Chapter 50

The water supplier in the team is a special position, holding a unique status within the team. There are two water suppliers in each team, and they are not divided into Class A or Class B shifts. Instead, they are responsible for providing hot water to the sleeper cars and the hard-seat cars, respectively, and they manage their own working hours.

Their main responsibility is to boil water for the passengers, but more often, they run errands for the train conductor, convey relevant matters, and act as the conductor's assistants. They are usually the conductor's confidants. The water supplier responsible for the sleeper cars works with the chief conductor, while the one responsible for the hard-seat cars works with the deputy conductor. Lin Zhigang was absolutely loyal to Zhang Yaping, or he wouldn't speak to her like that.

Zhang Yaping gave Lin Zhigang a dirty look and said, "Go boil your water. Don't meddle in things that don't concern you. What do you mean by 'can't do anything'? He is the technical champion of the branch and the railway bureau. What can't he do? If you were capable, why aren't you the train conductor?"

"Hehe, Conductor, I didn't mean it that way. I was just asking casually. I won't say anything more, okay!" Lin Zhigang, rebuked by Zhang Yaping, immediately realized that she was in a bad mood today. He quickly apologized cautiously.

Zhang Yaping ignored Lin Zhigang and quickly walked towards the crew quarters. Lin Zhigang, feeling embarrassed, was quite depressed. He lowered his head, walked to the door of a tea boiler room, checked the fire and water temperature, added a few shovels of coal, locked the tea boiler door, and then went to chat with Li Hongmei, the train attendant of Car 12.

Xiao Yuanhang began his inspection from the hard-seat cars. It was his first shift as the train conductor, and he had previously worked as a train attendant in Class B. Everyone was very familiar with him. They were all very casual when they saw him. However, when Xiao Yuanhang pointed out the shortcomings in their work and the issues in the cars, they immediately became more serious, and their attitude towards him became more cautious.

Xiao Yuanhang, having been a leader for many years in his previous life, knew that to do a good job, he couldn't be a pushover. He had to follow the standards and regulations, treat everyone equally, and separate work from personal feelings. Although everyone had taken good care of him when he was a train attendant, he had to point out their shortcomings in their work. Otherwise, if they continued to slack off and were discovered by higher-ups, it wouldn't just be a matter of a few words; they would be reprimanded and fined.

Strictness is love, and leniency is harm. This saying is very true!

Some train attendants wanted to argue with Xiao Yuanhang, but the issues he pointed out were accurate. They had indeed been negligent or had not done their work properly. They thought Xiao Yuanhang, as a new conductor, wouldn't notice such problems, so they had become lax in their work. But they couldn't help but be impressed when he caught them slacking off on the spot.

Xiao Yuanhang had been a train conductor for many years in his previous life. He didn't need to look closely; he could spot the problems in each car with just a glance. The train attendants were surprised by his keen eyesight, even noticing the dirt in the corners. He didn't seem like someone who had just become a conductor for a day; he looked like someone who had been doing the job for years!

Since Xiao Yuanhang became the train conductor, his former partner, Li Guiying, was transferred to Class B to take his place. Xiao Yuanhang knew that his master was very meticulous in her work. When he entered the car she was in charge of, he found no other issues except for a noticeable "black eye" on one of the seat legs.

The "black eye" refers to the black circle that forms at the base of the cylindrical seat leg where the floor is fixed. Because the leg obstructs the mop, the base is not cleaned, and over time, a black circle forms. This is called a "black eye" during the inspection of the car's cleanliness and requires a cloth with a cleaning powder to remove it.

Seeing Xiao Yuanhang come in, Li Guiying, who was resting in the crew room, stood up and said, "Xiao, you're here?"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Yes, Master. It's my first shift as the conductor, so I need to check everything to have a clear understanding. Otherwise, if a leader comes to inspect and I don't know anything, it would be bad!"

Li Guiying asked, "You came from the other side. Are there any problems in those cars?"

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Each car has some issues, but they're not major. I've asked them to handle them immediately."

Li Guiying said, "What about my car?"

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Let me check. There are no other issues, but the seat leg at seat 53 in the aisle has a noticeable black eye. It's quite visible as you walk by."

Li Guiying smiled and said, "Xiao, you're naturally suited to be a conductor. You even noticed that! You have a keen eye! I saw it too. There were too many things to do after the train started, so I thought I'd rest a bit and clean it later."

Xiao Yuanhang, seeing that his master wasn't angry, felt relieved and smiled, "Master, no rush. You can clean it after you rest."

Li Guiying was indeed not angry but felt proud to have such a capable apprentice. She had noticed the black eye in the depot and tried to clean it with cleaning powder, but the stain was stubborn and wouldn't come off. She had soaked it in a solution of cleaning powder and water, planning to clean it when she had time after the train started.

After inspecting the hard-seat cars, Xiao Yuanhang walked to the dining car without stopping and then entered the sleeper cars. When he reached Car 12, he saw Train Attendant Li Hongmei and Water Supplier Lin Zhigang sitting close together on the headrest of a berth, laughing and joking, and occasionally touching each other. His face immediately turned serious.

Li Hongmei, seeing Xiao Yuanhang, was startled and stood up nervously, saying, "Conductor, you're here?"

Lin Zhigang, however, sat there with his legs crossed, looking at Xiao Yuanhang with a challenging expression, as if daring him to do something.

Xiao Yuanhang, knowing that Lin Zhigang was Zhang Yaping's confidant, didn't want to conflict with him on his first shift. Suppressing his anger, he said to Li Hongmei, "What are you two doing here, whispering and giggling? Go sweep the sunflower seeds from the car door!" He didn't even look at Lin Zhigang and walked away.

Although Xiao Yuanhang didn't directly criticize Lin Zhigang, he had included him in his reprimand of Li Hongmei, leaving Lin Zhigang with no way to argue back. He felt his face burning with embarrassment and anger. He grunted and stormed off in the opposite direction.

When Xiao Yuanhang returned, he saw that Li Hongmei had already swept the sunflower seeds from the car door. He didn't say anything more, returned to the soft-sleeper car, opened Compartment 9, and sat by the window, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. He rested for a while, enjoying the breeze coming in from the window.

The train's announcement predicted the upcoming arrival at Pingquan Station. Xiao Yuanhang checked his watch: 15:15, with 5 minutes until arrival at Pingquan Station. After leaving Pingquan, the train would run for 1 hour and 15 minutes to the next station, Linjiatai. He tidied his uniform, put on his cap, and went to the car door. When the train stopped at Pingquan Station, he got off to check the boarding and alighting of passengers.

After the train left Pingquan Station, Xiao Yuanhang went from the soft-sleeper car to the dining car. As he sat down at the first table, the train, which had already gained speed, suddenly jolted, followed by a series of loud crashes. The train's speed dropped sharply, and the dishes and plates on the dining car floor shattered. The train then slid for a distance before coming to a stop.

Emergency braking! Xiao Yuanhang's first reaction was that something must have happened; otherwise, the train wouldn't have stopped so abruptly!

**********************************************************************

PS: Since the book was uploaded, the brothers have given me one surprise after another, making me very happy. Thank you all!

Also, thank you to the reader Ye Xiang for the tip!

{Piaotian Literature}