Chapter 12

Xiao Yuanhang and eight other contestants, along with the head of the education room, Tian Fen, and the staff member Jiang Xuefang, a total of eleven people, all wore red sashes and flowers, and took a group photo on the platform with the leaders of the party, government, labor union, and youth league of the section. Then, the section leaders took another photo with Xiao Yuanhang, Tang Jing, and Zhang Chunhua, who had been named and qualified for the railway bureau's technical performance competition. Finally, the leaders of the party, government, labor union, and youth league took a separate photo with Xiao Yuanhang, who had won the title of technical champion!

During this process, the welcoming drums and gongs continued to play, drawing the attention of passengers waiting on the platform and the station staff, who gathered to watch. Xiao Yuanhang's eyes scanned the crowd aimlessly, and suddenly, he spotted a beautiful girl wearing a white short-sleeved uniform for food sales, carrying a box of ice cream on her chest. He was instantly stunned!

This beautiful face was one that Xiao Yuanhang could never forget, for she was his wife from his previous life, Wei Wei! In his previous life, he met his wife Wei Wei while dining at the Yipinxiang restaurant in front of the station. This restaurant was a property of the Guhe Station Labor Service Company, and Wei Wei was an employee of the company, known as a beautiful chef in the restaurant. The moment he saw Wei Wei, he was captivated by her beauty and launched a fierce romantic pursuit, eventually winning her heart.

The Guhe Station Labor Service Company was a collective enterprise under the Guhe Station, mainly established to provide employment for the children of station employees. It was a product of specific historical conditions and was commonly known as a "small collective" enterprise, where the employees were not formal railway staff. Later, the railway bureau issued a policy, and their status changed to "large collective" employees, who enjoyed labor insurance benefits.

Xiao Yuanhang was 22 years old when he met his wife Wei Wei, working as a business officer in the first crew of the Guhuang Line. Wei Wei was 20 years old that year, and they dated for three years. In the year he became a train conductor, they got married.

Xiao Yuanhang knew Wei Wei's situation very well. Her father, Wei Zhenmin, was a loading and unloading worker at the Guhe Station. He graduated from junior high school at the age of 16 with average grades, feeling that he had no hope of getting into college, so he did not go to high school. He then joined the station labor service company and worked as a salesperson on the platform, selling food to passengers on the train whenever a passenger train stopped at the Guhe Station. Wei Wei told him that when she first started working, she sold ice cream on the platform.

Wei Wei's father was part of the support team that moved from Shandong to Northeast China in the 1960s. He became a loading and unloading worker at the Guhe Station. When he arrived in Guhe, he was already a middle-aged unmarried man. He did not get married until he was in his forties, and he and Wei Wei's mother had two daughters, Wei Wei and her older sister Wei Shan. In 1983, when Wei Zhenmin reached retirement age, his older daughter Wei Shan took over his job. Wei Wei's mother was a housewife and could not take over a job, so Wei Wei had to work in a "small collective" enterprise, and the family's living conditions were not good.

After Xiao Yuanhang and Wei Wei got married, Xiao Yuanhang's father, Xiao Qiliang, developed a serious liver disease, which progressed to liver cirrhosis with ascites. The following year, when their son Xiao Yu was born, Xiao Qiliang was hospitalized with a severe illness. Xiao Yuanhang's mother was busy taking care of her hospitalized husband and had no time to help with the child. Wei Wei's parents were elderly and also had health issues, so they could not help with the child. Wei Wei had to take leave to take care of her son at home.

Whether in a "small collective" or a "large collective," it was essentially the same as being a temporary worker. Taking leave meant no salary. At that time, although Xiao Yuanhang was a train conductor, his salary was not high, only about 140 to 150 yuan per month. The cost of formula for their son was about 70 to 80 yuan, leaving very little money to support the family of three.

Xiao Qiliang was hospitalized for three years, and the family spent all their savings and incurred a large debt before he passed away. Xiao Yuanhang and his mother lived together, and the family saved and tightened their belts to pay off the debt. During this period, Wei Wei hardly bought any new clothes. Ten years later, when their son Xiao Yu started junior high school, the family's debt was finally paid off.

Despite living a hard life with Xiao Yuanhang, Wei Wei never complained. She always put the best food aside for her in-laws, husband, and son, and managed the household well. Later, when Xiao Yuanhang became a leader, their life gradually improved, but Wei Wei still maintained her frugal habits. Xiao Yuanhang was busy with work and had no time to take care of his sick mother and son in high school, so these responsibilities fell on Wei Wei, who continued to manage the household silently.

Xiao Yu's studies never worried Xiao Yuanhang. From a young age, Xiao Yu was very sensible and did not need much attention from his parents. From junior high school to high school, he was an outstanding student in the key classes of key schools, and he eventually excelled in the college entrance examination, getting admitted to a key university in Shanghai.

The year after Xiao Yu was admitted to university, Xiao Yuanhang flew to Shanghai to visit his son but died in a plane crash, mysteriously reincarnating. He could imagine how devastated Wei Wei must have been when she received the news of his death. Thinking about how Wei Wei had lived a hard life with him, never enjoying a good life or a moment of peace, he felt a deep pain in his heart...

Now it is 1985, and Xiao Yuanhang is 18 years old, while Wei Wei is 16 and just started working! Looking at Wei Wei's beautiful face, Xiao Yuanhang silently vowed in his heart, "This life, I will marry Wei Wei again, and I will make sure she lives a happy and fulfilling life!"

Just as Xiao Yuanhang was lost in thought, Jiang Xuefang pulled him and said, "Xiao, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up, the section leaders are going to see us off back to the section."

"Ah!" Xiao Yuanhang's thoughts were interrupted, and he mechanically responded, following the group back to the section. As he walked, he kept turning his head to look for that bright figure in the crowd.

The Guhe Train Section was less than 100 meters from the Guhe Station, and there was no need to leave the station. At the end of the platform was a large black iron gate, which led directly to the Guhe Train Section. This was a dedicated passage for crew members to enter and exit the station, guarded by a dedicated person. The gate was usually closed, and only opened for crew members when they were on duty or returning from duty. All other employees and staff used the main gate facing the street.

The section leaders welcomed Xiao Yuanhang and the others into the large meeting room, which was already filled with employees and staff, clearly waiting for them. The 11 people wearing red sashes and flowers were seated in the first row of the meeting room, and the section leaders took their places on the stage.

This was specially arranged by the section chief, Wu Fengshan, to immediately hold a commendation meeting upon the return of the contestants. The excellent performance in the technical competition brought glory to the Guhe Train Section and to him as the section chief. The division had already given substantial rewards to the winners, and the section would also provide substantial rewards!

At the commendation meeting, Wu Fengshan and the party secretary, Ma Dezhi, gave speeches, highly praising the contestants for their hard work, technical skills, and spirit of striving for excellence, and called on all employees and staff to learn from them. Then, the deputy section chief in charge of passenger services, Tang Xue Mei, read out the commendation and reward decisions.

After a joint meeting of the section's party and government, it was decided to match the division's reward amounts: 80 yuan for the technical champion Xiao Yuanhang, 50 yuan for the technical model Tang Jing, 50 yuan each for the head of the education room, Tian Fen, and the staff member Jiang Xuefang, who made significant contributions to the technical performance, 30 yuan for the technical expert Zhang Chunhua, and 20 yuan each for the other six contestants, who, although not placed in the division, contributed to the team's first-place overall score!

The commendation and reward meeting was concise and did not last long, ending in a热烈的掌声. Considering the fatigue of the contestants from their journey, the section leaders decided to let them go home to rest first and hold a special banquet for them in the evening.

After setting the time for the evening gathering, Xiao Yuanhang, carrying his backpack, left the section headquarters and headed home. As he walked past the entrance of the section labor service company's ice cream factory, he saw Wei Wei carrying a heavy ice cream box coming out. He couldn't help but blurt out, "Wei Wei, are you here to stock up on ice cream?"

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PS: The chapter I posted at midnight was said to contain illegal characters and has been in review. I don't know what the illegal characters are, so I separated the seemingly illegal parts with dots and re-posted it. Please continue to support Lao Qu!!!