Siheyuan: The Era of Struggle

Chapter 411 Reversing
At 8:15 p.m., He Yuanchao boarded the train bound for Shijiazhuang ahead of schedule, led by staff in the sleeper waiting room.

There weren't many people in the sleeper car, and He Yuanchao found his berth without much trouble carrying his things.

After settling my things and tidying up my berth, a young female train attendant in her early twenties came to my side.

"Comrade, please show your work ID and ticket to exchange for a ticket."

According to the 1951 Railway Passenger Transport Regulations and related provisions, the railway implemented a "sleeper certificate" system during this period. Train attendants would collect paper tickets and issue sleeper certificates. Before getting off the train, passengers would exchange their sleeper certificates for tickets and register their information to prevent passengers from boarding without tickets or with the wrong tickets.

For individuals without a work unit, a certificate issued by the street office or commune is required.

Upon hearing this, He Yuanchao stood up, took out his work ID and a hard-copy train ticket from his pocket, and handed them over, casually asking, "Comrade, could you tell me when the train will arrive at Shijiazhuang?"

The train conductor took He Yuanchao's work permit to verify the information without even looking up.

"If there are no delays, we will arrive at the station at 6:50 tomorrow morning."

The train attendant was slightly shocked when she saw the age and rank on the ID, but she didn't take it too seriously. After all, they weren't in the same system, and no matter how high her rank was, it wouldn't be her responsibility.

unless……

The wild images in her mind awakened her budding romance, and the female train conductor, who had never been in a relationship before, blushed instantly.

After hurriedly registering the information, she handed her work ID and ticket voucher back to He Yuanchao, told him to "keep your valuables safe," and then quickly turned to walk towards another passenger.

He Yuanchao was also puzzled by the female train attendant's behavior. She had been so calm just a moment ago, but suddenly became so flustered. Did she need to pee?
Thinking of this, He Yuanchao suddenly felt an urge to urinate.

Upon reaching the connecting area between the carriages, I tried turning the toilet door twice but couldn't get it to open. Just as I was about to knock, a man smoking near the carriage door spoke up:

"Comrade, stop knocking. The toilet door won't open until the train leaves. I've been waiting here for ages."

Upon hearing the smoking man's comment, He Yuanchao remembered that there seemed to be such a rule on the train, and smiled awkwardly, saying:
"I was wondering why no one was saying anything despite all the commotion! Thank you, comrade."

After He Yuanchao finished speaking, he glanced at the time. He realized he hadn't been away from the car for long, so he decided not to go back and instead took out a cigarette and lit it.

The man smoking seemed to be a very outgoing person. Seeing He Yuanchao standing at the carriage door smoking and not showing any intention of going back, he took the initiative to go up and strike up a conversation:
"Comrade, judging from your accent, you're from Kyoto, right? Are you here on a business trip?"

Hearing the noise, He Yuanchao turned around and looked at the man smoking close to him, smiling vaguely and saying, "Yes! Comrade, you have a good eye."

After being praised by He Yuanchao, the smoking man showed a smug look on his face and said, "It's nothing. Ever since I started working, I've been traveling all over the country. I haven't learned anything else, but I've accumulated some experience in judging people."

The two stood at the carriage door, chatting idly. After finishing their cigarette, it was time for the train to depart.

The train attendant came over, closed the train door, glanced at He Yuanchao and the man smoking, said nothing, and stood at the door until the train left the station before opening the toilet door and leaving.

Watching the female train attendant's retreating figure, the man smoking leaned close to He Yuanchao and whispered, "Brother, do you know this female train attendant?"

He Yuanchao didn't know how the smoking man knew he knew the train conductor, so he shook his head and said, "I don't know him."

The man smoking smiled knowingly, a knowing look on his face, and said:
"Brother, don't hide it from me anymore. That female train attendant was practically drooling over you, and you still won't admit it. But, to be fair, she's quite pretty..."

He Yuanchao knew that this kind of thing couldn't be explained; the more he explained, the more people would imagine.

Before the smoking man could finish speaking, He Yuanchao turned around, opened the toilet door, and went inside.

Looking at the tightly closed toilet door, the smoking man remembered why he had come here. When he heard the 'whooshing' sound coming from inside, his urge to urinate surged. He quickly squeezed his legs together and shouted at the toilet door, "Brother, hurry up a bit. If you really can't, open the door and we'll both go together. I can't hold it in anymore."

In order to teach the smoking man a lesson for his gossipy nature, He Yuanchao deliberately lingered for a while before opening the door and coming out.

By now, the man smoking had a fine layer of sweat on his forehead. When he saw the toilet door open, he didn't care about anything else and rushed into the toilet while unbuckling his belt.

Upon seeing this, He Yuanchao couldn't help but smirk. Without waiting for the smoking man to come out, he turned around, walked into the carriage, and returned to his berth.

The journey took more than ten hours, and it was not even nine o'clock yet. He Yuanchao, who was eager to get home, suddenly felt that the time was getting longer. With nothing to pass the time, he simply took off his shoes and lay down on the bunk.

With my eyes closed, listening to the 'clattering' sound of the train moving along, I drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

Someone boarded the train in the middle of the night. When the train conductor came to exchange tickets, He Yuanchao woke up once. When he fell asleep and opened his eyes again, it was already getting light outside.

He Yuanchao glanced at the time; it was 5:15. There was still more than an hour before the train arrived. His wife wasn't around, and he didn't have a habit of staying in bed. He pulled back the blanket covering him and got out of bed.

After relieving myself in the restroom and washing my face, I felt refreshed and headed back.

He Yuanchao didn't make much noise when he got up, but he still woke up a man in his fifties who had boarded the train in the middle of the night and was staying in the bunk opposite him.

The man was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at his watch. Seeing He Yuanchao return, he glanced at his wrist and smiled politely, saying:

"Comrade, could you tell me what time it is? I forgot to wind my watch yesterday."

5:21.

He Yuanchao raised his hand again to look at his watch.

Upon hearing this, the man lowered his head and fiddled with his watch, while also talking.

"Comrade, do you know where we are?"

"This is my first time taking this train, and I slept all night, so I don't know where we are now, but we'll reach the final stop in a little over an hour."

The man thanked him, said nothing more, adjusted the time, put on his watch, and got up to walk towards the connecting area between the carriages.

More than an hour passed quickly, and with a long whistle, the train stopped at Shijiazhuang Railway Station.

He Yuanchao, holding the pre-exchanged train ticket and carrying a handbag, got off the train and strode towards the exit.

Because he still needed to transfer trains back to Kyoto, He Yuanchao went straight to the ticket hall as soon as he exited the station.

There were significantly more people at Shijiazhuang Railway Station than at the original Taishi Railway Station. He Yuanchao had to queue for half a day before it was his turn.

He bought a train ticket for 9:25 a.m. Seeing that he had enough time, He Yuanchao had breakfast near the station before strolling back to the waiting room of the train station.

The morning seemed to pass exceptionally quickly. He Yuanchao felt like he had only been chatting with people in the waiting room for a short while when he heard the station staff starting to call for ticket checks and boarding.

Having just spent eleven hours on the train, He Yuanchao, carrying large bags and bundles, boarded the train from Shijiazhuang to Kyoto once again.

After a long eight-hour journey without incident, He Yuanchao finally returned to Kyoto.

(End of this chapter)