Chapter 465 Return to Beijing
After a whole morning of bumpy ride, Lin Siqiao finally arrived at Yangcheng Railway Station at around two o'clock in the afternoon. As soon as she got off the train, she hurriedly pulled her suitcase and ran towards the ticket window.
Just now on the train, she heard it from an uncle sitting next to her.
He said that train tickets to Beijing are in short supply recently, and the document check is also very strict. He didn't know the specific situation.
He told Lin Siqiao to be mentally prepared and not to expect to buy a ticket today. Anyway, it would be whatever day she could buy one, as long as she could go back.
Lin Siqiao was wondering if it was too exaggerated, but when she ran to the ticket hall panting, she was shocked by the scene in front of her.
By the way, it’s not even the Spring Festival yet, so why are there so many people queuing up to buy tickets in the ticket hall?
At this moment, Lin Siqiao didn't have time to think too much and quickly joined the crowd buying tickets.
After more than two hours of waiting, it was finally her turn.
But when the ticket seller learned that she wanted to buy a soft sleeper ticket to Beijing, he simply waved his hand.
"Comrade, there are no soft sleeper tickets left. The hard sleeper and hard seat tickets are all sold out. Now there are only a few standing tickets left. Do you want any?"
After hearing this, Lin Siqiao refused without a second thought. It would take nearly 38 hours to get from Yangcheng to Beijing at least. If she had to stand all the way back to Beijing, would she still need her legs?
At this time, Lin Siqiao was no longer picky. She asked the ticket seller to help her look at the tickets for the next few days.
If there is no soft sleeper, a hard sleeper will do.
The ticket seller still shook his head, "No more, the tickets to Beijing City in the next 10 days are almost sold out."
As she spoke, she leaned out most of her body and shouted at the crowd of passengers behind her.
"Don't queue up if you're going to Beijing City. All the tickets for the last few days are sold out. Now there's only standing room available."
"Ah—all the tickets are sold out?"
Seeing everyone's reaction, Lin Siqiao knew it was all over. There were quite a few people going to Beijing.
At this time, a man who looked like a leader behind the ticket seller said after looking through Lin Siqiao's passport and the certificate issued by the embassy.
"Comrade, if you are really in a hurry, you can go to the airport and ask. Maybe they still have tickets."
In fact, Lin Siqiao originally planned to buy a plane ticket back.
However, the requirements for purchasing air tickets in China are much higher than those for soft sleeper berths. One needs a letter of introduction and a certificate of public office, and Lin Siqiao does not have either of these.
In her hand, apart from a passport, all she had was a statement of circumstances issued by the embassy.
So she chose to take the train as a second choice.
I never thought that soft sleeper train tickets could be sold out. This is simply unheard of.
At this point, Lin Siqiao could only go to the airport to inquire about the situation.
By the time Lin Siqiao arrived at Baiyun Airport after rushing, it was already past six in the evening, but she was lucky enough to buy a ticket for the last flight.
The 1976 year was not found, but the 1975 and 1977 years were all 91 yuan. After getting the boarding pass, Lin Siqiao called the unit where Lu Jianchuan was. It takes more than four hours to fly from Guangzhou to Beijing, and it will be almost 12 o'clock in the morning when landing in Beijing.
If he didn't come to pick her up, Lin Siqiao would have to sleep in the space tonight.
After the phone beeped a few times, the operator's voice came.
Upon learning that Lin Siqiao was looking for Lu Jianchuan, the other party hesitated for a moment and then said.
"Our leader is not here. Please wait a moment. I will call his orderly for you. Please call back in 5 minutes."
Lin Siqiao was surprised, but didn't say anything.
A few minutes later, Lin Siqiao called again, and this time it was Lu Jianchuan's attendant Jiang Da who answered the phone.
As soon as the operator said that a female comrade was looking for their team leader, Jiang Da guessed that the person calling must be his sister-in-law.
Thinking about the instructions given by the regiment commander before he left, he hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law, the regiment commander has something important to do and can't leave. If you have anything to ask, you can leave it to me."
Lin Siqiao didn't ask too much. He just told Jiang Da his flight information and then hung up the phone.
A few hours later, the plane landed safely in Beijing.
In Beijing in June, the temperature had dropped to around minus 10 degrees Celsius. As soon as Lin Siqiao got out of the cabin, he felt a gust of cold wind blowing towards him like a knife.
She shivered uncontrollably several times.
The fellow passengers were not in much better condition, all of them tightened their necks.
As people from the south, what they think is cold and how cold they actually feel are two completely different things.
You know, people in Guangzhou are still wearing short sleeves.
But soon, everyone's faces became visibly excited, because they found that there was a thick layer of snow on the ground, which made a crunchy sound when they stepped on it.
It’s no wonder they are so excited. This thing is really rare to see in Guangzhou in a hundred years.
After a brief excitement, the group went to the airport lobby.
At this time, everyone realized that the atmosphere in the airport was a little strange. Lin Siqiao looked around and found that the number of patrol officers at the airport was more than twice as many as before.
At this time, the staff came over and under their guidance, everyone was taken to the door of the security check room.
For a moment, everyone looked at each other.
After a while, the staff called a few passengers in, and they all came out after about 10 minutes.
Seeing this, the people in line behind him hurriedly asked, "Brother, what's going on?"
The man being questioned waved his hand, "Don't mention it. It's like checking your household registration. You keep asking me why I came to Beijing? How many days do I plan to stay? Where do I plan to go?"
"By the way, they also warned me to avoid crowded places, especially the square."
The man's words caused a huge uproar, and all the passengers present looked at him with questioning expressions.
"Why don't you let us go?"
"If you come to Beijing City and don't go to the square, is it still called Beijing City?"
Everyone was talking at once, but the more Lin Siqiao listened, the weirder it felt.
She thought about it carefully and it seemed that nothing special happened in December this year.
While she was thinking, Lin Siqiao heard the staff calling her. After checking her ID and asking a few routine questions, the staff member let her go.
Jiang Da had been waiting outside the airport. When he saw Lin Siqiao coming out, he trotted over to her.
"Hello, sister-in-law!"
Jiang Da took her luggage with a smile and handed her the military coat he had prepared.
"Sister-in-law, this coat is given to our leader this year, and he hasn't worn it much yet."
"Thank you, Comrade Jiang. Sorry for bothering you today."
It was such a cold day, and I didn’t know how long this person had been waiting outside.
Jiang Da scratched his hair and smiled shyly, "Sister-in-law, you are too polite. This is what I should do."
As he said that, he opened the car door and said, "Sister-in-law, get in first."
Lin Siqiao nodded, and they both got into the car.
On the way back, Jiang Da first briefly explained the situation, and then said.
"Sister-in-law, the regiment commander specifically told me before he left. He said that if you come back, you will live in the military family compound for the time being."
Lin Siqiao nodded. Since Lu Jianchuan had made such arrangements, he must have his reasons. She just did as he said.
The road was slippery due to the snow, and Jiang Da intentionally controlled the speed of the car, so it was almost four in the morning when the two arrived at the military family compound.
Jiang Da sent the man to the gate of the courtyard and said in a low voice.
"Sister-in-law, the food is being warmed in the pot in the kitchen. It may be a little cold now. Remember to heat it up before eating."
"Then I won't bother you anymore. Go to bed early after you finish eating."
After saying that, Jiang Da said goodbye.
Lin Siqiao quickly stopped the person and took out two bags of snacks from the suitcase.
"This is a specialty I bought in Yangcheng. You've worked hard today. Take this back and try it."
"Sister-in-law, it's really not necessary." Jiang Da waved his hand. He was embarrassed to take such a good thing from his sister-in-law.
"Here."
Lin Siqiao did not give Jiang Da a chance to refuse. After stuffing the things into his hand, he carried the suitcase into the courtyard.
After a busy day, Lin Siqiao had no appetite. After a simple wash, he lay down in bed.
Perhaps she was too tired, and she fell asleep within two minutes.
The next morning, Lin Siqiao was awakened by a heart-wrenching cry and noisy sounds.
When she got dressed and opened the door, she found that many of her sisters-in-law were slumped on the ground and there was crying in the family compound.
Lin Siqiao's heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition instantly came to his mind.
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