Meng Yan's Transformation

Chapter 643 Hitting a Roadside Stall

Zhan Mengyan clutched her schoolbag strap and followed behind Teacher Zhu. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead and slid down her cheeks, leaving dark marks on her collar. In the distance, the heat was sweltering. The sense of loss at missing out on traveling with her brothers felt as oppressive as the summer heat.

Just then, Ms. Zhu, the dormitory supervisor, pushed a silver-gray bicycle out of the bike shed, a bunch of jingling keys hanging from the handlebars. "Zhan Mengyan, you can borrow this bike for a few days. Don't let the heat dry you out; cycling is cooler than walking," Ms. Zhu said with a smile, handing over the keys. Her eyes revealed the concern of an elder.

The moment Zhan Mengyan took the keys, the coolness of the metal flowed into her palm, like a surge of pure warmth rising in her heart. She straddled the seat and gently pushed off, the wheels rolling merrily. A breeze rushed towards her, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, scattering the stray hairs on her forehead.

Cycling along the dappled shade of the path, the sunlight was no longer scorching, but instead became dancing golden specks. A smile unconsciously crept onto Zhan Mengyan's lips. The long and sweltering hike had transformed into a light, rhythmic pace. The figures of her two brothers gradually blurred in her memory, replaced by the soft rustling of wheels on the ground and Teacher Zhu's gentle reminder to "be careful while riding," like a warm breeze caressing her heart. The July heat lingered, but Zhan Mengyan felt as if the world had suddenly become vast and bright.

On a sweltering summer afternoon, sunlight poured onto the molten asphalt road, distorting the distant buildings with its heat. The poplar leaves by the roadside drooped, curling and twisting at the edges as if licked by flames. Cicadas chirped desperately, their calls mingling with the clanging of metal from the distant construction site, creating a scorching symphony. The air was thick with a suffocating heat.

As Zhan Mengyan's bicycle rolled over the dappled shadows, patches of red rashes appeared on her cheeks. Her skin, sensitive to ultraviolet rays, felt like it had been shattered with glass; even her eyelashes stung. She gritted her teeth and pedaled, gripping the handlebars tightly. Sweat streamed down her neck and face. Suddenly, a white light flashed before her eyes—the dizziness of heatstroke washed over her like a tidal wave. Her vision blurred, and her pedaling slowed, her legs feeling like lead. Each pedal stroke felt like a battle against an invisible gravity, and the wheels creaked and groaned in protest as they rolled over the pavement.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, Zhan Mengyan's bicycle slammed into an aluminum basin at a roadside fruit stand. The basin, about half her height, gleamed coldly, its white aluminum reflecting a blinding light under the blazing sun. A dozen bottles of chilled orange juice filled the basin, spilling out with a clatter as the impact shattered on the scorching concrete, the amber liquid splashing everywhere. A cloyingly sweet smell, mixed with the acidity of sweat, filled her nostrils, fermenting in the heat into a dizzying sweetness. The basin's rim was chipped in a crescent shape, the edges curled and twisted like a gaping mouth, gleaming menacingly in the sunlight.

The stall owner, an older woman, sat on a worn-out bamboo chair, its legs sunk into the soft mud. She froze in mid-air, fan in hand, before it fell to the ground with a thud, kicking up a small cloud of dust. Her eyes widened, her wrinkles contorted with anger, and her voice was like sandpaper scraping against metal: "How did you ride your bike, you little brat? Don't you have eyes? This basin is brand new, you have to pay for it! Pay up now! One hundred yuan! Not a penny less! Do you know how hard it is for me to set up this stall in this sweltering heat? And you've ruined it!"