noffsinger Chapter 30 The Return Journey
Chapter 30 The Return Journey
Since there weren't many people eating lunch, just a few scattered individuals, the waiter soon came over with the dishes, and the food was served quickly.
"Uncle, this is the first toast to you. Thank you so much for signing such a big deal on our first try. I never expected it when I came here; I just came to take a look."
Zheng Ziqi stood up, holding a wine glass, and first toasted his cousin.
"Don't mention it. You guys did your homework well and were lucky. James and Wilson were planning to import some fireworks last time. I'll just have a sip of the wine; I still have work to do this afternoon."
My cousin stood up and clinked glasses with Zheng Ziqi.
"Zhaoyuan, you deserve a lot of credit for successfully securing this big order. I never expected that such an English expert like you was hidden in our remote place. It all started with the wine. I hope you can help us more in the future. I promise you I will definitely deliver on your commission."
After taking a bite of the cold-cut beef, Zheng Ziqi raised his glass to thank Zhao Yuan.
"Director Zheng, there's no need for formalities between us; we're helping each other out."
As Zhao Yuan spoke, he stood up, clinked glasses with Zheng Ziqi, and then downed a glass of wine.
Then Zhaoyuan raised his glass to toast his maternal uncle:
"Uncle, let me toast you. Thank you for troubling your family this time. When you return to your hometown, please let me know, and I will definitely host a welcome-back dinner for you. I'll drink this, you can do as you please."
My cousin stood up, clinked glasses with Zhaoyuan, and then took a sip of wine.
The three chatted for a while longer.
"Uncle, are there any foreign businessmen who want to see fireworks?"
Zheng Ziqi asked.
"Not at the moment, but you can leave some information here, and I can recommend you sometimes."
My cousin said.
“Okay, if there are no more foreign businessmen to discuss, Zhaoyuan and I are going to take the train back today. James and the others have ordered so many goods, but we don’t have any of these ‘gift packages’ at all. They’re all made up by Zhaoyuan. We need to go back and prepare them, and then deliver them on time.”
Zheng Ziqi said.
"Hmm? Zhao Yuan came up with this all by himself on the spot. That's a good concept. Zhao Yuan, you're a business talent."
The cousin gave Zhaoyuan a thumbs up again.
"Thank you, Uncle. You flatter me. It was just a little trick. I still have a lot to learn from you in foreign trade."
Zhao Yuan said modestly.
"Uncle, could you please leave me your contact information? I can consult you if I have any questions about foreign trade."
Zhao Yuan continued.
"Sure, you can have Zheng Ziqi write it for you. If you have any questions, you can call me directly. If you have any good ideas, feel free to share them with me."
My cousin said.
"Okay, thank you, Uncle."
After dinner, Zheng Ziqi and Zhao Yuan went home with their cousin to get their luggage. Zheng Ziqi handed over the White Rabbit candies and a pound of chocolates he had bought at the Guomao Building to his cousin. After some polite exchanges, his cousin accepted the candies from Zheng Ziqi.
The three of them went downstairs together and hailed a tricycle on the road outside the residential area. Zheng Ziqi and Zhao Yuan got on the tricycle, said goodbye to their cousin, and headed to the train station.
Since it was nighttime when I arrived, I didn't even go into the train station. After getting off the train, I walked straight through the exit from the platform, so I didn't get a clear look at what the train station looked like in this era.
After a shaky ride of more than 20 minutes, we could see a row of buildings in the distance with "Huacheng Station" written on them. The tricycle stopped at the entrance. The Huacheng Railway Station still retains a strong Soviet style, with its strong lines and massive structure showing the unique aesthetic of that era.
Upon entering the train station, the long queues at the ticket windows appeared somewhat chaotic, with each person's face bearing a mixture of anticipation and unease about the unknown journey ahead.
Looking out the window of the waiting station, you can see the platform outside. Every now and then, you can hear the roar of steam locomotives. The platform staff, holding red flags, direct the trains to come and go in a busy but orderly manner.
A huge clock hangs on the wall directly opposite the entrance to the waiting room, ticking away and recording every moment of parting.
A large train timetable was posted on the left wall of the hall, the black lettering standing out prominently under the dim yellow light.
Passengers sat or stood, carrying luggage, their faces etched with the anxiety of returning home. In this era, train stations are not only transportation hubs, but also places of emotional refuge.
Zheng Ziqi and Zhao Yuan stood in line at the ticket window and quickly bought tickets back to the city.
The two walked to the waiting room on the left. The chairs inside were wooden, some worn and creaking when sat on. People were either sitting or standing; some were talking, some reading newspapers, some dozing, and some smoking. The air was filled with the unique smell of tobacco, sweat, and train fumes. Children played around adults' legs, and occasionally a baby's cry broke the silence. The clock on the wall ticked, reminding everyone of the passage of time.
Soon the announcement came over the loudspeaker: "Train 7033 is about to arrive at the station. Passengers who have purchased tickets for train 7033, please prepare to line up for ticket inspection and enter the station."
Zheng Ziqi and Zhao Yuan joined the queue.
They soon boarded the old-fashioned green train again. This time, Zhao Yuan bought a three-seater ticket, while Zheng Ziqi and Zhao Yuan bought tickets for the aisle side. This made it inconvenient for Zhao Yuan to do his translation work.
After everyone boarded the bus, the person who bought the innermost window seat was a middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit and glasses. After the man sat down, Zhao Yuan tried to greet him.
"Hello comrade, may I switch places with you? I need to write something."
The middle-aged man in the Zhongshan suit and glasses looked up at Zhao Yuan, then stood up, ready to switch places with Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan stood up and switched places with the middle-aged man with glasses.
"Brother, thank you. My name is Zhaoyuan. Here, have a candy."
Zhao Yuan sat down, took out the translation materials from his bag and placed them on the table, then grabbed a handful of lard candy and a handful of chocolate and stuffed them into the hands of the middle-aged man with glasses.
"Oh, thank you."
The middle-aged man with glasses was startled by Zhao Yuan's sudden action. He passively accepted the candy Zhao Yuan offered with both hands and then distributed it to Zheng Ziqi and the passengers opposite him. In those days, candy wasn't something you could eat every day, especially expensive candies like chocolate, which ordinary families had rarely even tasted. A child sitting opposite him quickly accepted the candy offered, and the atmosphere in both rows of seats immediately became lively, with happy smiles on everyone's faces.
Zhao Yuan put his things away, opened the end of his pen, and found that it was almost out of ink. He capped his own pen and put it in his bag, then took out the pen Tu Chenglong had given him and got to work.
Zhao Yuan quickly entered a mode of writing rapidly.
A stack of translated documents was quickly produced.
The bespectacled middle-aged man sitting next to him initially didn't notice what Zhao Yuan was doing. He watched as Zhao Yuan held the book with one hand and quickly wrote something with the other, writing the page number at the bottom after finishing a page.
He assumed Zhao Yuan was copying from a book, but then he glanced at the book Zhao Yuan was holding with his left hand; it was entirely in English. He adjusted his glasses, looked closer, and indeed, it was all in English.
Throughout the rest of the journey, the bespectacled middle-aged man kept an eye on Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan was engrossed in writing at his desk, not even lifting his head once.
The bespectacled middle-aged man quietly moved closer to Zhao Yuan, glanced at the book's contents, and then at the translation Zhao Yuan was holding. The bespectacled man noticed that not only was Zhao Yuan's translation accurate, but most importantly, Zhao Yuan's handwriting was truly beautiful, almost like a printed copy. A question mark rose in the bespectacled man's mind.
As the night deepened, the carriage gradually quieted down, with only the sounds of snoring, the occasional cries of babies, and the sounds of mothers soothing their children.
Zhao Yuan stretched out his arms, gathered up the documents and translation papers, put them all into a plastic bag, and then put them into his bag.
Zhao Yuan originally wanted to go to the toilet to take care of his business and then take a nap, but seeing that the middle-aged man with glasses and Zheng Ziqi were both asleep, he gave up the idea, packed his things, lay down on the table, and quickly fell asleep.
The train arrived at another station, which seemed to be a relatively large one. Many passengers got off the train, including the passengers on the opposite side, leaving many empty seats in the carriage.
Zheng Ziqi walked to a three-person table next door and simply lay down to sleep.
The middle-aged man with glasses also woke up. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, put them back on, looked at Zhao Yuan, and asked.
"Are you done with your work?"
"Okay, I'm done with my work. Please have a seat inside."
Zhao Yuan stood up as he spoke.
“I’ll sit across from you; there are plenty of empty seats anyway.”
The middle-aged man with glasses got up and sat down opposite him.