The train started moving slowly, and Huang Huimin ran forward outside the window.
"Godmother, take care!" Zhou Jiao shouted.
Zhou Jiao didn’t know if the other party heard her, but the only thing she could say was “take care” to express her feelings.
Zhang Guoqing handed the child to her and put down the middle bunks on both sides. The space was wide enough for them to sit down, and it was also convenient for them to lie down and rest.
The ordinary sleeper berths were extremely narrow, and in the right carriage there were shirtless men walking back and forth, chatting loudly with people.
On this return trip, Zhang Guoqing and his wife hadn't intended to use their privileged soft sleeper, but they still received special treatment. Looking at the empty middle berth, it's easy to tell that conductor Liu Ming is quite the friend.
Zhang Guoqing knew that this was inseparable from his long-standing relationship with the other party, and even more so from his good father-in-law. To the left was the duty lounge, who could afford such a good seat.
There are many things you can't avoid owing favors to. Take Zhao Chuangguang's family, for example. Every time they went to the county town, Zhang Guoqing would probably snatch anything they brought from his two adopted brothers.
For example, Zhao Dashan always gave suggestions on work and interpersonal relationships, which allowed him to enter D early and hand in a perfect resume.
The debt of favor is the hardest to repay, and I don’t know if I will have the chance to repay it in the future.
"Brother, don't be dazed, lie down and take a rest."
Zhang Guoqing smiled and shook his head. "I'm not tired. Son, just lie down obediently."
"Dad, big chimneys and lots of stoves."
Zhang Guoqing followed his son's finger and looked out the window. The barren mountains and wilderness were no longer empty. Earthen stoves of various sizes and heights stood quietly everywhere.
He thought of the tombs... smiled and shook his head.
Zhou Jiao picked up her child and looked out the window. In just one year, the scenery outside had changed. She wondered what it would be like next time she came back.
She occasionally responded to the child, listening to the father and son's conversation. As the train moved on, she began to miss her family in Northeast China. Were her parents-in-law used to living alone? Had her younger brother found the envelope under his pillow?
Liu Ming finished his work and came over just in time to hear Ping An singing a nursery rhyme. "Xiao Wu, your son is great. Little Ping An, do you want your uncle to take you for a walk?"
Ping An smiled and shook his head, "I'm with my mom. I'm a good boy."
Liu Ming laughed out loud at his amusement.
"Are you done with your work? Come sit down and let's talk. Are you coming back with the car as usual?"
Liu Ming shook his head. "I'll just stand there for a moment. Someone else will come over and shout something. My job is to follow this car. If it runs, I run too."
"Try to make the car follow you. Isn't that how Uncle Zhang came here..."
Zhou Jiao listened to the two people chatting and her thoughts began to drift away.
"What are you thinking about?" Zhang Guoqing asked curiously after seeing Liu Ming off. He had just noticed that Zhou Jiao looked confused, which was unusual for her. What else was there worth pondering?
Zhou Jiao smiled and said, "How come the days go by so quickly? It seems like just yesterday we were discussing whether or not to go to school, and in the blink of an eye it happened."
"Well, Ping'an was so small then, but now he's this big." After saying that, the two of them smiled at each other.
A voice came over the loudspeaker: "Attention passengers! Meals are about to be served on this train. Passengers wishing to purchase something please prepare small change."
"Dad, dinner is ready." Ping'an looked up for the loudspeaker, and did not forget to remind Zhang Guoqing, looking around with curious eyes.
Seeing this, Zhang Guoqing carried him out and pointed in the direction of the voice. "If you're hungry, let mommy feed you something first. A cart will be brought over soon and we'll have dinner right away."
"Little boy, let your father take you to the restaurant. There are delicious dishes there." At this time, a middle-aged man in front said with a smile as he looked at Ping An who was approaching.
"Hello, Grandpa."
The other party looked at Ping An in surprise, "How polite!"
Zhang Guoqing thought about it for a while and realized that he really didn't know the other person. He smiled and said, "Uncle, are you on a business trip?"
"Yeah. We'll get off at the same terminal as you."
Zhang Guoqing nodded and greeted the remaining people. If he guessed correctly, these people must know him. He was probably from a certain unit in the provincial capital.
"Would you like to sit down and have a drink?"
"Haha... I have kids to take care of, so I won't disturb you guys." Zhang Guoqing quickly declined. He finished the small amount of wine in one gulp, and several people took turns taking sips, still reluctant to finish it. He really wasn't interested.
"Alas... I'm sorry to treat you if I don't have any wine. Usually the station has sorghum liquor vendors and plenty of food. This time, there wasn't a soul in sight."
Someone nearby joked, "Don't worry, you can invite all of us to the restaurant. We'll have wine."
"A fillet of fried fish costs 1.3 yuan, and it's full of expensive vegetables. People like us can't afford it."
Seeing that they were chatting enthusiastically, Zhang Guoqing smiled and left with his son in his arms.
After a while, he was surprised to find that this time, instead of buying a ticket first and then receiving the meal as before, they were just pushing a cart and selling the food. It seemed that the system had been changed.
“Each person can only buy one.”
The staff's voice discouraged the passengers who were eager to move.
I finally made up my mind and planned to buy a few more to bring home for my family to try. Now my hopes are dashed and I can’t say I’m not disappointed.
Looking at the piles of aluminum lunch boxes, the aroma wafting in, no passenger in the sleeper car was reluctant to spend their 30 cents. Without food coupons, the only place to buy food was on the train. No one is stupid. If you were given money these days, how could you buy it outside of expensive restaurants?
Zhou Jiao paid for three boxed lunches and pushed two boxes of covered rice to Zhang Guoqing, signaling him to eat them all. She then sat inside holding her son and fed him.
Zhou Jiao was very satisfied with the covered rice. Two-thirds of the aluminum box was rice, with seven or eight pieces of meat sandwiched between cabbage. Thirty cents for such a dish was truly inexpensive.
Zhang Guoqing whispered, "Actually, there's a loophole in this restriction. Some people must be reluctant to spend money on hard-seat carriages, but it's just that the weather is so bad that the goods are likely to go bad. Otherwise, they could just ask someone to buy them for them."
Zhou Jiao chuckled and glanced at him, "Idiot!"
"I'm not wrong..." Zhang Guoqing looked at her in confusion and rolled his eyes.
"A sheep enters the tiger's mouth. Before anyone can pick it up, it will probably end up in someone else's stomach. You can ask someone to buy anything for you, but rice is like throwing meat buns at a dog."
Ping An quickly responded, "If you throw a meat bun at a dog, it will go away and never come back."
Zhou Jiao burst out laughing, glanced at Zhang Guoqing, and asked Ping An, "You've summarized it well. What's the next line after the dog catching the rat?"
"have a finger in the pie."
Zhang Guoqing quickly covered his mouth, swallowed the food in his mouth, and rolled his eyes at Zhou Jiao. He didn't check it out for a moment, and was despised by this girl again.
After the conductor took away the aluminum lunch box, Zhang Guoqing made a cup of milk powder and picked up his child. He also had to have a good talk with the child about what constituted bad words, so that he wouldn't be led astray by his wife.
In the past, the couple found bus rides boring, but now with their child by their side, the journey has become more enjoyable and they no longer feel the journey is long or like years.
Volume 4: Life in the Capital
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