Chapter 45 On the Train (Complete) “Brother, where are you going…
Chapter 45 On the Train (Complete)
“Woo—”
Just before eleven o'clock, the train slowly entered the station with a grunt.
"Oh, I'm lucky today. The train arrived on time~"
The passengers who had been waiting on the platform for a long time rushed forward like a swarm of bees. Some were carrying backpacks, some were carrying luggage, some were pulling their children, and they ignored the shouts of the railway staff and just ran after the train, as if they were afraid of being pulled down by it.
After going through the baptism of ticket checking and entering the station first, Yan Jiuru and Chen Yin had completely given up the idea of being polite and modest, and followed the crowd.
"The hard sleeper cars are in the third and fourth carriages at the front of the train."
Yan Jiuru remembered the ticket inspector's instructions.
At this time, he had two shoulder bags hanging around his neck, holding a wicker box in one hand and pulling Chen Yin in the other. The two of them didn't care about their image and ran towards the front of the car.
"Besides, what's more, what's more..."
"Woo--" The train blew a long whistle, sprayed mist, and finally slowly stopped.
"Don't push, get off first and then get on! Otherwise, no one can get on—"
Railway staff loudly maintained order and at the same time had to check the tickets of passengers who completely ignored their carriage numbers to see if they were correct.
"Go to the back, you are in car 13, and this is car 8. You can't squeeze through the train at all--" However, no one seemed to listen to him.
Just squeeze in and you'll always find a seat.
Besides, there are many standing tickets now. Except for the sleeper car, you can't stand in any car. So, standing in any car is not standing?
"You go to the back too. Oh no, this isn't your ticket for this train. Why are you squeezing in here?"
. . . . . .
Amidst the noise and crowds, the train door opened and people rushed out. Many people were afraid of not being able to get off the train, so they climbed out of the windows and had things handed to them by people inside.
"Thank you, thank you, brother~"
The people who come to lend a hand may just be those who have spoken a few words to you while riding in the car, but it is not easy to go out these days, so most comrades are very enthusiastic.
***
Yan Jiuru and his friend's tickets were for the third section. There weren't many people getting on the bus, but everyone still swarmed on out of habit.
Yan Jiuru held Chen Yin in front of his chest and used his hands to pry open a gap. Chen Yin put the bag on her wrist, barely passed the crowd with both hands, grabbed the handle of the door, and with the help of the man behind her, she climbed onto the small ladder.
Yan Jiuru hurried to catch up.
The narrow entrance was crowded with seven or eight people, mostly carrying a lot of luggage. Those entering were busy putting their luggage away, hindering the progress of those behind them. There were even quarrels among them as they stumbled and talked.
Yan Jiuru took the handbag from Chen Yin's hand, and accompanied Chen Yin through the crowd to find her seat.
This is a passing train, and there are quite a few people in the hard sleeper berth.
"This middle and lower bunk."
The middle bunk was empty, and it looked like it had just been simply tidied.
On the lower bunk, Yan Jiuru's eyes met with a man sitting in his seat, "Comrade, please make way."
He took out his ticket and showed it to the other party.
The person sitting on this bunk originally wanted to take advantage of the situation first and wait until someone else comes.
Seeing Yan Jiuru's tall stature, he was a little skeptical, but the young couple looked so young that he rolled his eyes, thinking about how to take advantage of them.
Yan Jiuru didn't urge him first, but lifted the wicker box and placed it on the high luggage rack.
At this time, the person with the man kicked the other person and raised his chin to signal him.
The man looked in the direction the other person pointed, and saw that what was faintly visible from under the clothes of the tall man who had just come up was, in fact, a gun!
"hiss!"
Oh my god, this is too much to handle.
The man immediately stood up and said enthusiastically, "Well, comrade, I'm on the upper bunk. I'm just sitting here to rest for a while. I'll give it to you now."
Even honorifics are used.
These two young men were able to afford a hard sleeper and carry guns, so they were definitely not ordinary people. Even if we couldn't make friends, we couldn't offend them either.
Yan Jiuru put away his luggage, nodded slightly at him, and said nothing.
Chen Yin rearranged the bed, took out two old sheets from her bag, asked Yan Jiuru to help stretch them out, and spread them on the two beds, and also put the pillowcase she brought with her.
Originally, Yan Jiuru found it a little difficult to understand why his wife brought these things with her when she went out, but now seeing that everyone was sitting on the berths, he realized that it was indeed necessary.
Just as the two settled down, they heard a long train whistle, then the carriage shook suddenly, and with a "clang", the train started.
The two of them sat on the lower bunk, Chen Yin next to the window, and the two of them quietly experienced the feeling of riding a train for the first time.
The scenery outside the train window slowly moved backwards. The people who were seeing off the passengers kept waving and shouting various farewells. Some shed tears silently, some covered their mouths and cried, and some were reluctant to leave, jogging along with the train to say goodbye. . . . .
The green train gradually accelerated, and with another long whistle, it drove forward with heavy breaths and the sound of "what's more, what's more".
***
"Change the tickets, change the tickets, get all the tickets ready."
Less than half an hour after the train started, the conductor and the staff came over to exchange tickets for the new passengers.
It was the first time for Yan Jiuru and Chen Yin to take a train. They looked at each other and silently took out the cardboard tickets.
After another ten minutes, it was finally their turn.
The conductor looked around the small six-person space and set his gaze directly on the two people. "Just got on the train? Where are you going?"
"Ze County to Yancheng." Yan Jiuru handed the ticket and bus pass to the other party.
Nowadays, to take a sleeper berth, you not only need a ticket, but also a boarding pass. Why didn't he know this? Anyway, he had it with him when Minister Qi gave it to him.
The conductor took it, looked at it, and then pulled out the gun permit from under the ticket. He was a little... well, um...
He took a quick look at the two men. They were obviously not soldiers, nor did they look like police officers. However, since they had a gun license freshly issued by the armed forces department, they were obviously not ordinary people.
He glanced at their waists and said, "Please follow me."
The conductor asked the attendant to continue changing the tickets, and he took the two to the conductor's office, which was actually a small compartment.
The train conductor carefully checked the two men's gun licenses and the types and quantities of guns and ammunition they possessed. Only after they matched did he ask, "Are you still going to carry out the mission?"
Yan Jiuru looked at the other person and said nothing.
The conductor understood that it couldn't be kept secret. Seeing that the two were young, he still reminded them, "If you need any help, you can come to us. Keep an eye on the bunks and people coming and going at night. Sleeper cars are not without their share of petty theft."
Some thieves even find ways to steal in the sleeper cars. After all, the people here are obviously richer than those in the hard seat cars.
"Your ticket will be exchanged for a cardboard ticket half an hour before arrival. Come over here if you need to use the restroom."
It's not for their convenience, but mainly for the safety of the gun.
Yan Jiuru thanked the conductor and returned to his bunk.
Just happened to meet a few pairs of inquiring eyes.
Seeing that the two had returned safely, they immediately turned their heads as if nothing had happened.
***
The train passed through a field of farmland, which would have been beautiful in spring, summer, or even autumn.
Unfortunately, it is winter now, and there is basically no scenery outside except weeds that cannot be covered by the snow and occasional exposed black soil.
"The car window seems to be a little drafty~"
Chen Yin sat on the lower bunk near the window. Even though she was wrapped in a blanket, she still felt a little cold.
There was no heating in the carriage, and even the conductor was wearing a cotton hat. The two were glad that they did not change into their newly bought woolen coats, otherwise they would have had runny noses from the cold.
Yan Jiuru stood up and took off the quilt and put it on her. He then unscrewed the military water bottle and took a look. It was frozen into a lump of ice.
"I'll get some hot water. Just take care of yourself."
Chen Yin also carried a gun. It was cold because there was a gap in the window, but it was not safe enough by the door, so it was safer for both of them to lean against the window.
Fortunately, when the two of them went out, his mother insisted on making him some thick ginger sugar water. Now it was frozen into a lump, so he could still find a way to heat it up.
Yan Jiuru took two military backpacks to the dining car and came back empty-handed a few minutes later.
"What's wrong?" Chen Yin asked with her eyes.
"It's okay, the conductor will bring some water over in a while." It would take at least half an hour for the ice-melting belt to heat up, and he couldn't just wait there.
A train attendant offered to help, so he came back first.
***
"Brother, where are you going?" The man on the lower bunk opposite spoke with a smile.
Yan Jiuru was not one to ignore anyone. He said, "Let's go to Yancheng."
The capital of China is Yancheng, which is also the terminal of this train.
"The terminal, that's great. No need to rush when getting off the bus."
"I'm from the Capital Woolen Mill. My last name is Wang. Are you going to visit relatives?" This man was quite talkative.
"My last name is Yan, and I'm going to the capital with my wife on some business."
I can’t be more specific.
The other party was also a perceptive person and said quickly: "So they are a young couple. They don't look that old, but I didn't expect they are already married."
Yan Jiuru smiled, "Our child is already one year old."
Nowadays, people use the lunar age as the lunar calendar. A newborn baby is one year old, and Zhuangzhuang is considered two years old after the new year.
"Oh, I couldn't tell that." The person on the upper bunk also joined in the conversation.
***
During the conversation, the people in this small space quickly became familiar with each other.
Comrade Wang from the Capital Woolen Mill is a purchasing agent. Although they are a woolen mill, they not only produce wool products, but also process camel hair blankets and coats.
But Mao's raw material supply was insufficient, and these buyers had to run around looking for sources of supply. This time, he had just been to Inner Mongolia, and on his way back he couldn't buy a direct ticket, so he had to change buses before he could buy a ticket for this trip.
"Wow! What's Inner Mongolia like? Is it full of cattle and sheep?"
These days, very few people have been to Inner Mongolia. For a while, people came over not only to their small space, but also to the two rooms next to them to chat.
Everyone looked at Comrade Wang eagerly, hoping that he would introduce them.
"Hey, do they eat beef and mutton every day over there?"
Someone else asked: "Do they all ride horses to work and school? Can you ride a horse?"
Comrade Wang rolled his eyes. He had heard this so many times that he was speechless.
He proudly held up the enamel pot with the words "Yancheng No. 1 Woolen Mill" printed on it, opened the lid, swirled the freshly brewed tea leaves, blew away the hot steam, took a sip of the hot tea, and said with full style, "In the pastoral area, there are indeed many cattle and sheep, and it's not uncommon for them to run around everywhere.
As for eating beef and mutton every day, what's the point? Where in China can people eat meat every day? Even farmers who grow rice and wheat can't eat rice and flour every day. It's all the same, isn't it?
There are people who ride horses to work or school, but in the city, it's just like everywhere else: those with good conditions ride bicycles, those without the conditions walk or take the bus, and even more people ride ox carts."
He patiently shattered everyone's illusions, and everyone looked at each other, feeling somewhat disillusioned.
The comrade who occupied Yan Jiuru's bunk muttered, "Ah, I thought there were cattle and sheep everywhere, but it seems there are also different places..."
Comrade Wang, who had once shared the same beautiful fantasy, thought for a moment and consoled himself by saying, "If you have the chance to go there in the summer, you'll be able to see the scene you describe. Basically, the cattle and sheep move slowly across the green carpet-like grass, like clouds. It's very beautiful."
"Oh? Do they slaughter pigs and eat meat in winter like they do during the New Year?"
Comrade Wang didn't even roll his eyes. He just snorted at him and sneered, "You're dreaming! That's important national property. You're going to slaughter it and eat it during the New Year? Who dares to slaughter it? Who dares to eat it?"
"Only the cows and sheep that died of freezing can be eaten. The others can be raised until they give birth next year. We can shear their wool and milk them. Everything is precious."
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