Chapter 40

It was only then that Xiao Yuanhang realized why the branch had awarded them the title of advanced producers. The branch had a document stipulating that those rated as advanced producers at the branch level could be promoted to a higher pay grade! By giving them the title of advanced producers, it was natural to then promote their pay grade.

Xiao Yuanhang and the other awardees went up on stage to receive their awards. Branch Chief Xi Baoguo, Party Secretary Luo Zhiyuan, and Deputy Branch Chief in charge of passenger transport Zhang Chaorong personally presented the awards and took commemorative photos with them. This was an unparalleled honor for them. Although Section Chief Wu Fengshan and others sitting below the stage did not go up, the fact that their unit's employees had received such a high honor made them feel very proud!

At noon, the branch held a banquet at the small reception hall for the awardees and the main leaders of the three train sections. Branch Chief Xi Baoguo, Party Secretary Luo Zhiyuan, and Deputy Branch Chief in charge of passenger transport Zhang Chaorong all attended. Chief Xi and Secretary Luo personally toasted Xiao Yuanhang and Section Chief Wu Fengshan, which left Xiao Yuanhang feeling flattered and hurriedly standing up to express his gratitude. Wu Fengshan and others knew that this was due to Xiao Yuanhang's influence; otherwise, the Chief and Secretary would not have toasted them, and they also expressed their gratitude.

Xiao Yuanhang was naturally likable, and at only 18 years old, he seemed like a child to Xi Baoguo and Luo Zhiyuan, making them even more fond of him. After toasting, they instructed Section Chief Wu Fengshan, saying, "Xiao Yuanhang is young and capable; you must cultivate him well!"

Section Chief Wu Fengshan and Party Secretary Ma Dezhi both promised to remember the Chief and Secretary's instructions and to cultivate Xiao Yuanhang into an excellent passenger transport talent.

After the banquet, Xiao Yuanhang, Tang Jing, and Song Chunli boarded the train back to Guhe with Section Chief Wu Fengshan and others. Everyone had drunk a lot at noon, including Deputy Section Chief Tang Xuemei, who had consumed six to seven ounces of white wine. They all went to sleep in their respective berths as soon as they got on the train.

This time, Xiao Yuanhang, Tang Jing, and Song Chunli were able to ride in the soft sleeper compartments thanks to the influence of the Section Chief and Secretary. Section Chief Wu Fengshan, Party Secretary Ma Dezhi, and Deputy Section Chief Tang Xuemei shared one compartment, while Xiao Yuanhang, Tang Jing, and Song Chunli shared another. Xiao Yuanhang's trip was quite fruitful; he received a 300 yuan bonus, a blanket, a pay grade promotion, and Section Chief Wu had already clearly stated that he would be promoted to train conductor!

Before Xiao Yuanhang could lie down, Tang Jing said to him, "Xiao Yuanhang, go in first. Wait until we change our clothes before you come back in."

At that moment, all three were wearing the new uniforms issued for the competition at the railway bureau. The compartment was very stuffy, and Tang Jing and the others wanted to change into cooler casual clothes.

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Sure, sure, I'll go out right away." He took out a pair of large shorts and a tank top from his backpack and left the compartment. Crew members usually changed clothes in the bathroom, and since the compartment was occupied by Tang Jing and Song Chunli, he had to go to the bathroom to change.

When Xiao Yuanhang returned to the compartment after changing in the bathroom, Tang Jing and Song Chunli had already changed their clothes. They both chose the upper berths to rest, leaving the two lower berths for him. The train started moving, and the breeze from the window relieved the stuffiness in the compartment. Xiao Yuanhang, who had drunk a lot at noon, soon fell asleep on the lower berth.

Section Chief Wu Fengshan was dozing on the lower berth, but his mind was thinking about Xiao Yuanhang and the others. When he received Tang Jing's call with the good news yesterday, he had decided to reward them well. However, before he could convene a meeting to discuss it, the branch's call came. Now that the branch had already honored and rewarded them, if he were to do another round of rewards, it would be redundant and lack originality, especially since they had already been rewarded once when they won the branch competition.

Thinking about Branch Chief Xi Baoguo's speech at the award ceremony and his instructions at the banquet, a plan gradually formed in his mind: to promote them as a reward. Tang Jing's promotion to deputy captain of the first passenger transport team had been discussed for a long time, but due to disagreements among the leadership, it had been delayed. Now that she had won first place in the branch and second place in the railway bureau, the conditions were ripe, and he believed no one would oppose it.

Promoting Xiao Yuanhang directly from a train attendant to a train conductor was a promise he had made with confidence. He had won the top technical titles in both the branch and the railway bureau, and his promotion was well-deserved. He had already expressed his intention to him yesterday, and both Chief Xi and Secretary Luo valued him highly, instructing him to cultivate Xiao Yuanhang into a capable talent. This plan aligned with the Chief's speech and instructions, making it a win-win situation.

Song Chunli was an experienced employee, and her technical skills and reputation in the team made her more than qualified for a promotion to train conductor. Although she only placed fourth this time, it was the best result ever achieved by an employee of the Guhe train section in the railway bureau's technical competition, making it a convincing achievement!

After the plan formed in his mind, Wu Fengshan opened his eyes and saw that Party Secretary Ma Dezhi on the opposite berth had not fallen asleep. He shared his thoughts with him. Ma Dezhi had attended the meeting and the banquet and heard the Chief's instructions, so he naturally did not oppose Wu Fengshan's plan and even agreed wholeheartedly.

Their conversation woke up Tang Xuemei, who was sleeping on the upper berth. Hearing the discussion between the Section Chief and Secretary, she came down and also expressed her agreement with Wu Fengshan's plan. Seeing that both agreed, Wu Fengshan said, "Old Ma, after we return to the section, we'll communicate with the leadership team members separately and then hold a meeting tomorrow morning to finalize this."

"Sure, Section Chief," Ma Dezhi nodded. He understood that "communicating with the leadership team members" meant he would be responsible for communicating with the party and mass work leaders, such as the Deputy Secretary and Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary and the Trade Union Chairman, while Wu Fengshan would be responsible for communicating with the administrative leaders, the other two Deputy Section Chiefs.

The leadership team of the Guhe train section consisted of seven members: Section Chief Wu Fengshan, Party Secretary Ma Dezhi, Deputy Secretary and Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Zhang Shude, Trade Union Chairman Lü Chunhua, Deputy Section Chief in charge of safety and operations Hu Baoguo, Deputy Section Chief in charge of passenger transport Tang Xuemei, and Deputy Section Chief in charge of logistics Tan Runmin.

The train arrived at Guhe station at 16:35 in the afternoon. Section Chief Wu Fengshan arranged for Xiao Yuanhang, Tang Jing, and Song Chunli to go home and rest, and to report back to the section in three days. The three of them left the station directly and went home. Wu Fengshan, Ma Dezhi, and Tang Xuemei returned to the train section through a convenient door on the platform and began communicating with the leadership team members.

Although Wu Fengshan, as the Section Chief, was very strong-willed and could make decisions unilaterally, for major matters, he still needed to communicate with the leadership team members before the meeting. This was a basic respect for the team members, and being strong-willed did not mean he was incapable of being considerate!

After leaving the station, Xiao Yuanhang waved goodbye to Tang Jing and Song Chunli and took a cart home. It was very hot, and carrying a blanket while walking was uncomfortable, but sitting on the cart was much better. As the cart passed by the railway hospital, it happened to be the end of the workday. He subconsciously looked at the crowd leaving the hospital, hoping to see Jiang Shan.

According to Xiao Yuanhang's calculation, Jiang Shan should be on the night shift tonight, starting at 6 PM. He knew she wouldn't be in the crowd leaving the hospital, but he still hoped to see her!

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PS: Thank you to the reader (Scarecrow) for the tip! Have a pleasant weekend!!!