Chapter 73

Xiao Yuanhang had just walked under the overpass when two men hurriedly approached him. One of them stepped forward and said, "Hello, are you Chief Xiao?"

"Yes, who are you?" Xiao Yuanhang asked, not recognizing them. The two men gave off an air of authority, which made him a bit cautious.

"I am the partner of Li Chunfang from your section. She said she has already spoken to you and asked me to come and get two sleeper tickets," Wang Mingli said, carefully observing Xiao Yuanhang's expression as he spoke.

"Oh, hello, hello! Sister Li mentioned it to me," Xiao Yuanhang extended his hand and shook Wang Mingli's.

Wang Mingli hesitated for a moment, then gestured to the middle-aged man with glasses standing beside him and introduced him, "This is our President Jiang!" He then introduced Xiao Yuanhang to Jiang Yonglin, "This is Chief Xiao!"

Xiao Yuanhang had to give face to Li Chunfang's husband, so he smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with Jiang Yonglin, "President Jiang, hello, welcome to our train!"

President Jiang knew that sleeper tickets were hard to come by on this train. Seeing Xiao Yuanhang's politeness, he also responded courteously, "I received a last-minute order and didn't have time to book tickets at the station. Chief Xiao, I'm troubling you!"

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and said, "Not at all, not at all! I've already arranged the sleeper tickets for you. You just need to go to the attendant to complete the procedures!"

Seeing Xiao Yuanhang's enthusiasm and the fact that he didn't even hint at any favor, Wang Mingli's nervousness eased. He quickly said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Chief Xiao!"

Xiao Yuanhang waved his hand, "No need, no need. Others might not get tickets, but the family of our train section must always have them! Go to the office car to get your tickets signed. Once you're done, board the train from the platform, or it will be crowded once the train starts!"

"Okay, okay, you're busy, you're busy!" Wang Mingli nodded repeatedly and then said to Jiang Yonglin, "President, wait for me on the platform. I'll go get the tickets!" He nodded to Xiao Yuanhang again and hurried off to the office car.

Xiao Yuanhang nodded to Jiang Yonglin and said, "President Jiang, I need to check the front. You can go to the sleeping car first."

Jiang Yonglin had a good impression of the tall and handsome young chief. He smiled and said, "Chief Xiao, go ahead and do your work. Don't let me delay you. I'll wait for Wang Mingli here."

Xiao Yuanhang smiled and nodded, then walked forward. Today was the start of the journey, and the train was already over capacity. As he walked through the carriages, he estimated that it was about 10% over. But he knew that once they passed Liaocheng, it would be at least 50% over, as it always was for each shift.

Seeing that most of the passengers in the hard seats had boarded, Xiao Yuanhang checked his watch. There were 8 minutes left before departure, so he headed towards the soft sleeper car. Just a few steps in, he looked up and saw Wei Wei, wearing a white dress with her long hair flowing, walking onto the platform from the ticket gate. She looked around, and when she saw Xiao Yuanhang, she waved and called out, then quickly walked over.

Xiao Yuanhang knew Wei Wei wasn't on duty today. She must have come to the station to give him the money for the makeup box. He smiled and greeted her, "Wei Wei, why are you here?"

Wei Wei had a fine layer of sweat on her forehead and was slightly out of breath. She said, "I haven't given you the money for the makeup box you helped me bring last time. I was shopping with friends and suddenly remembered it was your shift today, so I rushed over. Luckily, the train hasn't left yet!"

Xiao Yuanhang said, "Why are you in such a hurry? I said I could take it whenever we meet."

Wei Wei looked a bit embarrassed, "I took the makeup box home, and my sister immediately liked it. She said it costs over 20 yuan in Liaocheng and asked me to ask you to bring another one for her. I almost forgot about it, and when I remembered, I rushed over."

Xiao Yuanhang couldn't help but smile bitterly. The makeup box wasn't 20 yuan; he had only charged 8 yuan because... Well, it was for his future sister-in-law. If it were anyone else, he would have lost money! Thinking of his future sister-in-law, Wei Shan, his smile grew. She was a famous beauty in Guhe, and her large portrait was always displayed in the window of the Guhe photo studio as a sign.

Wei Wei took out 16 yuan from her wallet and handed it to Xiao Yuanhang, "Xiao Yuanhang, thank you for the trouble. I'll treat you to a meal when you come back!"

Xiao Yuanhang had no choice but to take the money and smiled, "Sure, the train is about to leave. I need to go. See you when I come back."

"Okay, thank you!" Wei Wei nodded, her face beaming with a sweet smile.

Xiao Yuanhang said goodbye to Wei Wei and quickly walked to the soft sleeper car. Just as he reached the door, the pre-departure bell rang. He checked the boarding situation and, seeing that all passengers had boarded, he got on the train through the soft sleeper car door.

After the train left Guhe station, Xiao Yuanhang took out the coffee from his backpack and instructed the soft sleeper car attendant, Shan Xiaoling, before heading to the dining car to check the hard seat carriages with Zhang Yaping. Today was the first shift for Xiao Yuanhang's Beta team. According to the unified regulations of the Guhuang Line, whether it was the Alpha or Beta team, they would cover two first shifts in a row before switching. The next time, it would be Zhang Yaping's Alpha team's turn to cover the first shift.

Following Xiao Yuanhang's instructions, Shan Xiaoling prepared four cups of coffee and carried them on a tray to the door of compartment 3. She knocked lightly, and upon hearing a "Come in," she opened the door and entered with a smile, "Hello, leaders, welcome to our train. Please enjoy your coffee!"

Xu Wenbo was from the capital and worked alone in Guhe. His wife, Qin Jie, was a dancer in the capital's military art troupe. On leave, she brought their 6-year-old son to Guhe to see him. The day before, his mother-in-law called, saying she missed her grandson and asked them to bring him to Behe, where she and her husband were on vacation. Qin Jie's leave was also coming to an end, and Xu Wenbo wanted to visit his father. So, the family of three, along with his secretary, Guo Xiaoquan, bought tickets for this train that passed through Behe.

Shan Xiaoling's actions surprised Xu Wenbo. He often traveled by train and had never encountered such enthusiastic service. He had never even been offered tea, let alone coffee.

Shan Xiaoling's actions not only surprised Xu Wenbo but also left his wife, Qin Jie, and his secretary, Guo Xiaoquan, puzzled. When did the railway service get so good that they even offered coffee on the train?

"Excuse me, is the coffee free?" As the secretary, Guo Xiaoquan had to speak up for his boss. There were things the boss couldn't ask, and he had to clarify them.

Shan Xiaoling placed the coffee cups on the table one by one and smiled, "Of course it's free. This coffee is brought by our Chief Xiao. When he learned that the leaders were on our train, he specially asked me to serve you."

"Chief Xiao?" Xu Wenbo looked puzzled. He didn't know anyone on the railway and glanced at Guo Xiaoquan, who was equally bewildered...

"Leaders, please enjoy. If you need anything, just call me..." With that, Shan Xiaoling smiled and left the compartment. Just as she was about to close the door, Guo Xiaoquan raised his hand, "Wait, where is Chief Xiao?"

Shan Xiaoling said, "Chief Xiao is checking the carriages. He will come over later!"

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