Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 156 Picking Up

Old Chen said to Xiao Wei, "Just give your information to Xiao Hui to bring to me. You just stay here and do your job well. The framework is up and running, so put your heart into it." Xiao Wei nodded and agreed.

Old Chen stood up and said, "That's settled then. Everyone go back and rest. Fifth Brother, give me some instructions before the New Year. Come find me in Fengtian after the New Year." Fifth Brother excitedly agreed.

Chen Hui said, "Dad, let's go together. I need to go get a bread truck."

Old Chen asked, "What's up?"

Chen Hui said, "Xiao Wei's dad and Xiao Hong's parents will be arriving by train soon, so we have to go pick them up."

Old Chen nodded and said, "Okay, be careful." He turned to Director Li and said, "Give them a heads-up and let them stay at the guesthouse. It's too cold to stay in a small hotel. Xiao Wei, you and Xiao Xia can move here too. The conditions here are better than where you are." Everyone agreed.

Several people stood up and walked out. Xiao Wei was the last to leave. He said to An Laowu, "I'm leaving now. I'll come back tomorrow and talk to you in detail." An Laowu patted Xiao Wei on the shoulder, nodded, and followed the others to see him off.

Walking to the car, Old Chen turned to An Laowu behind him and said, "Do you have any old shop names? If you have any old ones, bring them out, and I'll have someone carve them." An Laowu said, "The old ones just have the character 'An,' and they're just wooden signs."

Old Chen nodded and said, "Then let's call it Anji Old Restaurant. I'll have someone write it down and engrave it. You can take the old sign with you to greet customers."

The welcoming screen wall at the entrance of old-fashioned restaurants, whether it's calligraphy or a painting, is part of the tradition of these establishments. Nowadays, regardless of size, restaurants generally don't have screen walls anymore, and the welcoming screen has been replaced by a live, long-legged woman.

Director Li drove himself over. Xiao Wei and the others squeezed into Old Chen's Duke's car and went straight to the power company's guesthouse.

It's almost six o'clock now, and it's completely dark. In Northeast China, it starts to get dark around five o'clock in winter, and during the coldest days of winter, it can even get dark at 4:30.

Upon arriving at the guesthouse, Director Li went to ask for the keys, and the three of them went into Old Chen's room. The driver, left alone in his room, went straight back.

Old Chen put down his bag, offered cigarettes to the three of them, and said, "Xiao Hui's personality is a bit impulsive. From now on, you all have your own things to do, so help each other out. Xiao Hui, learn from Xiao Wei and Xiao Xia, ask more questions and think more, understand? You're an adult now, and Dad can't take care of you forever. You have to make your own way. Dad doesn't care how you turn out, just have something to do and be able to make a living, that's enough, remember?"

All three nodded in agreement.

Old Chen lit a cigarette and said, "I'm fifty years old now, not many years left. My life is coming to an end. My only wish now is for you to live well. While I'm still doing well, I'll pave the way for you and build some bridges for you. But you still have to walk your own path, so please pay attention."

The three people nodded again.

Old Chen said, "Listen more, observe more, think more, and speak less; make more friends and offend fewer people. Don't get angry over trivial matters. Be generous and magnanimous; there's no hurdle you can't overcome. Don't look down on anyone. Today they may seem inferior to you, but tomorrow they might be better. Nobody knows who's truly capable, who can help you, or who can sabotage you. The old saying goes, 'Having more friends means having more paths,' which makes sense. But don't be afraid of trouble. If someone really bullies you, don't back down. I'm here for you."

The three men nodded again. Old Chen laughed and cursed, "You bunch of brats, you get annoyed after I say a few words? Get lost, and drive carefully tonight."

The three of them left Old Chen's room in a panic and ran to the newly opened room to drink water and talk. At seven o'clock, the three of them went downstairs to the front hall to get the car keys, drove the car in the yard, and headed towards the train station.

"Hey, Lao Xia, where are our driver's licenses?" Xiao Wei asked Xia Maosheng in the back seat from the passenger seat.

Xia Maosheng patted his head and said, "I was so busy I forgot. I'll go ask Li Xing tomorrow. Hehe, with the dinner invitation, the certificate is a sure thing. It'll definitely work. I was originally thinking I'd have to spend some money."

Looking at the road ahead, Chen Hui said, "What's the use of just getting a license? You have to practice and drive a lot."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Once we get our certificates and everything's set up here, we'll start practicing. Our facility is so big, we can practice right here, right?"

Chen Hui shook his head, honked the horn, and said, "No way. A thousand square meters looks big, but it's not suitable for driving. The car will reach the end as soon as it moves, and neither of you has ever driven before. You'll crash it to pieces, and the yard will be ruined. I was planning to live there, but this is out of the question."

Xia Maosheng said, "We need to borrow a car. We can just have the driver take us to practice. They'll definitely know which area is big enough."

The power company's guesthouse is located on Guangming Street, a little over a kilometer from the train station. Although the road was covered in snow, it only took about ten minutes to get there. We parked the car at the exit, and the three of us sat inside chatting and enjoying the warm air while waiting for the train to arrive.

In those days, green trains were almost never on time. In fact, train delays are really puzzling. Passenger buses travel on highways, where there are many situations, so delays and early departures are understandable. Airplanes are greatly affected by the weather, so delays are barely acceptable. Although everyone knows what's going on, train delays are really hard to understand. They have tracks, and the stopping times are all scheduled. Most of the time they travel in desolate wilderness. So where are they going to be late?

But it was too late. The train finally pulled into Longcheng Station at 8:15, almost an hour late.

Chen Hui and the others were in the car, which couldn't be turned off because they needed to keep warm.

Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng waited at the exit.

The busiest places in the 90s were train stations, no matter where they were.

Loudspeakers blared a cacophony of sounds: video arcades, restaurants, shops, guesthouses, hotels—ticket checks here, train arrivals there—a chaotic mix that created a unique atmosphere. Tall searchlights illuminated the entire station square as if it were daytime, and people of all kinds thronged and jostled together under the lights.

As soon as the train arrived at the exit, it became incredibly crowded. Hotel touts, unlicensed taxis, private taxis, pickpockets, people picking up passengers, and people entering the station—the exit was packed with people, making it impossible to move. Yes, that's right, there were people entering the station. At that time, quite a few short-distance fare evaders tried to squeeze in against the flow of people exiting the station to board the train; the enforcement here wasn't strict.

Xiao Wei climbed onto the railing and looked inside. Xia Maosheng was tall, and he could see quite far from there, but Xiao Wei didn't recognize him.

After the announcement was repeated three times, crowds began to appear in the empty station. The crowds quickly expanded and increased, filling the exit within minutes and surging out through the narrow gates.

People with children in tow, carrying large bags, dressed fashionably, or wearing tattered clothes, all sorts of people crowded together as they walked out.

Xiao Wei stood on the iron railing, looking inside. He didn't care that his hands were freezing. There were too many people. There were three exit gates, and the lights inside were dim. Hundreds of people were crammed together, and it was impossible to see anything clearly. Besides, at this time, both men and women were bundled up like dumplings.

(End of this chapter)