Chapter 56: I got blackmailed today, spit it out later
Whether it was 1922 or 1981, the train station before the Spring Festival was a battlefield that people returning home hated but had to face.
Especially in 1981, although there were fewer migrant populations, there were fewer trains.
Without self-driving, there is a shortage of supplementary means of transportation such as road and air transportation, and all passenger flow pressure is squeezed onto rail transportation.
Li Ye stood on the high platform outside the provincial capital's railway station, looking at the endless dense crowds of heads below him, feeling like he was about to develop claustrophobia.
This is the provincial capital of Dongshan Province. If it were a railway hub city like the provincial capital of Huonan, it would be even more terrible.
Because at that time many domestic trains could not go directly and had to transfer in such hub cities.
In his previous life, Li Ye heard from his father's military friend that seven or eight young men went home to visit their relatives and passed by the provincial capital of Huonan, but they couldn't squeeze into the window for the transfer stamp.
In desperation, he had to throw a comrade into the air across the railing and step on his head to get to the window.
But even looking at this "not too crowded" scene in front of him, Li Ye also deeply doubted whether an elegant single woman like Teacher Ke could cope with this harsh environment of "standing with both feet off the ground without falling down".
However, Li Dayong and Jin Peng beside Li Ye did not feel "trypophobia" at all. Instead, they were a little excited.
Jin Peng said: "Xiao Ye, do you know? You can take a train from here to Yangcheng in two days and two nights. There are golden kelas everywhere there. You can make a fortune by just filling them up in a sack."
Li Dayong looked at the tall roof of the train station and said yearningly: "I wonder if we can take a train from here next year and go to college far away."
People born in the late 1980s had very few opportunities to leave their hometowns, and many of them were trapped in a county with a radius of dozens of miles for decades. (Many of my female relatives in my hometown were like this.)
Therefore, good men who have ambitions are full of desire for the distance and full of expectations for the unknown.
Li Ye took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Next year! Next year, you can discuss with Hao Jian and see who will go to Yangcheng to see the situation."
Jin Peng's eyes suddenly lit up and he looked at Li Ye: "Really?"
Li Ye nodded: "Really? Let's go explore the way first. It doesn't matter whether we can make money or not. We can see the world and broaden our horizons."
Jin Peng nodded: "Okay."
He has always been very smart and doesn't say much. As long as you understand, that's enough.
Li Dayong's eyes lit up, and he said, "It's not safe for Brother Peng to venture out on his own. Can I ask for leave and go with you?"
Li Ye said without thinking: "Just stay at home."
Li Dayong was stunned for a moment, then quietly moved closer to Li Ye, pulled his sleeve, his burning eyes full of flattery.
Every boy has a dream of making his way in the world. Now when we tell them how many bandits and robbers there are on the road, they don’t think it’s dangerous at all. Instead, they find it very exciting.
Li Ye said coldly: "If you don't want to repeat the year by yourself next year, don't go anywhere and study hard for me."
“.”
“Puff~”
Jin Peng laughed directly, but he did not comfort this junior brother. Instead, he said, "Dayong, do you think we are still short of people now?"
"Ergou, Sanshui, you've been pestering me to work with you all day long. I don't know how many times you've begged me. You're a student, but you don't study hard and you're trying to steal our food?"
Li Dayong moved aside and squatted angrily. He felt that Jin Peng, his senior brother, was not kind enough and did not help his brother at the critical moment.
Jin Peng smiled and ignored him. Suddenly he looked into the distance and whispered, "Here they come."
Then, Li Ye saw the man with the side-parted hair that made him want to bite his teeth, and the bald man who was taciturn but as sharp as a knife.
Li Ye could never have imagined that he would see such an amazing person who could bend and stretch so easily today.
The man with the side-parted hair named Ma Rui was bullying and full of banditry one moment, but became smooth and tactful the next moment.
Not only did he not "fight" with Li Ye and others, but he also became friends with Jin Peng.
The business was naturally successful. The price of food coupons was 65 cents per pound, which was actually more expensive than the normal market price.
Li Ye immediately believed his lies. His eloquence and tongue were even better than those of crosstalk performers. Jin Peng, Li Ye and Li Dayong combined were not as good as him.
Li Dayong looked down on this kind of person who bullies the weak and fears the strong, but Li Ye didn't care and asked him to help get some high-end cigarettes and alcohol, and also a sleeper ticket to Beijing.
This guy patted his chest and made promises. He had relatives in local product companies and railway departments. As long as he had money, there was nothing he couldn't do.
Li Ye gave him a deposit of fifty yuan and agreed to meet at the station in two hours.
Now it seems that at least this guy was not short-sighted enough to swallow Li Ye's fifty dollars.
"Brothers, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. It's a holiday and it's hard to find people. I finally gathered together what you wanted.
The second aunt on the railway is off duty today, so she can only buy three platform tickets for you."
Ma Rui opened two bulging briefcases, which contained four packs of cigarettes, more than a dozen bottles of wine, and some snacks.
The cigarettes were the filter-tipped Peony, known as the "Little China". The wine was pretty good, six bottles of Moutai, and the rest were "Xifeng".
Li Ye was barely satisfied with the things, but he was very disappointed that he failed to buy a sleeper ticket.
But they were completely in the dark in the provincial capital, and if they bought tickets at the station, they would have to wait in line for a long time, even for platform tickets.
"Okay! You calculate the total amount."
"Okay, brother, you only need a carton of Peony cigarettes, 8.50 a carton. I don't have any tickets for Maotai, 15 a bottle."
Li Ye: “.”
If the station wasn't crowded with people, Li Ye would really show his grandson how to split bricks with his bare hands.
A box of Peony cigarettes costs a little over 50 cents, and he raised the price by 60% for himself. If you have tickets, Moutai costs 8 yuan a bottle, which is almost double the price.
Ma Rui was very perceptive. Seeing that Li Ye was unhappy, he immediately said, "Brother, don't think it's too expensive. I told the owner that if I can't sell it, I can just send it back on the same day."
Li Ye glanced at him, counted the money and paid the bill without saying a word.
All the traders these days are like this. If they are not cruel enough, how can they become rich?
After the payment and goods were settled, Li Ye and Li Dayong packed their things and went to the entrance to wait for Teacher Ke.
Jin Peng held onto Ma Rui's arm and chatted with him for a long time, laughing.
After Ma Rui left, Jin Peng came back and said to Li Ye: "Don't worry, I will make him spit out whatever he has earned from us."
Li Ye: "When you go out to seek wealth, don't get bloodstained unless you have no other choice."
Jin Peng laughed and said, "How could that be possible! That Ma Rui is interested in our hemp candy business and has fallen into our trap. Why doesn't he let us lead him?"
Well! When it comes to traveling around the world, Li Ye admits that he is not as good as Jin Peng.
. . . . .
Teacher Ke got off the bus from Qingshui County to the provincial capital, jogged all the way to the train station, and then secretly groaned.
A few days ago, she walked in the middle of the night, and when she came to queue up to buy tickets early in the morning, the provincial capital railway station was not so crowded!
As the Spring Festival approaches, the train station becomes more congested with each passing day, and there is nothing that can be done about it.
"Please make way, please make way, my train is about to arrive, the 10:30 train."
Teacher Ke no longer cared about her manners. She kept shouting and pushing forward, not caring whether there was an old man or a child in front of her.
But Teacher Ke was holding a small bag in his arms, a big bag on his shoulder, and a bundle on his back. He was as bloated as a little bear. How could he squeeze in the huge crowd?
"Please make way. My train is at 10:30."
Teacher Ke was so anxious that his voice became hoarse.
The earliest bus from Qingshui County leaves at 8 o'clock. If I walk fast or slowly, it will be almost 10 o'clock when I reach the provincial capital. How will the remaining half an hour be enough?
"Don't shout, big sister. I've been trying to squeeze in for a long time but I can't get in. There's no use shouting at the top of your lungs. Maybe if you throw away your things you can squeeze in," a skinny man nearby stared at Teacher Ke.
Teacher Ke glanced at him and held the small bag in her arms tighter.
Inside was the manuscript of "Deserter in the War" and a letter of introduction for traveling. These two things were her life!
As for the spare clothes in the shoulder bag and the twenty big steamed buns in the bundle, they were useless at the moment, and it was not clear whether to throw them away or not.
It would be fine to change clothes, but I don’t have many food coupons on me. What will I eat when I arrive in the capital?
Although so many years of hardship have made Mr. Ke "wild", he can survive by eating grass, but he will definitely not survive without food.
But if I miss the train and can't reach the capital, what will happen to my husband? What will happen to my son?
Thinking back on the countless times he had felt helpless over the years, Teacher Ke's eyes became blurry and he couldn't see clearly.
No matter how tough or strong you are, what can you do?
What can be changed?
"Teacher Ke, Teacher Ke, Teacher Ke"
Suddenly, loud calls came closer and closer.
Teacher Ke wiped his face and stood on tiptoe, then he saw Li Ye’s handsome face and Li Dayong’s bear-like body.
"I'm here. Here."
Teacher Ke sniffed and waved his thin arms vigorously, like a weed that was about to die of thirst in the drought, welcoming the drizzle that was about to fall.
(End of this chapter)
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