Year 1979: Eating meat with my wife and children

The newly added shifts are all staffed by experienced employees, some transferred from other shifts on the Beijing-Shanghai line, and others from other lines. Everyone knows what they can and cannot do.

Li Xiangdong and Hou San first put their bags into the train attendant rest car, then finished their work in an orderly manner before returning to rest.

Upon hearing the announcement on the platform, Hou San opened the car window and stuck his head out to look towards the entrance.

What came into view was a huge crowd of passengers entering the station, far exceeding the number he had seen in Shandong, Fujian and Tianjin provinces before.

Although there are quite a few Hui people in these three places, they are nowhere near as densely populated as they are now.

Hou San had only seen a situation like this during the Chinese New Year, but there was still a month until then.

He clicked his tongue inwardly and withdrew his head. "Brother Dong, take a look at the platform. There are so many people. It's making me nervous."

"is it?"

Li Xiangdong peeked out the window, his inner thoughts mirroring Hou San's.

It's not even the end of the year yet, but the platform is already packed with passengers, as if the Spring Festival travel rush has begun.

Hou San closed the car window. "A lot of people, isn't it?"

"It's normal for there to be more flights, otherwise they wouldn't have increased the number of flights, and we wouldn't be able to go to Shanghai."

Hou San nodded in agreement after hearing Li Xiangdong's words.

This is true; the Beijing-Shanghai line, as a 'golden corridor,' connects the two populous cities of Beijing and Shanghai at its two ends.

Moreover, the entire route also traversed the most densely populated region in the country at that time.

The Beijing-Shanghai line is notoriously short of transport capacity; one sentence sums up the current state of trains running on it.

It's crowded all year round, packed during holidays, and you can't buy tickets during the Spring Festival.

Such a description is by no means an exaggeration; it is common for trains on the Beijing-Shanghai line to be overcrowded on non-holidays.

During peak travel periods, especially during the Spring Festival travel rush, train carriages are overcrowded, with people crowding under seats, in aisles and connecting areas between carriages, and even on luggage racks.

Going to the toilet and eating are extremely difficult things while the train is in motion.

If we wait until the mid-to-late 1980s when the "migrant worker wave" begins, the travel conditions on the Beijing-Shanghai line will be even more crowded.

"I knew I'd find you two here."

Gao Xinmin's voice suddenly came through.

Li Xiangdong and Hou San both looked towards the door of the cubicle, and immediately stood up after seeing the person.

"Uncle Gao."

"Uncle Gao, is there something you need?"

Gao Xinmin pointed out the car window, "You two can see how many people there are, right? Go to the platform and help maintain order when boarding."

"Okay, Uncle Gao."

"We didn't expect you to come all this way to see us. We were just about to go."

Sweating profusely while working, Li Xiangdong and Hou San returned to the rest carriage with their coats half-open. Now, as they were about to help on the platform, they fastened their coats and put on their hats.

Being properly dressed is a requirement, and besides, it's cold wind blowing on the platform, so wearing clothes properly is to avoid catching a cold.

"Don't push, one at a time, and take out your tickets in advance."

"There are too many people on the platform. Keep an eye on your children and luggage, and please line up properly!"

After getting off the bus, Li Xiangdong and Hou San separated and went to help maintain order at the boarding gate.

When it comes to queuing, the train conductors at the boarding gate always have to shout at the top of their lungs to check tickets.

However, the effect was so-so; passengers with seats worried that their seats would be taken or that they would have nowhere to put their luggage after boarding.

Passengers without seats are even more anxious, wanting to be the first to rush into the carriage to grab a good spot so they can get through the next twenty-odd hours on the train.

In this kind of working environment, it is difficult for many train attendants to maintain a smile and provide warm, gentle service.

In addition to speaking loudly, you also need to speak quickly so that you can suppress the surrounding noise and make passengers hear what you are saying. This can also deter some unruly people who want to take advantage of the chaos.

These days, thieves and pickpockets are rampant at train stations and platforms. These people like to strike when things are chaotic and crowded.

Therefore, when railway police see someone breaking the rules and acting recklessly, in addition to verbally reprimanding them, they sometimes take physical action directly.

If someone causes trouble, it must be stopped decisively and effectively; otherwise, other law-abiding passengers may be implicated, and their personal safety and property may not be guaranteed.

...

...

The train whistle sounded.

The noise that was originally on the platform was moved into the carriages.

Once the wheels started turning, the train slowly pulled away from the station. Hou San coughed incessantly as he returned to the train conductor's rest compartment.

He saw Li Xiangdong, who had returned earlier, already drinking water from a teacup. He walked to his bed, plopped down, and leaned back on the bed, reaching up to unbutton the top button of his coat.

"Cough cough, my voice is almost hoarse from shouting, and I even got stepped on twice. Brother Dong, could you please get me a glass of water?"

Looking at the lazy Hou San across from him, Li Xiangdong bent down, picked up the water bottle placed at his feet, and stood up with a smile.

"Are you stupid? It's one thing to get trampled in front of a lot of people, but can't you be a little more careful when you shout?"

"I don't want to either, but I have no choice. If I don't speak loudly, no one will listen. I wish I had your voice, Brother Dong. You'd have a built-in megaphone."

Hou San's smiling expression gradually faded after he saw Li Xiangdong pour the water he had just poured back into his own teacup.

"Brother Dong, you're joking, don't mess around."

"You can make me laugh, but I can't make you laugh?"

Li Xiangdong refilled the other person's water, saying, "Drink up, the water isn't too hot, it's just right."

Thanks.

Hou San took the teacup, but instead of drinking it in big gulps, he took a small sip and held it in his mouth to slowly moisten his throat, which was so dry it felt like it was about to burst into flames.

Li Xiangdong didn't disturb the other person. The two sat silently on their beds, drinking water and looking out the window at the scenery receding faster and faster.

After finishing a full mug of water, the train beneath me had reached its maximum speed and then stabilized.

"Brother Dong, shall we go for a walk?"

Hou San put down his teacup, his tone unconsciously carrying a hint of reluctance.

He knew exactly how many passengers were crammed into the carriage; it was truly packed with people, with barely any room to put his feet down.

Li Xiangdong also knew the specifics, but it was their job, and they had to do it no matter how unwilling they were.

"Let's go."

The two men emerged from the rest area, carrying metal water bottles, and got to work.

There were so many people that even the hard sleeper carriages had been converted into hard seats. The two of them, carrying metal water bottles, could barely move and had to patiently take their time.

I occasionally hopped on the coattails of vendors pushing carts to sell their wares, and the train conductor and railway police patrolling the carriages helped clear the way.

In this way, Li Xiangdong and Hou San took twice as long to finish the work.

Back in the rest compartment, Hou San sat on his bunk and remained silent for a while before suddenly speaking up: "Brother Dong, how about we switch to another location?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

"okay."