Chapter 77

When Zhang Yaping heard the announcement for a doctor, she did not remain indifferent this time. Lin Zhigang told her that a child of a leader in the soft sleeper compartment had a stomachache after eating in the dining car, and the meal was paid for by Xiao Yuanhang. Her first thought was food poisoning, so she immediately got up, dressed, and followed Lin Zhigang over. Originally, she wanted to see Xiao Yuanhang's embarrassment, but when she heard the doctor say it was acute appendicitis, she immediately lost her spirit. However, she still pretended to be busy for a while.

As soon as the train arrived at Shuncheng station, Xu Wenbo, holding his son, led the way, with Qin Jie protecting him on the side and Guo Xiaoquan carrying the luggage. They rushed to the ambulance waiting on the platform. Xiao Yuanhang also ran to the ambulance. The station duty officer confirmed that Xu Wenbo was the passenger who needed the ambulance, and the medical staff immediately opened the door to let them in. The ambulance, with the door closed, sped away with the emergency siren blaring. Xu Wenbo's heart was entirely on his son, Xiao Hu, and he didn't even have time to say a word to Xiao Yuanhang.

Xiao Yuanhang handed over the passenger record to the station duty officer, completed the handover, and then returned to the train. By this time, Zhang Yaping had already returned to the sleeping car to continue sleeping.

There was still over an hour before the shift change, so Xiao Yuanhang walked through the dining car towards the hard-seat compartments. The train office was in the 8th compartment, which was connected to the dining car. He squeezed through the crowded aisle and approached the office, where he saw the business officer Xu Yanchun counting the ticket revenue. Xiao Yuanhang tapped on the desk and asked, "Xu Sister, how much overcapacity is the train now?"

Xu Yanchun, seeing Xiao Yuanhang, quickly put down the ticket revenue and stood up, saying, "I just calculated it. The overcapacity is about 55%."

Xiao Yuanhang asked, "Have you drafted the overcapacity telegram yet?" Actually, drafting the overcapacity telegram was the train conductor's job, but since the business officer was in charge of passenger flow and calculating the overcapacity rate, this task gradually fell to her. Once the train's overcapacity exceeded 50%, the business officer would immediately draft the overcapacity telegram, which the train conductor would then send to the next station, where it would be forwarded to the telegraph office to notify the upcoming stations that the train was overcapacity and to stop selling tickets for this train.

"I've already drafted it, but is it useful? We've sent so many overcapacity telegrams, but the stations still sell tickets as usual!" Xu Yanchun complained as she took the already written overcapacity telegram from the telegraph book and handed it to Xiao Yuanhang.

Xiao Yuanhang took the telegram, read it, and said, "Whether the upcoming stations stop selling tickets is their business, but we must send the telegram according to regulations. If any serious issues like the springs being compressed occur, it will be their responsibility, not ours." Saying this, he put the telegram in his cap and continued walking forward.

"Spring compression" refers to the situation where the weight in the compartment reaches a certain level, compressing the vehicle's springs. In such a case, it is impossible to ensure safe travel. Therefore, railway regulations stipulate that the train must not depart if the springs are compressed. The station and train staff must evacuate passengers from the compartment until the springs return to a safe state before the train can depart. This process takes time and will inevitably cause the train to be delayed. If the delay is due to the negligence of the passenger service staff, it is considered an accident, which is a major issue for the train crew.

Xu Yanchun saw that Xiao Yuanhang didn't even ask about the sleeper tickets and opened her mouth to probe, but didn't say anything. When Xiao Yuanhang walked away, she gave up. When Xiao Yuanhang returned from his inspection, she finally couldn't hold back and said, "Conductor, of the 8 sleeper tickets you gave me, I sold 4, and I kept 2 aside as you said, in case of any special situations!"

Xiao Yuanhang replied, "I asked you to keep them in case someone from Liaocheng got on the train. We're about to change shifts, and the next shift will be in the middle of the night, long after we've passed Liaocheng. You don't need to keep those 2 tickets anymore; it's affecting the income of the crew!"

"Okay, Conductor!" Xu Yanchun responded happily. When He Hongwei was the deputy conductor, he never gave her the 6 sleeper tickets he had, but instead gave them to the water attendant Li Fangzhi in the hard-seat compartment, just like Zhang Yaping. Although Xu Yanchun was the business officer, she never got any benefits. This time, Xiao Yuanhang gave her the sleeper tickets, and although she didn't know how much he would take, her share would definitely not be less. Xiao Yuanhang even agreed to let her sell the 2 tickets, which would be another small income for her.

The train arrived at Huanghai station without any issues. Xiao Yuanhang, of course, paid out of his own pocket to buy an "8 yuan" makeup box for his future sister-in-law. The return trip was also smooth. When he got up for the third shift, the train had already passed Jinmen station. Although a large number of passengers got off at Jinmen, an even larger number got on, and the overcapacity in the compartments reached over 60%. The aisles, passageways, and doorways were all crowded with passengers, and even some toilets were "occupied" by passengers!

The compartments were extremely hot, and despite the open windows and electric fans, many passengers were drenched in sweat. Xiao Yuanhang, after squeezing through two compartments, was also drenched in sweat. When he reached the passageway between car 6 and car 5, he saw Dean Jiang squeezed among the passengers, wiping the sweat from his face with a handkerchief...

"Dean Jiang, what are you doing here?" Xiao Yuanhang greeted Jiang Yonglin.

Jiang Yonglin, seeing Xiao Yuanhang, immediately looked pleased. He and Wang Mingli had gone to Jinmen to attend a pharmaceutical ordering conference. They called home every day from the post office to discuss what drugs to order and in what quantities, all of which required the dean's approval. Today, while making a call at the post office, the dean informed him that the railway bureau's health department was holding a medical conference the day after tomorrow, which he had to attend. So, he left Wang Mingli in Jinmen and boarded the return train.

Due to his hasty departure, he didn't have time to book a ticket. Moreover, being in an unfamiliar place like Jinmen, he couldn't get a sleeper ticket. After boarding the train and seeing that it was operated by the Guhe train section, he found the conductor, Zhang Yaping, to try to get a sleeper ticket. Zhang Yaping, seeing that he was just the deputy dean of the railway hospital, ignored him and told him there were no sleeper tickets available.

Jiang Yonglin was immediately anxious. The train from Jinmen to Guhe runs for over 13 hours. Without a sleeper, standing in the stuffy compartment for the entire journey would be unbearable. He knew the "ways" and "market rates" for getting a sleeper ticket and secretly gave Zhang Yaping 50 yuan.

Zhang Yaping was unmoved and flatly refused him!

It wasn't that Zhang Yaping was immune to money. Since Jiang Yonglin was part of the railway system and a deputy dean, refusing him once and then accepting money would be even more problematic. She feared he might report her, and 50 yuan was not worth losing her job. Moreover, with no available sleeper tickets, any complaint would be futile.

Jiang Yonglin had only been standing at the door for over an hour, and his legs were already stiff, with his shirt drenched in sweat. Xiao Yuanhang's appearance gave him hope. He quickly explained his situation and hoped Xiao Yuanhang could sign him up for a sleeper ticket.

Although Xiao Yuanhang's 8 sleeper tickets were sold shortly after the train left Huanghai, he still said, "Dean Jiang, follow me."

Xiao Yuanhang took Jiang Yonglin to the office car. To avoid being overheard by nearby passengers, he asked Xu Yanchun in a low voice, "Xu Sister, are there any sleeper tickets left on the train?"

Xu Yanchun also spoke in a low voice, "I just finished checking. There's a middle berth in car 11 and an upper berth in car 15, both to Xiongguan station."

"Good, sign him up for the middle berth!" Xiao Yuanhang said, asking Jiang Yonglin to take out his travel certificate. Xu Yanchun stamped it and signed the compartment and berth number. Xiao Yuanhang then took it and led Jiang Yonglin towards the dining car.

In this short time, Jiang Yonglin experienced a dramatic shift from despair to hope. The contrast between Zhang Yaping's coldness and Xiao Yuanhang's warmth was stark!

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ps: Thank you to the readers "z.y.x.", "han youzi", and "ha1" for your support!

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