Chapter 16: Don’t be a capitalist-roader! You don’t consider the people at all 

Lu Zhengning thought about it. 

No matter what, the third son would still send money, but probably less.  It would inevitably lead to more arguments with the second son, which was annoying.

“Alright, I understand.” Lu Zhengning scratched his head.  When the third son repaid the money, he would insist on dividing it equally among everyone, preventing the second son from taking advantage.

The second son’s wife was very shrewd. With Su Yuanyuan gone, the third son would send less money home, and she would surely keep a close eye on it.

After a quick breakfast, Lu Zhengning headed to the county town.

Many people in the village and county were illiterate, so the post office employed people to write letters for them.

Lu Zhengning arrived at the post office and sat at the letter-writing counter.

A twenty-year-old girl, with shoulder-length hair and neatly dressed in green, was at the counter. She smiled and asked, “Comrade, what would you like to say to the recipient? Just tell me, and I’ll write it down.”

Lu Zhengning cleared his throat and began to dictate the letter.

The girl became increasingly shocked as she listened.

From her perspective, the story went like this: A woman waited three years for her husband, who sent a large sum of money every year.  This year, however, the woman and her lover stole everything and ran away. Military marriages were difficult, but the men protected their country and served the people it was honorable. How could the woman do this?

If she didn’t want to continue the marriage, she could have discussed a divorce.  Instead, she stole everything and ran off with another man. There were truly shameless people in the world.

In nearby villages and counties, many people were illiterate but needed to send letters, so the post office provided a letter-writing service.

The girl had only started working at the post office that year.  Even after only six months, she had heard more gossip than one could find in a melon patch.

This was another big piece of gossip.  Destroying a military marriage was punishable by imprisonment, and the other man was incredibly bold.

The girl wrote the letter while listening, multitasking efficiently.  Soon, she finished and handed it to Lu Zhengning.

Regardless of whether the clients could read or not, they had to review the letter before it was sent.

Lu Zhengning glanced at it, sealed it in an envelope, stamped it, and asked someone to write the postal code and recipient’s address.

“Urgent delivery to Beijing!” Lu Zhengning instructed the postman.

After sending the letter, Lu Zhengning hurried home.  Regardless of whether Su Yuanyuan had run off with a man, he had to find her.

Once he found her, he could get the stolen money back.

“What a restless, shameless hussy!” Lu Zhengning kicked at the dust on the ground, muttering as he returned to the village.

Because they didn’t have to work, Su Yuanyuan and the children slept until seven o’clock.

After washing their faces and brushing their teeth, she made them breakfast and had them wait for her in the [spatial storage].

She needed to buy train tickets first.  She would let them out of the [spatial storage] once they arrived at the train station.

The 1980s train station was crowded.  There weren’t many train lines or schedules at the time, and the ticket windows were packed.

Outside the station, vendors sold their wares, and the bustling crowd hurried past.

Su Yuanyuan was glad the children were in the [spatial storage].  It would have been difficult to navigate the crowds with them.

After buying the tickets, she had two hours until the next train. Su Yuanyuan asked a ticket seller where the nearest post office was, and after getting directions, she went to mail the letter she had previously written.

The train journey from Bajiao County to Beijing was long, taking several days.

Su Yuanyuan bought a bag of chicken cakes, rice cakes, and steamed buns at the station and put them in her bag. After looking around, she found an empty corner outside the station and quickly brought her two children out of the [spatial storage].

“Wow, this is the train station! It’s so big! So many people!”

“I’ve never seen so many people before!”

Lu Siyuan and Lu Mingzhu were captivated by the scene.

The weather was fine, and the bright sun illuminated the station. The aroma of the vendors filled the air around the station.

They had never left the village before and didn’t know there were so many people in the world.

The outside world was truly vast.

Even the stalls selling fried dough sticks and porridge seemed magical to them.

“We’re going to take the train now. You must stay close to Mommy. If you can’t see me, shout loudly and stay where you are. Don’t go anywhere with anyone else, understand?”

Human traffickers were rampant at that time, and Su Yuanyuan was still worried.

She only had two eyes, and the station was so crowded.  She couldn’t afford to take any chances.

“Mommy, don’t worry, we’ll stay close to you!” The two children promised earnestly.

Su Yuanyuan felt slightly relieved, kissed their foreheads, and then, holding some food in one hand and leading one child with each hand, took her children into the station.

Because the journey was long, she had bought sleeper tickets.  She didn’t know if there would be others in her carriage, so she kept some food in her hands.  It would be inconvenient to take food from the [spatial storage] if there were others present.

Su Yuanyuan praised her army-green cloth bag and water bottle.  She put as many things as possible in the bag, carrying the rest.

Even while planning, Su Yuanyuan knew it wouldn’t be easy. But when she actually held her children’s hands and carried her belongings, she was still nervous, afraid of losing sight of them for even a moment.

She held her children’s hands tightly, fearing they would be separated in the crowd.

If the train journey wasn’t so long, and if she could keep them in the [spatial storage] for more than 12 hours, she would have kept them there; that would have been the safest option.

But she had no choice but to keep them by her side.

Su Yuanyuan reached the platform with her children and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

A green train sat on the tracks, and the conductor was directing passengers to board.

Leading her children onto the train, she found the hard-seat carriages were packed, the air thick with a variety of not-so-pleasant smells.

The train hadn’t departed yet; passengers inside were saying goodbye to family and friends.

Su Yuanyuan struggled to navigate the crowds with her children, passing through five carriages before finally reaching the sleeper car.

Leaving the clamor of the station behind, Su Yuanyuan was sweating profusely.  She glanced at her children and relaxed.

Even during the Spring Festival rush, she hadn’t experienced such a crowded train.  During the holidays, she always took a plane or high-speed rail to go home, which was much more convenient.

Su Yuanyuan put her hands on her hips and panted, “Wait for Mommy to catch her breath, then we’ll find our seats.”

She was exhausted.  She took out her water bottle, gave her children a drink, and then took a sip herself.

“Mommy, this is a train! It’s amazing! How many people can a train hold?”

Lu Mingzhu, ever curious, looked around.

Lu Siyuan stood by the window watching people pass by, also awestruck by the experience.

“Does the train go all the way to Beijing? Will it stop along the way?” Lu Siyuan had only heard about trains and seen them on the village head’s television; he was surprised to see that they were actually green, not black and white like on TV.

“It will stop.  We’ll pass many stations. The train will stop at each station, but we won’t get off. This train goes straight to Beijing.”

Speaking of Beijing, Su Yuanyuan felt a little anxious. She wasn’t sure if the letter would reach Lu Zhengan before they arrived.

Once in Beijing, if Lu Zhengan didn’t pick them up, she would have to find a hotel first and then send a letter directly to his military unit; that should be quick.

She had brought her marriage certificate.  If necessary, she could use it to find Lu Zhengan’s unit.

After resting, Su Yuanyuan took her ticket and led her children to find their seats.

Sleeper berths were expensive at that time; only relatively wealthy families could afford them.

Bajiao County was the starting point of this train line. The sleeper car was currently empty. Su Yuanyuan had planned on squeezing in with her children, but seeing many empty spaces, she let them sleep in the lower berths next to hers.

The children didn’t need tickets, so it was fine for them to sleep there.  She could have them sleep with her if the carriage filled up.

She had slept late the previous night, and then spent the morning buying tickets, mailing a letter, and crowding onto the train. Su Yuanyuan was exhausted.

“Mommy will close her eyes for a bit. If you need anything, call me immediately. Don’t wander off,” she said to her children.

Su Yuanyuan looked at her children anxiously. She finally understood what it meant to have endless worries as a mother.

“Don’t worry, comrade. There will be an attendant in each carriage. Rest easy, I’ll keep an eye on your children,” a conductor approached, smiling at Su Yuanyuan.

The conductor had her hair neatly tied up and wore a somewhat faded but clean work uniform.

Su Yuanyuan was startled, noticing the conductor approaching from the other side, and thanked her, “Thank you, girl.”

“You’re welcome; it’s our job,” the conductor said before standing by the carriage door.

“Mommy, don’t worry, we won’t leave your side. We won’t wander off,”

The two clever children reassured Su Yuanyuan, warming her heart. She praised them, “You two are the best!”

Su Yuanyuan was too tired and closed her eyes to rest.

A middle-aged woman entered from the doorway, glancing at the sleeper berths and noticing many empty spaces. “Conductor, can I sleep here?”

“Comrade, please show me your ticket,” the conductor smiled, extending her hand.

The woman showed her ticket. The conductor glanced at it and shook her head apologetically.

“I’m sorry, you have a seat ticket; your seat is in the seventh carriage. It’s two carriages down from here.”

The young conductor’s voice was soft and her manner gentle. “Or you can upgrade to a sleeper berth for an additional five yuan.”

“Five yuan! Are you robbing me?” The middle-aged woman’s eyes widened in shock.

Five yuan! That was enough to buy so much flour!

“I’m sorry, if you don’t upgrade, you’ll have to find your assigned seat. That’s the rule.”

Despite the conductor’s considerate manner, the middle-aged woman persisted.

“Why are you so rigid?  There are so many empty seats! Why can’t I sleep here? Why do I have to pay extra?”

The conductor was also in a difficult position. “Comrade, you have a seat ticket, so you can’t sleep in a sleeper berth.  It’s empty now, but someone might buy a ticket for this berth at the next stop.  Of course, you can rest here temporarily.”

The conductor’s words implied that the berth was temporarily unoccupied and she could rest there, but she would have to leave if someone bought a ticket.

The middle-aged woman could go to her assigned seat and then return to sleep in the sleeper berth once the conductor left.  If no one bought a ticket for that berth, the conductor would turn a blind eye.

The conductor was subtly hinting at this, but the middle-aged woman was slow-witted and didn’t understand.

“You’re wasting resources! Leaving seats empty! You must be a capitalist! You don’t care about the people at all!”