Starting from 1950

The next day.

The train traveled for another day, and the number of people in the carriages dwindled until only Su Yang and his group remained.

As the number of people decreased, the temperature in the carriage began to drop sharply, and many people shivered from the cold. Li Weixin called the children to gather together.

Seeing that Wu Xinxue was sleeping soundly with her head resting on his shoulder, Su Yang didn't go over with her.

Seeing that everyone had finished their dry rations, he took out the food that the other passengers in the carriage had given him and asked Li Weixin to share it with everyone.

Li Weixin gave him an appreciative look.

The rest of the people huddled together for warmth, and many of the children were listless. It wasn't until dusk that the train finally dragged its weary body into Shenzhou.

"Clang!"

The car lurched violently, and Su Yang sat up straight. After a day of recovery, the dizziness from last night's murder had subsided.

Noticing that the train was gradually slowing down, he reached out and wiped the condensation off the glass.

The platform outside was covered with a thick layer of snow, and the dim station lights swayed in the wind and snow, casting densely packed shadows—workers wearing fur hats, cadres wrapped in military overcoats, farmers carrying sacks...

Compared to the Beijing Railway Station, this place is actually more lively.

"Sister Xinxue".

Su Yang gently nudged the head resting on his shoulder, and Wu Xinxue was jolted awake from her light sleep, instinctively clutching Su Yang's sleeve.

"Have we arrived?" Wu Xinxue reluctantly pulled her hand out of Su Yang's arm and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Everyone get ready to get off! Check yourselves, don't forget your belongings, and line up in the aisle!" Li Weixin shouted from the aisle.

At his command, everyone sprang into action, with cries of "Ouch!" echoing as the children's legs and feet went numb from the cold.

Seeing this, Li Weixin did not urge them, but waited for them to adjust slowly.

It took about twenty minutes for forty or fifty people to finally line up and get off the bus.

Su Yang and Wu Xinxue walked at the very back of the group.

"It's so cold!"

"It's much colder here than in Beijing!"

The children who got off the bus exclaimed in surprise.

The moment Su Yang stepped out of the train, he felt a lump in his throat, as if his nose hairs had frozen instantly. He helped Wu Xinxue down, and someone had already started talking to Li Weixin, who was leading the team.

There were four people in total, all wearing thick military overcoats, with bulky figures, and thick felt hats on their heads, only their eyes were exposed.

The leader saluted Li Weixin, handed him his work ID, and said in a thick Northeastern accent, "Are you Comrade Li? We're from the Tiexi District to pick you up. It's too cold, shall we hurry out of the station and get on the train?"

Li Weixin glanced at their documents a few times and handed them back. He tightened his collar, and seeing that many of the children were starting to chatter, he nodded and said, "You can make the arrangements."

"Everyone, follow me! Be careful not to slip!" the comrade waved to the children and shouted.

The group started following him.

The snow on the platform had been trampled down and was as hard as ice.

Fortunately, a layer of coal ash was sprinkled on it, so people wouldn't slip if they walked on it carefully.

Su Yang followed the group, with Wu Xinxue pulling on the back of Su Yang's cotton coat. The group got off the train and boarded two trucks.

The people who were there to pick up the car were clearly well-prepared; the car was lined with a thick layer of straw and several tattered quilts.

As soon as Su Yang got into the car, he didn't mind the smell of the bedding and pulled one over to wrap himself and Wu Xinxue in it.

"It's so cold here."

Wu Xinxue sniffed her red nose and moved closer to Su Yang, absorbing the unusual warmth emanating from him.

"Mm." Su Yang nodded.

It's really cold here in Shenzhou. Even on the short journey from getting off the train to getting on the truck, Su Yang felt like there were ice crystals in his nose.

He felt the temperature here was probably below minus twenty degrees Celsius.

......

The two trucks were covered with tarpaulins, so no one could see outside. All they could hear was the sound of the engines and the dull creaking of the wheels as they rolled over the snow and frozen ground.

About half an hour later.

"Creak—!"

The truck slammed on the brakes, and the inertia caused the people in the cargo compartment to scramble together.

Just as He Dazhuang was about to fall onto Wu Xinxue, Su Yang saw it clearly and kicked him. He Dazhuang's burly body hit the railing, and he grimaced in pain, but only dared to glare at Su Yang secretly.

"We're here! Everyone get off the bus, and hurry up!" came the shouts of the officials who were there to greet us from outside the bus.

The canvas curtain was lifted, and a cold current several times stronger than that of Beijing instantly poured in, feeling like countless ice needles piercing the exposed skin.

The children, shivering, helped each other climb off the bus.

The sight before them made everyone gasp for breath.

Instead of the towering factory buildings I had imagined, there was only a vast wasteland covered with thick snow, with a few rows of low red brick bungalows scattered along the edge, their chimneys emitting thin plumes of black smoke, appearing small and fragile against the gray sky.

The cold wind whipped up the snowflakes on the ground, swirling them around and making a howling sound.

In the distance, several thick chimneys pierced the sky like silent, giant spears, spewing out thick smoke and adding a rough, oppressive feel to this desolate landscape.

"This...this is Shenzhou?" Wu Xinxue's voice trembled, whether from the cold or disappointment, it was hard to tell.

She subconsciously moved closer to Su Yang, her small hand secretly clenching the cuff of his cotton coat.

The children around them stared blankly at this simple dwelling in the snow and ice, a stark contrast to the ornate courtyards of Baishun Hutong in Beijing.

When they arrived, Wang Cui had said that life in Shenzhou was better than in the capital.

Everyone immediately felt like they had been tricked.

The Tiexi District officials who came to pick them up didn't care what they thought; they kicked the people out of the car and left immediately.

"What are you looking at? This is your new home, Tiexi District No. 3 Shelter! My surname is Zhao, my name is Zhao Laochu, and I am the person in charge here." He was a middle-aged man in his forties with red cheeks from the cold and a loud voice.

He was wrapped in a bulky cotton overcoat, and his dog-skin hat was covered in frost.

"Hurry up, line up and come with me to the dorm to settle in! Nobody's going to care if your ears freeze off!"

Under his guidance, everyone filed into the dormitory, leaving a trail of messy footprints in the snow.

The dormitory was a long row of bungalows. As soon as Su Yang arrived, he was hit by a pungent smell of warm air mixed with mold, earth, and cheap coal smoke.

The room was a large communal room with two long rows of earthen beds filling the space, covered with reed mats.

The walls were covered with old newspapers, which had peeled off in many places, revealing the rough mud walls.

The windows were small and covered with thick kraft paper to keep out the cold. The room was dimly lit, with only a single, yellowish light bulb hanging in the center.

"Men on the left, women on the right! Find your own beds! Put your luggage on the kang!" Old Zhao shouted, then pointed to a half-person-high tin stove in the corner, "Remember to light your own stove. The coal is in the shed by the door, so use it sparingly! Lights will be turned off at night, no noise allowed! Work assignments will begin tomorrow!"

The children carried out the orders numbly, and a suffocating atmosphere permeated the air.

Su Yang and Wu Xinxue each chose a spot against the wall, their bunks facing each other, separated by a narrow aisle.

He Dazhuang deliberately chose a corner furthest from Su Yang and silently began packing his meager luggage.

Su Yang silently walked to his bunk. The bedding was patched upon patched, but it didn't smell, so it must have been freshly washed. The quilt was also very thick. He touched the reed mat and found it was warm, indicating that there was a fire burning underneath.

Many children also noticed these things and exclaimed in surprise.

The initial fear of arriving here was quickly dispelled. Although the conditions here looked harsh, at least the sleeping conditions were better than those in the reformatory in Beijing.