Siheyuan: Big City, Small Love

Chapter 372 A Small Favor

The three of them stood at the gate of the courtyard and said goodbye to their family members who had come to see them off.

"Xiao Laizi, be sure to pay attention to safety on the road, don't try to show off, and be patient when encountering problems, okay?" He Zhan warned.

"Got it, Dad. Take good care of Mom for me and don't let her lose weight. I'll call you the first time I get there."

"Okay!" He Zhan agreed.

"Mom, don't be too tired, I'm fine."

"Okay." Wu Juan said one word with red eyes.

Afterwards, He Lai and the other two said goodbye and got on a tricycle to the train station.

……

The three of them arrived at the train station. Because ordinary people now have many restrictions on travel, and they need to get a letter of introduction, there were not many people in the train station, especially the train from Sijiucheng to Guangcheng. After all, people in this era don't need to travel far. He Lai and his friends quickly found the team going to the Canton Fair.

Yu Li had also arrived, and next to her was her father, Master Yu, who was helping her carry her luggage.

"Master Yu, long time no see." He Lai was the first to greet him.

"Uh... Xiaodong... No, Comrade He Lai, long time no see, long time no see."

Master Yu quickly replied.

"Well, Comrade He Lai, please help me keep an eye on Yu Li when we get to Guangcheng. I'm a little worried. She has been very brave since she was a child. I'm afraid she will get into trouble."

"Dad, what are you talking about! How have I ever gotten into trouble?" Yu Li said angrily.

"It's okay, it's okay. Sister Yu Li and I are colleagues. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

He Lai had no choice but to reply politely. It was obvious at a glance that Yu Haitang and Yu Li were more like their mothers, carefree and open-minded.

"That's good. I feel at ease knowing you're watching over me." Master Yu ignored Yu Li and continued talking to He.

Soon, the person in charge of the Canton Fair came with people and distributed the tickets to each unit, all of which were hard sleeper trains.

He Lai and the other two were naturally assigned to the same room. After a long time, Li Huaide and several other leaders came over. After counting the number of people, they sat back in the lounge.

At five o'clock, the train did not appear, obviously it was late.

He Lai was not surprised. After all, if the green train was not late, it would not be called a green train.

He Lai suddenly recalled the scene when he was in college in his previous life and took the green train. It happened to be the Spring Festival travel season at that time, and it was impossible to buy a seat ticket. Almost all the tickets had to stand.

At that time, people actually entered the train compartment through the windows. For luggage, children, and adults, all did this to get a better seat! After all, people back then didn’t queue up, they just swarmed forward, so there were a lot of pickpockets on the trains at that time.

When the elderly at home know that someone is going to take the train, they will constantly remind them to be careful with their wallets!

At that time, standing tickets were not strictly enforced. You were not forced to stand in the carriage indicated on your ticket, but it was definitely crowded, almost like the buses at that time! Almost everyone stood close to each other.

The most annoying thing is the people selling boxed lunches on the train. Every time they come over, they make quite a noise, not only squeezing people, but also creating opportunities for pickpockets.

Moreover, that lunch box was notoriously expensive and unpalatable, so He Lai ate it once and never ate it again.

Do you think it's just a lunch box cart? No way! Soon, there will be a snack cart!

Do you think it's done after one trip? No way, it will come back soon and continue to sell!

It was so magical that every time Lai passed by He Lai, He Lai would silently curse her three hundred times in her heart! Three hundred times!

At that time, the green trains had everything, including power banks for sand and various small items. In short, they were expensive and lousy!

So people who often take the train never buy anything on the train!

"Hey, why hasn't the train arrived yet? It's already ten minutes past five!" Xu Damao muttered.

"Xu Damao, you have never taken a train, right? Your grandfather Zhu took one several times in the past."

Sha Zhu boasted.

"Yes, yes, you have taken it before. You just went to Baoding a few times to visit your father. Look at you, you are so capable. I would have thought you were on a plane!"

Xu Damao sneered.

"You!" Sha Zhu got angry when he heard it.

"Stop arguing! What's wrong with you two? You start arguing as soon as you meet. So many people are watching us! Aren't you ashamed?" He Lai quickly stood between the two of them to prevent their quarrel from escalating.

Yu Li and a few others were covering their mouths and laughing.

Sha Zhu and Xu Damao could only curl their lips and remain silent.

Fortunately, after another quarter of an hour, someone shouted through a loud speaker, saying that the train had arrived and asked us to stand back.

When He Lai and others heard this, they quickly stepped back. After all, the trains of that era were huge and the noise would probably be very loud!

Soon many more people came out, and He Lai vaguely saw Lou Bancheng among them, wondering if he was seeing things.

With a rumbling sound, the train finally pulled into the station.

As everyone on the train got off, He Lai and others also came to their carriage 11, which was a hard sleeper carriage. Most of the people going to Guangcheng this time were in it.

He Lai and the other two soon found their own rooms. Because there were only 11 men in He Lai's room who were sitting in hard sleepers, Li Huaide must have gone to the soft sleeper, so there were only three people in their room.

"Oh, I'm finally in the car. I'll lie down for a while first." Xu Damao lay on a bed on the lower bunk.

"Hey, this is my bed, go and lie down!" Sha Zhu grabbed Xu Damao and said.

"He Yuzhu! Don't go too far. I've always been giving in to you!"

Xu Damao glared at Sha Zhu and said.

"Hey, if you guys keep arguing, I'll go out and change rooms. I'm so annoyed. Brother Damao, you sleep over here. I'm going to the bathroom!"

He Lai had just put his luggage away when the two started quarreling again. He had no choice but to resort to ruthless tactics. This pair of enemies is really the worst!

He Lai left the room and went to the toilet, then stayed in the carriage and watched the train slowly start to move.

After a while, the train drove out of the station. Nowadays, the train would not stay at the platform for too long. After confirming the number of people on board, it would start. After all, nowadays, trains need to stop at so many platforms.

As long as someone gets on the platform, the train will stop for one or two minutes, so the trains in this era are very slow.

He Lai looked out the window at the still dark Sijiu City, and felt a little emotional. This was the first time He Lai left Sijiu City. Sitting in a train of this era, he couldn't help but take a few more glances at the houses outside.

When the train was running normally on the road, a person suddenly came over.

"Comrade He Lai, my master wants you to come over."

He Lai turned around and saw that it was Lao Ma, Lou Bancheng's driver, so he replied, "Okay, lead the way."

He Lai also wanted to know whether Lou Bancheng was going to Gangcheng this time when he went to Guangcheng. If so, could he take him with him? That would be perfect.

Soon He Lai met Lou Bancheng in the soft sleeper car.

"Xiao Laizi, you're here. Long time no see. Please take a seat."

Lou Bancheng said with a smile.

"Thank you, Uncle Lou. I didn't expect you to come. Are you also attending the Canton Fair?"

He Lai asked curiously.

"As for me, yes and no, Uncle Lou won't play tricks on you. I came here this time, ostensibly to help the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill look at foreign machines, but actually I came to see the port city. You may not know that I have a son who has been in the port city for several years."

Loubancheng Road.

"Oh, I see. That's good. I should take a closer look."

He Lai responded with a smile.

"Xiao Laizi, you are pretty good. I heard that you recently designed a lighter, is that right?"

Lou Bancheng said with a smile.

"Hey, little thing, it's not worth mentioning."

"That's no small thing. I know a little bit about kerosene lighters. I've also seen your design, which is much better than the ones on the market. I'm sure you'll get a lot of orders at the Canton Fair this time."

Lou Bancheng said with a smile.

"Hey, it's all because of Uncle Lou's good foundation. Without the help of those master chefs, I wouldn't be able to do it."

"Okay, why are you still practicing Tai Chi with Uncle Lou? I know you must have put a lot of thought into this, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to make something this good. The choice of materials is not something you can come up with in just a few days."

Lou Bancheng waved his hand and smiled.

He Lai could only smile awkwardly. He was able to make it and it really didn't take him much time. It was mainly because he was too familiar with what a Zippo lighter needed. He didn't even know how many times he had assembled and unassembled it.

He Lai chatted with Lou Bancheng for a while, and seeing that it was almost time, he told him the little plan in his mind.

"Uncle Lou, I have a small favor to ask you for help. Is that okay?"