Chapter 48

After the police officer and the vehicle inspector boarded the train, Xiao Yuanhang and Zhang Yaping joined the police chief and the vehicle inspector to conduct a joint inspection of the vehicle equipment. Police Chief Wang Keqin and Vehicle Inspector Zhao Baocheng had been working together for over a year, so they were very familiar with each other. They were all surprised to learn that Xiao Yuanhang had been promoted to train conductor. In this team, Xiao Yuanhang was the youngest, and they used to call him "little kid" when he was on duty. They never expected that after more than a month, "little kid" had become the train conductor!

After inspecting the condition of the vehicle equipment and filling out the form, the four of them signed to confirm. Zhang Yaping and Xiao Yuanhang then began to check the cleanliness of the carriages. This train body was the early arrival of Train No. 291, which had been in the depot for more than 5 hours for maintenance and preparation. The vehicle segment repair personnel checked the running parts of the vehicle, repaired and replaced worn and damaged components. The vehicle electric repair personnel inspected and repaired the facilities and electrical systems in the carriages. The vehicle segment cleaning personnel were responsible for the cleanliness of the exterior of the carriages, while the train attendants were responsible for the cleanliness inside the carriages.

The two of them walked around, pointing out the corners where the cleaning was not thorough and asked the train attendants to clean them up. They then sat in the dining car for a while. Seeing that the time for the train to leave the depot was approaching, they conducted another thorough inspection of the carriages. After the inspection, they went to the soft sleeper compartment No. 9 to tidy up their appearance and prepare to leave the depot.

Soft sleeper compartment No. 9 was not for sale to the public and was reserved for emergencies when leaders needed to board the train. Therefore, the train conductor usually worked in compartment No. 9 during the journey. If railway bureau leaders or above were on board or came to inspect, this compartment would be opened for their use. Of course, segment leaders, although only at the department level, also enjoyed this treatment when they came to inspect!

After the shunting locomotive was coupled, all the doors of the train were closed and locked. As soon as the train left the depot, the train attendants in each carriage monitored the running status at the door. The distance from the vehicle segment to the station was not far, less than 1 kilometer, and it didn't take long for the train to reach the platform and stop. Xiao Yuanhang looked at his watch; there were still 50 minutes before the train's departure. The station usually started ticket checking 40 minutes before departure, so the station would start letting passengers in in about 10 minutes.

Xiao Yuanhang and Zhang Yaping tidied up their uniforms in the washroom mirror for the last time and waited at the door of the soft sleeper compartment for the station to start ticket checking. As soon as the station announced the start of ticket checking, the announcement in the carriage also sounded: "The station has started ticket checking. Please get off the train to welcome the passengers on board!"

The train attendants in each carriage opened the doors and got off to welcome the passengers. Xiao Yuanhang and Zhang Yaping got off from the soft sleeper compartment door and began patrolling the platform. The train from Guhe to Huanghai was a through train, and the passenger flow was always full, especially during the Spring Festival travel rush when tickets were hard to come by. As soon as the station started ticket checking, a large number of passengers carrying large and small bags flooded out of the ticket gates, like a river branching out, surging towards each carriage!

For a moment, the platform was filled with the sounds of passengers calling out to friends and family, the cries of children, the shouts of station staff and train attendants organizing the boarding, and the calls of platform vendors. After Xiao Yuanhang finished the handover of passenger flow with the station's passenger service officer, he went to the hard-seat carriages to help the train attendants organize the boarding. Regular train conductor Zhang Yaping, seeing Xiao Yuanhang naturally doing all this, couldn't help but show a hint of disdain in her eyes. She didn't go to the hard-seat carriages to organize the boarding but walked to the door of the soft sleeper compartment, as the segment leaders and team leaders would first come here for inspection.

Since it was the departure station, except for the reserved carriages en route, the overcapacity was not too high, about 20%. By the time Xiao Yuanhang had organized the passengers to board, he was drenched in sweat. He stood in a well-ventilated area on the platform, unbuttoned the top button of his shirt to cool off, and suddenly saw Wei Wei selling ice cream from a box at the window of the front carriage. He couldn't help but walk over to her.

After being reborn, Xiao Yuanhang had only seen his ex-wife once after returning from the competition in Tongshui. This was the second time he had seen her. How could he not go over to say hello? When Wei Wei finished collecting money from a passenger and was about to continue, Xiao Yuanhang appeared in front of her: "Wei Wei, are you on duty today?"

Wei Wei looked up and saw that the person in front of her, wearing a large-brimmed hat and a train conductor's armband, was the one who had greeted her and called her by name in front of the ice cream factory. She exclaimed in surprise, "Ah! It's you! What was your name again?"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "I'm Xiao Yuanhang!"

"Right, right, Xiao Yuanhang, look at my memory!" Wei Wei looked Xiao Yuanhang up and down and then said, "So you're the train conductor. You're so young to be a conductor, you're really impressive. I thought you were just a train attendant!"

Xiao Yuanhang said, "It's not that impressive, just a bit of good luck!"

Wei Wei said, "You're all sweaty from the work, have a piece of ice cream to cool off." She grabbed two ice creams from the box and handed them to Xiao Yuanhang.

Xiao Yuanhang hurriedly refused, "No, no, we're not allowed to eat on the platform, it wouldn't look good if the leaders saw."

Wei Wei said, "Don't be so formal with me. It's a gift, no charge. Go eat it in the carriage, no one will see. The train is about to leave, I need to sell these ice creams!" She turned to leave.

Xiao Yuanhang quickly said, "Wei Wei, wait a moment. The cosmetics in Huanghai are good and cheap. Do you want me to bring some for you?"

Wei Wei thought for a moment and said, "If you can find a cheap makeup set, bring one for me, thanks!" She waved to Xiao Yuanhang and turned to continue selling ice creams.

Xiao Yuanhang called out to her again, "Wei Wei, wait a moment. The cosmetics in Huanghai are good and cheap. Do you want me to bring some for you?"

Wei Wei, being at the age where she loved beauty, was very tempted by cosmetics. She stopped and thought for a moment, then said, "Xiao Yuanhang, if you can find a good makeup set, bring one for me."

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Sure, I will!"

Wei Wei waved to Xiao Yuanhang and turned to continue selling ice creams...

Xiao Yuanhang looked at the two ice creams in his hand with a wry smile. He was really hot, so he followed Wei Wei's "advice" and went to the carriage to eat. It just so happened that his mentor, Li Guiying, was on duty at this carriage. Before getting on the train, he handed her an ice cream and said, "Mentor, I'll go eat on the train first, and I'll come down to help you with your duty later. You can go up and eat after that."

At this time, although there were some rules, they were not strictly enforced, unlike the many rules in later times where this and that were not allowed, and any problems found would result in fines. Therefore, Xiao Yuanhang didn't take it too seriously. He quickly finished the ice cream and got off the train, signaling Li Guiying to go up. He took her place.

Li Guiying, with her experience, quickly finished the ice cream and got off the train. At this moment, Xiao Yuanhang saw Section Chief Tang Xuemei and Team Leader Lin Yan standing in front of the soft sleeper compartment talking to Zhang Yaping. He gave his position to Li Guiying and quickly walked over. He stood at attention and saluted Section Chief Tang and Team Leader Lin, saying, "Welcome, leaders, for the inspection!"

Tang Xuemei smiled and said, "Xiao Yuanhang, you're doing well, quite professional!"

Lin Yan said, "We're not here to inspect, just to see the train off. We've already given all the instructions to Zhang Yaping. The train is about to leave, so she will relay the information to you after the train starts."

Xiao Yuanhang nodded to show that he understood...

At this moment, the pre-departure bell rang. Under the command of the safety officer's whistle, the train attendants on duty stepped onto the train in unison. After saluting and bidding farewell to Section Chief Tang and Team Leader Lin, Xiao Yuanhang and Zhang Yaping also got on the train from the door of the soft sleeper compartment.

The departure signal turned green, and the station assistant duty officer waved the green signal flag to the train conductor, who confirmed it and then waved the green signal flag to the driver. The station assistant duty officer relayed the departure signal from the middle of the train, and after the driver, assistant driver, and stoker confirmed the departure signal, the train slowly started!

As soon as the train started, the train attendants in each carriage immediately closed and locked the doors, stood at the door, and smiled at the platform, giving a salute. Xiao Yuanhang looked at his watch; it was 12:45, and Train No. 292 departed on time!

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PS: Ha ha, when brothers are united, they can cut through metal! This morning, I saw that my brother had pushed Lao Qu to the fourth place, which is the best ranking since the book was released. Thank you for your full support, brothers!

Also: Thank you to the book friends "Bloody Sword" and "srjx" for your donations!!!