle flame swaying in the wind, flickering. Following his phone's navigation, Lin Shen took two subways before arriving at his company's office building. By the time he exited the subway, the sun was already high in the sky, its reflection filtering through the office building's glass curtain wall, blinding him. He instinctively shielded his forehead with his hand and looked up at the dozens-story building—its exterior clad in silver-gray glass, gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The revolving door at the entrance swung constantly, and men and women in business suits emerged, each with a confident expression and a brisk walk. Lin Shen looked down at his clothes: a pale, washed-out light blue shirt, a gift from his roommate upon graduation from college. His trousers, casual pants he'd bought the previous year, were already warped from frequent washing. He tightened the strap of his canvas bag, took a deep breath, and then steeled himself to walk into the office building. The receptionist, dressed in a neat business suit, smiled politely upon seeing Lin Shen enter. "Hello, do you have an appointment?" "I'm here to start work. My name is Lin Shen, and I'm applying for the position of Assistant Engineer in the Technical Department," Lin Shen's voice was a little strained. He pulled his employment letter from his canvas bag and handed it over with both hands. The girl took it, glanced at it, and said with a smile, "Mr. Lin, please wait a moment while I call HR." While waiting, Lin Shen stood by the receptionist, unable to resist glancing around. The lobby's floor was a mirror-clear black marble. The walls were hung with the company's honorary certificates and development history charts. A nearby lounge area was furnished with soft sofas and green plants, and the air was filled with a faint fragrance. Everything was completely different from his familiar surroundings—his home had adobe walls and concrete floors, and his most valuable piece of furniture was the wardrobe his father bought for his wedding. Everything here exuded a sense of refinement and unfamiliarity he had never encountered before. His fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of his canvas bag, his fear growing even stronger. He even began to doubt whether he could truly make it here. Not long after, a young woman in a white shirt and black-framed glasses approached, holding a folder. Seeing Lin Shen, she smiled gently, "Is this Lin Shen? I'm Sister Zhang from the HR department. Come with me, I'll take you through the onboarding procedures." Lin Shen nodded quickly and followed Sister Zhang to the elevator. There were not many people in the elevator. Sister Zhang pressed the floor button while smiling and saying, "Our company is on the 18th floor, and the technical department is also on that floor. It will be convenient for you to work in the future." Lin Shen said "hmm", and his eyes fell on the mirror on the elevator wall - when Lin Shen, who had just entered the cage, stood in front of the office building holding the whitened employment notice, the soles of his shoes were still stained with the yellow mud of the back mountain of his hometown. The work badge handed by the HR made him squint in the sunlight. The young man in the photo was wearing a washed-out shirt, and his eyes hid a timidity that he didn't even realize. "Xiao Lin, the salary during the probation period is 4,500, and it can reach 6,000 after becoming a regular employee. It's considered a good salary for fresh graduates." The department head patted him on the shoulder,