My era, 1979!

Chapter 36 Special Sleeper Berth

"Don't say that." Xu Chengjun quickly waved his hand. "I was just about to leave, and I don't even know which way Fudan University's gate faces."

"Don't worry, I know Professor Zhu Dongrun," Su Zhong reassured him. "He hates pretentious and affected writing the most, and your stuff is right up his alley."

This guy is a typical example of someone who looks cold but is kind at heart. He was the one who criticized Xu Chengjun the most harshly during the revision meeting, but he was also the one who helped Xu Chengjun all along.

Is it a matter of harsh criticism and deep love?
"Take the wine, drink it on the road, it'll help you pass the time!"

Liu Zuci suddenly leaned over and shoved the wine flask into Xu Chengjun's hand: "Baijin is making a fuss about 'Misty Poetry' now. Gu Cheng's 'The Night Gave Me Black Eyes' is being heavily criticized. Keep an eye out when you get to Shanghai; this trend will come sooner or later."

“It’s not just obscure poetry.” Su Zhong curled his lip. “People’s Literature just published Jiang Zilong’s ‘The Appointment of Factory Director Qiao.’ What a prestigious title! A pioneer of reformist literature!”

"Tickets are being checked!" came the female voice over the loudspeaker, tinged with static.

Just as it was his turn to have his ticket checked, Zhou Ming shouted at him, "When you get to Shanghai, don't pretend to be polite like those students. Fight if you need to, and yell if you need to. We Anhui people aren't afraid of anything."

Everyone around him was looking at him, but Old Zhou didn't even turn his head and led the group away.

This old thing!
The crowd glared at them angrily.

Hefei Station Platform.

The white steam from the steam locomotive rose up through the gaps in the wooden canopy.

The metal railings at the ticket gate were rusty, and the ticket inspector in a blue khaki uniform used copper-tipped scissors to cut a triangular notch in Xu Chengjun's cardboard ticket.

Xu Chengjun was stunned.

I almost wanted to ask you to cut my hair again~
This small gap holds a long period of his memories from his childhood before his transmigration in his previous life.

I miss it so much~
Before he could even feel sentimental, the crowd of people entering the station instantly made his face fall.

The man, who looked like an official, had a briefcase tucked under his arm.
The girl dressed as an educated youth carried a faded canvas shoulder bag with an aluminum lunchbox in the mesh bag, presumably filled with pickled vegetables and cornbread packed by her mother.

There were also men carrying bulging snakeskin bags, with a few feet of floral cloth peeking out from the openings, probably having gotten their hands on some rare items through connections.

Someone's net bag snagged on someone else's patched trousers, and immediately a shout of "Comrade, slow down!" rang out, mixed with the hoarse announcement of "Ticket check and boarding" over the platform's loudspeaker.

Good guy.

It's fucking crowded!

Stop pushing!
The train attendant forcefully pulled open the metal door of the Type 22 green carriage.

The people waiting for the bus surged in like a tidal wave, and Xu Chengjun was like a straw, teetering on the brink of collapse.

Damn it, give it a try!
He gritted his teeth and forced his way in, eventually squeezing through the very end.

Inside the carriage, the dark green metal seats still carried the chill of the previous night, and the window seats had long been occupied by people with enamel mugs.

Feet in army green liberation shoes stepped on sunflower seed shells on the floor. Someone stuffed a wooden box tied with hemp rope under the seat, the corner of the box hitting the iron frame with a clanging sound.

"Make way, make way!" A man in a Zhongshan suit squeezed through the crowd, carrying a little girl with pigtails. The girl was clutching a piece of fruit candy in her hand.

Xu Chengjun, who had just stood still, was immediately pushed aside again.

He was about to turn around and glare at her.

Seeing the little girl smile at him, his face instantly turned bitter.

What a huge "囧" character!
He instinctively wanted to find his seat with his ticket in hand, but he ran into trouble when he tried to find one.

These days, the Type 22 hard-seat carriage has a capacity of 118 people, with seats ending in 0, 4, 5, or 9 by the window. However, due to management difficulties at the time, the carriages were often overcrowded by more than 50%.

Therefore,
His seat was taken.

The person reserving the seat was a woman in her forties who was eating roasted sunflower seeds. When she saw him walk over, she naturally lifted her buttocks.

Yes, it's moved a little to the left.

"It's alright, young man. It's not easy for anyone to get out of the house. Let's squeeze in together!"

"Remember to come earlier next time to save seats! I arrived almost an hour early!"

After speaking, he patted the seat, so generous!
Xu Chengjun's lips twitched, and he sat down. These days, there are so many things to do on a train! Alright! Thanks, ma'am~
"It's alright! Have a seat! Squeeze in! Don't be so polite!"

"I'm from Anqing, young man, where are you from?"

"I'm from Fengyang."

"Wow, that's a great place! Xiaogang Village has become quite famous lately!"

Enamel mugs were piled on the small table in the middle of the hard seat.

The older sister had brought some roasted melon seeds, and the kind-hearted woman shared some with those around her, giving Xu Chengjun an extra handful.

She said, "The young man looks very energetic! He should eat more!"

look,

So, in any era, being handsome can benefit from good looks!
Who wouldn't be confused by a guy who's over 1.8 meters tall?

Suddenly there was a commotion. People in railway uniforms walked by carrying signal lights, and a clanging sound of metal clashing came from under the train.

The steam locomotive started feeding coal, and black smoke billowing from the chimney, accompanied by sparks, cast swaying shadows on the platform.

An elderly woman by the window pushed open the crescent-shaped car window, and the wind blew in coal dust. Someone quickly covered their face with a newspaper.

Next to the boldface words "Reform and Opening Up" in the newspaper, someone had left a blurry shoe print.

The train attendant selling snacks pushed his metal cart over, the axle creaking. His shouts of "Orange juice! Two and a half cents a bottle!" were mixed with the crying of a baby in the back and the long whistle of a truck in the distance.

When the car started moving, everyone swayed forward slightly.

Someone hurriedly grabbed the metal armrest of the front seat; the red paint on the armrest had long been worn down to a mottled base color.

Outside the window, the station sign at Hefei Station slowly receded into the distance, and on the water tower at the end of the platform, the slogan "Grasp Revolution and Promote Production" appeared and disappeared in the morning mist.

Inside the carriage, a woman in a blue cotton shirt was lighting a coal stove with a match.

The corn porridge in the aluminum pot bubbled and simmered, mingling with the smells of sweat, coal smoke, and cheap tobacco that filled the train, all heading east towards Shanghai with the clattering rhythm of the old green train.

Xu Chengjun bought a direct train ticket, but the Hefei-Nanjing Railway had not yet been completed in 1979. The direct train from Hefei to Shanghai had to detour through Bengbu, so the journey naturally took longer. The train attendant said it would take 11 hours.

The woman next to me sneered, "Just sit still, or you won't get to Shanghai in two hours!"

The car was packed with people; four people were squeezed into a three-person seat, and that was still considered good, since they were sitting opposite each other.
Five and a half, including the oldest and the youngest!
The man, who looked quite like a government official, said, "This train is really good, not crowded at all! I'll definitely buy a ticket for this train next time."

Good guy!
This is not bad.

There were people squatting, sitting on stools, sitting on newspapers, and standing in the aisle.

In short, it's packed full.

The strangest thing is that there were people lying under the seats.

Which seat?

Just under Xu Chengjun's butt~
The older sister said that these are still highly sought-after spots, and it's really hard for the average person to get one without some skill!
It's nice to be able to lie down there and it's cool underneath!
Xu Chengjun was amazed.

but,

He absolutely cannot lie on the ground!
As a result, I sat there for two hours.

He marveled at the ingenuity of people in this era and peeked under the seats to see if there were any empty "sleeper berths".

Nothing else.

He, Xu, a former educated youth, wanted to experience life in this era!

Experience is paramount!

Youth is innocent!

(End of this chapter)