20demayo Chapter 267 The Main Dish on the Train
Chapter 267 The Main Dish on the Train
Lin Yan wandered around Xi'an and found a guesthouse. The receptionist was a woman wearing arm sleeves, who was working on an abacus with her head down.
"Comrade, I'd like a private room." He handed over his press pass.
The woman took the documents and examined them carefully, then looked him up and down before taking out a registration book from the drawer: "How many days are you staying?"
"Stay for one night," Lin Yan said, his gaze sweeping across the lobby. A slogan reading "Frugality" was pasted on the wall, and a thermos with peeling paint sat in the corner.
The room was on the second floor, small but clean. There was a wooden bed, a writing desk, and an enamel basin stand. He put down his satchel, sat down on the edge of the bed, and closed his eyes to concentrate.
"Lin San." His divine sense connected with him.
"Young Master?" Lin San's voice immediately rang in his mind, "Where are you?"
"Yes. I went down the Yellow River yesterday, and the situation isn't good. The riverbed is completely dry." Lin Yan's tone was grave. "Tell the brothers in the vicinity to keep a close eye on things and think of a way to prevent the people from running out of food."
He paused, then added, "I have a roll of film stored in my storage space. Take it to a photo studio and develop it. Pick out a few photos of the most severely affected people and find a way to deliver them to the people who need to see them. This matter needs to be handled by the higher-ups. Also, help me get a pass that allows me to buy sleeper tickets; I need it tomorrow!"
"Understood, I'll take care of it first thing tomorrow morning," Lin San replied. "Young Master, what about you...?"
"Don't worry about me, I have my own plans." Lin Yan cut off the contact.
The next morning at nine o'clock, Lin Yan checked out of the hotel and went straight to the train station.
A long queue formed in front of the ticket window, filled with a noisy chatter. He slowly moved forward with the line, and when it was his turn, the ticket seller, without even looking up, asked, "Where to?"
Lin Yan glanced at the train timetable on the wall and casually said, "Zhengzhou, sleeper berth."
"Sleeper berth, 32.8 yuan, letter of introduction."
He handed over the money and his identification, and in return received a cardboard ticket. It read "Xi'an-Zhengzhou," but had no date and only stated that it was valid for two days.
The waiting room was packed with people, the air thick with the smells of sweat and tobacco. He found a corner to sit in against the wall, hugged his bag to his chest, and closed his eyes to rest.
Occasionally, train schedule announcements would come over the loudspeaker, interspersed with the sounds of children crying.
At 11:20, Lin Yan squeezed into the platform with the flow of people and finally found his carriage. He checked his ticket and went into the compartment, where four of the six berths were already occupied.
Across from them, on the lower bunk, sat a middle-aged man in an old military uniform, his back ramrod straight. Beside him sat a younger man, and the two were talking in hushed tones. They were clearly from the military. Lin Yanchong and the others nodded and placed their satchels on the lower bunk.
Under the guise of tidying his satchel, he quietly took out a clean set of sheets and duvet cover from his storage space. Just as he was about to make the bed, the young soldier opposite him couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Comrade, you're quite the connoisseur!"
Lin Yan touched his nose sheepishly: "I'm really sorry, I'm a bit of a germaphobe, please excuse me." As he spoke, he deftly spread out the sheets, the fabric of which looked much softer than the ones provided in the car.
The middle-aged soldier looked him over with a kind smile: "It's good that young people like to be clean. Back when we were fighting, we didn't have the luxury of being particular."
"That's right," a middle-aged woman leaned out from the upper bunk, "who knows how many people have slept in these berths on the train."
Lin Yan made the bed, placed his satchel inside the pillow, and finally breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled at the soldier opposite him: "I'm used to it. When you're traveling, all you want is a good night's sleep."
The young soldier asked curiously, "Comrade, where are we going?"
"Zhengzhou," Lin Yan replied, "Just wandering around and taking a look."
"We're going back to the military base," the middle-aged soldier replied. "This journey will take about twenty hours; it's going to be tough."
Lin Yan lay down on the berth, and just as he was about to adjust to a more comfortable position, he realized something was wrong—the berth was far too short for him. There was nowhere to put his long legs; his lower legs dangled off the berth, and his feet almost stretched into the aisle.
He tried to curl his legs up, but it only made it more awkward. Just as he was struggling, a suppressed laugh came from the other side. The young soldier's face turned red from holding it in, and the middle-aged soldier couldn't help but chuckle: "Young man, you're over six feet tall, aren't you?"
Lin Yan sat up helplessly, scratching his head with a wry smile: "Uncle, I'm 1.88 meters tall. I've never ridden this train before, and I really didn't know the berths were so short."
"Good heavens!" exclaimed the woman on the upper bunk, peeking out. "If this were the old days, she could be a flagpole at the government office!"
The middle-aged soldier smiled and pointed, "Try moving your pillow further inwards towards the wall and lying at an angle. All the tall guys in our unit sleep like that."
Lin Yan tried lying diagonally on the bunk as instructed, and was able to manage to tuck her legs in. Although she still had to curl up slightly, it was better than being suspended in mid-air like before.
"Thank you, Uncle," he said gratefully, "this method worked."
The young soldier joked, "Comrade, with your height, you'd definitely be a great player."
"Just playing around occasionally," Lin Yan said with a modest smile.
When it was lunchtime, the young soldier across from him asked in a low voice, "Commander, please wait here while I go get the food!"
Lin Yan snapped out of his daze. It was time for lunch. He took out two insulated lunch boxes from his bag, but as soon as he did, he regretted it. Wang Yuling had used three-layer insulated lunch boxes, the kind used in the US, to pack his food. In China, they probably used aluminum lunch boxes now. He had no choice but to open them anyway. Good heavens! Matsutake mushroom stewed chicken, tomato stewed beef, braised prawns, salmon sashimi, sweet and sour pork ribs, and garlic bok choy! Six dishes, filling the small table to the brim.
The eyes of the two soldiers opposite him instantly sharpened like knives. The younger soldier instinctively clenched his fists, while the middle-aged regimental commander, though still seated, spoke with an interrogative tone:
"Young comrade, this meal you've had is probably better than even a state banquet, isn't it?" His gaze swept back and forth between Lin Yan and the food. "You must explain today where all of this came from."
The woman in the upper bunk stared wide-eyed, muttering under her breath, "How many meat coupons would that cost...?"
Lin Yan inwardly groaned, blaming himself for being so slow-witted. He took a deep breath, took out his identification from his bag, and gently pushed it in front of the other person:
"Please don't misunderstand. I'm from Hong Kong, and my family has some business dealings with the mainland." He pointed to the information on his Hong Kong identity card. "My grandfather asked me to come back for the summer holidays. I've been staying in Beijing for too long and wanted to get away for a while. These dishes... were specially prepared by my family, in case I didn't like the food on the road."
The regimental commander picked up the identification document and examined it carefully, while the young soldier also came over to look. The atmosphere in the carriage remained tense, but the hostility had lessened slightly.
"From Hong Kong?" The delegation leader hesitated for a moment, then handed back the documents. "Even if it's from Hong Kong, isn't this a bit too much of a entourage?"
Lin Yan explained with a wry smile, "My family is in the grain and oil business, so I'm particularly particular about these things. How about... everyone try some? I can't possibly finish all this food by myself."
The young soldier visibly swallowed, but the regimental commander immediately waved his hand: "No need. Since they are compatriots from Hong Kong, we won't pry. But young comrade," he looked at Lin Yan meaningfully, "the whole country is going through a tough time right now, and you acting like this... is too conspicuous."
"You're right," Lin Yan nodded quickly. "It was my oversight."