Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 965 Baocheng Railway
This time, Wang Zhan really saw the Baoji-Chengdu Railway. He felt that it was a great project, crossing mountains and rivers. It was a very difficult project.

After passing Guangyuan, the number of people in the carriage was reduced by about half. Wang Zhan sensed his sister's depression and she could hardly sit still. Life in the carriage was boring, so Wang Zhan had no choice but to tell stories to his sister in different ways.

The train has stopped three times, and each time it stopped for a long time, at least two hours and at most half a day. Wang Li kept asking her brother what was going on and whether the train could not move.

Wang Zhan said there might be a malfunction. Wang Zhan kept comforting his sister, but Wang Zhan was also worried. There was not much food left in his treasure bag. If there was such a delay, he and his sister would starve sooner or later.

Wang Zhan took his sister to the dining car in the carriage. He planned to let his sister have some vegetables or other food no matter what. Three days of eating steamed buns and pickles had made his sister listless.

There was only a chef dressed as a cook in the dining car, dozing off against the kitchen door. There was no attendant either. Wang Zhan walked over with his sister and quietly woke up the chef.

The chef looked to be in his 40s or 50s. Not long after, he woke up. He was very angry. He looked at the two siblings and shouted, "What are you doing? You haven't even arrived at the restaurant yet. Why are you causing trouble here?"

Wang Zhan knew that he was a bit abrupt, but he didn't get angry. He smiled and said, "Uncle, my sister is really hungry. Let's see if there is anything to eat here."

"Hmph!" The chef looked at the little girl behind Wang Zhan and his anger subsided a little, because he himself had a daughter who was about the same age as the little girl. He then said, "Boy, don't say I'm making things difficult for you. I have a portion of leftovers here that was ordered by a sleeper passenger before. However, that passenger got off the train early because of something else. Do you want some? Ten yuan and five taels of food coupons."

This price is already sky-high for food. How much does it cost to prepare a banquet in the Forty-Nine City? But for the sake of his sister, Wang Zhan did not hesitate and said, "I want it. What dish?"

The chef smiled and said, "Okay, wait, I guarantee you will be satisfied."

The chef went into the kitchen, and Wang Zhan and his sister sat in the restaurant waiting. Wang Li whispered, "Brother, it's too expensive. Otherwise, I won't eat it."

Wang Zhan touched Wang Li's head and said, "It's nothing. Your brother is rich, so he doesn't need this. It's worth it to have a good meal here."

Wang Li curled her lips, still feeling that it was a bit expensive and not worth it. But not long after, the chef came in with a tray containing four dishes and a soup, which was quite a lot.

Wang Zhan's eyes lit up when he saw the braised pork, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, mapo tofu, stir-fried rapeseed and vegetarian soup. He thought ten yuan was not expensive. He didn't realize where he was. He was on a train, a train that was not close to any village or store.

The chef smiled and brought the food to the two siblings, placing them on the table one by one. The staple food was steamed buns, white flour buns.

After the chef put the food away, he sat aside, lit a cigarette, and watched the brother and sister eat. Wang Zhan took two bites and said, "Master, your level is really extraordinary. Are you a Sichuan chef?"

"Haha, yes, I ordered a level five chef before the New Year. How is he? The taste is okay." The chef said after taking a puff of his cigarette.

"It's more than okay, it's amazing. What's your name?" Wang Zhan said with a smile.

"My surname is Cao, and I’m from Chengdu. Are you going to Chengdu?" asked the chef.

Wang Li was now concentrating on eating, not caring what the two were talking about. Wang Zhan took a look, turned around and said to Chef Cao, "Yes, I have something to do and need to go to Qingcheng Mountain."

"The one from Dujiangyan, at your age, oh, it seems you are not an ordinary person." Chef Cao was surprised at first, and then he seemed to think of something and said. Wang Zhan was stunned, and his interest was also piqued, and then he asked: "Uncle Cao, what are you talking about?"

Chef Cao turned around, picked up his big teacup, and sat down opposite Wang Zhan. He said, "Boy, I don't even know your name. Where are you from?"

"Oh, my name is Wang Zhan, I'm thirteen years old, and this is my sister Wang Li, who came from Sijiu City." Wang Zhan replied calmly.

"That's far enough. I'm a native of Chengdu, but my home is in a village near Dujiangyan. I'm very familiar with the place. Since the liberation of Chengdu, few people have gone to Qingcheng Mountain, and they go there just to enjoy the scenery. According to my grandmother, the deep part of Qingcheng Mountain has been closed. It seems that you are going to look for someone. The people there are extraordinary." said Chef Cao.

Wang Zhan ate a few bites of food and said, "Well, I'm going to look for my master, he's from Wuliang Temple."

Chef Cao was stunned, frowned, thought for a long time and said: "I haven't heard of there being a Wuliang Temple on Mount Qingcheng. My grandmother used to go up the mountain all year round, but she never mentioned it. Did you remember it wrongly?"

Wang Zhan smiled and said, "I won't be mistaken. It's deep inside, not open to the public. Maybe you don't know about it. It's a small Taoist temple, not worth mentioning."

Chef Cao looked at Wang Zhan with suspicion, but he still didn't believe it.

"Let's eat together. This is all your cooking." Wang Zhan said politely.

Chef Cao smiled and said, "You really don't understand our profession as a chef. Okay, you two can eat. I've already eaten."

Wang Zhan didn't know why, but he suddenly thought of Sha Zhu and smiled. Chef Cao whispered, "Boy, you may not know that Chengdu has become a chaotic place since liberation. It's full of good and bad people, and all kinds of evil have come out. I see that you are carrying goods, so be careful when you get off the car."

Wang Zhan knew that Chef Cao was reminding him kindly, so he quickly said, "Well, thank you Uncle Cao, I will. Are you going home this time?"

"Go back. It's been more than a month, so I have to go home once to eat some hotpot. You don't know, but although I'm a chef, the hotpot here is unique. It makes you feel very comfortable when you eat it." Chef Cao said proudly.

"Haha, does it need some rice wine?" Wang Zhan joked with a smile.

Chef Cao also laughed and said, "You are wrong. In our place, beer is popular now. Cold beer with hot pot, and then playing mahjong, the day is very comfortable."

Wang Zhan suddenly became interested in the life there. He also ate hotpot in Sijiu City, but as Chef Cao said, he had never tried it.

The train started moving again. Wang Zhan asked, "Does this train stop often?"

Chef Cao lit another cigarette and said, "It's normal. The area from Guangyuan to Jiangyou is mountainous, and rocks often fall from the top of the mountain. The car has to stop. After the obstacles are cleared, it can drive normally. It will be fine after passing Jiangyou. The area is flat."

Only then did Wang Zhan understand why the train stopped. The construction of the Baoji-Chengdu Railway was really not easy.

(End of this chapter)