Development of productivity started in 1981

Chapter 45: Guangshi Xing (asking for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets)
1981年10月1日，农历9月4日
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At daybreak, Wang Jiankun went to the Dongmenqiao market for breakfast. He had clear soup with fried dough sticks. The soup was added with lard and fresh chopped green onions. It smelled fragrant and tasted very smooth because there was a spoonful of lard in the soup.

After eating, I bought meat buns and fried dough sticks for breakfast for my parents and sister. I had already told them yesterday through a text message machine that we should leave early to go to the county town for breakfast.

Then I bought some long-lasting lasagna and white cake to eat on the train.

At 7 o'clock, his father drove up. Wang Jiankun asked his father, mother and sister to get out of the car to rest and have breakfast.

My sister was very excited, and Roubaozi couldn't stop her from talking. She kept asking questions, such as whether Raozhou was far away, whether Guangzhou was fun, what the train was like, etc.

Wang Jiankun replied with a few words, but she kept asking more and more detailed questions, so Wang Jiankun stopped answering because he himself had never experienced it and all his knowledge was gained from reading books and newspapers.

My parents finished eating early, and we didn’t wait for my sister to finish, so we asked her to eat on the bus. We had to get to Raozhou early, otherwise we would miss the train.

Before leaving, Wang Jiankun said a few words to Ye Wei, asking him to guard the recycling station and that he would be back on the evening of the 5th.

The cab of the Jiefang truck was not very big, so my sister could only sit on my mother's lap.

She held a bun in her hand and ate it while looking at the scenery along the road.

At that time, the houses in the county town were only slightly better than those in the team. The roads were paved with gravel and were very flat, and were much wider than the roads in the team.

The road started to bump out of the county town. On the roadside were golden rice fields and groups of people harvesting rice.

The younger sister lost interest after watching for a while. After eating the buns, she felt very sleepy and fell asleep leaning against her mother.

Wang Jiankun and his mother chatted all the way, with his father joining in from time to time. They mainly talked about his mother's previous life in BJ and the affairs of his elder and younger uncles.

My uncle is tall and handsome, and he is also a good student. He was admitted to a university in Northeast China and studied mechanics, so he was assigned to work in a car factory after graduation.

Moreover, he had been learning Russian from his grandparents since he was a child. The technology of the automobile factory at that time was all taught by the Soviet Union, so his uncle who knew Russian would be valued if he went there.

If it hadn't been for that storm and if I hadn't lost my grandfather's protection so early, I definitely wouldn't have wasted more than ten years like I have now. It's like starting from scratch.

My uncle is only two years younger than my mother and is rather thin, which might be because he didn’t eat well during those three years of growth. He was a freshman at Beijing Institute of Technology when he went to the countryside.

He has loved handicrafts since he was a child. The radio, camera and motorcycle that the family bought at that time were all disassembled and studied by his uncle.

According to my mother, my uncle also made a crystal radio that did not require electricity, and many people came to him for advice.

She will be able to see her eldest uncle soon, but she is anxious because there is no news from her younger uncle.

Wang Jiankun comforted him by saying that his younger uncle had also passed the message to his older uncle later, so maybe he was staying in a free place, waiting for his older uncle to contact him.

It was already 10: when they arrived in Raozhou. His father drove the car directly to the entrance of the department store and asked his mother to take Wang Jiankun and his sister to buy two sets of clothes.

After entering the department store, my sister was stunned by the bustling crowds of people in front of her.

Wang Jiankun took his sister's hand and walked with his mother straight to the place where ready-made clothes were sold.

Wang Jiankun asked his mother to take his sister to a women's clothing store, and agreed to go to a shoe store to buy leather shoes half an hour later. He then went to a men's clothing store to buy clothes.

There are few styles of ready-made clothes at this time. Most of the clothes in the store are long-sleeved, and there are only 3 or 4 short-sleeved shirts.

Wang Jiankun chose two white ones and two pairs of thin pants. He is now 1 meters tall, which is a standard body shape, so he tried them on and they fit him well without having to alter the hems of his pants.

I paid and went out, carrying the bag to the shoe store.

Wang Jiankun chose leather shoes in the shoe store and waited for about 10 minutes before his mother and sister came. "Jiankun, have you bought anything? Your sister was overwhelmed by the selection and it took her a while to pick out two skirts."

"I have already bought my clothes, pants and shoes, and I have chosen my shoes. You go and choose. I will take my sister to choose."

After saying that, he took his sister to the counter selling children's shoes and asked the waiter to get a few pairs of sandals.

My sister chose two pairs, one pair made of gray and white leather and one pair made of blue plastic.

I originally wanted to buy her a pair of sandals and wear them in Guangzhou, but considering that I have money now and can still wear them next year if I buy them this year, I agreed to buy her two pairs and asked the salesperson to pack them up.

My mother chose a pair of black leather shoes with small high heels. Looking at her standing upright in the new shoes, I felt that she had become much more confident.

After paying the money, Wang Jiankun took his mother and sister out and got on the car, and asked his father to hurry to the train station. It was almost 12 o'clock, so they could only buy something to eat at the station.

At the entrance of the train station, my father helped unload the luggage and reminded the three of them to be careful and to telegraph to Fengshan in time.

You can't park the car at the door for too long, as people with red armbands have come over to urge my father to drive away.

After saying goodbye to his father, Wang Jiankun walked in front carrying two bags in his hands, while his mother followed behind with a bag on her back and holding his sister's hand.

Following the flow of people to check tickets and enter the station, the long wooden seats were all occupied by passengers. Wang Jiankun found an empty space with few people and asked his mother and sister to look after the luggage while he went to buy something to eat.

There was a state-owned store inside the station, and Wang Jiankun bought three chicken legs and ten tea eggs.

Things in the station are expensive, chicken legs are 8 cents each, tea eggs are 1 cents each, almost twice the price outside.

The three of them gathered around the luggage and ate the chicken legs and tea eggs. Wang Jiankun then took the kettle to get some hot water. It might be difficult to get hot water on the train, so it was best to get it before getting on the train.

At 1 o'clock, the station announced that the ** train would start checking tickets, so Wang Jiankun took his mother and sister to queue up.

After checking my ticket, I went up to the platform and asked the administrator which way the soft sleeper car went. The administrator pointed to the place where there were people shouting about selling lighters and told me to wait there. The soft sleeper car usually picked up and dropped off passengers there.

Wang Jiankun thought about it for a while before he understood the reason.

Lighters are relatively expensive, and only people with a certain purchasing power will buy them. Those who sit in sleeper berths are obviously better off financially than those who sit in hard seats, so it is more likely that they will be sold by shouting here.

There are a lot fewer customers waiting here, and they are all dressed more appropriately.

Most of them wore leather shoes, shirts and trousers, and their luggage was not miscellaneous. They all carried a leather bag and a canvas bag or a small suitcase.

The guys selling lighters didn't come towards Wang Jiankun and the other two. Instead, they went to the edge of the well-dressed crowd and quietly asked if they wanted lighters.

Not to mention that a few smokers bought them after trying them, and more than ten were sold in a short while, because some people bought more than one, but 10, 2, 3, or 3 at a time, probably to give them as gifts.

Wang Jiankun and the other two looked a bit awkward standing there. They were wearing ordinary cotton clothes and were carrying cloth bags, with another large cloth bag at their feet.

Because the newly bought clothes and shoes are still placed in a cloth bag, ready to be changed into when the time comes, they look a bit rustic.

Wang Jiankun decided to go shopping in the mall when he arrived in Guangzhou and exchange the cloth bag for a canvas bag or a leather suitcase.

The train stopped at the station after a while. People getting on and off the carriage were relatively orderly and lined up consciously. Wang Jiankun, his mother and sister lined up at the back of the line and moved forward little by little.

After getting on the bus, find your seat, put your luggage away, and open the window to get some fresh air.

At this time, my sister was already jumping up and down on the bed. She found everything new and interesting. She pushed the sliding door back and forth, pressed the light switch several times, and rolled around on the lower bunk holding her pillow.

The train started moving and a cool breeze blew in through the window that could only be opened a little.

Wang Jiankun planned to take a nap first. He had set out early in the morning and had not slept a wink.

Shortly after the train started moving, the conductor came to check the tickets. Wang Jiankun then locked the door, drew the curtains and went to sleep. Since his sister couldn't sleep, he let her play in the compartment.

At around 5 o'clock in the evening, the sound of train attendants selling dinner could be heard outside.

Wang Jiankun woke up, opened the door, and asked his mother and sister if they wanted to go to the dining car to eat. His sister happily agreed. His mother was afraid that the luggage would be taken away after everyone left, so she asked Wang Jiankun to go to the dining car to order food and bring it to the private room.

My younger sister also wanted to go, so my mother asked Wang Jiankun to keep a close eye on her and make sure she didn't get kidnapped.

When the sister heard that she might be kidnapped, she was a little scared, but she still held Wang Jiankun's hand tightly and followed him to the dining car.

I ordered two and a half meat dishes and one vegetarian dish, and got three servings of rice, all in aluminum lunch boxes.

He told the waiter which private room he wanted to eat in. The waiter asked Wang Jiankun to leave a deposit of 2 yuan, which would be returned to him after he returned the lunch box.

Let my sister walk in front holding three boxes of lunch, and Wang Jiankun walk behind holding three boxes of vegetables.

It was the first time for the three of them to eat on a train. My sister had to study the disposable bamboo chopsticks with round ends and knocked on the aluminum lunch box before she started eating.

The person in charge of cooking on this route might be from Jiangxi or Hunan province. The food was spicy, with a lot of oil and salt. The three of us thought it tasted okay.

After dinner, Wang Jiankun went to the dining car to return the lunch box and got his 2 yuan deposit back.

It was already dark at this time, and it was pitch black outside. The only thing I could see when I looked out of the car window was the yellow light coming through the train windows.

After taking a nap in the afternoon, he couldn't fall asleep now. His sister had explored everything in the carriage. Seeing that he was bored, Wang Jiankun started asking her questions to answer.

At around 9 o'clock, Wang Jiankun let his sister go to bed only after he saw her start to yawn.

The train traveled westwards to CS in Hunan Province, where it stopped for 20 minutes, then turned south along the Beijing-Guangzhou Line.

After the train left CS, Wang Jiankun closed the door of the compartment and prepared to go to bed. Before going to bed, he studied the structure of this latest electric locomotive.

The next morning at around 5 o'clock, the three of them got up, fetched water, washed, and then changed into their newly bought clothes and shoes.

At this time, the train had passed Shaoguan, and the temperature suddenly rose by several degrees. The plants on both sides of the railway gradually became different from those in Jiangxi Province. You can often see a sugarcane or banana forest. Listening to Wang Jiankun talking about how delicious sugarcane and bananas are, the sister drooled and suddenly asked: "Brother, when did you eat them? You ate them secretly and didn't give them to me."

Wang Jiankun had never eaten it before, so he said, "I'm just telling you what the book says. I haven't eaten it either."

"Hmph, can you buy some for me to eat in Guangshi?"

"Sure, I'll buy you bananas and sugarcane. Maybe we'll also sell mangoes and jackfruits."

"Okay, Jiankun, don't be greedy for her. If you can't buy her, she will pester you and make trouble."

After hearing what his mother said, Wang Jiankun stopped teasing his sister, went to the dining car to buy porridge and steamed buns and ate them in the dining car. He also took out the thousand-layer cake and ate it. The station was about to arrive, and it would not be convenient to carry it with him all the time.

At around 9 o'clock, the train began to enter Guangzhou city. At this time, we could see some 5- or 6-story buildings gradually appearing in the distance, which meant that the station was not far away.

Wang Jiankun and his mother took their luggage and waited at the door, asking his sister to hold on to their mother tightly and not let go, as it would be troublesome if they were separated.

After about 10 minutes, the train stopped at the platform. After the door opened, Wang Jiankun and two other people came out first. After looking at the sign, they walked towards the exit.

After checking the tickets, follow the signs and walk slowly towards the passenger pick-up gate. My uncle should be waiting there.

It was the younger sister who had sharp eyes. She pointed to a place not far away and said to her mother, "Mom, mom, look, is that the man, my uncle? The sign he is holding has the words Cen Juan written on it."

Wang Jiankun and his mother looked in the direction of her finger.

I saw a dark and thin middle-aged man wearing black-framed glasses, a white short-sleeved shirt, and black trousers. He was holding a sign with the words "Cen Juan" written on it.

The mother stopped and looked carefully for a while, then suddenly quickened her pace and pulled her sister forward.

At this time, the middle-aged man also saw his mother running over, put down the sign and looked at his mother. Suddenly, he threw away the sign and hugged his mother. The mother also let go of the luggage and her sister's hands and hugged the middle-aged man tightly.

After a while, the two let go, and the mother pulled her sister and Wang Jiankun and said, "Brother, this is your nephew Wang Jiankun, who called you last time. This is your niece Wang Chunxiang, Jiankun Chunxiang, hurry up and call uncle."

"uncle"

"uncle"

"Hey! Hello, you must be tired from sitting in the car for so long. Let's go, go to the guesthouse with your uncle to put your luggage, and then your uncle will take you to eat something delicious."

"Okay, okay, uncle, let's go. I'm starving and can't wait any longer."

"Didn't you have breakfast? Why are you hungry?" Wang Jiankun exposed his sister's lie.

"Humph, I'm just hungry. I digest food quickly. If you're not hungry, just eat less later."

"Hold on to me, don't run away, settle down first."

Uncle Cen Qiang also held my sister's hand with one hand, helped my mother carry the luggage with the other hand, and led the three of them to the square in front of the station.

My uncle hailed a taxi, and after Wang Jiankun and the other two got into the back seat, he got into the passenger seat.

After giving the driver an address, he turned to his mother and said, "Juanzi, I'll take you to our company's guesthouse. You can rest for a while and then I'll take you to the Cantonese restaurant by the river for dinner."

"Okay, I'll follow your instructions when we get here, but we can just go to an ordinary restaurant, as long as the food is clean."

"Okay, there are a lot of restaurants near the river, let's go to the ones frequented by locals, they must be authentic and affordable."

As the car passed a construction site, my sister exclaimed, "What a tall building! Wouldn't it be exhausting to live so high up and climb the stairs?"

"It was invested by Hong Kong businessmen. When it is completed, it will be a big hotel. It is planned to have 33 floors, but it has only been built to the 11th floor. There will be elevators to take people up and down, so there is no need to climb stairs."

Looking at such a large construction site, it is only 11 stories high, and few people can imagine it being 33 stories high.

Although Wang Jiankun had seen American skyscrapers in magazines, this was the first time he saw one in real life, and it was truly shocking.

The taxi drove along the river for a while and turned into a European-style building complex. Under the guidance of my uncle, the driver stopped in front of a three-story building.

My uncle paid the fare and helped open the door to let Wang Jiankun and the other two get off the car.

"Uncle, are we there yet? Is this where we're staying tonight? It's so beautiful."

My uncle and mother took the luggage from the car and led the three of us inside. As they walked, they said, "This is a guesthouse run by the import and export company. The house was built by a British company before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and then it was confiscated as a state-owned asset. Now it is managed and used by our import and export company."

My uncle booked two rooms, one for Wang Jiankun and one for my mother and sister. The two rooms were opposite each other. Wang Jiankun's room had a large single bed, while my mother and sister's room had two single beds.

The room is laid with wooden floors, has a suspended ceiling, and the chandeliers are relatively simple and European in style. There is also a TV, a telephone, and a separate bathroom.

My uncle explained that their company would receive some foreign businessmen, so the guesthouse was of very high standards.

The phone in the room can be used to make international long-distance calls, but this can only be done in rooms that have been registered in advance. Non-official and non-invited guests will be charged separately and will be borne by the guests themselves.

Wang Jiankun thought that this saved him a lot of trouble. He would tell his uncle later that he wanted to call Hong Kong. Peter had already sent a telegram to tell him his address and phone number in Hong Kong.

This time when Peter came to Hong Kong, he brought Wang Jiankun a computer and some other electronic products, magazines, scientific journals, etc.

He was about to send the goods to Wang Jiankun through their company's channels, but Wang Jiankun sent him a telegram asking him to wait. It happened that his uncle worked in an import and export company, so maybe he could help with customs clearance quickly and receive the goods directly in Guangzhou.

Wang Jiankun asked his sister to go to his room first to leave some space for his mother and uncle. They hadn't seen each other for so many years and they must have a lot to talk about.

Turning on the TV and tuning it to a channel showing Hong Kong movies, Wang Jiankun and his sister watched it with great interest.

It was half past 11 when Wang Jiankun turned off the TV and went to visit his mother and uncle across the street.

Both of their eyes were a little red, and there were traces of tears on their cheeks. It seemed that they were a little sad after talking about the past events, especially that they were unable to see their grandparents for the last time.

After washing up, they took Wang Jiankun and his sister out to eat. When they passed a place where they could send telegrams, their mother sent a telegram to Fengshan to report that she was safe.

After walking along the river for about 10 minutes, we came to a restaurant called Liwanting, where we could see many Cantonese-speaking people eating there.

The waiter asked my uncle in Cantonese, and my uncle told him in Mandarin that he wanted to find a private room to eat. The waiter led them upstairs.

It turns out that the upstairs is also part of this restaurant, with many small private rooms and several large ones.

My uncle ordered some classic Cantonese dishes, including roast goose, steamed grouper, Wenchang chicken, Ayi abalone, fried shrimp with pineapple, blanched Chinese cabbage, and a few desserts.

Each dish was something the three of them had never seen before, not even their mother. Although the taste was light, it was full of freshness. For the four of them who had just finished their meal, stopping eating at this moment would be disrespectful to the team.

The roast goose is fat, tender and juicy, the Wenchang chicken is fragrant, the grouper is bright red in appearance and its meat is like garlic cloves, the abalone is extremely delicious, the fried shrimp with pineapple is sweet and sour, and finally, some blanched choy sum to relieve the greasiness.

After finishing the main course, they put down their chopsticks and slowly ate dessert with spoons.

"Chunxiang, Jiankun, how does it taste? Are you used to it?"

"It's delicious. Can we have it again tonight, uncle?"

"I'll take you guys to eat something else tonight."

"Uncle, can I call Hong Kong from the guest house this afternoon?"

"I'm calling Hong Kong. Do you know anyone in Hong Kong?"

"Yes, I have a client in Hong Kong, an American, who plans to buy lighters from me to sell in the United States."

"Is that the lighter you mentioned earlier? You can even sell it to American customers? How did you get in touch with them? Are you a bad guy?"

"No, uncle, don't worry. He was originally a foreign consultant hired by our Dexing Copper Mine Cable Factory. They bought American equipment last year, and the equipment company sent him to be responsible for installation, commissioning and guidance."

"Then how do you know him? He can speak Chinese?"

"I met him by chance when I went to buy wires for the team. He only knew a few simple greetings in Chinese, but I'm good at English and was able to communicate with him."

"Jiankun didn't lie. I told you that he was very smart since he was young. He ranked third in the county in the high school entrance examination. I also taught him some spoken English, so it's true that he can talk to Americans."

"I didn't expect our nephew to be so capable, good at studying, and able to apply what he learned. I'll go back and tell the people at the guesthouse, you can use it without worry, but you have to pay attention to the call time, because calls to Hong Kong are still quite expensive."

"Okay, but don't worry, I can make a lot of money now. Peter paid me in US dollars when he bought a lighter from me."

"How much will he buy? It won't be just a few hundred dollars, right?"

"It's tens of thousands of dollars. My lighters are very expensive to export. This time he may want to purchase lighters worth more than 20 dollars."

"How much did you say? Nephew, you are not lying to me, are you?" The uncle stood up and said in surprise.

"No, he told me so in a telegram a few days ago. He is ready to transfer the money. I will call him to confirm the arrival time of the funds. When the funds arrive, I will notify the team to prepare lighters."

"Jiankun, let's go back to the guesthouse and talk first. There are too many people here and they are all gossiping. Tell me about this lighter of yours when you get back."

So the four of them quickly finished their desserts, and my uncle even hailed a taxi back to the guesthouse as if he was in a hurry.

(End of this chapter)