Siheyuan: Why does your brother beat you up every day, Shazhu?

He Weiguo accepted it without hesitation. Although it was just steamed bread and pickles, the bread was large and there was enough of it, along with two boiled eggs, which was enough to fill his stomach.

He was indeed inexperienced this time and didn't even bring a water bottle. Whenever he was thirsty along the way, he drank from Liu Jun's water bottle.

Liu Jun didn't mind, and the two of them drank from a military water bottle, taking turns to drink.

These days, there aren’t so many things to pay attention to.

But He Weiguo took note of it:

Next time you go out, especially for a long-distance trip, you must prepare a water bottle and dry food!

Otherwise, I would really starve and thirst. If I hadn’t made this trip myself, I wouldn’t have thought of these details at all.

The two of them squatted on the side of the road and ate. The driver who was resting nearby also talked to them:

"Hey, brother, where are you going on this job?"

Liu Jun replied familiarly, "We're going to Baoding to deliver some supplies. How about you guys?"

"We're going to Shijiazhuang to deliver industrial raw materials. The journey is a bit longer than yours!"

"Hey, this trip is not easy for you!" Liu Jun continued.

"Hey, it's like that now that you're used to it..." The driver on the other end smiled.

A few people chatted for a while, passed a cigarette to each other, ate and rested, then got into their cars and set off again.

When he got back into the car, the steering wheel was handed over to He Weiguo.

Although Liu Jun was tired, he did not sleep. He said to He Weiguo:

"Weiguo, you drive, I'll show you the way."

"The road from Zhuozhou to Baoding has many forks and is the easiest to get lost."

"If I squint at some places, you'll probably go the wrong way. So I'll keep an eye on it for you."

He Weiguo nodded gratefully. This suggestion was perfect.

Having an experienced driver to guide you can avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

In this way, He Weiguo drove the car steadily, and under the guidance of Liu Jun, the bumpy journey continued until after nine o'clock in the evening.

Based on the road conditions and mileage, they decided to rest at the Xushui State-owned Hotel.

From here, they are not far from Baoding, but because of the ban on travel at night, they have to stay here for one night and set off again tomorrow morning. They are expected to arrive in Baoding before noon.

Soon, under the guidance of Liu Jun, He Weiguo drove the truck into the courtyard of Xushui State Hotel.

The yard was large, with a dirt floor. Several trucks and horse-drawn carriages were already parked there, also staying overnight.

After parking the car, the two walked into the hotel office carrying their simple luggage.

The room was dimly lit, with a "Service Agreement" hanging on the wall. The counter was an old-style wooden counter, very high.

Liu Jun took out the letter of introduction and handed it to the waiter behind the counter.

The waiter took it, looked at it carefully in the dim light, and then looked at the two of them. After confirming that everything was correct, he said:

"We only have dorm beds now. There are thermoses in the rooms, but you'll need to get some water from the water room. The room rate is 40 cents per person."

"Okay, a dorm bed is fine." Liu Jun paid the money readily.

The waiter registered them and handed them a key with a wooden tag attached.

Under the guidance of the waiter, the two walked towards the dormitory room where they would stay overnight.

Chapter 126 Arrival in Baoding

The next day, they slept until eight o'clock.

On the third day, after a quick wash at the public tap on the bunk bed, I started the truck and continued driving towards Baoding city.

Xushui is very close to Baoding, and the road conditions are slightly better.

At around ten o'clock in the morning, the truck slowly drove into the gate of Baoding No. 1 Food Factory.

As soon as they entered the factory gate, an officer wearing an old military uniform and a "security" armband waved to them to stop.

"Comrade, stop the car! Please show me your letter of introduction."

The clerk stepped forward and spoke as usual.

Liu Jun was driving in the second half of this morning, so the letter of introduction and other documents were in He Weiguo's hands.

He Weiguo quickly took out the manila file bag, got out of the car and handed over the letter of introduction.

Somehow, He Weiguo always felt that the security officer in front of him looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him.

The clerk took the letter of introduction, looked down at it, then looked up and carefully examined He Weiguo. When he saw the name on the letter of introduction, he was stunned for a moment and subconsciously read out loud:

"Beijing No. 3 Food Factory...He Weiguo?"

When he read this name, he suddenly raised his head and looked at He Weiguo's face more carefully.

suddenly!

He showed a surprised expression on his face and slapped He Weiguo on the arm:

"Oh! It's you! He Weiguo!"

"You kid! Are you the Xiao He from the Motorized Battalion of the 39th Division of the 116th Army?"

"The one who brought us winter clothes and canned food in the winter of 52! Remember?"

"When your car broke down, you stayed at our company headquarters for one night. We even shared a bed!"

When He Weiguo was slapped and shouted at by him, the dusty memories in his mind were instantly activated!

He remembered it too!

The person in front of me is Squad Leader Lin from a reconnaissance company of the 38th Army!

When he was delivering something, his car broke down, so he had to squeeze into a bed with the guys. Squad Leader Lin took good care of him.

"Squad Leader Lin! It's you!" He Weiguo also became excited and shook the other person's arm vigorously:

"You... you were assigned to the security department here after you retired from the army?"

Squad leader Lin, whose full name is Lin Nan, is from Hebei.

He is two or three years older than He Weiguo and is a very generous and enthusiastic person.

Lin Nan was even happier when he saw He Weiguo recognized him:

"Yeah! It's fate! I never thought we'd meet again! Wow, it's been ages since we last met!"

He Weiguo calculated in his mind and said with emotion:

"Yes, it's been...six years since we met in the winter of 52."

"Six years..." Lin Nan also murmured, with a complicated look in his eyes.

"Yes, it's been 6 years...it's such a great fate that we can meet again."

"Many people... I probably won't see them again in this lifetime! There are also many brothers who will never come back..."

He Weiguo nodded silently. He fully understood what Lin Nan meant.

Especially for front-line reconnaissance troops like Lin Nan and his team, the sacrifices were too great, and those who were able to come back alive with all their limbs intact were the lucky ones.

Seeing that He Weiguo looked a little heavy, Lin Nan took the lead in breaking the atmosphere and regained his cheerfulness:

"Alright! Let's talk about this later!"

"Are you here to deliver supplies? Business is more important! I'll take you to the warehouse first to unload the goods and complete the paperwork before we can talk!"

He Weiguo was very satisfied with this arrangement.

Reminiscing about the past is important, but completing the task comes first.

Only when this batch of goods is safely stored in the warehouse and he gets the receipt, will he feel relieved about this mission.

Soon, the gate of Baoding Food Factory was fully opened.

Lin Nan also jumped into the driver's seat and sat next to He Weiguo, giving them directions and driving to the designated warehouse door.

Stop the car and turn off the engine.

Lin Nan jumped out of the car first and shouted to the manager who was already waiting at the warehouse door:

"Lao Li! This is my old comrade! He's coming from the Beijing Food Factory to deliver oil and flour! Look carefully, it's approved!"

The warehouse manager surnamed Li seemed to be very familiar with Lin Nan and nodded with a smile:

"Don't worry, Chief Lin! We've already received the notice!"

"Brothers from Beijing sent us urgently needed supplies, so we must be extremely careful!"

"Besides, your Chief Lin has personally come to greet us, so don't worry, it can't be wrong!"

When He Weiguo heard Lao Li address Lin Nan as "Section Chief Lin," he looked at him in surprise.

"Of course, Squad Leader Lin! You're now the section chief!"

Lin Nan chuckled, waved his hand, and didn't explain further.

He was later promoted for his bravery in combat. When he returned from the military service, he was treated well and was directly appointed as the deputy chief of the security department.

But he felt that there was nothing to show off in front of his old comrades.

He took the initiative to give He Weiguo and Liu Jun some cigarettes and said:

"Are you hungry? I see you've had a hard time. Let them unload the cargo first, and then we'll go to the cafeteria! It's my treat!"

"The chef in our factory cafeteria is incredibly skilled! I'll definitely give you a special meal today!"

After hearing what Lin Nan said, Liu Jun and He Weiguo's eyes lit up!

To be honest, the two brothers were already starving. They were in a hurry to go out this morning and didn't eat anything at all.

Driving is a physical job, and now I can have a good meal, I’m so looking forward to it!

He Weiguo didn't bother to be polite with him and said with a smile:

"Then Squad Leader Lin, I won't be polite with you! You have to arrange this meal today!"