Chapter 62

Wei Wei suddenly remembered that she still had to sell the ice cream quickly, as it would melt in this hot weather, causing a significant loss. She looked at Xiao Yuanhang and said, "This makeup box must be quite expensive, right? How much do I owe you?"

Xiao Yuanhang originally intended to give it to her as a gift, but he knew that she wouldn't accept such an expensive and sensitive item after only knowing her for a few days. He leaned in and whispered, "This makeup box isn't expensive. You know Huanghai; it's a smuggled item. I only paid 8 yuan for it. If you bought it in a store, you couldn't get two for 8 yuan."

Xiao Yuanhang's words were partly true and partly false. Such a high-end makeup box couldn't be bought for 8 yuan in Huanghai's stores. He had actually paid 22 yuan for it. He said it was a smuggled item to make Wei Wei believe the price. Wei Wei, being at the age where she loved beauty, was familiar with cosmetics. The last time she saw a much smaller makeup box at a friend's place, it cost 15 yuan. Xiao Yuanhang's gift was much better and only 8 yuan, which made her believe it was a smuggled item.

Wei Wei said, "Thank you, Xiao Yuanhang. I'll pay you." As she reached into her pocket, her expression changed. She remembered that she only brought about 20 yuan to work today, and she had already spent it all on ice cream. She had just started selling on the platform and hadn't made much money yet. Now she only had a few yuan in change.

Wei Wei said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, I didn't bring much money today. I spent it all on ice cream. Can I pay you later after I make some money?"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "No rush. You're still working, right? We can settle it when we meet again. I need to get on the train; my friend is waiting for me."

Wei Wei said, "You and your friend are going out? It's so hot, have some ice cream." She lifted the cotton pad on her backpack, grabbed a few ice creams, and handed them to Xiao Yuanhang.

Xiao Yuanhang knew that Wei Wei would feel bad if he didn't take the ice cream, so he took two and put the rest back in the box. "There are only two of us. Go sell your ice cream quickly, or it will melt and you'll lose money!"

Wei Wei said, "Alright, I'll definitely pay you next time." She put the makeup box in the compartment of her backpack, waved to Xiao Yuanhang, and walked forward to sell ice cream. Xiao Yuanhang watched her beautiful back as she walked away, a happy smile on his face.

The national passenger transport system is interconnected. As long as you have a train conductor's work permit, you can board any train in the country and find the conductor, who will arrange a berth for you even without a ticket. They will also provide you with food and drinks. This was even more true for a train from his own segment. Since this was a slow train with no berths, Xiao Yuanhang and Wang Dahai had to sit in the soft seat compartment. When the crew served meals, the conductor, Ge Hong, specially brought two boxes of food and some fruit for Xiao Yuanhang, making Wang Dahai feel that his brother was really impressive. Not only did he not have to pay for the train, but he also got to sit in a soft seat and enjoy good food and drinks.

Xiao Yuanhang was very clear that this was a favor he owed. One day, when someone else rode his train, he would have to repay the favor.

At 6:10 PM, the train arrived at Linquan Station on time. As soon as Xiao Yuanhang stepped off the train, he saw Zhao Bingnan and a group of men and women waiting for him on the platform. Seeing Xiao Yuanhang, Zhao Bingnan waved and shouted, "Xiao brother, I'm here!" He walked over quickly, and the group followed.

Xiao Yuanhang hurried over and shook Zhao Bingnan's hand, smiling. "Brother Zhao, it's great to see you again!"

Zhao Bingnan patted Xiao Yuanhang's shoulder and said, "Xiao brother, you're doing well. At 18, you're already a train conductor. You'll definitely do better than me in the future!"

He then turned and gestured to his friends. "These are my friends. Let me introduce you."

Zhao Bingnan pulled Xiao Yuanhang's arm and introduced him. "This is the little brother I told you about, Xiao Yuanhang. He's the train conductor for the Guhe to Huanghai route. If any of you go to Huanghai, just find him."

"Hello everyone!" Xiao Yuanhang greeted them warmly.

Zhao Bingnan then introduced each of them to Xiao Yuanhang. Besides a few influential friends from Linquan Town, there were also a few from the railway. One person, Li Yifeng, caught Xiao Yuanhang's attention because he was the freight duty officer at Linquan Station. Xiao Yuanhang realized that Zhao Bingnan was indeed very concerned about his affairs. He had remembered the request Xiao Yuanhang made last time and brought this friend to meet him.

One of the women was a former colleague of Zhao Bingnan's, named Ma Li. She had been promoted to deputy team leader and then to train conductor, and Zhao Bingnan had specifically asked her to keep Xiao Yuanhang company. The others were brought by his friends from town. Each time Zhao Bingnan introduced someone, Xiao Yuanhang smiled and shook their hand. Finally, he introduced Wang Dahai to them.

The group left Linquan Station, and Zhao Bingnan took Xiao Yuanhang to a restaurant near the station. Knowing that Xiao Yuanhang's train would arrive, the food was already prepared. The table was full of dishes, waiting for Xiao Yuanhang to arrive.

After everyone was seated, Ma Li started pouring drinks. Xiao Yuanhang noticed that most of the dishes were mountain delicacies, some of which he didn't recognize, so he asked Zhao Bingnan. Zhao Bingnan explained, "To welcome you, I asked the restaurant to bring out their best dishes."

Xiao Yuanhang then learned that the table had dishes like stir-fried wild boar, sautéed roe deer meat with yellow mushrooms, stir-fried pheasant meat, stewed wild rabbit, La Gu tofu, dry-pot venison, stir-fried monkey head mushrooms, and cold mixed pig snout mushrooms. These were all unique to the mountains and not found in Guhe.

Sitting next to Xiao Yuanhang, Wang Dahai's eyes sparkled as he looked at the dishes. Although he had heard of these wild animals, he had never imagined eating them. If not for coming with his brother, he would never have had such a treat in his life.

The people from the mountains were very outgoing. After the drinks were poured, Zhao Bingnan proposed three toasts, drinking them all down. Although the cups were only seven-tenths full, three cups amounted to more than two ounces of 60-degree local liquor. After three cups, Xiao Yuanhang felt his face getting hot.

Once the drinking started, the atmosphere at the table became lively. With a few girls there to liven things up, it became even more animated. Everyone drank and joked, and soon everyone had had three or four ounces of liquor, including the girls, whose faces turned rosy, making them look especially cute.

After another round of drinks, Li Bin, who worked at the town's industrial and commercial office and was sitting next to Zhao Bingnan, said to Xiao Yuanhang, "Brother Xiao, I heard from Brother Bingnan that you're in Linquan to buy some mountain goods for a friend. I can help you with that. Whether it's mushrooms, black fungus, ginseng, pine nuts, or walnuts, I can get you the best quality at the lowest price!"

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PS: The book has been uploaded for 30 days and is off the list today, but we still have the Three Rivers list to fight for. Brothers, focus your votes on the Three Rivers list, thank you!

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{Piaotian Literature}