Chapter 384 Waiting for the arrival of the freight train
Zhang Lei walked into the room, a friendly smile immediately appeared on his face, and he raised his voice and shouted:
"Uncle Zhang, are you awake? These two are from Jianye Village and are here to pick up the goods today."
"I'll ask them to wait here. If their goods arrive, please let them know. Thank you for your help."
In the dim and slightly dark light of the room, Uncle Zhang heard Zhang Lei's shout.
His movements were slow but with a sense of leisure that came from the passage of time, and he slowly and leisurely pushed himself up.
He first rubbed his eyes with his hands, as if to dispel the drowsiness that lingered in front of his eyes, then he coughed a few times, cleared his throat, and then turned to Zhang Lei and said:
"It's Xiao Zhang. Today is different from usual. A freight train is coming. I'm worried about it so I dare not sleep."
"Why are there only these two young people? There is a lot of cargo. How can they unload it with just the two of them? I am an old man and can't help much."
As he spoke, Uncle Zhang's eyes revealed a hint of worry and confusion.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Shuzhuo hurriedly took a small step forward, with a smile of respect and gratitude on his face, and said quickly:
"Uncle Zhang, don't worry. There's no need to trouble you. There are many people in our village waiting outside."
"As soon as the goods arrive, I will let them come in and unload them. We are strong enough to do the job well and there will be no delays."
Zhang Lei stood aside, his mouth slightly raised, revealing a gentle smile, and said to Uncle Zhang:
"Uncle Zhang, please don't worry about this. Can you really do any work? You are already helping a lot just by staying here."
"I'll go to the cafeteria and ask Master Yu if he'll accept the supplies today. If Master Yu is free, I'll talk to him about it."
"Let him drive the small truck to give these two comrades a ride. This way, the goods can be transported back smoothly and a lot of trouble can be saved."
Uncle Zhang narrowed his weather-beaten eyes slightly, with a deep insight into the world in his eyes. He looked at Zhang Lei meaningfully and said slowly:
"You are a kind-hearted boy. You have handled this matter very well. I guess Master Yu is not busy today."
"He went to get supplies yesterday and just came back this morning. He should be resting now."
Zhang Lei's face suddenly flushed slightly when he was praised so directly by Uncle Zhang, and he seemed a little embarrassed.
He subconsciously reached into his pocket, fumbled around in it for a while, took out a cigarette, and handed it to Uncle Zhang with a somewhat flattering look.
Uncle Zhang stretched out his rough, bony hand and took the cigarette. His eyes inadvertently fell on the cigarette.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise and said in a raised voice:
"Hey, Xiao Zhang, this is a good cigarette! I've never seen you smoke such a good one. You've spent a lot of money on it, but you're willing to smoke it?"
"In my opinion, you shouldn't waste it now. Save it for when you go to your father-in-law's house. It will be very impressive."
Zhang Lei did not respond, but just pursed his lips slightly and gave a quick wink to Uncle Zhang.
There was a hint of hint in his eyes, and a bit of embarrassment. Uncle Zhang had been working in this train station for most of his life, and he had seen everything.
I understood immediately and realized that the origin of the cigarette was probably not simple. It was most likely a benefit given by the two guests in front of me in order to get something done.
Seeing that Uncle Zhang had already taken the cigarette, Zhang Lei cleared his throat, breaking the brief and subtle atmosphere, and said:
"Uncle Zhang, please go ahead and take care of this place. I'll hurry up and look for Master Yu."
"See if we can finalize the transportation so that these two comrades can get the goods back sooner."
After Zhang Lei finished speaking, he hurried out of the hut. His figure soon disappeared at the door of the hut, and he walked steadily towards the direction of the train station canteen.
At this time, only Wang Jianguo, Zhao Shuzhuo and Uncle Zhang were left in the house.
For a moment, silence filled the entire room. No one spoke first and the atmosphere became a little awkward and dull.
Zhao Shuzhuo was not good at speaking, and in this somewhat awkward atmosphere, he didn't know where to start.
He just stood there quietly, his eyes slightly wandering, occasionally looking at the simple furnishings in the room.
Wang Jianguo realized that such silence was not conducive to subsequent communication, so he coughed lightly and took the lead in speaking to break the deadlock.
"Uncle Zhang, how long have you been working at the train station?"
Wang Jianguo's voice was gentle and polite, with a hint of curiosity and closeness.
When Uncle Zhang heard the question, he raised his hand slightly, put the cigarette in his hand close to his lips, and took out matches from his pocket with his other hand.
With a flickering sound, the cigarette was lit in the faint flame. He took a deep breath.
He slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, his eyes unconsciously glancing up, as if traveling through time and space, back to the past.
"Which year..."
Uncle Zhang's voice was a little hoarse, carrying the vicissitudes of time, and he was lost in deep memories.
"It should be 25 or 26 years ago. I was only 20 years old at that time. I came to this train station full of youth and hope."
"At that time, this place was not as lively as it is now, but everything was full of hope. I was one of the first railway employees at this railway station."
"Look, time flies by so fast. Before I knew it, I'm already 55 years old. If I count carefully, it's been more than years."
"In the past thirty years, the railway station has undergone a lot of changes, and I have grown from a young boy to an old man today."
Wang Jianguo listened attentively to Uncle Zhang's story, his face full of admiration. He couldn't help but give a thumbs up and praised in a loud and respectful voice:
"Uncle Zhang, this is no ordinary experience! In these long thirty years, you have devoted your youth and passion to this railway station."
"It can be said that he has made great contributions to the construction of this place and has made a huge and indelible contribution."
"I admire you from the bottom of my heart. You are our role model!"
When Uncle Zhang saw that the young man in front of him admired him so sincerely and ardently, the long-hidden sense of pride in his heart was instantly ignited.
It was as if a fire was burning in his chest. He straightened his back slightly, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to be smoothed out because of this pride.
His eyes revealed a kind of calmness and pride that came from years of experience.