Back to 1978

Chapter 111 Those who stop you are always outsiders

The train finally slowed down, and Xie Hushan, carrying his clothes, stood at the door and looked out.

Pengcheng was not yet a special economic zone at that time, and there were no tall buildings blocking his view. He could even see Wutong Mountain in the distance at a glance.

Although there was no map and no one told them where they would eventually stop, he grew up in Pengcheng in his previous life. As long as he had Wutong Mountain as a coordinate, it would be easy for him to guess his approximate location.

At this point the train began to slow down, indicating that it could not have gone directly to Pengcheng Railway Station, which is only one bridge away from Luohu Port and Luohu Station on Hong Kong Island.

Then there is only one possibility left, that the train will eventually stop at Sungang Railway Station, which is about five or six miles away from Pengcheng River in a straight line.

“We’ve finally arrived!”

Han Hongbing picked up his luggage and sighed loudly. Then he took out his bayonet in a very uncivilized manner and started carving words on the carriage.

He wanted to leave a memory of the train where he had lived for fourteen days. Seeing that Xie Hushan was concentrating on observing the scenery outside and not paying attention to him, Han Hongbing quickly added a few more words after his name:
Han Hongbing and Dahei Ta Ge took a photo as a souvenir after successfully completing the escort mission.

With a long whistle, the train slowly pulled into the station.

"Comrades, you have worked hard!" When the train stopped at Sungang Railway Station, three staff members in white or blue uniforms who had been waiting on the platform came up with a smile and greeted Xie Hushan and other two who were standing at the door and had not yet gotten off the train.

One of the female veterinarians in a blue coat said with a smile in a tone that was not very standard, but she tried to slow it down so that Xie Hushan could understand:

"Comrade, we are the breeders, veterinarians and document inspectors of the Sungang Transfer Warehouse. May I ask where you are from and what is in this carriage?"

Xie Hushan jumped onto the platform, took out the delivery document given to him by the County Animal Husbandry Bureau before departure and handed it to the other party. He resisted the urge to greet him in Cantonese and said in the Pengyang dialect:

"Bengyang County, Zhili Province, transporting ten beef cattle."

Han Hongbing also came over and took out the receipt and handed it to the other party:

"I also have ten beef cattle."

The order checker held a thick account book in his hand and began to search for matches based on the documents given to him by Xie Hushan and Han Hongbing.
Zhu Youjun, who was the last to come down, felt a little nervous. When he noticed that the other person was looking at him, he subconsciously wanted to lower his head.

Xie Hushan, who was standing next to her, grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit next to him, and explained to the three of them generously:
"This is the person that the commune introduced me to when I was in Yuzhou Province. After I complete the escort mission, I will go back with me to register for marriage."

While speaking, he carefully used his hands to help Zhu Youjun remove the grass and fodder debris on his shoulders and head:
"Why are you ashamed? If you don't want to get married, take out the letter of introduction from the commune and show it to the leaders."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjun was about to look for the letter of introduction in his bag proving his marriage. The three people on the other side laughed, and the female veterinarian in charge of health quarantine smiled and said:
"Comrade, we don't look at letters of introduction, we only look at the escort documents. In your case, you should keep the letter of introduction and show it to the guesthouse where you are staying."

"She has never been far away and is timid." Xie Hushan saw Zhu Youjun still searching and patted her shoulder gently:

"I missed home and cried all the way. Okay, stop looking. Since the leader won't look, I'll look for him when I get to the guesthouse."

"I've checked. Ten beef cattle, escort, Xie Hushan. Ten beef cattle, escort, Han Hongbing?" The order checker raised his head and looked at Xie Hushan and Han Hongbing after finding the information on his side.

Xie Hushan and Han Hongbing took out the letters of introduction they were responsible for escorting and handed them to the other party for them to confirm their identities. After the other party verified that they were correct, they nodded to their two companions.

Then the other two turned on their flashlights, boarded the carriage where Xie Hushan and his team had lived for half a month, and carefully checked the beef cattle they were responsible for escorting.

They need to do a preliminary inspection in the carriage to determine whether the transported beef cattle are healthy. Otherwise, if any health problems such as disease appear once they enter the transfer warehouse, it will be the responsibility of the transfer warehouse.

As for weighing, it can be done after entering the warehouse, and the weighing results will not be informed to the escort. If the problem of off-scale is serious, it will be directly reported to the county animal husbandry bureau where the escort is located, and the county animal husbandry bureau will deal with it after the escort returns, so as to avoid the escort learning the result at the station and causing emotional outburst.

I'm afraid no militiaman would be able to accept the result that after working hard for fourteen days, the cattle they escorted were starved and thin and did not meet the requirements of Hong Kong Island and had to be returned or discounted.

Similar work is being carried out at the door of every carriage at this time. The warehouse staff must ensure that each carriage is checked for documents as soon as possible, and then put the goods into the warehouse, and clear the platform as soon as possible to prepare for other trains to arrive.

After all, in addition to the three express trains, there are also many slow trains arriving every day carrying rice, flour, grain and oil.

"Preliminary inspection shows that there is nothing wrong with these cows." The veterinarian and the breeder walked down from the carriage and nodded to the inspector:

“The cattle in this carriage are well cared for and the environment is very clean.”

After receiving a positive response from his colleague, the inspector took out the official seal he carried with him, neatly stamped the two people's documents with the official seal to prove the acceptance, and then handed them back to Xie Hushan and the others:

"Comrades, you have worked hard. You can leave the station from this side. There is a guesthouse next to it. Have a good rest. We will take care of the rest of the work. The people of Hong Kong Island will never forget your contribution to them."

Xie Hushan felt that although the order checkers were unlikely to represent the people of Hong Kong Island, these words were still very heartwarming.

He kept the receipt close to him. He would hand it over to the county animal husbandry bureau when he returned to prove that he had completed the escort task assigned to him by the government and delivered the beef cattle safely.

Accompanying Han Hongbing, Zhu Youjun followed each other's instructions and walked out of the train station. The Sungang Railway Station was not large, but the warehouse area next to it was of an astonishing scale. It was obviously a pure freight railway station specially built for the purpose of transporting supplies to Hong Kong Island.

At this time, dozens of male and female escorts from all over the country can be seen in the small square in front of the train station. They are looking around curiously like the three of them.

Xie Hushan motioned Zhu Youjun to hold his arm and took her for a walk around the area, while he told Han Hongbing:

"Chief of Staff Han, our people are coming out to say hello, you can handle it, it will save a lot of trouble."

"You have to listen to me. You two are a pair, so how can you have time?" Han Hongbing slowed down and deliberately lagged behind the two by a few steps.

"Chief of Staff Han, what are your arrangements, brother? How many days will you stay here?" Soon, the other two militiamen from Bingyang County also completed the acceptance inspection. They walked out of the station excitedly and greeted the three men.

Han Hongbing turned around, took out a cigarette box and gave it to the two men, then said with a smile:

"I don't know. Xie Siling just found a wife. He wants to take her to buy some foreign goods and travel around for two days to see the world. I must go with them. How long do you plan to stay?"

"Let's rest for a night, buy some foreign goods tomorrow, prepare some dry food, and leave tomorrow night." A militiaman lit a cigarette, took a breath of refreshing air, and then said.

Han Hongbing was slightly surprised: "You are in such a hurry. Can you two rest for a night to recover?"

"The inspector who stamped our documents said that there will be an express freight train tomorrow night that will be unloading pigs, chickens and ducks at Hong Kong Island, and will be returning to Shanghai to load cargo after maintenance. If you don't mind the hardship of riding in a sealed truck, our escorts can take the delivery documents and get on the train here for free and go back to the Shanghai departure station. We can then buy bus tickets to go home in Shanghai. With this calculation, we can save a lot of money on travel expenses, so we plan to leave tomorrow night." A militiaman whispered to Han Hongbing the news he had just received.

"No money? There is such a good thing. Will it happen every day or tomorrow?" Han Hongbing asked, holding a cigarette in his mouth.

The militiaman shook his head: "I don't know, never mind, if there is tomorrow, we will take advantage of tomorrow first."

"Where are the shops selling foreign goods? Why can't I see anyone?" Another militiaman wandered around for a long time but couldn't find any place selling foreign goods, so he simply walked up to a train station staff member wearing a red armband:
"Excuse me, sir, I want to ask, where can I buy foreign goods?"

The train station staff member who was asked by him was stunned for a while, suspected that he had heard it wrong, and asked him back:
"Comrade, what did you just say?"

"Leader, let me ask you, do you know where to buy foreign goods nearby?" The militiaman from Bingyang County was so simple and asked again.

Then the other party looked at this big fool with a very complicated look.

Although the buying and selling of foreign goods near the train station is tacitly allowed, it is still an act of speculation and profiteering, and is not something that should be done honorably...

No matter how much tacit approval is given, the public reputation must be considered, and the buyer and seller should avoid public figures when conducting transactions.

I don't know where this militia comrade came from, but he directly asked the government officials where there were speculators...

The staff was embarrassed and told him to make a mistake.

Don't tell him. He keeps asking with his simple eyes staring at me, eager for an answer.

Seeing the other party's sincere attitude and being asked such questions was really a headache, the staff could only try to keep smiling:
"Comrade, go to the guesthouse and rest first. You will understand when you get there."

"I'm asking you where you buy foreign goods, not where you live. I don't have an accent, do you? Can you understand what I'm saying?" The militiaman wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Han Hongbing, who heard that he was having an attack, hurried over, bowed to the other staff, dragged his companion aside, and cursed in a low voice:
"You are so stupid. You asked the officials at the railway station where to go to speculate and profiteer. How could they tell you? You are crazy. This is the same as asking Chiang Kai-shek in person, 'Hey, Lao Deng'er, where can I sign up to join the Red Army to fight you? Let's see what caliber of artillery Chiang Kai-shek will choose to blow you up!"

"I asked around before I came here. People who sell foreign goods go directly to the rooms of the guesthouse to sell them. Next time, ask your own people first and don't go out and make a fool of yourself."

After the other militiamen from Pengyang who came to deliver cattle came out, they talked to each other. Except for Xie Hushan, Han Hongbing, and Zhu Youjun, four militiamen decided to leave tomorrow night to save money. The remaining two planned to rest for two more days. They had money collected from relatives and friends, and wanted to go around and buy some foreign goods.

The county did not have any regulations requiring them to return immediately after completing their escort mission.

But they also gave a deadline: they set out on March 17th, and one month later on April 17th, the people and the receipt had to appear at the County Animal Husbandry Bureau.

The train stopped and started frequently on the way here because of temporary stops for water replenishment, so it took half a month. However, there were not so many temporary stops on the return journey. Even if you choose the slowest, most economical and most complicated green train route, constantly transferring between stations, you can still get back in ten days at the latest.

If you take the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway without changing trains, get on the train in Yangcheng, get off the train in Yanjing, and then change to a long-distance bus or train back to Bingyang County, it will be faster and only take four days.

Xie Hushan had already calculated the route and he could stay in Hong Kong Island for a maximum of seven days.

After seven days, you must return, otherwise the remaining time is too tight and it is easy to be delayed. Once you are late for reporting, your file will be recorded as not completing the task on time, and Jiao Peng, the old man, Zhang Cheng and others may be implicated.

The state-owned guesthouse at Sungang Railway Station is a three-story building. There is a wooden board at the entrance of the guesthouse with a slogan written in red paint:
"This guesthouse has a canteen, hot water, bathroom, telephone, double rooms, triple rooms, quad rooms, and sextuple rooms. It is clean and hygienic, and the environment is elegant..."

Although the promotional slogan says clean and sanitary, and the environment is elegant, this three-story building does not look like it has anything to do with these two words. It receives escorts from all over the country, and they all stink. How can it be clean?

"Comrade, accommodation." Xie Hushan and others walked into the guesthouse, took out the letter of introduction and placed it on the counter, and said to the middle-aged waitress who was eating melon seeds behind the counter.

Originally, Xie Hushan thought that the other party would be sullen because these people ruined her mood for eating melon seeds.

Because these militiamen have seen those waiters and sales clerks who deserve to be fucked in the supply and marketing cooperatives, state-owned stores, and state-owned restaurants in Bingyang.

He always eats, chats, and acts arrogantly, ignoring guests and acting as if he is superior to others.

It is as difficult for customers to come and buy something for a meal as to ask them to die. Their faces are full of impatience and reluctance, as if the country does not pay them a monthly salary to sell goods, but that they are short of support from their ancestors.

For Xie Hushan, this old woman who couldn't understand that her role was to serve the people was not worthy of sympathy, not to mention being laid off when the economy developed, she would starve to death.

Unexpectedly, the waitress here was very friendly. She even put a handful of melon seeds on the counter and motioned for them to eat. Then she began to look through the letters of introduction and register these people.

"Young couple, please stay in the double room. We have one vacant room." After reading Zhu Youjun's letter of introduction, the waitress said to Xie Hushan and Zhu Youjun with a smile.

Zhu Youjun lowered his head shyly and said nothing. Xie Hushan laughed and motioned the other militiamen behind him to get out of the way. He lowered his voice and said to the waiter:
"Sister... we haven't registered yet. We'll register when we get back. This... isn't appropriate. Just find her a room to share with other female escorts."

His embarrassed look made the elder sister laugh:
"There are no rooms that are all occupied by female comrades. I wouldn't arrange it this way if there were. The three trains that came today are all large animals like pigs, cattle and sheep. There are relatively few female comrades. If you don't agree, I will arrange a four-person room for her. There will be two male comrades and one female comrade living in it. It will be safer. These three comrades were escorted here from the same county. They will stay for two nights."

"Then why don't we live together?" Xie Hushan hesitated for a long time and said to the waitress:
"Then get a double room and stay there for two days."

"The room for two people costs two yuan a day, and the deposit is five yuan." After Xie Hushan paid the money, the elder sister returned the letter of introduction to the two of them, and took out a set of daily necessities necessary for accommodation in the guesthouse from the counter:

An enamel washbasin and a thermos kettle with a hollow iron pattern.

Then he began to enthusiastically promote Xie Hushan:

"If you want to take a shower, you need to buy a ticket for the public bathroom, which costs 20 cents each, and you need to bring your own soap and towel. If you don't have any, I have some here. Do you want them?"

After finally completing the accommodation procedures, Zhu Youjun was holding a tin thermos in his hand, and Xie Hushan was holding an enamel washbasin in his hand.

The enamel basin was already filled with things, such as plastic slippers, soap, towels, a bottle of local Yubingshao liquor, a small bag of broad beans wrapped in newspaper, and two sets of white sheets...

"This lady must be the best seller in the hotel. She will become a leader sooner or later." Xie Hushan seemed to be talking to himself, or telling others why he had so many things:

"The service attitude is so good, isn't it? What the elder sister said is also very good. The most important thing is to sleep more comfortably and eat better. And the smile is so kind. She even gave me a handful of melon seeds..."

"That's right. You're the only one being taken advantage of. If you spend a little more, not only can you afford a handful of melon seeds, but this lady might even go back to Bingyang County with you to live." Han Hongbing joked.

In fact, Xie Hushan was not really a sucker. It was just that the waitress was very hard-working as she had to arrange accommodation for so many escorts every day with a friendly smile and enthusiastic service. What's more, he really needed daily necessities, so it was the best of both worlds. He was happy when he bought things, and the waitress was also happy when she sold things.

"My elder sister also asked me to try some local dishes for dinner. It's free. She gave me some for free." Xie Hushan said to Han Hongbing with a smile:

"Come to my room for a drink later?"

"I'm going to take a shower first. I've never been to a bathhouse in my life." Han Hongbing was not interested in drinking. He wanted to go to the bathroom to experience it.

He and several militiamen booked two rooms and bought bath tickets. At this time, a group of people excitedly put down their things, locked the door and went straight to the bathroom.

Xie Hushan walked to the door of his double room according to the room number. As soon as he opened the door with the key, a mixture of dry tobacco, sweat and mildew wafted out. It was very likely that the previous group of tenants came to deliver sheep to Hong Kong Island, and the air was filled with a strong smell of sheep.

Two rusty iron beds, a small table, two iron four-legged stools, and two windows for ventilation are all that this double room has.

The cement floor is dotted and bumpy like a world map.

Although the pillows, quilts and sheets on the bed were new, you could see that they had turned yellow even after being washed.

Xie Hushan put his things down, walked over and opened the window for ventilation.

Zhu Youjun carefully put down the thermos, then sat quietly beside the bed against the wall, looking at Xie Hushan quietly.

Xie Hushan was smoking a cigarette with his head down. Seeing her changed appearance, he asked curiously:

"Why are you staring at me?"

Zhu Youjun looked towards the wall. Xie Hushan thought for a moment, then twitched his lips and lit a cigarette:

"I just walked around outside and couldn't tell north from south. Do you believe what I said on the way here? I'm not lying to you, right?"

Zhu Youjun bit her lip and nodded gently. She hadn't cried on the train before, but now she couldn't hold back any more and tears rolled down her dirty face.

The little pride and courage she had before were shattered the moment she got off the train or left the station, because she had no idea where she was or which direction she was going. She didn't know which way to go when she wanted to go to Hong Kong Island, and she couldn't find the foreign goods merchant her mother had promised to take her to Hong Kong Island.

She could only be led by Xie Hushan helplessly like a lost child, and he would stand in front of her in the name of her unmarried husband and deal with various problems for her.

"I'm a little scared..." Zhu Youjun looked at Xie Hushan and said in a very low voice.

At this moment, she really hoped that this militiaman was her partner and could stay in Hong Kong Island with her. Although this man always said strange things along the way, Zhu Youjun felt at ease with him around.

"Don't be afraid. I said I'd take you there, and I'll keep my word." Xie Hushan continued to look out the window. He didn't even think about going over to coax the woman. He just said calmly:
“When you arrive at Hong Kong Island and are left alone, you will face many helpless moments like this. You have to start getting used to it slowly from now on.

Zhu Youjun looked at Xie Hushan and tried to stop crying: "What should I do if I can't find the relatives my mother mentioned?"

"Then live well and become your mother's relative. Does it matter who the relative is? It's enough if he can help your family solve the problems." Xie Hushan said:

"In fact, the most practical relative is money. Don't worry. Whether you can find it or not, when I return, if I have enough time, I will go to your house and leave some money for your mother, enough for her to pay back the brigade. You just need to think about how to survive in that cannibalistic place after you get there."

Zhu Youjun wiped away tears: "I don't even know where Hong Kong Island is, how can I get there..."

Xie Hushan pointed out the window with his hand holding a cigarette:
"Go forward from here, and you will reach Pengcheng River in no more than five miles. The Pengcheng River is thirty meters wide. Swim across and then find a way to tear open the barbed wire set up by the British and get in. The cage is Hong Kong Island."

"Aren't those militiamen wandering around outside whispering that there is barbed wire on our side?" Zhu Youjun asked in confusion after hearing what Xie Hushan said.

When she was outside in the square, she heard the militia escorts chatting mysteriously in low voices. They said that the borders were now all covered with machine guns and barbed wire by the state, and anyone who dared to get close to take a look would be shot and killed immediately.

Xie Hushan exhaled a puff of smoke and asked Zhu Youjun:

"You want to go out and make a fortune, to stand out from the crowd, will your family really stop you and not give you a chance?"

Seeing that Zhu Youjun didn't speak, Xie Hushan looked out the window:
"Remember one thing: those who stop you from getting rich and don't want you to succeed are always outsiders."

(End of this chapter)