Chapter 495: Mother's Awakening

Lu Cheng slipped in on tiptoes into the Da Za Yuan, just in time to run into Da Hu coming home from school.

"Lu San'er, you're back, you didn't die?"

Lu Cheng glared, about to scold the kid, but upon seeing Da Hu's backpack, he changed his tone and said.

"Take a few books out of your backpack for me, I'll stuff them behind my butt."

Da Hu understood what Lu Cheng meant, because he often did the same.

So, in a chivalrous spirit, he rummaged through the books while asking, "Lu San'er, you're already a hero, do you still have to take a beating?"

Lu Cheng sighed, "You're still young, you don't get it. In the people's eyes you're a hero, but in Mom's eyes you're forever a child who drags her down."

Da Hu's eyes widened suddenly, looking at Lu Cheng in disbelief.

"Lu San'er, I think you sound like a philosopher now; these nonsense you spout, I actually can't understand any of it."

Lu Cheng immediately kicked Da Hu, then snatched the textbook, heading toward the Inner Courtyard while shoving books into his rear.

The Main Hall was empty, but humming could be heard from the kitchen, so he tiptoed over cautiously.

Just as he leaned against the doorway, he heard Chen Xianglan's voice.

"You're back."

"Mom, you have eyes on your back now."

Chen Xianglan was busy chopping meat at the cutting board, not turning her head, and said, "The moment you stepped through the Grand Courtyard gate, I could smell you."

Lu Cheng tugged at his collar, lifted his nose and sniffed a few times, "Smell something? Yeah, it's a bit sour."

Chen Xianglan then walked over, still holding the kitchen knife.

Startled, Lu Cheng quickly stepped back, "It's not, Mom—if you want to hit me, a broom head or a feather duster would do; no need to use a knife…"

Only then did Chen Xianglan drop the knife and start tidying her son's clothes.

"You're my son; whatever scent you're wearing, Mom knows it better than anyone."

After saying that, Chen Xianglan went back to chopping meat.

That really left Lu Cheng speechless.

There was neither a beating nor a scolding, which made Lu Cheng feel very uneasy.

"Mom, you're not hitting me?"

Chen Xianglan's expression remained calm, "You've already been promoted to deputy chief; how could I dare hit you again?"

Lu Cheng felt even more unsettled; he had prepared for a beating, but Mom wasn't as he imagined—she got angry and both struck and scolded.

"No, Mom, you're my mother, I'm a minister; you can hit me anytime you want."

Chen Xianglan set the knife down and came over again, and Lu Cheng stuck out his butt.

Taking a beating would let Mom vent, better than bottling it up, but Chen Xianglan merely sighed.

"At first Mom was worried; why didn't you tell her first? Mom isn't an unreasonable person; Mom also has awareness. My son is delivering supplies to the Frontline, and Mom is so proud she can hardly contain it."

During this period, people in Hu Tong Li often talked, praising her for having a son who earned Merit for the country.

And the compliments were heartfelt, making Chen Xianglan realize that her constantly worrying San'er had truly grown up.

He even became a role model in everyone's eyes.

Lu Cheng put his arm around Mom's shoulders, "Mom, this mission is over, and from now on I'll stay by your side.

Also, tomorrow our department will hold a celebration banquet; I'll take you along so you can finally smile broadly."

Chen Xianglan pinched her son's cheek, "Alright, Mom's face is already big enough, I won't join the fun. You're hungry, right? Mom will cook you a meal."

Lu Cheng nodded, "I'm starving. On the train, what I miss most is the home‑cooked rice."

Chen Xianglan hurriedly grabbed the knife and kept chopping, "Then wait, Mom will stir‑fry some twice‑cooked pork for you today; this time I bought pork belly."

"Add some garlic shoots…"

"Okay…"

There's nothing like the feeling of coming home; now recalling this past month—fighting the enemy face‑to‑face, a Bullet whizzed past my face, a bomb suddenly landed on an Iron Rail, and the Boom— of artillery fire…

It was true that at any moment an accident could happen, with casualties on the road.

Now, back home suddenly, everything quieted down, only the chatter of neighbors around, and the previous experiences now feel somewhat like a dream.

The mission is over; from now on I'll officially return to the Train Police life.

The next day, after the celebration banquet, Lu Cheng went straight back to the captain's office.

Lei Zhan'ge had been waiting in the office for a long time; when Lu Cheng entered, he pulled the Appointment Certificate from the drawer.

"Now I can take over, right?"

Lu Cheng smiled, "Captain Lei, how's your health lately? Have you been to the hospital for a check‑up?"

Lei Zhan'ge waved his hand, "I'm fine; I've been quite busy lately, but now that you're back, you can help ease some of my pressure."

Lei Zhan'ge knew his days were numbered, so he deliberately trained Lu Cheng to assist him.

Lu Cheng sat down, "Is it about the Zhiqing Return to City issue? When I was delivering supplies, I even saw with my own eyes that in Yun Province, some Educated Youth have already started returning to the city."

Although the major policy on the Educated Youth Return to City issue had been debated, it hadn't been implemented locally yet.

This caused some information‑blocked areas to still adopt radical methods to voice their demands.

They shouted slogans like 'Educated Youth must be decent, Educated Youth must return to the city,' and even launched a massive strike.

Although local leaders would pacify them, urging them to return to the Farm, devote themselves to revolutionary work, and never do anything that harms unity.

But these Knowledgeable Youth were extremely determined, refusing to stop until their goals were met.

This forced the policy to be swiftly implemented; in some areas, Educated Youth began the first wave of returning to the city.

Lei Zhan'ge was worried that for these Knowledgeable Youth returning to the city, trains are the primary mode of transport.

Moreover, many of these Educated Youth have gone through massive protests, making them highly volatile; when sharing a train car with ordinary passengers, friction and fights often break out on the train.

This severely disrupted train order, prompting passengers to repeatedly write Complaint Report Letters.

Lei Zhan Ge is under a lot of pressure; now the Train Staff on the trains all have a fearful attitude toward the educated youth.

When Lei Zhan Ge briefly explained the situation, Lu Cheng also fell into contemplation.

Whether it's a local city or the Railway Bureaus along the line, every time the Knowledgeable Youth group is mentioned, it becomes a very headache‑inducing problem.

But now the policy is gradually being implemented; with the train as the main carrier for the Zhiqing Return to City, each Railway Bureau along the route has to bear this pressure.

"Captain Lei, the Youth Return to City is only a beginning, but it won't be long before it peaks; then the problem of fights between the educated youth and passengers will only become more frequent.

So my idea is to simply create a Youth Special Train, which solves the insufficient capacity during peak periods and also avoids the issue of mixing with ordinary passengers."

Lei Zhan Ge's eyes lit up: "Hmm, that's actually a solution, but if all the educated youth are placed on a single train, wouldn't that make fights and disturbances even easier?"

Lu Cheng laughed: "That's exactly the way they like to solve problems; they can fight however they want, and it won't affect ordinary passengers anyway, plus we won't have to receive any Complaint Report Letters again."

Lei Zhan Ge smiled and shook his head; indeed, Lu Cheng's thinking is different from others.

He also consulted other Police Chiefs; everyone basically suggested increasing the police force to maintain train order.

Only Lu Cheng throws the problem that originally belongs to the educated youth back onto the educated youth.

A single sentence solved it.

"Alright, then you take full responsibility for this; whichever Train Service Line and which Police Chief need to cooperate, you can dispatch them directly."

"Yes, Captain Lei."

Lu Cheng had originally planned that day to summon all Police Chiefs for a special meeting on the Youth Special Train, but instead received an invitation to the Liang Lihua Family Banquet.

The first time he visited Wu Shixiong's home, Lu Cheng was indeed a bit nervous.