Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 410 The Green Train (Another Lonely Day)

Xiao Hong covered her nose and said, "It stinks! How can I stand here?" Geng Hui also frowned and looked at Xia Maosheng.

Xia Maosheng, who was tall, turned his head and looked around, saying, "I remember there's a teahouse, right? It's less crowded there."

Chen Hui said, "Yes, this way, follow me, watch your step." He led the four people slowly through the crowd.

In the far right corner of the waiting room, not far from the restrooms, two station staff members sat behind an old wooden desk, absentmindedly chatting and eating sunflower seeds. Chen Hui led Xiao Wei and the other three directly over and asked, "Is there any room inside?"

The staff member being asked didn't even look up and said, "Yes, fifteen yuan each, pay and go in."

Chen Hui didn't say anything, but slammed the five train tickets onto the table in front of the staff member. At that time, train tickets, except for those in Guangdong, were all made of cardboard. The front of the tickets had the departure station and fare printed on them, and was stamped with a steel seal. The back had the number, and the date, train number, carriage number, and a small note prohibiting smoking and carrying dangerous goods were pasted on them manually.

The staff member paused for a moment, glanced at the tickets—five lower berths—and immediately stood up, smiling as he returned the tickets to Chen Hui, saying, "Come on, I'll take you in. It's five yuan per person, no exceptions." These days, to pull out five sleeper berths for a single train journey, all of them lower berths, clearly indicates having connections with a high-ranking official, and quite powerful ones at that.

Chen Hui put away his ticket and said, "Thanks. Could you find a quiet room where no one smokes? We have a pregnant woman here." The staff member turned to look at Geng Hui and Xiao Hong and said, "Okay, we do. Come on in, it's not crowded inside." Indeed, how many people these days are willing to spend fifteen yuan a month on a single ticket? Xiao Wei and his friends only paid twenty yuan for their sleeper tickets.

The tea station is priced at five yuan, but the staff usually charge ten or fifteen yuan. Nobody seems to care. It's not really about drinking tea; it's just that you don't have to squeeze in outside, you sit on sofas, and you can board the train earlier. Modern train stations have these too.

I don't know what method was used to determine train ticket prices back then. In 91, a sleeper ticket from Lanzhou to Nanjing only cost forty yuan. However, a ticket from Beijing to HHHT cost forty-nine yuan, while a ticket from Chengdu to Chongqing cost forty-two yuan. The difference in travel distance was significant.

The pricing of railway ticket prices has always been a mystery.

Five people, pulling suitcases, followed the staff into a side corridor of the waiting room. After turning two corners, the staff member unlocked a room and said, "You can wait here; no one's in this room. I'll come and call you to get on the train in a bit."

Chen Hui said thank you, took out thirty yuan and handed it to her. She took the money and looked at Chen Hui, saying, "I don't have any change on me. Wait a moment and I'll go get you some change." Chen Hui waved his hand and said, "Never mind, just bring me some hot water." The staff member went to the next room and brought over a thermos. There were cups in the room.

These days, there are no paper cups, only glass cups. Chen Hui took the thermos, thanked the staff, and started washing the cups. The staff smiled and left.

Xiao Hong glanced at the person who had left and asked, "Didn't you say it was fifteen? Why is it five yuan now? That's expensive."

Geng Hui took the hot water Chen Hui handed over and said, "Five yuan is the price at the station, which needs to be paid to the station. Fifteen yuan is what the shift workers downstairs need, and we'll split it among ourselves."

Xiao Hong said, "With prices so high, will anyone even come in?"

Geng Hui warmed her hands with a water cup and said, "Whether anyone comes or not has nothing to do with these employees."

Xiao Hong was stunned for a moment, her eyes wide with disbelief. Wasn't the goal to become a "new person with four qualities" and a master of the new era? But then again, it didn't seem wrong. Master, huh? I'm the master, this is my home, I can do whatever I want.

The most interesting Chinese expression is "treat the factory (work unit) as home." When working, the response is: "You should treat the factory as your home." But when discussing benefits, the response is: "Do you think this is your home?" So, is it really home or not? It's tough being an ordinary person.

Time passed slowly. The train was scheduled to depart at 12:10. At 11:50, the staff member pushed open the door and came in, saying, "You can board now. Do you want to sit for a while or lie down on the train? Give me your tickets."

Xiao Hong put down her water glass, stood up, and said, "Get in the car. What's the point of sitting here?"

Chen Hui handed his ticket to the staff member, who then used a ticket clipper to cut each ticket and returned it to Chen Hui, saying, "Make sure you take your things with you when you board the train, don't forget anything. Come on, I'll take you inside."

Five people, pulling their suitcases, followed the staff towards the back of the station. After passing through a corridor, she took out her key, opened a door, and said, "Just go out. There's only one platform. Pay attention to the carriage and berth numbers, don't go to the wrong one."

Five people came out pulling suitcases, and the staff locked the door behind them.

The platform was deserted. The long, green train stood silently in the night, a few fluorescent lights casting a hazy blue glow over it. Chen Hui said, "Let's go. The sleeper berths are further back; it's quite a walk."

I walked along the long platform to the other end. The train doors were all open, but there was no one there. A few lights were on in the carriages, though.

Chen Hui looked up at the carriage number and led everyone to the carriage to board the train.

Back then, you had to climb ladders to get on and off the train carriages—three or four steps of wire mesh ladders, with the bottom quite high off the platform. It was a bit better in the summer, but in the winter, with thick clothes, it was impossible to climb up. Besides, everyone was carrying big bags and bundles, and no one would lend a hand or pull you up. There were far more people on the trains back then, and there was no order to boarding; everyone just rushed and scrambled to get on, and often some people missed their turn.

Several people helped Xiaohong and Geng Hui upstairs first, then handed their suitcases up to board the train. It wasn't crowded at all. Once inside the carriage, they found their berths in the dim light, put their suitcases away, and the five of them sat down together. Xiaohong took a hair tie to tie her hair and said, "Why is nobody here? There's no train attendant either."

Xia Maosheng said, "This is the starting station, and the tickets haven't been checked yet. The train conductor will come over before the tickets are checked, and it will be very crowded then. I once lost my shoes in the crowd and had to go back to Longcheng barefoot." Everyone laughed, thinking about it, it was quite funny.

But what were you feeling at the time?

After chatting for a while, Geng Hui and Xiao Hong lay down, while Xiao Wei, Xia Maosheng, and Chen Hui moved to the other side to sit and talk. The five lower bunks took up two and a half of the space.

After a while, Xiao Hong fell asleep. Footsteps were heard in the carriage, then all the lights came on, and the train conductor came on. He glanced at Xiao Wei and the others, then walked over without saying a word, checked the entire carriage, and then got off at the station onto the platform.

In a short while, a few people appeared on the quiet platform, carrying bags and running towards the train. Immediately after them, three or four, five or six, ten or so people appeared. In a few breaths, the platform was filled with the rushing crowd. The people behind were already crowded together and could not run anymore. They asked their children, supported the elderly, and called out to their friends. In an instant, the area between the train and the station was filled with surging heads.

(End of this chapter)