Chapter 29

This method is a real-life version in the real world!

This was something Xiao Yuanhang had discussed with a friend while drinking, talking about things from their student days. This friend told him that when he was in the first year of high school, he had a girlfriend from a different class. At that time, apart from government agencies and enterprises, there were no phones, so if you wanted to find someone, you had to go to their workplace or home in person. Since it was an early romance, they didn't dare let their families know, so he couldn't go to her house to find her. After thinking for a long time, he came up with this method: when he wanted to see her, he would go to the back window of her house and call out his name. When she heard it, she would find an excuse to come out, and her family wouldn't know what was going on.

Xiao Yuanhang called out his name a few more times, making sure that Jiang Shan inside the house could hear him, then he walked around to the front alley of her house and stood there quietly waiting. Sure enough, in less than five minutes, Jiang Shan opened the front door and walked out. Seeing Xiao Yuanhang at the alley entrance, she gave him a look, signaling him to walk ahead so the neighbors wouldn't see, and then quickly followed.

When Xiao Yuanhang saw Jiang Shan following, he stopped under a big tree far from her house. The sun was strong and the weather was hot, so there were few people on the road, making the shade under the tree a good spot.

Jiang Shan, seeing no one around, asked somewhat angrily, "Why did you come to my house? You were so loud just now, my mom heard you!"

Xiao Yuanhang chuckled and said, "It's fine if she heard. She doesn't know who I am, as long as you can hear me!"

Jiang Shan thought about it and said, "Where have you been these days? I haven't seen you at all."

Xiao Yuanhang explained, "I'm about to participate in the railway bureau's technical performance competition. I've been studying at home every day, reviewing regulations and memorizing questions. I'm going to the branch for training tomorrow, so I specially took a day off to see you. When I went to the hospital, they said you were on a different shift and would only be on the day shift tomorrow, but I have to go to Tongshui tomorrow, so I came to your house. I waited here for over an hour and didn't see you, so I thought of this method."

The railway bureau's technical performance competition was a serious matter, and Jiang Shan had heard about it from Xiao Yuanhang before. Seeing that he had a good reason for not coming to see her, her anger subsided. She said to Xiao Yuanhang, "Not now, I have to help my mom cook soon. How about this afternoon? Meet me at 1:30 PM at the entrance of Guhe Cinema, and we'll watch a movie."

Xiao Yuanhang was very happy that Jiang Shan had taken the initiative to invite him to the movies. He smiled and said, "Sure, I know there are two movies today, one after the other. We'll finish around 5 PM, and then we can find a place to eat."

Jiang Shan nodded and said, "Okay, I need to go back quickly. I told my mom I was going out to buy two popsicles because it's hot. If I'm late, she'll get suspicious!"

Xiao Yuanhang watched Jiang Shan walk away and then quickly headed home. When he got there, his father, Xiao Qiliang, was preparing lunch. He told his father that he would be going to Tongshui for training the next day, then went to his room to pack his things, filling a large backpack. After some thought, he went to Aunt Wu's convenience store and bought two packs of Liangyou cigarettes to put in the backpack.

At 1:30 PM, when Xiao Yuanhang arrived at the entrance of Guhe Cinema, Jiang Shan was already waiting anxiously. As soon as she saw him, she said, "Hurry, let's go in. I made a mistake; the movie starts at 1:30 PM. It might have already started!" She showed him the two movie tickets in her hand.

Seeing that Jiang Shan had already bought the tickets, Xiao Yuanhang walked quickly with her, bought some soda and sunflower seeds, and entered the cinema. The lights were already off, and the pre-movie documentary had started. With the help of a staff member with a flashlight, they found their seats.

Soon, the documentary ended, and the first movie, "The Cotton Robe," began. This was a movie Xiao Yuanhang had enjoyed in his previous life. It was set in the late Ming Dynasty and told the story of the Jinyiwei trying to steal the abbot of Shaolin Temple and seize the temple's treasure, the Cotton Robe. Starring the action star Yu Rongguang, it was a kung fu film directed by Xu Xiaoming that became a hit across the country upon its release.

The second movie was "The Flying Bandit of Emei." Although it was also called a kung fu film, the fight scenes were very fake. Xiao Yuanhang had seen this movie in his previous life, and watching it after "The Cotton Robe" made him feel quite disappointed. He almost fell asleep, and if Jiang Shan hadn't been there, he would have left early.

After the movies, Xiao Yuanhang and Jiang Shan found a relatively clean snack shop. Since Jiang Shan said she couldn't come home too late or her mother wouldn't let her out again, they didn't drink alcohol. They ordered a couple of small dishes, ate, and then headed home. It wasn't dark yet, and people were out enjoying the cool evening after dinner. Xiao Yuanhang couldn't take her all the way to her doorstep, so he said goodbye to her a short distance from her house. This time, Xiao Yuanhang took the initiative to hug Jiang Shan, and she reciprocated, then waved goodbye and wished him good luck in the competition.

The next afternoon, Xiao Yuanhang arrived at Guhe Station 20 minutes early, met up with Tang Jing and Song Chunli, and they boarded the train to Tongshui together. At 4:30 PM, the train arrived in Tongshui, and the three of them went to the branch's small hotel. The reception staff from the branch's passenger transport department had already arranged their rooms. After signing in, the reception staff gave them the room keys and told them to go downstairs for dinner at 6 PM, as the leaders of the passenger transport department would be hosting a dinner for the participants.

The branch placed great importance on the railway bureau's passenger transport system technical performance competition. To provide a good environment for the participants to train and study, they had reserved nine rooms in the small hotel, which was usually used for hosting higher-level leaders. Each participant had their own room, similar to a standard room in the future, with a private bathroom and 24-hour hot water, making the accommodation quite high-end.

The reporting time set by the passenger transport department was 5 PM. After Xiao Yuanhang and his two companions reported in, the three participants from the local Tongshui train segment also reported in. Since the three participants from the Linquan train segment's train would arrive in Tongshui at 5:30 PM, the passenger transport department scheduled the welcome dinner for 6 PM.

Xiao Yuanhang went to his room, put his things away, and saw that it was still early, so he went to the bathroom and took a shower. In his previous life, he was used to taking showers, but after being reborn, due to limited conditions, taking a shower was a luxury. The hot weather made him very uncomfortable, so he wouldn't miss the chance to have 24-hour hot water.

After the shower, Xiao Yuanhang only wore a pair of shorts and turned on the fan to cool off. Looking at the empty TV stand, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. There was no doubt that the room originally had a TV, but the passenger transport department had probably removed it to help the participants focus on their studies!

At that moment, the door opened, and Tang Jing and Song Chunli walked in. Seeing Xiao Yuanhang in just his shorts, they were a bit surprised but didn't make a big deal of it. Tang Jing couldn't help but tease him, "Xiao Yuanhang, aren't you going to get ready for dinner? What are you doing here, showing off your muscles?"

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PS: We made it to the new book chart this noon, but unfortunately, we were pushed down to 14th place in the afternoon. Xiao Yuanhang is about to start training in Tongshui and participate in the railway bureau's competition. Brothers, let's put in more effort, give me clicks, recommendations, and collections to push Lao Qu up!