Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 98 Beipiao

This railway is an internal railway, built and operated by the Nanpiao Mining Bureau and the Beipiao Mining Bureau, mainly to serve the local people in the mining area.

This road is an artery connecting the Beipiao mining area all the way to Jinzhou. This is why the people of Nanpiao, which belongs to Huludao, are closer to Jinzhou—it's convenient and inexpensive.

Historically, there were many such small trains in Liaodong, operating in many cities, including Anshan, Dalian, Nanpiao and Beipiao, Beixi, and areas near steel and coal mines. Fushun also had one, though it was dismantled earlier. The Nanpiao and Beipiao section operated the longest, and sections are still running today.

The train sped along, traversing mountains and rivers. Well, more like leisurely strolling; this small train couldn't run very fast, much slower than the larger trains, but definitely much faster than passenger cars. The larger trains were the passenger trains operated by the national railway.

People were coming and going, driving and parking. Every now and then a basket of chickens would come up, and every now and then a few bicycles would come up. Xia Maosheng was full of energy now, and instead of sleeping, he talked to Xiao Wei, sometimes pointing out the place and introducing it, and sometimes telling some interesting stories.

"Once I was riding this bus, and two big pigs got on. They ran all over the bus. By the time we caught them and got them back, we had already passed several stops. Haha, that guy was almost crying."

"They can haul anything, it's super convenient, and they don't charge extra for the goods. The local people have a deep affection for the mining bureau."

……

One hour and twenty minutes later, the train attendant called out at the junction of the carriages: "Taiji, we've arrived! Taiji, those getting off, please take your belongings."

Xia Maosheng stood up and said, "Let's go, we're here, get off the bus."

Xiao Wei said, "Isn't it some kind of 'Three Treasures'?"

Xia Maosheng said, "This bus goes to Sanbao. My second sister lives there, but we won't go there today. Let's go to my house first."

Xiao Wei stood up and straightened his clothes. The two walked towards the car door. Xia Maosheng took out a cigarette and offered it to Xiao Wei, saying, "Stay at my place or at a hotel?"

Xiao Wei took the cigarette and glanced at the flight attendant standing to the side. The flight attendant glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Xiao Wei lit a cigarette from Xia Maosheng's hand and said, "Let's stay at a hotel. It's my first time here, so it's inconvenient for you to stay at your place. Your family might feel uncomfortable. How long are you staying here?"

Xia Maosheng said, "I'm going to report to my workplace, and then I'll go see my aunt tonight. I'll see what she thinks; it's hard to say."

Xiao Wei nodded. The train suddenly jolted and hissed as it slowed down. Outside the window, houses appeared and gradually merged into one. The train had arrived at the station.

After getting off the bus, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and the wind picked up. The two quickened their pace and left the station, walking along the road into the city.

At this time, Beipiao was only about the size of a county town. There weren't many buildings; most were single-story houses. The whole town felt very spacious, and you could see far into the distance at a glance. The two of them walked along the road for three or four kilometers against the wind and snow, and they were both sweating.

Mining bureau vehicles frequently drove by on the road, and many buildings along the roadside were also units or facilities under the mining bureau. However, at this time, the heavy snow covered many things, making them unrecognizable. Even the well-known coal washing pool was now just a large black hole in the snow.

Like any industrial area, residential buildings and factories are mixed together. Industrial facilities and factories can be seen everywhere along the roadside. After passing the legendary coal washing pool and a row of factories, the view suddenly clears up, and a neat row of residential buildings comes into view. Behind the residential buildings, several high-rise buildings stand there.

Xiao Wei unbuttoned a few buttons on his cotton-padded jacket and asked, "How much further?"

Xia Maosheng pointed to the tall buildings and said, "There they are, we'll be there soon. Are you getting hot? We don't have any cars in this small place."

Seeing their destination made walking much faster. The road was also wider, and various shops started appearing along the roadside. However, it was too cold, and there were very few pedestrians on the road. A man on a bicycle passed by the two of them, panting heavily, with white smoke rising from his head. Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "He's a brave man too. Riding a bicycle in this heavy snow is so tiring. It's better to walk."

Walk all the way behind the tall building, and you can see a school not far away. There are shops on both sides of the road, including several stationery stores, snack bars, bicycle repair shops, appliance repair shops, and a GG company, which is a novel industry in this era.

Xia Maosheng led Xiaowei straight to a stationery store and said, "This is my older sister's store. Let's sit here for a while and have some water. You can stay here if you want. There are blankets here. No one stays here at night, but it's a bit cold. You'll need to light a stove. There's no heating in this area."

Xiao Wei glanced at him: You're telling me there's no heating in a coal mining area?

Xia Maosheng pointed to the row of shops and said, "These houses were all built by private individuals without any permits, so the heating isn't working. Anyway, they're just shops and not people living in them. But the permits are being processed, and once they're approved, the gas will be connected. Come on in." As he spoke, the two of them arrived at the door, which was open and without any curtains, just staring straight out onto the street.

Several children ran out, dressed like roly-poly toys, huddled together sharing something, almost bumping into Xia Maosheng. Xia Maosheng reached out and stopped one of the children, who looked up at him, twisted their shoulders, shook off his hand, and walked past him.

The two entered the house, and Xia Maosheng called out, "Sister, sister."

The curtain to the small room was lifted, and a short-haired woman in her late twenties peeked out, then stepped out and said, "Why are you back so soon? Did you just arrive?"

Xia Maosheng looked around, noticing that the room was cluttered and business was good, so he hadn't had time to tidy it up.

"Oh, you're in this place? I was wondering what those kids were dividing up." Xia Maosheng took out a box of firecrackers from a cardboard box and said, "Internship. I came back because I had something to do. Oh, sister, this is my classmate from Fengtian. I often go to his house for meals and drinks."

Sister Xia smiled at Xiao Wei and said, "Come in and sit down. The room is a bit messy. Would you like some water? I'll get you a kettle. There's only one coal stove here, so it's not very convenient to do anything. Take less. How old are you? Are you still a child?" Xia Maosheng, who was stuffing firecrackers into his pocket, felt a little embarrassed after his sister's comment. He thought for a moment and then took out a few more and put them back in the box.

His sister went into the inner room to get a thermos. Xia Maosheng leaned over to Xiaowei and handed him a box of firecrackers, saying, "These are really loud, and they even light up at night." Xiaowei took them and looked at them; they were slightly larger than a matchbox. He opened them and found about a dozen white paper rolls inside. He asked, "How do you play with these?"

Xia Maosheng took one out and said, "Just hold this and throw it on the ground. Just throw it hard and it'll go off. Wait a minute, let me look around. There should be some more firecrackers." He then ran over to rummage through the boxes.

Sister Xia came out with a thermos and two bowls, glared at Xia Maosheng, and said to Xiaowei, "Come and drink some water. Don't be like him. He'll never grow up." Xiaowei smiled and agreed. He went over and poured a bowl of hot water and held it in his hands. The temperature inside the shop was about the same as outside, and holding the bowl of hot water made him feel much warmer.