Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

Seeing from afar Yan Jiecheng and a group of workers busy carrying coal, he stopped and watched for a moment.

At this time, the sun was low among the densely packed tube buildings, and the heat from the concrete ground seemed to evaporate into bursts of hot air.

The locomotive is made of iron, and under the scorching sun, the temperature inside the carriage is at least 100 degrees.

Filling coal is indeed a hard job that tests physical strength.

Each coal miner needs to carry a load weighing hundreds of kilograms and deliver it to the top of the carriage with difficulty.

Even some experienced veterans are often drenched in sweat after a few trips.

It is even more difficult for Yan Jiecheng, a newbie.

Although he was young and strong, he had never done this job before and had no idea what to do.

and,

The locomotive was several dozen centimeters higher than the road surface, and the distance from the coal bunker to the locomotive was connected by wooden boards.

Carrying the coal basket, Yan Jiecheng's shoulders felt like they were under a heavy pressure, and his body swayed constantly. His feet seemed to be stepping on foam, and after just a few steps, he was already covered in sweat.

He found it difficult to breathe, and every step was as strenuous as if he was carrying more than ten pounds of lead. His throat felt dry and uncomfortable as if it was on fire, and he was complaining bitterly.

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He panted quickly and murmured, "I'm done. I'm too tired. I've decided not to do this anymore..."

Because coal workers usually operate in fixed formations.

Yan Jiecheng's pause in work disrupted the subsequent rhythm and might affect the coal filling process. The team leader immediately stepped forward to deal with Yan Jiecheng.

People who do heavy work tend to use foul language.

"Dad, Mom... were all scolded, and Yan Jiecheng became the target of public criticism."

At this time, Li Aiguo showed up at the right time.

"Team Leader Zhang, what are you doing?"

"Can't you see? I'm teaching this wimp a lesson. Who is that guy?"

The team leader turned around to see who was coming, and his anger immediately turned into awe.

"It's driver Li, why are you here? Don't worry, we'll be working overtime tonight, but our coal filling team will not affect tomorrow's traffic."

Almost everyone in the section knew Li Aiguo because he had been praised at the meeting. Moreover, they originally served in the train driver department.

Li Aiguo took out a pack of Daqianmen brand cigarettes, handed one to the team leader and then took out another one and handed it to Yan Jiecheng.

"Jie Cheng, how is it, can you bear it?"

"Not bad, not bad." Yan Jiecheng took the cigarette with trembling hands and put it to his mouth. Sweat beads flowed down his forehead and soaked the cigarette paper.

He took off the handkerchief from around his neck to wipe off the sweat, but saw that the matchbox had already turned into a sticky ball due to moisture.

A "pop" sound was heard.

Li Aiguo took out a lighter and lit it for Yan Jie Chengdu, then he lit one for himself and puffed away the smoke with ease.

Seeing this, the team leader seemed to understand something and asked awkwardly, "Driver Li, are you familiar with this temporary worker?"

"They live in the same compound and have played together since they were young. People in Beijing call them childhood friends."

"Childhood friend?" The team leader had a stiff expression on his face.

He recalled the curse he had just directed at Yan Jiecheng. Did it also include the neighbors?

Li Aiguo seemed to have turned a blind eye to everything that had happened before, and chatted with the team leader, who became even more uneasy.

Li Aiguo changed the subject: "Lao Zhang, what do you think of Jie Cheng's performance?"

"It's okay." The team leader replied hesitantly.

"That's good. If that's the case, I won't have to explain anything to his parents when I go back tonight."

Li Aiguo took out half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took out two and was about to hand them to the team leader. After thinking for a moment, he handed them all to him, "This guy has been spoiled since he was a child. It is inevitable that a novice is a little clumsy. I will have to trouble you to give me more guidance in the future."

"How dare I accept this." The team leader An Ran took the remaining cigarette pack, stroking his bulging pockets with a smile, and then patted his chest and promised Li Aiguo, "Don't worry, this guy is young and strong, but he lacks experience. After I take good care of him for a few days, I guarantee he will be a good fighter."

"Thank you for your help, big brother. I'll buy you a drink some other day."

That's it, a break.

Li Aiguo and Zhang Yazhi slowly left the train platform under Yan Jiecheng's grateful gaze.

On the train platform.

The team leader did not let Yan Jiecheng continue to carry coal alone, but called an experienced master.

"Old Liu, can you come over here for a moment? Help me teach this young man how to carry the coal correctly."

Lao Liu is a man in his fifties. Although the veins on his neck are prominent and the blood vessels in his calves are clearly visible, his body is thin due to years of hard work. However, he is a well-known coal porter in the locomotive depot. He once set an amazing record of carrying 20 tons of coal in one hour.

Yan Jiecheng was already familiar with Lao Liu's deeds soon after he arrived at the coal-carrying team. He knew that the team leader had specially invited this expert to give him guidance because of Li Aiguo's relationship with him.

"Young man, carrying coal is not an easy task. First of all, you need to pick a good shoulder pole. As the saying goes, 'the shoulder pole is light, but the front and back shoulders are not.' It all about balance and skill."

Old Liu took over Yan Jiecheng's shoulder pole and shook it vigorously: "Look, your shoulder pole is too soft, it's not suitable. Carrying a load requires some care."

Afterwards, he took Yan Jiecheng to the warehouse nearby, personally selected a suitable shoulder pole for him, and taught him how to choose and use it.

"The key to choosing a pole is to choose a pinewood pole that is as flexible as a chopping board or a pearwood pole that is as solid as a chopping board. A mulberry pole is easy on the shoulders and does not leave marks. The joints of the pole should be tight so that it can be carried smoothly."

After selecting the shoulder pole, Lao Liu instructed Yan Jiecheng to improve his posture: "When carrying the pole, your back must be straight, as strong and fearless as if you were standing on the ground."

In the past, Yan Jiecheng clearly thought that carrying goods was just a matter of picking them up and moving, but he didn't know that there were many technical requirements involved. Through learning and practice, although his movements were crooked at the beginning, he finally persevered.

After a full day of work, Yan Jiecheng was immediately exhausted. When he got home, he undressed and saw the skin on his shoulders that was scratched from overwork, and he almost couldn't hold back his tears.

"Xiecheng, how much coal did you carry today?" As soon as he entered the door, Yan Bugui was first concerned about Yan Jiecheng's work efficiency. He wanted to record this data so that he could collect his salary at the end of the month.

“It’s just under a ton!”

"What? So little?" Yan Jiecheng was stunned. He had previously learned that the workers who delivered coal could carry seven or eight tons every day.

"It's still not enough! Dad, something almost happened today. If Brother Aiguo hadn't passed by, I wouldn't have been able to pick so many even if I died of exhaustion!" Yan Jiecheng recounted what happened today with resentment.

Hearing what Yan Jiecheng said, Yan Bugui turned to the third aunt next to him and said, "Old lady, you see, everyone else is smart. Don't you think we are a little too stupid?"

In the evening, the sun sets, the sky gradually darkens, and the doors in the streets and alleys are closed.

Deeply worried, the third aunt decided to visit the child. She found some lithospermum officinale paste from Wang Gangzhu's house and carefully applied it to Yan Jiecheng's painful shoulder. Looking at the child's purple and swollen shoulder, the third aunt's eyes were filled with tears of distress.

In order not to hurt Yan Jiecheng's feelings, she suppressed her tears and quickly ran to the room inside.

Yan Bugui was sitting on one knee beside the bed, reviewing his homework. When he saw the look on Third Aunt's face, he frowned slightly.

"Old lady, you've never cried in front of Jie Cheng, have you?"

"No," the third aunt raised her eyes and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes: "Old man, the temporary workers in our locomotive section are really hard-working. Why don't we let Jie Cheng come back? When there is a chance, let him use two kilograms of peanuts to ask Master Yi for help and find a job in the steel plant."

Yan Bugui put down his pen, took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, then said calmly, "Do you think working in a steel mill is easy?"

The third aunt defended herself by saying, "I think Lao Yi, Lao Liu and Jia Dongxu don't seem to be working that hard. They even have some free time after work to help everyone in the yard."

"They are all masters, and they have seven or eight apprentices under them. The apprentices will take on all the heavy and hard work."

He patiently explained: "When they were apprentices in the factory, they all experienced exhaustion."

"Workers have to rely on their physical strength to make a living. As for Jia Dongxu, he has Yi Zhonghai to take care of him, and he doesn't have the ambition to get promoted. He always stays in the workshop and does nothing. Of course, he doesn't have to work so hard."

The third aunt also understood this truth, but she still felt sorry for her son and added regretfully: "If your family hadn't been robbed before... even if our family was a little poor, we wouldn't have to live such a hard life."

In the past, the Yan family was a merchant family.

He accumulated a great fortune by squeezing the wages of his younger brothers and accumulating inventory to make huge profits.

However, later on, rebels rose up in the capital, their shop was destroyed in the war, all their property was gone, and the family gradually declined.

Indeed, if it weren't for this blow, Yan Bugui would have been able to work as a primary school teacher and his education level would have been at least a junior high school diploma.

The fact that he was able to receive junior high school education back then is enough to show that his family was well-off.

Hearing this recollection, Yan Bugui's face suddenly darkened:

“Thanks to the robbery at my home, otherwise our life would be very difficult now.

Look at the Zhang family, who once ran a pawnshop. Now their house has become a community hospital, and the Zhang family members don’t know whether they are alive or dead.

It’s better not to mention the past!

Old Yi and the others are always on guard. If it weren't for my clean background and the help of Second Uncle Jie Cheng, I would have lost my current position long ago."

The third aunt hunched her shoulders and said, "I understand. I know these things. After all, we depend on each other for survival, so it is reasonable for us to sigh a few words."

But he warned: "Don't tell anyone! 'Walls have ears', understand?"

Yan Bugui felt a little guilty about his own background.

"Don't worry too much, kid. Go to bed early. You still have to prepare breakfast tomorrow." He took the homework and went back to the inspection work.

After reading half of the book, I found that the third lady was tossing and turning and unable to fall asleep. Yan Bugui comforted her quietly: "Jie Cheng has a cultural background and is different from ordinary temporary workers. If he becomes a regular employee and obtains resident status, he may be transferred to a different position. You can rest assured.