It was half past six on the first day of July in Beijing. Perhaps because of the late afternoon, the sun was gradually fading away, and there was no hint of coolness in the air.
“Let’s go, it will be too late if you don’t go.” Zhu Xuefeng pushed the cart and shouted at the entrance of the Central Courtyard. Although Nanluogu Lane is not far from Xizhimen Railway Station, it will cost money to queue up for ticket checking and enter the station in advance. A lot of time.
"Come on, come on." He Yuyu had already packed up, and Sha Zhu and Lou Xiao'e followed him out.
"Brother, ride slower on the road, we have time to catch up, there is still more than an hour." Silly Zhu followed He Yuyu with his bag, and said hello to the third uncle who was looking back with his hands behind his back.
"Zhuzi, are you sending rainwater to the station? I heard you are going to the grassland for internship?"
"Yes, you are really well-informed. My sister likes the grassland. Let's go there. "Turn around." Click."
He Yuyu and Lou Xiao'e behind him were whispering and followed. When the third uncle reminded him, he also smiled and replied.
"Thank you, third uncle, for reminding me. I came back when the weather got cold. I have to celebrate the New Year with my brother and sister-in-law anyway. Third uncle, I'll see you later."
The four of them went out together. After entering the compound, the neighbors who had just finished their meal greeted each other one after another, and there were whispers from time to time. Now many people knew that He Yuyu had chosen to go to the grassland for internship, but they couldn't understand why he was going to the grassland when he was not waiting in the capital.
"Brother, I leave it to you. You have to get it to the car. There is chaos over there."
"Okay, brother, let's go. We still have to buy platform tickets. If we get there too late, we won't be able to queue up." He Yuyu bagged the result, put it on the front pedal, and turned around to get on the bus.
"Sister-in-law, let's go. See you during the Chinese New Year."
Zhu Xuefeng started the car and slowly walked westward along the alley. The station was not far away, just in the northwest corner. It was just a short ride away. In less than twenty minutes, we exited the alley and turned right to the west.
"Is there someone to pick you up over there?"
"Well, there is someone to pick you up at the factory, and my classmate will go too. It's okay."
It's okay, Zhu Xuefeng is just Xiaoxiao, after getting off the train, he didn't go anywhere. He specifically asked about it. There are still dozens of kilometers of dirt roads. The main means of transportation there is not cars. The journey from the train station is still bearable. Fortunately, he got off the train. It's tomorrow morning, so there's nothing going on in broad daylight.
“Be awake when riding in the car at night. You should have hidden all the money and tickets.”
“Why are you so nagging like my brother? Take your ride, I’ve sewn it inside, so I’m sure It’s okay.”
He Yuyu was dissatisfied with Zhu Xuefeng’s chattering and couldn’t help but give it a gentle slap. It seemed inappropriate and fell into silent mode.
After passing through several dilapidated alleys, we arrived near Xizhimen, and then passed through a long and winding alley in front of us to reach the station. There was no subway at this time, and by the way, it seems that the subway will be built next year.
Although this area is not far from Dongcheng, it is already Xicheng District. The exhibition hall that was put into use not far away is the latest building here. There are still dilapidated alleys and low-rise buildings near the train station. The bungalow is far less elegant and neat than the Beijing Railway Station, and is more dilapidated than many old railway stations in small towns in later generations. However, this is not only the starting point of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, but also one of the important transportation hubs of the Beijing City.
Although it is dilapidated, the crowds constantly pouring out of the alley prove that it is indeed busy and orderly. After walking along the broken road of the unpatched alley for almost three hundred meters, I finally saw a small Square, Xizhimen Railway Station finally arrived.
"This road is really dilapidated. If it rains, there are so many potholes that it's impossible to walk." He Yuyu muttered. It was only when she was riding in a car that she realized how dilapidated the road here was.
There seemed to be a faint smell in the air, making He Yuyu feel uncomfortable again.
"This is unbearable. I heard that the smell on the train is really strong. The journey will take more than ten hours. Just bear with it."
The train station has not yet opened. After changing its name, the dilapidated train station seems to be frozen in the long river of time, with traces of history exuding in every corner. It is like a weather-beaten old man, quietly telling the glory and vicissitudes of the past.
Walking into the station square, there are faded red brick walls on both sides, covered with traces of time. There are some placards hanging on the wall, and the gatehouse of the train station is taller and more imposing than the gatehouse of the train station on Qianmen Street.
Beyond the red wall on the left, there are already long queues forming at several polished iron ticket gates. Many men, women and children with red cheeks are standing or sitting, and many are still chewing on them. Wearing dry food, unlike most people in Beijing Railway Station who are neatly dressed, the passengers here look like a completely different kind of people, with shabby clothes, long hair hanging casually, and that strong...
The square is bustling with people, but there is not a single uniformed patrol in sight. Maybe the square is too small and there is no need? When he turned around, he realized that He Yuyu was also looking at this old station with vicissitudes of life. Zhu Xuefeng took out his right hand and waved it in front of He Yuyu's eyes.
"Stop looking, you have to queue up quickly and give me your ticket. I'll go to the lobby to buy a platform ticket."
He Yuyu looked at the queue and whispered, "How about I buy it? , please help me stand in line.”
According to He Yuyu’s idea, he originally didn’t want Zhu Xuefeng to be sent to the station, but seeing these passengers who were obviously different from other stations, he was unsure and changed his mind directly. idea.
Listening to the other ethnic languages that came from time to time in his ears, Zhu Xuefeng also understood what He Yuyu was thinking, and said with a smile, "Why are you giving up before you even get on the bus? It's much harder over there than in the capital. These people Those who can afford a ticket to come to the capital are considered to be in a good situation, and those who can't even raise enough money for a ticket have to think clearly."
Zhu Xuefeng still knows how miserable the grasslands are at this time. Those who know a little bit, it is worse than the drought-stricken provinces, the climate is also extremely harsh, and desertification is very serious. Even if the home is closed tightly, after one day, the home will be full of sand and soil. There is a saying that goes, "Inner Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Two taels of soil a day, today is not enough to make up for it tomorrow.”
When it comes to He Yuyu going from the capital to take root in the grassland, Zhu Xuefeng is not only sorry but also admires it, but he doesn’t know if He Yuyu is really in such a harsh environment. regret.
"Stop talking nonsense, help me line up, I'll buy the tickets." He Yuyu gritted his teeth and shook his head, turned around and went to the hall. Zhu Xuefeng looked at the two little pigtails raised, "Still stubborn. Let’s wait for the hardship.”
I pushed the cart and saved it, and returned to the queue. After a while, the queue has grown a few meters longer to the naked eye, and now we are no longer close to the starting train. Within an hour, crowds of people continued to appear in the alley, and the small square soon became crowded. The sharp-eyed Zhu Xuefeng had already noticed that Buddha had started to go to work, constantly squeezing in and out of the crowd.
These people are really pervasive. The situation in Dongcheng District is much better now. Of course, there are no patrols at this station. With so many people, Buddha will certainly not miss such a good opportunity.
Seeing that a father and son not far away were being targeted, Zhu Xuefeng was about to warn him when two women and a man suddenly squeezed out of the crowd, grabbed Buddha's wrist and let out a low roar.
"Public Security!" Buddha lost his energy in an instant, and the owner and Buddha were soon taken away. It didn't seem to attract any surprise or attention among the crowded crowd, and more people crowded in from the alley. There are no patrols here, they use plainclothes. Zhu Xuefeng has gained experience, but these three police officers seem to still have a little childishness. They probably just left school not long ago.
I don’t know how long it took, even the Buddha was taken away in two batches. The iron door of the ticket gate was opened with a crash, and a dim light came out from behind the shiny iron sheets. The light and emotions were getting dark. The team staggered forward a few steps as they didn't know who was pushing them, but they heard a roar coming from the iron fence.
"Get in line, don't get in until you get in line!" The majesty of the uniforms was still very oppressive. The pushing team slowly calmed down, and the queue formed an orderly line, turning around in the square. Several bends stretched out, and then I realized that I was at the end of the queue, like a gluttonous snake that was full.
"How come there are so many people in such a short time? It's hard to find." It was already a cool day, but He Yuyu was sweating profusely. Zhu Xuefeng leaned back, leaving an empty space in front of him. In the gap, let He Yuyu enter the team.
"I guess they are all from this train. It's time to check in at the check-in point and enter the station. There are quite a lot of people here."
He Yuyu looked at the crowd of heads and was speechless. "There must be two thousand people anyway. Can we fit them on this trip?"
"Girl, this is your first time taking our "Prairie Train". This is not a large number of people. People only come in autumn." "Many, old man, I have seen many more than this."
The man in front turned back with a grin and spoke with a smile. His dark, dry but wrinkled face made the two of them feel at ease. Unable to tell the other person's age.
“Uncle, this is not too much, can’t you fit in this trip?”
"Of course you can't sit down. If you have a place to stand or squat, you'll be home after a hard night's work."
The green trains at this time generally had about 118 seats in each carriage. Ordinary trains There are 16 carriages. The people queuing up in this square must all be in this car. It is indeed the same as what the uncle said.
"It would be nice to add a few more trains. There are so many people. I think it will be difficult to squeeze in." He Yuyu looked at the longer and longer queue and felt a little panicked. These people all brought something. , big and small bags.
“It’s easy for a girl to say, the rails can’t be laid out. This way, there are mountain climbing and tunnels. There is no way to lay more rails. We have to take into account other lines. We have a prairie train. That’s enough.”
“Oh, that’s it. Are there many tunnels?”
“There are so many, there are always dozens of them along the way. Once you enter the tunnel, there is nothing in the car. You can’t see it either, so you have to be careful when the time comes.”
The old man was kind-hearted. He knew that He Yuyu was going there for the first time, so he gave him a friendly reminder.
"Thank you, uncle. Your family is also from Zhaowuda League?"
"Well, my home is in BLYQ. It will take two days to get home after getting off the train. It is still convenient to have a train. It only takes one night to travel a thousand miles to the capital, but it takes two days to get to our home, which is only more than three hundred miles away.” ?”
"Oh, you're talking about that big bus. There was one before. It broke down within a few days. It was said that the axle was broken. There was no place to repair it. I don't know when it will be open to traffic again. But I saw that the road on the grassland was terrible. If it is not modified, the axle will probably be broken within a few days of opening to traffic.”
There was noise from the front, and ticket checking had already begun. The old man stopped talking and picked up a few packages to follow quickly.
The ticket inspector casually tore off the platform ticket in half, "Hurry up and get out after you've delivered the platform ticket. A train will arrive at the station in a while. If you try to use the platform ticket to leave the station again, we'll count you as a fare evader."< br>
“Oh, okay, you’ll have time.”
“Of course, we will clean the platform, just come out quickly.” The ticket inspector reminded enthusiastically, Zhu Xuefeng looked at the five items on his hand There was only half of the penny platform ticket left, and I wanted to ask if there would be any problem with this thing getting out of the station, but a huge force from behind sent him directly into the station.
"I'll carry it, I have to keep up with the queue." Passengers who entered the station ran away one by one and went straight to the station's overpass. Zhu Xuefeng immediately realized that these people were occupying space for the package and hurriedly carried it. He Yuyu's package pulled her onto the overpass, and the iron overpass made a loud banging sound.
On the platform, under the dim lights, the bright railway tracks seemed to tell the stories of countless travelers. Several green locomotives parked quietly beside the track.
In this dilapidated train station, time seems to become slow and heavy. Every hurried step seems to be able to hear the echo of history, making people feel the weight and depth of that history.
After finally squeezing out of the car, she looked through the window at He Yuyu, who was looking up to wipe his sweat. This train ride was too much for her, and the whole carriage was filled with the charming grassland smell.
"Get out of the station quickly and tell my brother and sister-in-law that I am fine." He Yuyu stuck his head out of the car window and shouted, "Don't get out too late."
"If anything happens, just write back!" Zhu Xuefeng said habitually.
"Who am I writing to? To you? Hurry up, I'm fine, and besides, there are classmates over there."
Zhu Xuefeng was speechless for a while, forgetting that he had to leave in September, and still wanted to I said something and was kindly reminded by the conductor.
"Comrades who have finished seeing you off, please hurry up and get out of the station. Don't linger. Please hurry up and get out of the station..."
Zhu Xuefeng had no choice but to wave and leave under the attention of the conductor. .
Finding his own pedal in the dim light, Zhu Xuefeng was almost suffocated by the smoke. There were several stalls next to the pedal that exuded a strong smell of mutton. When they floated in the wind, he almost suffocated.
Check the car seat, it’s okay. Next time, I’ll have to ask Shazhu to deliver anything. It’s necessary. I’ll make a trip today. Comrade Xiaoxia still has some opinions. He should be waiting in the courtyard for this meeting. With.
The journey was bumpy and after exiting the long alley, Zhu Xuefeng let out a long breath. The conditions of this old train station were really difficult. Looking at a small dilapidated courtyard not far away, the door suddenly opened. Zhu Xuefeng Subconsciously slowing down, he saw three young men coming out with a smile. They were the plainclothes men who had arrested Buddha just now. Their faces were all filled with the unique vitality of young people. They might have been arrested twice in a row, and they all seemed a little small. Satisfaction.
Zhu Xuefeng rode over and couldn't help but turn his head and take a look. A man in uniform was closing the door. There was also a man in uniform deeper. It seemed that, by the way, the one inside was the horse chief of the steel rolling mill. Outside That was the police officer who had a dispute over a sesame seed cake last time. By the way, he himself said he was the police officer from Xizhimen Railway Station. What a coincidence, but why is Chief Ma also wearing a police uniform?
(End of this chapter)