Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 243 - 103 Safety Travel Rules_1

Chapter 243: Chapter 103 Safety Travel Rules_1

The bus continued to crawl towards the provincial city, amidst Pang Laosan’s anxiety.

The scenery along the road, which he had long grown tired of, stretched out endlessly. Fields as far as the eye can see, farmers working the land, cows and sheep grazing by the ditch; occasionally you could see mountains in the distance, a river passing by, adding a touch of color to the monotonous scenery en route.

This road quality really wasn’t that good. Occasionally passing village towns, you’d encounter chickens, ducks, pigs, and dogs on the road, shepherds herding sheep by the roadside, loungers sitting, children running around, it would be strange if the bus could drive fast.

Adding to that, there were passengers getting on and off at any time, the pace was truly frustrating.

Aside from these, one must also be on guard, worrying and anticipating at all times, what could be done? The bus was filled with people who, apart from those first-time travelers who kept peering out of the window and pointing at sights, remained silent, too lazy to even talk unless absolutely necessary.

However, today seemed to be a lucky day. As they traveled, Pang Laosan’s mood gradually improved.

Although he appeared tough on the outside, wasn’t there a saying? The older one gets in the jianghu, the more cowardly they become.

When you’re away from home, be cautious and easy going. If you were to get involved in an argument or a dispute over money, encountering desperate bandits, it would all not be worth it.

After passing two potential spots where thieves might get on the bus without any of them actually getting on, Pang Laosan became excited, almost cheering. It seemed that heaven was looking upon him favorably. Could it be that he, Pang Laosan, was going to be on a lucky streak from then on?

Generally speaking, on this road, there were only about two or three spots where thieves commonly got on, usually at the border between neighboring cities. Thieves would get on in one city, and once they finished stealing, would disembark in another, making it difficult for anyone to know where they are headed.

This cross-regional situation makes police assistance difficult. Coupled with the fact that these thieves were on the move all year round, their eyes sharp. They’d first scrutinize the passengers on the bus before deciding if it’s safe to board, even if undercover police were in the midst, wouldn’t be easy to capture—seeing a couple of robust men they’d simply get off. Thieves have plenty of options, there were many buses on these roads. Which bus they robbed and who they robbed didn’t matter.

However, during certain periods, whenever the crackdown on highway bandits was ratcheted up, these garbage-like dirty stuff would be swept away altogether.

Pang Laosan who prided himself on being well-travelled, knew that he shouldn’t rejoice prematurely. So, he maintained his "cold" expression until they reached the third possible location where the thieves might board the bus.

None!

Almost in an instant glance, he let out a long sigh of relief.

"Hey, brother, where are you headed? Your first time traveling far?" Once his nerves relaxed, Pang Laosan could no longer keep up his ’cold’ demeanor.

No wonder, at his age, and being used to traveling, he was naturally chatty, to keep aloof from others for this long demonstrated considerable self-control.

Now that he had let down his guard. Although he was aware that one shouldn’t talk too much on the road, he didn’t mind chatting with the inexperienced young man next to him to pass the time.

"Yeah! Why’d you ask? Are you doing the same? I felt you were pretty nervous just now?" The remark from the clueless lad next to him hit Pang Laosan’s weak spot.

"Me, nervous? What do I have to be nervous about? Hehe!" Pang Laosan laughed with feigned bravado. "Seeing it’s your first time out, although we’ve just met, we’re having a deep earnest conversation, but it’s a happy day for a brother like me, let me share some experience about being on the road with you."

The clueless lad nodded noncommittally.

"Actually, I’m not afraid of ridicule, I admit, I was a bit nervous just now." Pang Laosan began with a self-deprecating laugh, then changed his tone. "It’s your first time out, so it’s natural for you to not be acquainted with the situation. Those segments of the road we just passed through, at least three of them, were potential boarding points for thieves."

"It’s our good luck today, not a single thief boarded. Brother, I must say, the way you travel is asking for trouble, look at you, with your bulging pockets full of money, any discerning eye can tell, isn’t that inviting thieves?"

Seeing the clueless lad dismissed his warning, Pang Laosan pressed on: "Don’t you disregard it. Nowadays, when you’re out, the less trouble the better, be careful whenever you can. Making money is not easy, keeping it safe is important!"

"Where did you say were the places where thieves usually board?" The clueless lad interrupted him.

"Ah, it’s good to ask. Let me tell you, you must remember this. In certain counties and various other places, if you go this way again, you need to be extra careful. The thieves in these areas are particularly numerous. Think about it, these are border areas, they can easily run away after committing theft, right?"

The Reckless Youth silently noted down the locations and continued to listen to the big man’s talks.

Once Pang Laosan started talking, he couldn’t stop. "Apart from not showing off your wealth, avoid discussing personal matters. What does that mean? When you’re not well acquainted with someone, don’t share too much about yourself. Look at us! I call myself your elder brother. When we first met, I thought you were nice and wanted to chat with you. But I never asked you who you are, where you’re from or where you’re going, right?"

"Why? Because we don’t know each other! You have no idea what I do, even if I told you, could you believe it immediately? What if I’m a scammer, knowing where your home is, went off to fool your family for money or something, could you prevent it?"

"The basic principle when you’re away from home is not to fall asleep in vehicles. You fell asleep as soon as you got on board, leaving your money in such a visible place. Do you think there won’t be any problems if there are no thieves around? It’s not like that. For example, if we sit side by side like this, and if I had bad intentions, I could take your money when you’re asleep, get off, get on another vehicle and disappear. Where would you find me then, bro?"

"Do you think only bad guys steal things? Nobody knows when they might suddenly turn bad. So, what you’re doing is not right. Firstly, you can’t leave your money at such an easy target, and you shouldn’t sleep as soon as you board a vehicle. Isn’t this intentionally enticing others to commit a crime?"

"Even without the money, you should still be vigilant. If you’re not careful and someone grabs your belongings, what would you do? Even if they took it by mistake, you’d still lose your stuff and feel upset."

Pang Laosan was right about everything, but little did he know, the Reckless Youth sitting next to him chose this seat next to him on purpose, waiting for him to commit a crime.

After listening to his words, the Reckless Youth realized that his actions could indeed provoke someone to commit a crime. He immediately took out his money from his pocket and divided it among several other pockets.

Seeing the Reckless Youth split his money into different pockets, Pang Laosan felt pleased that the youth was quick to take his advice, and thus became more enthusiastic.

"That’s the way to do it! We’re all away from home, and times can be tough. Sometimes, we don’t even know what we are capable of doing. Who can guarantee that they will always resist temptation and maintain their integrity?"

"You might not think I’m much older than you, but I’ve been around in the jianghu for many years. My experiences include those I’ve learned from others and those I’ve pondered upon myself. They’ve been practiced and proved by me, they will never be wrong."

"When you’re out, apart from following what I’ve just said, you should observe everything around you. Talk less, watch and listen more, try to avoid gathering in crowded places. There are not only thieves, but also scammers. Scammers are too tricky to guard against, so you need to be extra careful."

"For example, if someone opens a can and claims they’ve won a prize, but don’t know how to redeem it. There will be someone who’d want to pool in money to buy the can label, promising to share the prize. It’s definitely a scam, they’re accomplices trying to deceive you. The moment you fall for it, you’re in trouble."

"Or, if someone claims they only have foreign currency that their relatives sent from abroad."

"Do you know what foreign currency is? It’s money from foreign countries. They’ll usually claim they’re in a hurry to use money after getting off the train but can’t find a bank. So they want to find someone on the train to exchange some local currency."

"Someone will then help them out, saying one piece of their foreign currency is equivalent to several pieces of our domestic currency. Since they urgently need money, they’re willing to exchange at a one-for-one rate. It’s absolutely a scam, once you go to the bank, you’ll find out you’ve lost everything."

"So when you’re out, just keep in mind not to take advantage of any seemingly cheap offer. Trying to gain a petty advantage won’t make you rich, instead you may suffer a great loss. The saddest thing is when you get scammed and end up helping them count the money. I don’t need to tell you which is more important, right?"

The Reckless Youth had no idea that scams could be so varied. He’s not afraid of thieves, but could easily fall for scammers! After listening to the man’s words, he nodded in agreement.

Pang Laosan, immersed in his conversation, didn’t notice the subtle nod from the Reckless Youth and continued, "Therefore, you need to keep your eyes wide open."

To make sure the Reckless Youth understood, he explained, "Do you know what I mean by ’eyes’? No? Heh heh, this is jargon, it means ’eyes’."

"You’re inexperienced since it’s your first time out. As for me, not to brag, but I can tell who everyone in this train is, what kind of person they are, who’s easy to get along with and who’s not with just a glance."

"Hey! Don’t be skeptical. Let’s not talk about others, let’s talk about you. I could tell with a single glance that this was your first time out, isn’t it? Also, I can see you’re an honest person, the kind that doesn’t cause trouble. That’s why I’m telling you all these, right?"

The Reckless Youth agreed wholeheartedly with what he said, obviously very satisfied with his words.