Chapter Thirteen Train Station

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  Xu Shaowen never thought that Xu Shichang had really recognized him as his nephew. Usually, the rich and powerful would disdain their poor relatives, how could they still help? Moreover, whether he and Xu Shichang were of the same clan or not was still to be verified, it couldn't be said that just because they shared the same surname Xu and their hometowns were only five miles apart, they had a blood relationship. However, after meeting Hu Longxiao, he had no choice but to bask in the glory of his uncle Xu Shichang.

  Xu Shao Wen has never been a person who likes to show off, so even after meeting Xu Shi Chang, he didn't make a big deal about it when he returned to the dormitory. And after saying goodbye to Hu Long Xi, he also didn't mention this matter in front of his classmates. Moreover, in his heart, he was still very uncertain, as Xu Shi Chang had only recommended him to participate in the competition over the past month, but hadn't explicitly expressed anything.

  However, although Xu Shao Wen is normally low-key, the news that Xu Shao Wen's uncle is Xu Shi Chang has spread quickly from Hu Long Xiang's mouth. Although Hu Long Xiang did not intentionally pay attention to or publicize this matter, he would occasionally mention it in casual conversations with staff at the General Staff Headquarters and the Army University.

  Of course, more of the news came from Jiang Shouqi's mouth. Although Jiang Shouqi was already old, he was still a man who would go crazy and tell everyone about this matter as if it were news. Not only did all the staff at the Army University know about it, but it even reached the ears of some high-ranking military and political figures in Beijing.

  In short, Xu Shao-wen has unknowingly been identified as Xu Shi-chang's nephew.

  On May 1st, Xu Shao-wen received the news of going to Baoding for two days, and on this day, Jiang Shou-qi, the head of the teaching department, also organized a meeting with all thirty contestants, encouraging and establishing tacit understanding among each other. In fact, there were only a few hundred students in each period of the Army University, although they were arranged into different courses and dormitories according to different specialties, but everyone still had some familiarity, basically able to call out each other's names.

  On the second day of the beginning, the class leader of each subject will distribute the train tickets that have already been purchased to the students in their department. According to the planned plan, 30 contestants will go to Baoding Military School one step ahead on the third day, familiarize themselves with the environment and meet with colleagues from Baoding Military School. Before the sixth day, the selected students who will accompany them to observe and learn will go to Baoding in batches. The formal competition will last for three days, one theme per day, namely military equipment, military theory, and strategy, starting on May 8th.

  The next morning, Xu Shaowen and the other five schoolmates who participated in the competition got up early. In order to show the most spirited side of the Army University in front of the Baoding Military Academy, all the contestants' military uniforms were washed and dried in advance, and they looked brand new when worn on their bodies.

  After having breakfast in the cafeteria, the infantry class and students from four other classes gathered together under the leadership of three instructors and marched out of school towards the train station.

  The early morning of Beijing is a bit chilly, especially when autumn is approaching. The streets and alleys are filled with thin fog. Most people are lazily hiding in their own quilts, only some ordinary citizens who sell fried dough sticks, tofu brains and other small snacks are busy making a living by getting up early and working late.

  Since the late Qing Dynasty, China's railways have been monopolized by foreign powers and each country has deliberately made its own railway tracks incompatible with others due to conflicting interests. Sometimes passengers had to change trains two or three times when traveling from one place to another despite having a direct route.

  Fortunately, Beijing is not far from Baoding. If it were in the 21st century, it would take at most an hour by bus to reach there. Obviously, during this period of the Republic of China, cars that support long-distance travel had not been invented yet, so generally, inter-city travel was either by donkey cart or horse-drawn carriage, or by train.

  On the way to Zhengyangmen Outer Railway Station, Xu Shaowen asked Gao Songling, who was walking beside him: "Brother Maochen, how long does it take for the train from Beijing to Baoding?"

  "What? Wenyuan, you used to travel and study abroad frequently, don't you know the speed of this train?" Guo Songling chuckled, but soon answered Xu Shaowen's question, "It depends on what kind of train it is, but even the slowest one takes only three or four hours, just sleep for a while and we'll arrive."

  "That's it, then." Xu Shaowen finally felt a bit relieved. However, the distance from Beijing to Baoding was only tens of miles, but it took three or four hours by train. The trains in the Republic of China were really backward. In the 21st century, he had never liked taking the train much, especially during holidays when the carriages were more unbearable than hell. It was precisely because of this psychological shadow that he couldn't help but think extra thoughts.

  "How about you, Wen Yuan, little brother? Aren't you afraid of taking the train?" Guo Songling asked, noticing Xu Shaowen's complexion.

  "How could I? I just don't like the toilets on trains." Xu Shaowen casually made up an excuse.

  As they spoke, the group of thirty-three people arrived at Zhengyang Gate. The railway station outside Zhengyang Gate was not large, a typical Western-style building that looked almost exactly like what Xu Shaowen had seen on TV before - a main entrance with two doors, and the ticket hall and waiting room separated only by a railing. If such a train station were to be transported to the 21st century, it would probably be packed to bursting even without holidays.

  Although it was early in the Qing dynasty, the streets outside were cold and deserted, but there were still many people in the waiting hall of the train station. In this era when travel tools are scarce, taking the train is the most effective way to travel, whether near or far, so during the Republic of China period, trains did not have off-season or peak season.

  The waiting room was bustling with people, like a lively market. There were ordinary citizens carrying simple luggage, students wearing green robes and scarves, all sorts of people standing or sitting, filling the originally small waiting room to capacity. Occasionally, vendors selling melon seeds and fruit would pass through. When Xu Shaowen's group entered, at first glance it seemed like military police had arrived for an inspection, even the station guards were startled. But after a closer look, they realized that these were actually student officers without military insignia.

  However, the appearance of these thirty students and three instructors still caused a stir in the waiting hall, with many onlookers pointing and speculating wildly.

  Suddenly becoming the focus, Xu Shao Wen was still a bit unaccustomed to it. Under the guidance of the instructor, he followed his classmates from the Physical Education Department and found a seat in the corner of the waiting hall. However, there were originally not many seats in the waiting hall, and many students from other departments could not be seated and had to stand.

  Just as the train was about to arrive at the station, two women walked out of the public restroom on the left side of the waiting room. The woman walking in front was about twenty years old, wearing a short Western-style skirt and a small, delicate hat, with fine features and especially her white legs exposed under the skirt, which had an irresistible charm. Whether it was from the material of her clothes or her natural temperament, this girl seemed like a young lady from a good family.

  The second girl was following behind, looking much younger in age, and her appearance and clothing were also ordinary, seeming to be just a maid.

  The girl in the foreign dress looked very displeased on her face after walking out of the restroom, it was clear that public toilets were not something a rich family's young lady like her could tolerate. She stood in front of the waiting hall and took a look around, suddenly fixing her gaze on the corner where the military officer from the special forces unit was sitting, puckering up her small mouth at once, with an extremely angry expression.

  "Oh no, Xiao Lan, our seats have been taken by others, how annoying!" The young lady said with discontent, "Hmph, these soldiers are so rude and don't follow the rules."

  "Miss, it's not their fault either. We just left for a moment, who knows if this empty seat belongs to someone?" said Xiaolan, the maid, comforting her.

  The young lady's face was flushed with anger, her usual pale complexion now slightly red. She was used to being pampered at home and would get upset over the slightest thing when she went out. Suddenly, she said, "No way, I'm going to go reason with them." Before the little maid could react, she had already quickly walked up to them.

  Xu Shao-wen was chatting with Guo Song-ling, who was sitting in a relatively outer position. He soon saw a young lady walking over hastily. Although Guo Song-ling was already a married man, he had always been very casual and carefree. Seeing this young and pretty girl, he couldn't help but nudge Xu Shao-wen with his elbow and jokingly said: "Wen-yuan, look! So early in the morning, we already have a beauty to admire and delight in. It seems that this time I will surely win a great victory when I go out to battle from the Military Academy!"

  Xu Shaowen looked back at Guo Songling's reminder and indeed found that young lady, although she did look very charming and full of youthful energy. However, he still gave Guo Songling a white eye, saying with a hint of blame: "Brother Maochen, you're already married, yet you're still so unbridled, aren't you afraid your wife will find out and deal with you when she gets back?"

  "You can't say that, I'm appreciating the beauty of things in this world from an aesthetic perspective, and we're not living in a feudal society anymore, everything should be about freedom." Guo Songling made excuses for himself, his eyes involuntarily gazing at the girl several more times.

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