Journey 1995:Non-Stop

Chapter 131 Big Trouble

"Hey bro, bro, want a massage? Want one?" Yan Hui had just lain down when someone knocked on the door, startling him so much that he didn't dare to speak.

"Just one, just one, 50 yuan will do! Hey, you've had a long day, it's not easy for you, I'm coming in!" As he spoke, someone tried to turn the lock, but after a few tries it wouldn't open. "Oh, are you asleep? Open the door, the price is negotiable."

Yan Hui remained motionless until the woman left, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Because he always carries money with him, Yan Hui always makes sure to lock the door when he sleeps in a hotel. If there's a problem with the lock, he'll find a way to fasten the door shut.

Fortunately
Ten minutes later, Yan Hui moved all the tables in the room to the doorway to block it before going back to bed.

Clang, clang. Even though he was lying down, Yan Hui's mind was filled with the sound of the train. The journey of dozens of hours had made him sick of sitting. He really hoped that he would have the chance to go back again and take a sleeper berth.

After a few minutes, Yan Hui thought about many things again, and finally fell into a deep sleep.

Many places in Tangwanghe are dilapidated, looking like they've been there for twenty or thirty years. Sitting on the train, it feels like traveling through a forest. Occasionally, you see a few houses, but they're all older than Yan Hui.

There are many stations here, and the train doesn't travel very fast, seemingly stopping every ten minutes or so, but there aren't many people.

At each stop, only a few people might get on. Most of them looked like forestry workers, but there were also a few people from the south. Yan Hui didn't greet them.

The journey of 100 kilometers, with frequent stops and starts, took almost four hours to reach Tangwanghe.

Tangwanghe Station is not big, and there is no platform. After getting off the train, you are right on the tracks, and you can leave the station after walking a few steps.

Yan Hui handed his two-yuan train ticket to the person at the exit, who didn't even ask him any questions.

"Old Yan! Over here!" Old Guo had arrived and greeted Yan Hui with a jump.

Of all the people who came to pick up passengers at the station, no more than three were there, and Lao Guo was the one who danced the most enthusiastically.

"You came by motorcycle?" Yan Hui saw Lao Guo's motorcycle. "It's been a few months, and you've really changed. You've got a mobile phone now, and a motorcycle too!"

"The motorcycle isn't mine; I borrowed it specifically to pick you up! Come on, get in, I'll show you around." Without waiting for a reply, Lao Guo pulled Yan Hui onto the motorcycle.

After a few months apart, Lao Guo had gained a little weight and looked quite pleased with himself. He rode his motorcycle straight to the nearby freight station.

The railway line in this area is for both passenger and freight transport. Similar to the market in Jianye, a dedicated freight line has also been established here, with a freight station.

As Yan Hui rode his motorcycle toward the freight station, he noticed that the area around the station was bustling with activity, with seven or eight trucks coming and going. The closer he got, the more lively it became.

"Don't let the small size of this place fool you, the freight station has four railway lines that can accommodate four trains at the same time. Dozens of trains come here every week. I specifically inquired about it for you, and there are two trains going to Jianye every week," Lao Guo explained to Yan Hui as he rode his bicycle.

"Four parking lines? Does anyone reserve a train car here?" Yan Hui recalled his previous experience. "This place won't work. Four lines are still too few. It can't compare to Fengtian. If you reserve a car here, you're likely to get beaten up," Lao Guo laughed.

"How are you doing? How much money have you saved in the past few months? You must have tens of thousands by now, right?" Yan Hui and Lao Guo had a good relationship, so he could ask Lao Guo this kind of question freely.

“Sigh, I have three or four hundred thousand yuan going back and forth every month, but it has nothing to do with me. Right now, I only have a little over ten thousand yuan.” As Lao Guo spoke, he parked his car in front of a hotel.

The hotel is located right at the entrance of the freight station, where there is also a bus stop; it's in a very good location.

"This place has two floors, with about ten rooms on each floor. Each room is about ten square meters and costs 10 yuan a day. In addition, the owner here also cooks three meals a day, which also cost 10 yuan a day. It's not bad. Anyway, I eat here every day," Lao Guo introduced to Yan Hui.

"Hmm, it looks pretty clean." Yan Hui nodded, then said with some lingering fear, "Is this a legitimate place? They don't knock on the door in the middle of the night, do they?"

"Huh? There's definitely no such thing. Even in the county, it's difficult to find this. You'd have to go to YC City. What's up? Have you developed this hobby lately?" Old Guo laughed heartily.

"Bullshit! I was staying in Yichun last night when someone knocked on my door. I was terrified! It's best if no one does here!" Yan Hui retorted.

"Don't worry, it's fine. This place is alright. Put your bag away in a bit, and I'll take you to the station. The goods I shipped to Fengtian today will be loaded tonight. Once it's finished and I get the large deposit slip, I'll feel at ease." Old Guo glanced at his watch and silently calculated, "I'll treat you to a welcome-back dinner after I finish at seven tonight."

"No rush, let me help you first." Yan Hui said, handing the red sausage he had brought to Lao Guo.

The hotel is alright, and importantly, it has a telephone; the area code and phone number are written on the wall. The hotel will answer calls and record information for all guests.

Before leaving, Yan Hui gave Mr. Teng Lao Guo's phone number, but it's estimated that they won't be in contact anytime soon. (Yan Hui's pager doesn't work here, so he'll have to buy a new one.)
After settling in, Yan Hui followed Lao Guo to familiarize himself with the freight station.

While helping Lao Guo with his work and chatting with him, Lao Guo finally understood Yan Hui's thoughts.

"Why is your contract like this?" Old Guo was bewildered after reading Yan Hui's contract. He looked at it carefully several times, his brows furrowing more and more.

"Are you referring to the deposit issue? It's normal for a new company like ours not to have a deposit. But the other party is a very large and trustworthy company," Yan Hui explained.

"No, I mean the company seal," Lao Guo pointed to the seal on the contract, "Your Jianye seal is square?"

"Hmm?" Yan Hui examined the official seal closely, completely unaware of any problem. "What, is there a problem?"

"As far as I know... well, let me put it this way, all the official seals I've ever seen are round. Why is Jianye's seal square?" Old Guo asked, somewhat surprised.

He'd seen quite a few contracts in recent months, but never a square company seal. (Note: Although the Ministry of Public Security first explicitly required official seals to be round in 1989, Jianye only started using round seals after 2010.)
"I don't know. This is a legitimate company application. Look, my company documents and business license are all here." Yan Hui took out his company documents.

“That’s not what I meant. Of course I believe you, but…” Old Guo’s face darkened slightly, “Excuse me for being blunt, but here, I doubt many people would accept this contract. If it weren’t for our relationship, I would have thought it was a fake contract, because no one has ever seen Fang Zhang. So, you might run into some trouble.”

(End of this chapter)