Entering Beijing

The train roared and slowly entered the Beijing Railway Station amid the harsh sound of steam and metal friction.

Lin Xueyin leaned against the cold window of the hard-seat carriage, having barely slept all night. A faint dark hue clung to her eyes, and her face looked exceptionally pale in the dim morning light. The closer she got to this vast city, the tighter her heart tightened.

The scenery passing by the window changed from sparse farmland to continuous low-rise factory buildings, and then to dense buildings and crisscrossing railway tracks. Everything reminded her that she had left her hometown and stepped into a completely unfamiliar field controlled by that man.

"Dear passengers, our next stop is the capital, Beijing..."

The clear, melodious station announcements over the radio struck her heart like the final hammer blow of judgment. She took a deep breath, and with a numbness bordering on resignation, she picked up the overly bulky and heavy luggage her parents had prepared for her, and stumbled off the train amidst the throng of people.

A gust of wind, a mixture of coal smoke, the smell of crowds, and the chill of early spring in the north, blew in her face, making her shiver. The platform was vast and endless, filled with a cacophony of voices, a mingling of accents, and people in all sorts of clothing hurrying about. Compared to the familiarity and warmth of the North City Railway Station, everything here seemed cold, efficient, and indifferent.

She stood bewildered in the crowd, like a drop of water that strayed into a river, instantly drowned and at a loss as to what to do. Where should she go? Who would pick her up? The letter only mentioned the company name and that someone would pick her up at the station, but no more specific information.

Just as she was at a loss, almost being pushed forward by the surging crowd, a young man in half-worn military uniform, with an upright posture and a calm face, walked up to her. His eyes lingered on her face for a moment, and his tone was polite but with a sense of businesslike distance:

"Is that Comrade Lin Xueyin?"

Lin Xueyin's heart tightened, and she subconsciously took a half step back, looking at the other party vigilantly.

The young man seemed to notice her nervousness. He produced a red-stamped ID and waved it in front of her quickly. His tone softened a little: "Brother Song arranged for me to pick you up. My name is Chen Mo. Come with me. The car is outside."

"Brother Song..." These two words were like a curse, instantly shattering Lin Xueyin's last shred of hope. He really had someone arranged, he really was... everywhere.

She pursed her lips, and without asking any more questions, she silently followed the young man named Chen Mo out. He naturally took the heaviest package in her hand, and walked steadily through the crowd to make a path.

Parked outside the station wasn't a typical bus or tricycle, but a sleek, polished military jeep. In that era, it was a symbol of status and position. Chen Mo opened the door and gestured for her to get in.

Sitting in the cold backseat of the jeep, Lin Xueyin nervously pressed her legs together, her fingers tightly gripping the luggage bag on her knees. The scene outside the car window rapidly receded:

The staggeringly broad Chang'an Avenue, the towering and majestic city walls, the rich Soviet-style buildings, the torrent of people riding bicycles... This was Beijing, the place he had grown up in and controlled. An indescribable sense of insignificance and oppression weighed heavily on her heart.

Instead of heading into the bustling city center, the jeep veered into quieter streets, eventually stopping at the entrance of a large courtyard with a sign that read "Xincheng District Cultural Promotion Center." The courtyard was small, housing several three- and four-story red brick buildings that looked older but otherwise tidy.

Chen Mo helped her carry the luggage, walked into one of the buildings with familiarity, went up to the second floor, stopped in front of a door, took out the key and opened the door.

"Comrade Lin, this is the dormitory the company has assigned you. Here's the key." Chen Mo handed her the key, his tone still calm. "Everyday necessities are basically ready. If you need anything, you can go to the nearby supply and marketing cooperative to buy it yourself. The cafeteria is on the east side of the building downstairs. You can dine with your work ID. Tomorrow morning, bring your letter of introduction to the personnel department to report."

The room wasn't big, about ten square meters. It contained a single wooden bed, a desk, a chair, a washbasin stand, and a metal stove in the corner for heating. The walls were mottled, the floor a rough cement, and the windows were small, but the light was adequate.

Compared with the educated youth dormitory in Hongqi Commune, the conditions were much better, even more "public-owned" than her home in the north city, but it also seemed colder and without a trace of worldly air.

"Thank you." Lin Xueyin whispered thanks in a dry voice.

"You're welcome." Chen Mo nodded without any intention of greeting. "Then I'll be leaving first. If you have any urgent matters, you can call me at this number." He left a note with his phone number on the table, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Lin Xueyin was the only one left in the room.

The exhaustion of the long journey, the coldness of the unfamiliar environment, and the ever-present feeling of being watched and controlled washed over her like a tide. She sat powerlessly on the hard bed, gazing around at the small, shabby place that would become her new "home," and tears finally flowed silently.

There is no concern from parents, no familiar home-cooked food, only four white walls and the unfamiliar noise outside the window.

She really came, like a piece of checked luggage, placed here according to the predetermined address.

She unpacked her luggage and slowly, piece by piece, took out the things her mother had prepared for her. The thick quilt smelled of sunshine; it was the one her mother had washed and quilted overnight after hearing the news.

The brand new enamel basin and thermos bottle represent her father's silent love; the food coupons and money are squeezed out by the family's frugality... Every time she takes one out, her heart aches.

When she had almost put everything in place, her eyes fell on the brown paper bag and the pebble.

She hesitated for a long time, but finally opened the brown paper package. Inside was not the snack she had imagined, but a piece of heavy chocolate wrapped tightly in oil paper.

In this era of material scarcity, this is an extremely rare imported product, usually only available through special channels. What does he mean by giving her this?

And this stone, from the mountain stream to the north city, and then to this single dormitory in Beijing, seems to be a witness to her absurd experience.

She placed the chocolate and the stone side by side in the corner of the desk, like two silent symbols, one representing his strength and inscrutability, the other representing the indelible past mixed with pain and a hint of twisted tranquility.

For the next half day, Lin Xueyin forced herself to cheer up. She cleaned her room, made her bed, and went to the cafeteria downstairs to eat her first meal since arriving in Beijing.

The food in the cafeteria was ordinary, but generous in portion and far more juicy than in the Red Flag Commune. She listened silently, feeling like an outsider as the people around her spoke in crisp Beijing dialect, discussing work and current events she was unfamiliar with.

In the afternoon, relying on her memory, she found a nearby supply and marketing cooperative and used her national food coupons and money to buy some necessary daily necessities. Walking on the streets of Beijing, she tried hard to remember the landmark buildings and roads around her, trying to find a faint sense of direction for herself in this huge city.

At night, she lay in her cold bed, covered by the thick quilt her mother had prepared, yet she could still feel the chill seeping into her bones from all directions. Outside the window were unfamiliar lights and the faint sounds of traffic, a stark contrast to the quiet of the North City at night.

She remembered her parents supporting each other on the platform with tears in their eyes, and her heart ached.

She remembered the barren yet familiar land of Hongqi Commune, Liu Xiaoling and the others, and even... the mountain stream that belonged only to her and him.

Finally, his thoughts inevitably fell on Song Zhiyuan.

Where was he now? What was he doing? Did he know she was here? What was his next move now that he had gotten her here?

Fear, confusion, a faint hatred, and a strange sense of dependence that even she herself was unwilling to admit, which came from "familiarity", were intertwined in her heart.

She was like a chess piece thrown into a huge chessboard. The hand that placed the piece did not belong to her, and she could only passively wait for the chess player's next move.

On the other side of the city, in a quiet courtyard, the phone on Song Zhiyuan's desk rang. He picked up the receiver, listened for a few words, said "hmm" lightly, and hung up.

He walked to the window, looked at the dark night sky of Beijing, and twirled his fingertips unconsciously.

She's here.

Settled down.

very good.

His little canary is already in the cage.

The next step is to let her slowly get familiar with the new environment and get used to the new rules, until she regards this place and him as the only focus and support in her life.

He had plenty of time, so he took his time with her.