Chapter 71

After a warm and harmonious family dinner, Xiao Yuanhang helped his mother clear the table and then walked out of the house. It was still early, so he went to the building entrance and saw Wang Er and Zheng Lao Da in the midst of an intense game. Upon inquiring about the results, he learned that Wang Er and Li Qiang had not only recovered the five packs of cigarettes they had lost but also won two more from Zheng Lao Da. Seeing the disgruntled expressions on Zheng Lao Da and San Hai's faces, Xiao Yuanhang knew they were very unwilling to accept their loss.

Neighborhoods have their distances, and relatives have their closeness. Wang Er and Xiao Yuanhang had grown up together, and he naturally hoped Wang Er would win. He took out a Liangyou cigarette and gave one to Wang Er, then lit one for himself, squatting down next to Wang Er to watch the game. Wang Er took a puff and, finding the taste good, glanced at Xiao Yuanhang and said in surprise, "Not bad, Xiao Er, you're smoking Liangyou now!"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "I can't afford these cigarettes with my salary. A passenger gave me this as a favor for buying him a sleeper ticket. I don't smoke much, only a few a day."

"Wang Er, stop talking and play your cards!" Zheng Lao Da, increasingly frustrated by his losses, was annoyed that Xiao Yuanhang had given a Liangyou cigarette to Wang Er but not to him. Unable to say anything to Xiao Yuanhang, he could only urge Wang Er to play his cards.

Wang Er smiled and ignored Zheng Lao Da. Seeing that the score was down to 35, he immediately played a small joker and loudly declared, "Small straight!"

Xiao Yuanhang had been watching the game the whole time. As Zheng Lao Da and San Hai became more and more agitated, Wang Er and Li Qiang played more and more smoothly. By 7 PM, each of them had lost a pack of cigarettes. Knowing that continuing would only result in more losses, Zheng Lao Da threw down his cards and said, "I'm done, my luck is too bad!"

Wang Er and Li Qiang followed Zheng Lao Da to Wu Dama's convenience store to buy cigarettes, while Xiao Yuanhang headed to the railway hospital. At this time, Jiang Shan had finished her rounds and injections and was sitting at her desk in the nurses' office, reading a medical textbook. She was determined to become a surgeon and was unwilling to be a nurse for life, so she seized every opportunity to study.

Seeing that Jiang Shan was alone in the office, Xiao Yuanhang gently knocked on the desk and called out, "Jiang Shan!"

Jiang Shan looked up and, seeing Xiao Yuanhang, was pleasantly surprised. She stood up and walked to the desk, saying, "Xiao Yuanhang, you're here! Where have you been these days? I haven't seen you around!"

Xiao Yuanhang was delighted to see that Jiang Shan wasn't upset with him. He had been afraid that the kiss might have scared her away, so he smiled and said, "I went to Linquan after my shift and only got back last night. I thought I'd come to see you tonight since I'll be on the road again tomorrow for three days and won't see you."

It was only a little past 7 PM, and the surgical ward was bustling with patients and their families. People couldn't help but glance at Xiao Yuanhang and Jiang Shan, making them feel uncomfortable. Jiang Shan turned and called into the break room, "Sister Li, I'm going to the internal medicine ward for a bit!"

"Go ahead!" Sister Li's voice came from the break room.

Jiang Shan opened the door to the nurses' area and motioned for Xiao Yuanhang to follow her. They walked out through a side door of the corridor leading from the ward to the outpatient department and arrived at a small garden in the center of the hospital. The garden had rock formations, a pavilion, and a stream, creating a tranquil and elegant environment. They sat on a marble bench between the flower beds and began to chat intimately.

There were many patients and their families cooling off in the garden. Since Jiang Shan was in her nurse's uniform, Xiao Yuanhang couldn't be too intimate with her. He simply sat close to her, holding her hand, and enjoyed the warmth of the moment. Time passed unnoticed until Jiang Shan checked her watch and realized they had been out for over an hour. She stood up apologetically and said, "Yuanhang, I can't be out too long. You should go home and rest early; you have to work tomorrow!"

Xiao Yuanhang understood that Jiang Shan couldn't be away for too long, so he gave her hand a tight squeeze and said, "Alright, go back quickly. Don't let anything happen because you're not there. I'll come see you again when I return from my shift!"

"Okay!" Jiang Shan nodded vigorously. With many people in the garden, they couldn't be too intimate, so they entered through the side door, with Jiang Shan heading back to the ward and Xiao Yuanhang to the outpatient department.

The next morning, Xiao Yuanhang, dressed neatly and carrying his bag, arrived at the depot around 8:30 AM. He first went to the fleet to check if there were any issues, then returned to the dispatch room to fill out the duty report. Since Zhang Yaping had assigned him this task in the previous shift, he didn't refuse.

After filling out the duty report, Zhang Yaping entered the dispatch room with her leather bag. Xiao Yuanhang handed her the report and said, "Chief Zhang, here is the duty report for this shift. Please check if there are any changes."

Xiao Yuanhang was familiar with filling out duty reports. He clearly listed the requirements from superiors, key tasks, telegraph instructions, and the focus of the current trip, unlike most train conductors who simply copied the previous report. Zhang Yaping read through it, expecting to find some mistakes since it was his first time, but was surprised to find it even better than hers. Since there were no changes in the crew, she said, "I don't see any omissions. This is fine."

"Right, Xiao." Zhang Yaping suddenly remembered something and called out to Xiao Yuanhang.

"What?" Xiao Yuanhang, who was packing the duty report into his bag, turned to ask.

Zhang Yaping said, "In the last shift, you were the first-time conductor, and there were many things to handle. I got busy and forgot about the sleeper tickets. Here, you have control over the upper, middle, and lower berths of carriages 19 and 20, and the upper and lower berths of carriage 18—eight tickets in total. Try not to promise them to others before the train departs, in case a leader asks for them. Wait until the train starts and then sell them."

Zhang Yaping's sudden change in attitude puzzled Xiao Yuanhang. When He Hongwei was her deputy, she only gave him six tickets for the upper, middle, and lower berths of carriages 19 and 20. This time, she gave him eight tickets and even told him what to watch out for. Was she being so kind?

"Alright, I understand. Thank you, Chief Zhang!" Although Xiao Yuanhang couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, he felt it was related to the events of the previous shift.

Due to the events of the last shift, Zhang Yaping's negativity almost caused her significant trouble. She was a smart person. From how Xiao Yuanhang handled the pregnant woman incident to his handling of Lin Zhigang, he didn't act like a new conductor at all but rather like an experienced one. She knew that trying to fool him with trivial matters would only backfire, so she quickly adjusted her strategy.

Especially after the *People's Daily* reported on Xiao Yuanhang's deeds, he was highly regarded from top to bottom. Using small tricks wouldn't work on him; she needed to take more serious action. After much thought, she decided to use the sleeper tickets. Why not be generous and give him two more tickets? She didn't believe he wouldn't make a mistake with the tickets. Who wouldn't want money? Once she caught him with solid evidence, even Section Chief Wu couldn't protect him!

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{Piaotian Literature}