1985, the year of the great writer, began with Infernal Affairs!

When Xie Lu arrived at the steel factory's residential compound, the sun was already high in the sky.

He saw a person standing at the gate of Zhao Wanwan's house from afar. When he got closer, he realized that it was none other than Zhao Jianguo, Zhao Wanwan's father.

He was wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit, a hat, and a cigarette in his hand, looking this way.

Xie Lu stopped the car: "Uncle Zhao."

Zhao Jianguo nodded, looked him up and down, lingered on his face, and then glanced at the luggage that was securely tied to the back of his seat.

"You're here? Come in and sit for a while?"

"No, Uncle, it's getting late, I need to go to the station."

"That's true." Zhao Jianguo took a drag of his cigarette. "Wanwan is still eating; she'll be out in a bit."

No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps echoed in the courtyard.

Zhao Wanwan ran out, still holding a half-eaten white steamed bun in her hand.

When she saw Xie Lu, her eyes lit up, and she quickly stuffed the steamed bun into her mouth, saying indistinctly, "You're here."

"Yes." Xie Lu nodded.

Zhao Wanwan turned and called out into the yard, "Mom! I'm leaving!"

Li Xiuqin came out of the house carrying a net bag containing several aluminum lunch boxes.

She walked to the door and handed the net bag to her daughter: "This is for the journey. When you get to school, quickly find a place to heat it up. Don't eat anything cold."

"Okay." Zhao Wanwan took it.

Li Xiuqin glanced at Xie Lu, then at her daughter, and suddenly sighed.

She reached out and straightened Zhao Wanwan's collar, whispering, "Girls really do grow up and become independent; she hasn't even left yet, and her heart has already flown away."

Zhao Wanwan blushed: "Mom."

Zhao Jianguo, standing to the side, laughed and defended his daughter, saying, "Alright, alright, the child is grown up and will have to go out eventually."

Li Xiuqin glared at her husband, then looked at Xie Lu: "Xiao Xie, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to take good care of Wanwan on the road. She's never traveled far before, so please look after her."

"Don't worry, Auntie," Xie Lu said.

Just then, the sound of a bicycle bell came from the street corner.

Liu Zhenyu rode up on a 28-inch bicycle, with a young man sitting on the back, about seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a faded shirt and looking a bit shy.

Liu Zhenyu stopped next to Xie Lu, supporting himself on one leg: "Lu Zi, Wanwan, are you all ready?"

"Ready?" Xie Lu replied, glancing at the boy in the back seat behind Liu Zhenyu.

Liu Zhenyu pointed to the young man in the back seat: "This is my cousin, Xiaojun."

After I drop you off at the station, I'll ride your bike back to Shuangshui Village, and he can ride mine back.

Xie Lu looked at Xiao Jun and nodded: "Thank you for your help."

"No, it's nothing."

Xiao Jun responded weakly.

Zhao Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette and said to his wife, Li Xiuqin, "Let's go see them off too."

Li Xiuqin nodded, went back into the house to get a coat, and the two of them pushed out a bicycle. Zhao Jianguo rode it, and Li Xiuqin sat on the back.

The group of six people, in four cars, headed to the train station in a grand procession.

Liaobei County Railway Station is a small, two-story cement building with yellow paint on the exterior walls, some of which has peeled off.

The square in front of the station has a cement surface that is full of potholes. There are some bicycles parked there, as well as a few jeeps.

There was a small shop next to the square with a sign that read "State-owned" hanging at the door, and cigarettes, alcohol and snacks were displayed in the glass cabinet.

It's the start of the school year, and there are quite a few people in front of the station.

Most of them were parents dropping off their children at school, carrying large and small bags, making a clanging sound.

There were cadres in Zhongshan suits, workers in overalls, and farmers in patched clothes.

The sounds of talking, giving instructions, and saying goodbye blended together.

Xie and his group parked their car in a carport on the side of the square. The carport was made of corrugated iron and had rust on the roof. There were already quite a few cars parked inside.

After locking the cars, everyone carried their luggage to the waiting room.

The waiting room is on the first floor; it's large, but very old.

The floor was made of cement, the walls were painted white and covered with several propaganda posters. Several rows of wooden benches, worn smooth and shiny, were placed against the wall and were full of people. The air was filled with the smells of smoke, sweat and food.

The ticket gates weren't open yet, so everyone found a corner to stand in.

Li Xiuqin took the lunchbox out of the mesh bag and stuffed it into Zhao Wanwan's travel bag: "Eat it if you get hungry on the road, don't leave it, or it will spoil."

"Okay, Mom."

Zhao Wanwan knew that her mother was worried about her, which was why she kept reminding her.

Zhao Jianguo glanced at Xie Lu's luggage and asked, "Is that all?"

Xie Lu nodded: "Well, bedding, clothes, books, that's about it. If we need anything else when we get there, we can buy it. It's easy to lose things if we bring too much on the road."

"You brought quite a few books; it's a good thing that you love learning."

Zhao Jianguo noticed that Xie Lu had brought a lot of books and praised him at the right time.

Liu Zhenyu chimed in from the side: "Uncle Zhao, Lu Zi not only loves studying, he can also write articles."

I just published an article in "Contemporary" a few days ago, and the payment was six hundred yuan!

Zhao Jianguo and Li Xiuqin were both stunned for a moment.

"Contemporary? Is that the one published by People's Literature Publishing House?"

"Yes, it's written by Ritsuko. It's called 'Infernal Affairs,' and it will be published soon."

Zhao Jianguo looked at Xie Lu with a mixture of surprise and admiration in his eyes.

He was the head of the security department at the steel factory, and considered himself a semi-cultured person, so he knew the weight of "Contemporary".

It's not easy to publish articles on it.

"He's promising."

"Good luck, good luck."

Faced with Zhao Jianguo's praise, Xie Lu waved his hand modestly.

Just then, the loudspeaker came on.

"Attention passengers, boarding for train 136 bound for Wuhan is now open..."

The crowd stirred.

Everyone picked up their luggage and rushed towards the ticket gate.

Zhao Wanwan suddenly panicked. She looked at her parents, then at Xie Lu, and gripped the strap of her travel bag tightly.

When Li Xiuqin saw this, her eyes reddened, and she reached out to hug her daughter: "Write when you arrive, and tell us if you need anything."

"Mm." Zhao Wanwan nodded, her voice a little hoarse. As she was leaving for the first time on a long trip, she couldn't help but feel a little sad.

Zhao Jianguo patted his daughter on the shoulder: "Study hard and don't worry about home."

Long queues formed at the ticket gates.

Xie Lu and Zhao Wanwan, carrying their luggage, stood in line.

Liu Zhenyu and Xiao Jun helped carry the heaviest bedding roll.

Zhao Jianguo and Li Xiuqin stood beside the line, looking at their daughter.

The line moved forward slowly.

The ticket inspector, dressed in a railway uniform and holding ticket pliers, checked tickets one by one.

Once you pass through the ticket gate, you'll find yourself on the platform.

It was Xie Lu and Zhao Wanwan's turn.

Xie Lu handed over the train ticket.

The ticket inspector glanced at it, made a hole with pliers with a "snap," and handed it back.

Zhao Wanwan also handed over the train ticket.

Ticket checking, punching.

The two walked into the ticket gate.

The platform is just outside, with a cement floor and two railway tracks stretching into the distance.

A green train was parked there, with a sign on its front that read "Heilongjiang-Wuhan".

The carriage was dark green, and the windows could be opened; some passengers had already stuck their heads out.

It was afternoon, and the sunlight slanted across the train, making the carriages glow.

Steam billowed from the front of the train, creating a white haze.

Xie Lu found their carriage, a sleeper carriage, in the middle. The train conductor was standing at the door checking tickets. After looking at the tickets, he nodded: "Upper berths, 12 and 13."