Chapter 61

Because the locomotive had been changed, a simple air brake test was required. This had nothing to do with Li Xuewu and his team, so they just watched the driver and the others work.

Li Xuewu and Wang Yimin were full and had rinsed their lunch boxes. They saw Liu Guoyou signaling, which should mean they were ready to depart.

It didn't take long before the station's departure signal light turned green. The field attendant on duty walked out of the operating room with a signal flag, stood on the platform in the middle of the train, and waved the green signal flag at Li Xuewu and his team, showing the departure signal.

Li Xuewu saw that Train Captain Liu Guoyou had confirmed the status of the departure signal and the field attendant's departure signal, then unfurled the green signal flag and drew circles from the outside in, showing the departure signal to the driver. At the same time, the station field attendant also turned to face the locomotive, relaying the train captain's departure signal.

After the driver and assistant driver confirmed the departure signal, the whistle blew a long blast, and the train slowly started to move, and its speed slowly increased with the power of the steam locomotive.

This was two steam locomotives coupled together; if it were a single steam locomotive, it would be unimaginable to increase the speed in such a short time, which was completely incomparable to the train speed increases and speeds of later generations.

Li Xuewu only ate one portion of braised pork over rice, put the other box of chicken stewed with mushrooms over rice in the drawer, ready to eat it when he was hungry later. Seeing Liu Guoyou busy filling out the train log, he also took out the escort log to fill it out.

"My first escort experience is really richer than necessary," Li Xuewu said with emotion while filling out the log.

Liu Guoyou didn't look up, but replied, "Can't say whether your luck is good or bad. Anyway, I've been running for more than ten years and haven't encountered it many times."

Just like that, the freight train Li Xuewu was on rattled past Fengcheng, past the "end of the universe," "Benshan's hometown," "the ancient capital of the Yan State," and "the main battlefield of the pocket formation," entered Chuncheng, and then rattled along the internal special line into Factory 17.

(Let me test everyone: does everyone know where these places are?)

It wasn't until the cadres receiving the train at the factory area checked the documents with the lead seals, copied the escort log with the other party's security department, had the other party sign, and signed the other party's filing that this escort mission was considered complete.

Li Xuewu and his team would wait in Chuncheng until Friday night to depart, and then go empty to Steel City to escort special steel back to the factory area.

So Li Xuewu would have at most 24 hours to deal with that batch of large white pears.

Li Xuewu had slept enough on the train and didn't rest in the dormitory arranged by the factory area.

He told Wang Yimin he was going to his uncle's house and went to the dormitory management office to report.

After leaving the factory gate, there was no one around in the night. He walked for more than ten minutes, his eyes constantly looking for opportunities to observe behind him.

Tracking at night is very difficult. Li Xuewu was confident that no one was following him. He took advantage of the darkness to take out his bicycle, rode it, and headed to his second uncle's house.

His second uncle lived in the Railway Bureau dormitory building, which was the house of his second aunt's parents.

When Li Xuewu entered the courtyard, it was quiet. The old gatekeeper was dozing off. He put away his bicycle from a distance, walked into the courtyard with light steps, and went up to the second floor.

Standing in front of his second uncle's door, he took two net bags of large white pears from his space and held them in his hands.

After knocking on the door for a long time, his second uncle opened it from the inside.

"Xuewu? Why are you here? Did something happen to your grandmother?"

His second uncle, Li Gan, shouted in surprise. Hearing his second uncle's shout, his second aunt also ran out.

Li Xuewu hurriedly pushed his second uncle into the room, placed the two bags of pears on the cabinet at the door, and closed the door by the way.

"My grandmother is fine. I was on an escort mission for our rolling mill and happened to be in Chuncheng, so I came home."

His second aunt, Han Xiumei, slapped Li Xuewu hard and said angrily, "You dead child, why didn't you write a letter home before coming? Why bring pears from so far away? What a waste of effort!"

Li Xuewu helped Li Gan, whose legs were a bit weak, to sit on the sofa chair, and replied to his second aunt's words.

"It was a temporary notice; the letter wouldn't have arrived as fast as I did."

His second uncle took out a cigarette from the table, lit it, took a deep breath, and finally recovered.

"When did you transfer? Your third uncle wrote a letter saying you were promoted; why did you go to the rolling mill again?"

Li Xuewu drank a mouthful of hot water handed over by his second aunt, dispelling the cold in his stomach.

Li Xuewu knew what was going on with him. Although his memory slowly recovered the scene of the war, it wasn't something he had seen with his own eyes after all, just a deep feeling, so his tone in replying to his second uncle was also very calm.