Chapter 52 On the Train
On the day of departure, the temperature was unusually high, and the air was so humid that it seemed like you could pull out strands of moisture.
Under the massive dome of Kunming-Anqing Railway Station, the noise was like a pot of boiling porridge. The smells of pickled vegetables, smoke, and various kinds of sweat were so strong that it was hard to open one's eyes. Chen Yun's vision was already blurred by sweat, and only the indistinct station announcements echoed.
"Follow behind us for a while, and don't get separated."
Gao Ming and Li Huguo stood in front, their hands full of large and small bags, and each carrying a woven bag full of local specialties on their shoulders.
Gao Nian'an's excitement about going on a long trip had long since vanished after more than ten hours of bumpy travel. He had gotten up early in the morning to catch the train, and even now, amidst the bustling crowd, he was still fast asleep.
Chen Shu carried Gao Nianping, who was also somewhat drowsy, and followed closely behind Gao Ming. Xu Cuihua held tightly to Chen Yun's arm, afraid that they would be separated by the crowd.
Everyone looked tense and ready to go.
As the rumbling train slowly came to a stop, the crowd began to surge wildly toward the doors, their ears filled with shouts of various names.
Gao Ming struggled forward through the crowd, glancing back at the mother and her children every now and then.
"The sleeper carriages are up ahead!"
Gao Ming turned around and shouted. Relying on the intuition he had developed from years of traveling, he quickly squeezed through the most crowded crowd and accurately found the few carriages at the back of the platform where there were fewer people.
The scene at the entrance to the sleeper carriage was completely different from that in front of the hard seat carriage; an orderly queue had formed in front of the entrance, waiting to have their tickets checked.
They were mostly dressed like intellectuals, carrying briefcases and suitcases, and there was a faint scent of floral water in the air.
Chen Yun finally breathed a sigh of relief and used one hand to help the panting Xu Cuifen.
The train conductor came out of the carriage, pulled his hat brim very low, and silently began checking tickets.
Gao Ming handed over the five tickets, and only then did the train conductor look up and scan them. Perhaps seeing that Li Huguo and his wife were dressed the same as them, he immediately reached out and stopped them, displeased: "How come you six adults only have five tickets?"
Passengers who boarded earlier turned around upon hearing the sound, their eyes revealing blatant contempt.
Some people deliberately buy fewer tickets to save money, hoping to buy a standing ticket on the train and leave it in the sleeper car.
"Our tickets are here." Li Huguo quickly handed over the tickets.
The train conductor's expression softened slightly, and he tore off the surcharge ticket and handed it back to Gao Ming: "Why did four adults buy five tickets?"
"The two children sleep in one bed."
The train conductor couldn't help but glance at Gao Ming a few more times. He hadn't expected that someone who looked like a farmer going to the city to work would be so generous, even buying a bed specifically for his child.
The train attendant nodded slightly and stepped aside to make way.
Stepping onto the green-painted iron footboard connecting the sleeper compartments, the stuffy smell unique to enclosed spaces hit me. The old electric fan overhead creaked and groaned, and the meager breeze from the vents made the compartment a little cooler than outside.
The deep red carpet softened the sound of footsteps and seemed to absorb even the conversations of the passengers in the carriage.
Once inside the carriage, everyone unconsciously lowered their voices, finally allowing Chen Yun's nerves, which had been tense for several hours in the waiting hall, to completely relax.
I walked to the middle of the carriage and found the number on my ticket.
There were three bunks on each side. Although the dark blue quilt and the whole set had been washed until the edges were white, they were still clean, and you could still smell the soap.
"These two lower bunks and the middle bunk are ours, as are the two lower bunks and the middle bunk next door."
Four of the seven tickets were for lower berths. In order to buy so many lower berths, Gao Ming even asked a friend in Kunming to make two trips to get them.
"Mom, you and Dad can rest on the lower bunk here." Chen Yun handed Gao Nian'an over to Gao Ming, and then helped Chen Shu and Xu Cuihua settle in: "Gao Ming and I will sleep on the middle bunk here tonight."
"Ruanqiu, Nian'an, and Nianping can sleep in the lower bunk next door, and Li Huguo can sleep in the middle bunk."
After arranging the beds, the group busied themselves stuffing their luggage under the beds. The luggage racks were so small, the metal frames were only about the width of a briefcase, and there was no way to put woven bags on them.
He slept soundly in the noisy environment, but Gao Nian'an woke up quickly after entering the carriage.
"mom."
It blinked and immediately looked for Chen Yun's figure. When it didn't hear a response right away, it started wriggling and whimpering like a fish.
She quickly twisted and rolled to the edge of the bed, and it looked like she would fall off the bed if she moved again.
"careful."
A pair of well-defined hands reached out and pushed Gao Nian'an from behind, steadying him before turning around to look for the child's parents.
"Thank you, comrade! Thank you, comrade!"
Having witnessed the whole thing, Gao Ming broke out in a cold sweat. He had been preparing to pack up the food he had eaten along the way on the lower bunk, but he temporarily placed Gao Nian on the middle bunk.
If it falls, it will surely get seriously injured.
"You're welcome." The young man smiled shyly, withdrew his hand, and sat down at the table in the aisle. "My girlfriend and I are staying in the upper bunk." His voice also softened unconsciously.
"Mommy, I want Mommy... Mommy."
Gao Nian'an had no idea how dangerous things had just happened. She pouted and squeezed out a few tears, crying and insisting on finding her mother.
Hearing the commotion from next door, Chen Yun finally came over and patted Gao Nian'an gently.
"Give Nianping some water; he hasn't had any water since this morning."
Fearing that they might not have anywhere to relieve themselves on the journey, Chen Yun deliberately made sure the children drank less water from the morning. With the weather so hot, she was worried about them getting heatstroke, so the first thing she did after boarding the train was to give them water.
"Mom, we're getting on the train."
As soon as her mother arrived, her tears seemed to rewind, and she struggled to get down to see what the train looked like.
"You're not allowed to run outside; you must watch from the bed."
"Then I want to sit with Shuai Shuai."
Chen Yun placed Gao Nian'an on the soft autumn bed, picked up the water bottle and gave each of the two children a lidful of water.
Woohoo—
The train slowly started moving with a long whistle, and the scenery outside the window rushed past as the speed gradually increased until it became somewhat blurry.
Chen Yun completely relaxed and plopped down on the bed opposite Ruan Qiu.
"Mom, what a huge river!" Gao Nian'an suddenly pointed excitedly out the window to Chen Yun, and then tried to get out of bed to come over.
Chen Yun frowned and quickly pulled the person over to give a quiet warning.
"You can't yell at people just because they're speaking softly, you know?"
Gao Nian'an hurriedly covered her mouth with her small hand, her big eyes blinking, and nodded repeatedly, her voice muffled through her fingers: "I promise I'll be quiet, I can't be a bad child."
"Grandma has a cow!"
"..."
A scream suddenly shattered the silence; the child's shrill cry vibrated in the eardrums, causing the young man reading to frown.
Gao Nian'an was always quick to notice, and seeing that the stranger was unhappy, he realized even more that he couldn't shout in the carriage.
"Mom, what a big river!"
His eyes rolled around for a moment, then he leaned close to Chen Yun's ear and repeated himself.
Chen Yun was both amused and exasperated. She walked over to her daughter's body, untied her loose braids, and combed them again.
"Mother."
Gao Ming carried the tearful Gao Nianping to Chen Yun, and sighed helplessly, "It seems all our efforts these past few days have been in vain."
To make up for the four years he missed with his son and daughter, Gao Ming has been staying home with them this month. Their relationship has visibly improved, and the two children are now willing to sleep with their father at night.
However, as soon as they boarded the train, they were back to square one. Their daughter and son opened their eyes and immediately looked for their mother, and nothing they did could soothe them.
"Nianping, are you hungry?"
After comforting his daughter, Gao Ming then comforted his son. He sat down dejectedly next to Chen Yun, occasionally poking Gao Nian'an's armpit with his finger.
This amused Gao Nian'an so much that he wanted to burst out laughing, but he quickly covered his mouth and nuzzled Gao Ming's chest with his head.
The father and daughter engaged in a silent scuffle.
Neither of them noticed that the man in the aisle had been staring at them the whole time.
The wife was bending down to straighten the child's collar, the little boy's chubby legs were swinging on his mother's lap, and the father and daughter were wrestling together with big smiles on their faces.
The man looked up at his wife, who was still on the upper bunk, then suddenly closed his book, stood up, walked to the aisle, and lit a cigarette.
Although there was no rule against smoking in the carriage, the man instinctively avoided the children.
Did you tell Uncle Gao when we'll arrive?
After tidying up, Li Huguo finally had a chance to sit down and hurriedly asked Gao Ming.
"I told you," Gao Ming smiled, pulling Gao Nianping into his arms while Chen Yun continued braiding his daughter's hair. "My brother and my dad are here to pick us up."
"So, you're going back to stay with your parents temporarily?"
Gao Ming nodded: "There are plenty of empty rooms in the house. My parents would love for us to take the kids back to live there."
Li Huguo glanced at Chen Yun, seemingly wanting to say something but then hesitated. He figured he'd have to face it sooner or later anyway, so he simply said, "Gao Lan won't gossip?"
“Her?” Gao Ming chuckled, his expression a half-smile, even tinged with disdain: “Let’s see if she dares to say another word.”
Chen Yun listened intently to their conversation.
Previously, Chen Yun hadn't paid much attention to her husband's younger sister because she didn't have to interact with her. However, since they would be living under the same roof for a while, it would be better to understand her husband's family's personalities beforehand.
“That’s true. Gao Lan has been afraid of you since she was a child.” Li Huguo laughed when he thought about it: “I still remember when we went back to Beicheng the year before last, Gao Lan was like a mouse seeing a cat when she saw you, afraid that you would come home to stay.”
Gao Ming glanced at Chen Yun and saw her eyes shining as she listened attentively. He had initially intended to laugh it off, but then changed the subject and started talking about his family situation.
"Zhou Jianguo was laid off after the materials allocation department was abolished, and he hasn't been able to find a job for several years..."
Zhou Jianmin and Gao Lan are two completely opposite types of people.
Zhou Jianguo is stingy; once money is in his hands, it never goes out. Gao Lan, on the other hand, is used to spending money lavishly; her salary is always gone as soon as she gets it.
The reason the two have been able to live peacefully together for so many years is because they share a common understanding.
Whether she spends her own money or saves it, she can rely on her parents for living expenses anyway. As long as Gao Lan doesn't ask Zhou Jianguo for money, it's fine.
The couple had been married for nine years without having children. In the first few years, they didn't want to have children, but in the last two years, they heard that they had been seeking medical help everywhere but still couldn't conceive.
Because of the child, Gao Lan's demeanor became somewhat subdued in front of Zhou Jianguo, and she had to coax him in a humble and submissive manner at all times.
The eldest brother, Gao Fei, had his dormitory taken back by his former employer due to a job transfer, so he had to move back to his parents' house with his wife and children.
My sister-in-law, Qiu Zhifang, is a hardworking person; she does most of the housework.
Zhou Jianguo and Gao Lan even took it for granted.
“When I went home the year before last, I gave Gao Lan and her husband a good beating, and that finally calmed them down a bit.”
The couple has two children: their eldest nephew, Gao Liang, is in junior high school, and their younger son, Gao Yi, is one year older than Gao Nian'an.
"Can so many people live in this house?!"
There are seven or eight people just by counting, plus their family of six, so there are more than a dozen people crammed into the house. If the house were any smaller, you would have to step on each other's heels to walk around.
Moreover, Chen Yun had another concern: letting her parents live at her in-laws' house... she wondered if they would gossip about it.
"Sister-in-law, you can rest assured about the house." Li Huguo waved to Chen Yun and said with a smile, "Gao Ming's house is an ancestral courtyard house, which can accommodate ten more people."
Gao Ming quickly reassured his wife, "We'll let Mom and Dad live in the second courtyard. They can come and go through the back door and even cook for themselves."
Beicheng City... A two-courtyard siheyuan!
Chen Yun couldn't help but turn her head to examine her husband closely. Perhaps it was the influence of the courtyard house, but Gao Ming seemed to be radiating light...
In the past, a courtyard house could easily cost hundreds of millions, but now, in many people's eyes, it's not even as good as an apartment building.
For example, in Ruan Qiu's eyes...
“The courtyard house is not comfortable to live in at all.” Ruanqiu spread her hands and could easily list ten or eight disadvantages: “The toilet is in the alley. In the morning, every household has to take their spittoons out to empty them. After seeing that, you can’t eat breakfast.”
Li Huguo rubbed the tip of his nose somewhat awkwardly.
Because his house was right next to Gao Ming's, although it wasn't as big as Gao's house, the practice of emptying the spittoon had been going on since he could remember.
"Moreover, such a large courtyard is not only home to one family, but you can hear what they are saying inside their own houses as you pass by."
The soundproofing in the courtyard was even worse than in the tenement building. Sometimes, you could see what your neighbor was eating for dinner while sitting in your own room.
“There are other people living here!” A clear look of disappointment crossed Chen Yun’s face.
"In the early years of land reform, the land with the outbuildings that didn't have clear property deeds was redistributed to other people..."
After the redistribution, the Gao family was left with four main rooms, one side room, and four two-section wing rooms.
Even so, the number of houses owned by the Gao family is still enviable. A few years ago, the second wing room was rented to a radio factory as employee housing. After Gao Ming returned to Beicheng to start a company, he gradually took it back.
"We'll stay here temporarily for a while, and then move in once we buy the new house."
Gao Ming thought Chen Yun didn't want to live with so many people, and repeatedly assured him that it was just a temporary arrangement.
Little did they know that Chen Yun was lamenting the passing of her dream of becoming a billionaire.
But the regret only lasted a few seconds before he quickly became concerned about other issues: "Will Nian'an go to my workplace or find a new school?"
The house belongs to Gao Ming's parents. Even if it can be sold for 100 million, Chen Yun and her husband will not become billionaires.
“Let’s find another one.” Gao Ming had already decided at home: “I want to send Nian’an to No. 5 Middle School, and if she doesn’t get in, I can transfer her to the school where you work.”
Studying in a big city is not like studying in a factory where you can just pay tuition.
Either the school places are allocated by the parents' workplace, or they pay a transfer fee to attend the school they want.
Of course... there are also those who excel at neither.
For example, at Beicheng No. 5 Primary School, even if the mayor's grandson failed the exam, he could only cry at the gate if he wanted to get into that school.
Graduates of No. 5 Middle School are guaranteed admission to No. 5 Junior High School and No. 5 Senior High School, and 95% of them go on to university.
How many parents wouldn't be tempted by such a high college entrance rate?
However, it wasn't appropriate to discuss this in detail on the train, so after mentioning it briefly, Gao Ming continued talking about his family situation.
There are only a few people in the Gao family... but there are also Gao Ming's grandparents and maternal grandparents' relatives.
Chen Yun listened to Gao Ming's long explanation and only remembered that his uncle didn't look like a good person, but the two had been close since childhood, and the uncle and nephew, who were five years apart in age, had gotten into a lot of trouble.
"We should just get along well with our uncle's family. As for the others, we can get along with them if we feel we can, and we can ignore them if we can't."
Chen Yun nodded repeatedly.
The young man who had gone to the aisle to smoke also slowly walked back with the swaying of the carriage.
After sitting down, he looked up at Chen Yun's family and saw Gao Nianping looking at him curiously. He smiled silently with the corners of his lips up.
"Comrade, we owe you a lot just now, otherwise our little rascal would have been seriously injured." Gao Ming smiled and thanked him again when he saw him return: "My surname is Gao, this is my daughter."
"Hurry up and thank your uncle." Chen Yun quickly patted his daughter's bottom.
Gao Nian'an blinked without moving, a little shy in front of strangers. She stole a glance at the young man and whispered, "Thank you, Uncle." Then she snuggled into Gao Ming's arms.
"No need to thank me." The young man smiled, his gaze sweeping over Gao Nian'an with affection before turning to Gao Ming: "My surname is Hu. My wife and I returned to Beicheng after visiting relatives in Kun'an."
"Is Comrade Hu from Beicheng?" Gao Ming asked.
"We're originally from Kun'an, but we moved our household registration to Beicheng because of a job transfer, so we're... half-Beicheng people?"
Chen Yun looked up at the woman sleeping motionless on the upper bunk, but couldn't see her face because she was facing the wall.
Gao Ming quickly started chatting with the man surnamed Hu. When they talked about their shared military background, Li Huguo joined in.
The three chatted enthusiastically and even agreed to share a couple of drinks that evening.
Chen Yun gave up her seat outside to the others and whispered to Ruan Qiu about the things they were concerned about.
“Li Huguo said that wherever Gao Ming buys a house, my family will buy one there too, so our houses have to be next to each other.”
"Aren't you planning to stay at home?" Chen Yun asked.
The Li family was small, with only two sons, Li Huguo being the youngest son who was the most favored by his parents.
“It’s fine for a short stay, but if it’s a long-term stay, Sister-in-law Li Huguo will be sarcastic and mean every day.” Ruanqiu pouted and handed a biscuit to Li Shuaishuai, who was drooling, and continued, “I would rather stay in the dormitory than be mistreated every day.”
Li Huguo's sister-in-law is the only daughter. She can't stand the slightest grievance since she was a child. If anyone says anything that doesn't suit her, her face will immediately turn as long as a donkey's.
Before getting married, Ruanqiu had already experienced her sister-in-law's selfishness and had no desire to have much interaction with her.
"You...aren't you going to work anymore?"
Chen Yun broke off all pretense and resigned. The new hospital director really pressed Chen Yun's connections and refused to let go, even reporting the matter to the Provincial Medical Bureau, hoping to get a disciplinary action against Chen Yun in her personnel file.
However, Hu Xiangming had already made arrangements with the provincial medical bureau, and when the report was submitted, the new hospital director was criticized instead.
Chen Yun successfully transferred her personnel file to the Beicheng Workers' Hospital. After resting in Beicheng for a month, she had to go back to work at the hospital.
However, Ruanqiu resigned without transferring her personnel file, and her current relationship is still with Hongri Machinery Factory.
"I don't plan to work as an accountant anymore." Ruanqiu smiled and continued, "Gao Ming asked me to go back to my old job at the transportation company, but I refused."
"You want to start a business?"
Ruanqiu nodded and patted her son's head again: "Since Shuai Shuai came into my life, it's like I've been reborn, and I've become more open-minded about many things."
People change, and Ruanqiu's state of mind underwent a dramatic change after giving birth to Li Shuaishuai.
Taking good care of Li Shuaishuai and running a small business are her current life plans.
"Well--"
The woman on the upper bunk would suddenly let out a groan that sounded like she was in great pain, and then she would turn over.
A delicate face lifted from under the covers, and then she sat up.
“My wife works at the hospital, just like Comrade Gao’s wife.”
The men had already exchanged names and jobs during their conversation.
Hu Siyuan is 31 years old and works at the tax bureau.
His wife, Ren Qin, is a nurse, specifically an obstetrics and gynecology nurse.
Upon hearing the other person's profession, Chen Yun and Ren Qin couldn't help but look at each other.
Chen Yun felt that Ren Qin's baby face made her look young, but the other party envied her for having a happy family with children.
"Hello," Chen Yun greeted him first.
Ren Qin smiled and greeted Chen Yun after getting off the upper bunk.
Ren Qin is very beautiful. Her long, wavy hair accentuates her beautiful features. With her willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes, she looks like a modern woman in a magazine.
"Your daughter looks just like you; she'll definitely grow up to be a beautiful girl." Ren Qin seemed to really like the lively Gao Nian'an, her eyes never leaving his bouncing figure. "Your two boys are also so adorable; you've raised them so well."
"A kid who grew up in a factory, he's tough." Chen Yun smiled modestly.
“It’s good to be tough…” Ren Qin sighed, her smile turning bitter after saying that: “Children need to be healthy.”
Hu Siyuan was taken aback, and a bitter smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.
"I just heard you say you were going back to pick up the kids, but I haven't seen them..."
Gao Ming quickly tugged at Li Huguo's arm and desperately tried to signal to his friend with his eyes... but by the time he realized what he was saying, he had already finished speaking.
Li Huguo awkwardly wiped his mouth.
Judging from the couple's expressions, they most likely couldn't take the child with them; something bad must have happened in Kun'an.
Unfortunately, the truth was far more distressing than Gao Ming had imagined.
“My son passed away last month!” Hu Siyuan said, her voice barely rising and falling, but her eyes welled up with tears as soon as she finished speaking: “My child had a fever and his parents didn’t take him to the hospital. By the time we got back, he had already had a seizure and couldn’t be saved.”
The couple happily went back to pick up their child and bring them to the city for a family reunion, but unexpectedly witnessed their child's death.
After arranging their child's funeral, the couple boarded a train back to Beicheng overnight, fearing that staying any longer would cause them to blame the elderly couple.
"Life is unpredictable." Ren Qin sighed, then her expression softened. "People always have to look forward. If you keep dwelling on the past, you won't be able to live a good life."
“You’re both still young, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to have children in the future.” Ruanqiu understood Ren Qin’s feelings very well. She patted Li Shuaishuai’s belly and laughed, “Back then, my husband and I almost got divorced because of wanting a child…”
"If I plan to have another child, I will definitely ask Dr. Chen to help me regulate my body." Ren Qin forced a smile.
Although I am currently still grieving and have no plans to have another child, I might have the idea in a few years.
Ren Qin readily agreed and took the opportunity to ask Chen Yun which company she worked for.
Then she learned some shocking news.
"Are you Dr. Chen, the head of the neonatal department?"
Ren Qin works at the Workers' Hospital, and the new department director that has been making headlines recently is none other than this young mother in front of her.
From any perspective, he doesn't seem like the doctor the dean described as having superb medical skills and advanced medical concepts.
At least in Ren Qin's mind, the head of the neonatal department should be a middle-aged woman in her forties who is devoted to her work.
Chen Yun... is too young!
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