Chapter 39: Chang'an in the Past
A huge panic gripped Chen Guodong.
The appointment letter was lost, how could he report to the new unit?
How can he prove his identity now that his working relationship is gone?
Without money and food coupons, how can the father and daughter survive in Chang'an?
he……
The two people's madness attracted the attention of the people who got off the bus. Amidst the pointing and talking of the crowd, Chen Manli moved too much and accidentally exposed her white thighs.
“Ahhhhhh!”
"Dad! My clothes! My clothes are ruined too!"
Chen Manli also discovered something was wrong with her at this time. She screamed in excitement and moved a little too much. The seams on the front of her Lenin suit suddenly broke, revealing the shirt underneath!
She tried to cover it up in a hurry, but the seam on the crotch of her pants tore open with a "snap" sound!
When I moved my feet, I felt a hole in the big toe of my socks, and it felt cold!
She looked down and saw that one of the shoelaces of her precious half-heeled leather shoes had broken at some point!
"ah--!!!"
Chen Manli completely collapsed, feeling both ashamed and angry. She covered her torn collar and crotch with one hand, and tried in vain to cover her ridiculous hair with the other hand. She screamed and stomped her feet like a madman on the platform.
Her face was covered with tears and snot, and her carefully applied makeup had been ruined.
One of the father and daughter was furiously looking for the luggage, while the other was covering his head and crying because his clothes were torn. This strange combination instantly attracted the attention of the entire platform.
Passengers stopped, pointed, and the place buzzed with discussion.
"Wow, look at that woman! Why is her hair shaved like that? It looks like it was gnawed by a dog! Did she get arrested and paraded through the streets?"
"Tsk, my clothes are torn and my shoelaces are broken. I look so miserable!"
"That man was so frantic, his face pale with anxiety. Did he lose something? A big suitcase? Did he die in his sleep?"
"It's his due! Look at that cadre. He must have been so arrogant all the time. Now he's getting his comeuppance, right?"
"Keep your voice down! Don't let anything dirty happen to you! There are so many weird things happening on the train..."
"Could these two be having an affair and being dealt with by someone?"
Listening to the undisguised ridicule and discussions around him, as well as those looks as if he were watching a monkey show, Chen Guodong felt a rush of blood to his head and his vision went black.
Chen Guodong, a cadre who is about to take office, has never suffered such a great humiliation!
The luggage disappeared, the daughter made a fool of herself in public, and she was watched by the crowd like a fool!
He suddenly looked around, his eyes like poisoned knives, trying to find out who did it, but all he saw were unfamiliar faces with expressions of watching the fun, and he had no idea where to start!
"Dad! What should we do? My hair... my clothes..."
Chen Manli cried so much that her makeup was smudged. She grabbed Chen Guodong's arm tightly, her voice full of fear and despair.
"Shut up! Isn't this embarrassing enough?"
Chen Guodong growled, his face so gloomy that water could drip out of it.
He forced himself to calm down. The most urgent thing was to solve the identity problem!
He suddenly remembered something and reached for his inner pocket with trembling hands - fortunately! His wallet was still there!
There is also some spare cash and the most important identification in it!
This made him feel a little relieved. At least it could prove who he was, and at least he didn't need to ask someone to send a certificate from Shanghai.
"Let's go! Get out of this damn place first!"
Chen Guodong gritted his teeth, grabbed the disheveled and sobbing Chen Manli, roughly pushed away the crowd of onlookers, and almost dragged his daughter as he walked quickly out of the station.
He had to find a place quickly to call Chang'an, report the situation, and see if he could complete the procedures!
At the same time, his sinister eyes swept across the chaotic platform, and he was furious in his heart: Don't let me find out who did this! Shen Lingning? Is that bitch also on this train?
Was it her doing?
But could she have such an ability to do things without anyone noticing?
...Is there really something weird going on?
This thought sent a sudden chill down his spine.
He subconsciously looked up at his daughter's neck, but it was empty!
That piece of icy jadeite peace locket that I had finally managed to smuggle from the confiscated property, and was going to use to bribe higher-level leaders...
Gone too!
Chen Guodong's footsteps suddenly stopped, and his heart felt like it was hit hard by a heavy hammer!
It's over! This is the biggest loss!
That thing that's worth a lot of money...
His eyes went dark and he almost fell down.
——
Mr. Zhao had a special status, so his guards had already left in advance through a special passage, but the jeep he arranged was already waiting in a conspicuous place on the platform.
A BJ212 jeep painted in military green with a white military license plate with red letters was standing next to a young soldier named Xiao Li, who was standing upright in a neat military uniform and was scanning the crowd vigilantly.
The car was like a striking lighthouse, instantly attracting countless curious or awe-inspiring gazes on the platform.
Shen Lingning remained calm, hugged Fubao tighter, and walked towards the jeep with a calm look.
He clearly identified himself to Soldier Xiao Li, who was standing upright next to the car: "Hello, comrade, I'm Shen Lingning, and this is Fu Bao. The commander arranged for us to take this car to Qinnan."
At the same time, she glanced around vigilantly and found that several figures in the crowd were approaching this side pretending to be casual.
Soldier Xiao Li had obviously received clear instructions. He immediately stood at attention and opened the back door neatly: "Comrade Shen, please get in! The stretcher is in the back."
Shen Lingning greeted Xiao Li with a smile, then she carried Fubao into the back seat of the jeep, closing the door and blocking out the noise of the platform.
Through the car window, she saw from afar the end of the chaotic farce between Chen Guodong and his daughter - Chen Guodong dragged the crying, weird-haired, and disheveled Chen Manli, like two stray dogs, and disappeared in the crowd leaving the station in a panic.
Fubao seemed to sense his mother's mood. He babbled in her arms and rubbed his little head against her.
Shen Lingning's lips curved slightly, and he patted his daughter gently. This is just the beginning, Director Chen.
We’ll see the outcome in Qin Province.
The jeep's engine roared low as it drove steadily away from the bustling square in front of Chang'an Station.
The wheels rolled over the bumpy concrete road, causing the car body to shake slightly.
Shen Lingning held Fubao in his arms and sat in the back seat. The car window was rolled down a crack, and wind carrying the smell of soot and dust blew in.
She looked at the receding scene outside the window, which was completely different from the scene in Shanghai.
Shanghai's Western-style buildings, plane trees, and tram tracks are exquisite and crowded;
The Chang'an in front of us has wider streets, and the buildings on both sides are mostly square and thick, with gray walls, giving off a sense of calm and stability.
Occasionally, you can see tall, gray brick sections of the ancient city wall standing silently on the edge of the city.
"Mom, look! A huge wall! So high!"
Fubao pointed his little hand at a complete section of the ancient city wall in the distance and babbled excitedly.
At the foot of the city wall, there were indeed a few half-grown children wearing patched clothes, climbing up and down the rammed earth slope with their hands and feet, chasing and playing, raising a cloud of yellow soil. Two yellow cows were tied beside them, slowly grazing.
"Wow! Mom, the internet said people were herding sheep along the Xi'an City Wall in the 1970s and 1980s. Turns out it's true!"
Fubao's thoughts echoed in Shen Lingning's mind, filled with childish wonder, "It really looks just like the picture in the book! But it's so old, there's still grass on the wall! Those kids climbed so high!"
Shen Lingning patted his daughter gently, his eyes carrying a barely perceptible sharpness as he swept over the chaotic scene at the foot of the city wall. It was old, yet full of life.
This is where they will take root, Qinnan’s outpost.
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