Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 368 Departure to Xishan
After eating the egg custard and steamed buns brought by Ma Xiufang, He Yuanchao and Zhang Min packed up and followed the old couple Zhang Lide to the train station.

Ma Xiufang's mouth was almost always busy along the way. She would give He Yuanchao some instructions, and then give Zhang Lide some instructions.

The main purpose is to prevent Zhang Lide from losing his temper when he sees Zhang Zhao, so that the two of them can talk things out properly.

When they arrived at the train station, the four of them talked for a while at the door of the waiting hall. Seeing that it was getting late, Ma Xiufang urged Zhang Lide and He Yuanchao to enter the station.

After watching Ma Xiufang and Zhang Min leave in a jeep, Zhang Lide and He Yuanchao did not stop at the station entrance. They turned around and went into the waiting room carrying their bags.

He Yuanchao has taken trains three times since he traveled to this era. This time, because of his high rank and the sleeper ticket he bought, he did not have to wait for the train in the waiting hall and could go to the soft sleeper waiting room.

Except for the decoration, the soft sleeper waiting rooms of this era are not much different from those of later generations. They are all equally clean and tidy, and have separate security check channels, so you can enter the station and board the train in advance.

When the father and son entered the waiting room, there were already a dozen or so people sitting on the sofas in the room.

When they saw Zhang Lide and He Yuanchao come in, although everyone didn't know them, most of them still smiled and nodded at them.

The father and son also smiled and nodded to greet everyone, then found two empty sofas and sat down.

At this moment, those who can come here to wait for the bus are basically cadres at the county and regiment level or above. They are all people of status, so they hardly have any defensive mentality.

He Yuanchao sat down and put away his two bags when a middle-aged man in his forties sitting on the sofa next to him leaned over and whispered:
"Comrade, are you on a business trip with your boss?"

As he spoke, he took out a cigarette and handed it over.

He Yuanchao said a few polite words, but the middle-aged man did not take back the hand that was handing him the cigarette.

Seeing this, He Yuanchao no longer refused. He took the cigarette and took out a match. While lighting the cigarettes for the two men, he said, "Yes! Let's go out with the leader."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man first glanced at Zhang Lide, who was leaning against the sofa with his eyes closed. Seeing that there was no reaction on his face, he continued:
"I'm from the Textile Department. Which unit are you from?"

"From the Coal Ministry."

He Yuanchao answered without thinking.

"Are we going to Xishan?"

"Ah."

Although the middle-aged man was a very outgoing person, he also knew the rules. After knowing the destination of the father and son, he did not ask any more questions and instead started talking about the customs and culture of Xishan Province.

He Yuanchao smoked a cigarette while listening to the middle-aged man's story, responding a word or two from time to time. The two of them had a lively chat.

After finishing a cigarette, with twenty minutes left before the train left, a female staff member in railway uniform came in to inform everyone to check their tickets and board the train.

There were few people and they used a separate ticket checking channel. After a short while, everyone boarded the train under the guidance of railway staff.

He Yuanchao and Zhang Lide were not in the same carriage.

Zhang Lide was a hydrocarbon-level cadre and was riding in a high-end soft sleeper compartment that accommodated two people.

He Yuanchao was in an ordinary soft sleeper compartment with four people in one.

There are nine compartments in an ordinary soft sleeper car. He Yuanchao found the compartment he was going to quickly according to the number on his ticket.

Holding the bag, he pushed open the door and saw that the conditions were very good. Not only was the room large, but even some dead corners were clean. He Yuanchao walked into the room and closed the door. While no one was around, he quickly took the money out of the bag and put it in his coat pocket.

Even though he said it to Zhang Min in a relaxed manner, it is still safer to carry valuables with you when you go out.

He had just finished cleaning up when two more people came into the box one after another. The three of them nodded and greeted each other, then started to busy themselves.

At exactly 7:50, with a long whistle, the train slowly began to leave the platform.

It is approximately 500 kilometers from Kyoto to Yuantai City in Nishiyama Province. With the current train speed of 40 to 50 per hour, plus various unexpected situations, it is estimated that it will take more than ten hours to reach the destination.

The train began to slowly accelerate after leaving the city. He Yuanchao had nothing to do, so he sat by the window bored and watched the scenery outside the car slowly receding.

The other two people, one was reading a newspaper and the other was reading a book. No one spoke for a while and the box was very quiet.

About half an hour later, just when He Yuanchao was feeling a little sleepy from the swaying of the train, the door of the compartment was suddenly opened from the outside.

"Dad, why are you here?"

Looking at Zhang Lide standing at the door with a bag in his hand, He Yuanchao stood up and said with a smile.

"It's boring for me to be alone over there, so I came to talk to you."

As he spoke, Zhang Lide walked into the box and sat on He Yuanchao's bed.

With someone to talk to, time seemed to pass a lot faster and before I knew it, it was time for lunch.

The father and son had a drink in the dining car, then went back to their respective compartments to take a nap. At 9:50 in the evening, the train finally arrived in Yuantai City, Xishan Province.

After getting off the train and passing through the ticket gate, He Yuan looked around and said, "Dad, we can't get to my brother's place tonight. Why don't we find a guest house to stay for the night first?"

"No need. When I came here, I already informed the subordinate units of the Ministry of Coal. They will send someone to pick you up."

While he was speaking, Zhang Lide had already seen the person holding a sign waiting to pick him up at the exit.

The man who came to meet him was about fifty years old. When he saw Zhang Lide, he immediately came over with a smile and said, "Director Zhang, you are finally here. No matter what, you must stay here for two more days to guide our work."

Zhang Lide stretched out his hand and shook the man's hand.

"This time I'm here for a private matter. I'm really embarrassed to have you come here so late at night. How can I bother you any more?"

"Look at what you said..."

While the two were talking, a young man in his twenties walked up to He Yuanchao and said with a smile, "Leader, give me your bag!"

He Yuanchao smiled and said, "The package is not heavy, so I won't bother you, comrade."

The man who was talking to Zhang Lide heard this, turned his head and looked at He Yuanchao and said with a smile:
"Comrade, you are a guest from afar. How can we let you carry your own things when you come to our place? If this gets out, people will laugh at us Yuantai people for not knowing how to entertain guests."

"Forget it, Old Wang. We are all not strangers. There is no need to be so formal."

As he spoke, Zhang Lide said to He Yuanchao, "This is Director Wang from the Xishan Province Coal Survey Department. You can just call him Uncle Wang." (This is a fictitious unit, please forgive me.)
Then, Zhang Lide pointed at He Yuanchao and said to the man surnamed Wang: "This is my brother-in-law He Yuanchao. If I need you any help in the future, please take care of him."

(End of this chapter)