The following day at noon, Li Baolong arrived at the train station and boarded the train bound for his hometown in Sichuan Province. It was a green-skinned train, crowded with passengers traveling to various regions along the route. The air inside the carriage was stale and foul, a mixture of smoke, alcohol, and stinky feet, making it nauseating.
Li Baolong ate a simple train meal and then crawled under his seat. The space was cramped, but it gave him a unique sense of security, which was enough for a teenager like him. The train traveled slowly, stopping at every station, and after three long days, it finally arrived in Lanzhou, a major city in the Northwest.
The train window opened, and Li Baolong took out the change he had with him, spent two yuan to buy a Lanzhou roast chicken, and began to eat it heartily. This way, he wouldn't need to buy any more food the next day. After eating his fill, he crawled back under his seat and fell into a deep sleep. In his dream, he vaguely heard people mention that they would arrive in Chengdu in two days. He couldn't help but feel a surge of joy, thinking that this long journey was finally nearing its destination.
Two days later, the train slowly pulled into Chengdu Station. Li Baolong walked out of the station with the surging crowd. He looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and silently said, "Dad, I'm back. I must study hard this time and make something of myself in the future."
After much trouble, Li Baolong finally found a bus to Jianzhou. The fare was only one yuan, and it would take him to Jianzhou City, more than forty miles away. Upon arriving in Jianzhou City, Li Baolong stood on the main street, looking at the bustling crowd, and felt somewhat at a loss. The crowds here were so large, and the streets were packed with people, a scene of liveliness he had never seen in his more than ten years living in the Western Regions.
He walked and stopped, asking for directions to his uncle's house along the way. "Uncle, could you tell me how to get to the power supply station's staff quarters?" "Oh, young man, the power supply station's staff quarters are on Jianshe Road, not far from the Tuojiang Bridge. With all your bags, you can get there by taking a tricycle." Li Baolong quickly thanked him and paid 50 cents for a tricycle ride. A dozen minutes later, he arrived at a staff quarters with several six-story walk-up buildings.
Li Baolong, carrying his luggage, asked in the courtyard, "Uncle, do you know the home of Huang Xiu, the electrician from the power supply station?" "Oh, you're looking for Huang Xiu? His house is the first one on the third floor of unit one in this building." "Okay, thank you, Uncle." Li Baolong carried his luggage upstairs and knocked on his uncle's door.
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