The train rattled along the road all day, from dawn till sunset, and finally arrived at its destination.
After the train entered the capital, its speed began to slow down.
Xiaojing and Tiantian, one big and one small, curiously peered out of the car window.
Sweetie kept making "Wow, wow" sounds, and would occasionally point to the tall buildings outside the car window and shout to Fang Qiao, "Auntie, Auntie, look! There are such tall buildings outside!"
Xiao Jing was reserved, pursing her lips and remaining silent, but her wide eyes sparkled with the same longing.
Fang Qiao helped with chores at home when she was little, and it wasn't until her younger brother, Fang Lu, was six years old and of school age that they were sent to school together. This caused her to start school two years late, and she didn't finish junior high school until she was 17.
As a result, she was sent to the countryside as an educated youth right after graduation that year, and five or six years passed in the blink of an eye, and she never came back.
Looking out the window now, the scenery outside is surprisingly unfamiliar.
The train slowly pulled into the station, and the train conductor's announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Dear passengers, the train is about to arrive at its final destination, Beijing Shuimen Station. Please take your belongings and wait for the train to come to a complete stop before queuing up and disembarking in an orderly manner..."
There are five train stations in Beijing, located in the east, south, west, north, and center of the city.
The train that Cheng Baidong bought was destined for Jingcheng Shuimen Station, located in the north of Beijing, and closest to his workplace.
About two minutes later, the train finally stopped, and the train conductor opened the carriage doors.
There weren't many passengers in the sleeper car, and the disembarkation was fairly orderly.
Once outside the train car and on the platform, Fang Qiao looked back at the hard-seat carriages and realized that people there weren't queuing; they were all crowding together and pushing their way out, creating a chaotic scene.
Cheng Baidong carried the luggage and walked ahead, Fang Qiao held An'an and walked shoulder to shoulder with him, while Xiao Jing nervously held Tian Tian's hand and followed behind the two of them step by step.
Following the flow of people, I exited the station.
Cheng Baidong looked around and immediately spotted Gao Ping, the driver who was coming to pick him up from across the street.
Gao Ping also saw Cheng Baidong, "Brother Cheng."
He smiled, opened his arms and waved at him, then crossed the street and walked over.
Cheng Baidong said, "Have you been waiting long?"
"Not long, not long. The train is on time, and I just arrived." Gao Ping took the suitcase from Cheng Baidong and greeted Fang Qiao with a smile, "Sister-in-law."
Fang Qiao recognized him: "It's you! You're the driver who took Bai Dong back to his hometown last year, right?"
Gao Ping replied with a smile, "She's my sister-in-law. You can just call me Xiao Gao. From now on, I'm officially Brother Cheng's driver and bodyguard."
"Okay, Xiao Gao."
After exchanging pleasantries, the group got into the car together.
All the luggage was stuffed into the trunk. Cheng Baidong held An'an in his arms and sat in the passenger seat. Fang Qiao and Xiao Jing sat in the back seat together. Fortunately, the Jeep's cabin was big enough that the two people and the child were not cramped at all in the back.
The jeep slowly started, left the train station, and headed west, passing the most famous Peking University along the way.
Fang Qiao had been here more than once in her previous life, but the area was already quite prosperous back then, unlike now, which is still a suburb surrounded by low bungalows and large tracts of farmland.
The jeep drove west for another ten minutes or so, eventually veering off course and entering a large compound guarded by guards at the foot of Heshan Mountain. It then made several turns within the compound before finally stopping outside a residential area where families lived together.
"Brother Cheng, sister-in-law, we've arrived. Let's get out of the car." Gao Ping helped carry the luggage home.
The house that Cheng Baidong was assigned was a small, separate courtyard with three rooms side by side, each two rooms deep.
The two rooms on the west side are bedrooms, the middle room is the dining room and living room, and the right side has a bedroom and a bathroom. The bathroom has running water, a sink, and a flush toilet!
There are also two side rooms on the left and right, namely the kitchen and the bathroom.
Although the two outbuildings were not large, they were very clean and beautiful. The walls of the bathroom were covered with white tiles, and the kitchen had a large stove. Although there were no pots on the stove, there was a kettle on the coal stove.
Gao Ping explained, "This courtyard was originally allocated to the head of the pharmaceutical group, but he was promoted to deputy factory director before the new year and has now moved to the two-story building at the back. The furniture inside is all left behind when he moved, and it's all complete. Brother Cheng and Sister-in-law, keep what you can use, and don't waste what you can't use. I'm sure someone will want it when you move it out."
Fang Qiao went inside and saw that the room had been cleaned in advance; it was spotless and without a speck of dust.
The furniture is probably high-quality new furniture made in recent years. It has been well-maintained and looks very new, with almost no signs of use. You can continue using it without replacing it.
Fang Qiao opened all the windows in the room to ventilate it, and then she and Xiao Jing put away their luggage and made the beds together.
There are three rooms. Fang Qiao and Cheng Bodong sleep in one room with An'an, Xiao Jing and Tian Tian sleep in another room, and the remaining shady room is used to store miscellaneous items.
After a long train journey and a period of settling in and unpacking, Cheng Baidong was exhausted. Since the house was empty the first day he moved in, he bought dinner from the cafeteria.
After dinner, I boiled water to soak my feet and wiped my body. That's how my first night in the capital came to be.
The next day, Fang Qiao slept until she naturally woke up.
When she opened her eyes, the sunlight outside the window had already pierced through the curtains and shone into the room, bright and dazzling. Fang Qiao estimated that it must have been at least nine o'clock.
An'an was no longer in the crib. Fang Qiao heard the sound of a rattle drum shaking outside.
She got out of bed and came out of her room. Xiao Jing was holding and comforting An An. When she saw Fang Qiao come out, she pursed her lips, mustered up her courage, and took the initiative to say, "Good morning, sister-in-law."
Fang Qiao smiled and said, "Good morning, Xiao Jing."
Xiao Jing blushed, but instead of shrinking back like an ostrich, she spoke up again: "There are meat buns on the table. My brother specially went to the cafeteria to buy them. Sister-in-law, don't forget to eat them after you wash up."
Her voice was a little soft and trembled slightly, but Fang Qiao knew that speaking so much at once was a great improvement and challenge for Xiao Jing.
She smiled and replied, "Okay, I understand, thanks for reminding me."
"No, you're welcome." After saying that, Xiaojing hugged An'an and shrank into her room.
Fang Qiao chuckled to herself.
I just praised her for her progress, and now I'm burying my head in the sand again.
But it's okay, there's plenty of time.
Anyway, I've already left my original environment, so I'll have plenty of time in the future.
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