Chapter 396 Liu Zhitai Returns to China

April.

"The wind and smoke make the festival things rare, but people in April still love the red clothes. The clouds of sorrow for the guest are fragmented, and the dreams of home are faint and misty."

Liu Zhitai bid farewell to many teachers and friends in Berlin, embarked on a green train journey to Moscow, crossed the vast land of Poland, and finally arrived in Moscow.

He then changed trains and sped eastward across the Eurasian continent, where the train changed wheels at the Trans-Baikal Station.

This long journey lasted seven days and finally arrived at the Otpor border station (now Friendship Station), witnessing the hardships and grandeur of the journey.

During this long journey, Liu Zhitai was always on edge. The large number of luxury goods he brought with him became a heavy psychological burden, making it difficult for him to sleep well on the train.

The vastness and desolation of East and West Siberia seem to hide countless unknown risks. This area has been a place of exile for "Russian" criminals since ancient times, adding a bit of mystery and uneasiness.

What Liu Zhitai can't forget the most is that when he was going through security check, those "Russian" soldiers stopped at his figure who was alone carrying many precious items. Their eyes were like a hungry wolf staring at a helpless lamb, full of greed and scrutiny.

Fortunately, he arrived safely at the border of Xia State without any danger along the way.

This time, Liu Zhitai returned in a pre-war sleeper car equipped with a separate bathroom.

Here in "Lao Maozi", he also contacted the representatives from Liujiazhuang who came out to transport supplies.

They sent someone to escort Liu Zhitai to the Yaroslavl railway station and brought him a lot of food, enough for a trip around the world, including several pots of pies, roast chicken, a large jar of cucumbers, a large box of black caviar, smoked sausages and jam for him to eat on the road.

Since there are no refrigerators, the food has to be eaten quickly. It is also interesting to taste the local specialities at each station, from hot potatoes to smoked whitefish.

Liu Zhitai boarded the train via the Trans-Siberian Railway. Traveling along the Trans-Siberian Railway was more comfortable than he had imagined.

The most important thing is to find some good travel companions and bring your guitar. People from Pyongyang and Hanoi also take this train back home, so it's easy to find travel companions.

Everyone gets off at Otpor Station, and after customs and border checks, passengers are taken to hotels at Manzhouli Station.

Liu Zhiye took a comfortable shower there. What satisfied him was the restaurant, tomato and cucumber salad with roast turkey - in those days, the "old Russians" could not dream of eating fresh vegetables in April.

Then, Liu Zhitai boarded a domestic train. It would take more than two days to get from Manzhouli in Xia State to the capital.

Only at this moment did he feel completely relaxed.

Although he didn't sleep well on the way, Liu Zhitai was in a different mood from when he left. When he returned, he was in high spirits and enjoyed the time along the way.

This journey is full of exotic customs, and the scenery along the way will amaze you and me!
The Soviet Union is the largest country in the world. The Soviet Union on the train has a unique charm: quaint and grand stations, vast grasslands, picturesque mountains, boundless coastlines, virgin forests along the way, the deep blue Lake Baikal... and so on, which make people can't help but admire from the bottom of their hearts!

The scenery along the way is picturesque, with mountains, grasslands, birch forests, Lake Baikal, Russian countryside...almost every time you open the curtains, you will see a different view.

When the train travels to the Yekaterinburg-Nizhny Novgorod section, it will pass through many small towns in Russian style. On both sides of the railway, the cottages in the village are brightly colored, like fairy-tale Russian log cabins, which are particularly quiet and comfortable!
The section from Irkutsk to Novosibirsk is the southern edge of the West Siberian Plain and the Central Siberian Plateau. It is a mountainous area with vegetation dominated by coniferous forests and birch trees.

There are endless birch and coniferous forests along the railway, and you can also see countless log trains. There are also vast grasslands with green fields that are really irresistible!

When you reach the Irkutsk Lake Baikal section, the railway was deliberately built along Lake Baikal. The train will run along the lakeside for nearly 3 hours, with lake views on one side and snow-capped mountains on the other. The scenery on both sides is not to be missed.

Driving along the lakeside, we saw the clear, emerald green water of Lake Baikal sparkling under the sunlight.

…………

The weather in Manzhouli in April is changeable. Sometimes it is sunny and bright, sometimes it is windy and snowy, and sometimes it is scorching hot. As the temperature continues to rise, migratory birds begin to return.

The train sped southward, the temperature rising quietly along the way until it entered the capital. The heavy leather coat Liu Zhitai was wearing seemed out of place in the gradually warming air, and he finally had to take off this winter coat and let the spring breeze quietly seep through his clothes.

Liu Zhitai followed the crowd and walked out of the Beijing Station after being away from it for nearly two years. He felt like he had been away from home for a long time and everything about his hometown felt familiar to him.

The original Beijing Railway Station was built in the 1901th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1903). The original site was located on the east side of the Zhengyangmen city wall. It was completed in the th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (). It was formerly known as "Zhengyangmen East Station of Beijing-Fengtian Railway" (Zhengyangmen East Station).

However, the Beijing Station in front of Liu Zhitai was not the one built during the Qing Dynasty. It was rebuilt in 1959.

The Beijing Station at that time, from its design to its construction, was a miracle in the history of railway construction.

After the establishment of Xinxia, ​​with the rapid development of the capital's urban construction, the transportation and production tasks of the Beijing Railway Station became increasingly heavy, and the construction of a new Beijing Station became increasingly urgent.

This wish was finally realized on the tenth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

In late October 1958, the design of the new station began in accordance with the Beijing Municipal Construction Plan. The station yard design was undertaken by the Third Design Institute of the Ministry of Railways, and the station building was designed by the First Architectural Design Institute of the Ministry of Construction and Jinling Institute of Technology.

The design plan was completed in early December of that year, and the central government approved the design plan on December 12. The designers completed the design work that should have taken a year in just two months.

1959年1月20日，新站建设工程正式动工。参加的施工人员最多时达到2万余人，投入施工机械300多台、汽车200多辆，工程总投资5782万元。苏联专家也给予了现场技术指导。

1959年9月10日工程竣工，施工建设者们仅用了7个月零20天时间就使一座雄伟壮观、富丽堂皇、具有民族及古建筑风格的大厦矗立在世人的眼前。

The new Beijing Station building faces north, is 218 meters wide from east to west, and 88 meters deep from north to south. The central hall of the building is 34 meters high, and the tops of the two clock towers are 43 meters above the ground.

The waiting area in the building is 14000 square meters, which can accommodate 14000 passengers at the same time. There are 4 escalators in the central hall, which can transport 6000 passengers per hour.

The building is fully equipped with a passenger waiting room, a mother-and-child waiting room, a movie theater, an amusement hall, a passenger restaurant, a post office, a medical clinic, a passenger information desk, etc.

The building is also equipped with air-conditioning equipment, which is rare in China today. It can provide warm air in winter and cold air in summer.

The two bell towers on the top of the building each have four large clock faces inlaid with marble. Each clock face is 4 meters square, and the large and small hands are 1.9 meters and 1.6 meters long respectively.

From 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, it plays the loud music of "The East is Red" and the clear bells at the exact time, which can be heard within miles of the capital.

Initially, the bells at Beijing Station rang until midnight, but later, after hearing the opinions of Beijing residents that the loud bells traveled too far at night and disturbed their sleep, they were changed to stop at 9pm.

At the exit of the train station, there was a huge crowd of people. Liu Zhitai was carrying a heavy backpack, a large suitcase on his shoulder, and a handbag tightly in his right hand. After a lot of difficulty, he finally squeezed out of the crowd.

When he arrived outside the station, he was worrying about how to get back. Should he take the bus or call a cart?

"Liu Zhitai!" In an instant, a choked voice called out pierced the air and struck his heart, causing his whole body to tremble violently. A fiery light instantly ignited in his eyes, and he involuntarily looked up in the direction of the voice.

What came into his sight was his wife, He Hongmei, whom he missed day and night. Her unique temperament, at this moment, was like a spring breeze, gently and deeply touching Liu Zhitai's heartstrings. In an instant, Liu Zhitai dropped his luggage, ignored everything around him, rushed to He Hongmei, and held her tightly in his arms, as if he wanted to integrate all the thoughts he had for the past two years into this embrace.

"Brother Zhitai! You're finally back!" He Hongmei's eyes were filled with tears, her voice choked with sobs, "You've been gone for such a long time, I really miss you..."

Liu Zhitai's eyes were also moist. He looked at He Hongmei affectionately, and said in a low and firm voice: "Hongmei, it's my fault. I made you suffer. I swear, from now on, I will not go anywhere, I will stay by your side, and never let you worry about me again."

He Hongmei cried and laughed, nodding repeatedly, "Okay, okay, as long as you come back safely, I won't be afraid of anything as long as you are by my side."

Then, she quickly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and with a smile, she helped Liu Zhitai pick up his luggage, and said lightly: "Let's go, let's go home. Mom, Dad, and Grandpa, they are thinking about you in their hearts. You don't know, when you were not at home during the Chinese New Year, I saw Mom several times with my own eyes, silently crying in front of your photo, that longing, can't be hidden..."

Liu Zhitai sighed softly, his self-blame evident in his words: "Alas, it is indeed my fault. I made her worry so much." He felt mixed emotions in his heart, which were difficult to describe. Perhaps it was the mixture of sweetness, sourness, bitterness and spiciness.

"Brother Zhitai, this is not unfair to you. We all know that you left your hometown for your ideals and career. We understand you, really!"

Seeing this, He Hongmei gently comforted him: "When it comes to hardships, who can compare to you? You are all alone, traveling thousands of miles, in a foreign country, without any relatives, and it is difficult to even find someone to confide in..." Her words were full of sympathy and understanding for Liu Zhitai.

"Thank you, Hongmei. It is my greatest luck to meet you in this life. God has been very kind to me..." Liu Zhiye said emotionally when he heard this.

…………

As the couple was immersed in the affectionate conversation after a long separation, the atmosphere was warm and affectionate.

Suddenly, a gentle and steady middle-aged male voice broke the silence: "Haha, I guess this must be Comrade Liu Zhitai?"

Liu Zhitai frowned when he heard the voice, and turned his gaze to the sudden visitor, with a hint of doubt in his eyes: "Excuse me, who are you?"

He Hongmei suddenly realized that she had been so immersed in the joy of reuniting with Liu Zhitai that she had neglected the arrival of this important person. She patted her forehead, her cheeks instantly flushed, and she quickly explained, "Oh, Director Lu, I'm so sorry, I...I was careless for a moment."

Director Lu smiled heartily upon seeing this, and waved his hand to indicate that it was not necessary to mind: "Comrade Hongmei, don't mind it, haha, I understand."

He Hongmei stuck out her tongue playfully, and then introduced Liu Zhitai, "Brother Zhitai, this is Director Lu, the new Director of Personnel Department of Union Medical College. He specially notified me to come and pick you up."

Liu Zhitai suddenly realized, and thought to himself: "So that's how it is. No wonder Hongmei knew that I was returning on this train. It turned out that the medical school informed her in advance."

Before returning home, Liu Zhitai had sent a telegram to Shen, detailing his return arrangements, and after arriving in China, he specially called to report that he was safe. Unexpectedly, the medical school attached great importance to it and sent leading cadres to welcome him in person.

He hurried forward and shook hands with Director Lu tightly, expressing his gratitude: "Director Lu, thank you so much for coming to greet me in person. I feel deeply uneasy..."

Director Lu said with a smile: "Professor Liu, you are too kind. Mr. Shen specially sent me to greet you. He said that if he was not busy with an important meeting, he would come in person. I hope you don't mind."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhitai quickly responded humbly, his expression full of fear and gratitude: "Alas, Mr. Shen is very busy, how dare he trouble him to come and welcome a young man like me? It really makes me feel embarrassed, hehe..."

Director Lu raised his lips slightly and said concisely: "If it were someone else, it would be difficult to ask the seniors to personally ask about it, but Professor Liu, as a bright new star in the domestic medical field, your graduation thesis "Pathogenesis and Prevention and Treatment of Bronchial Asthma" was strongly recommended by the editor-in-chief in the authoritative British magazine "The Lancet" in January. It not only demonstrates your academic attainments, but also makes us Xia people proud. And..."

"Professor Liu, you are truly an outstanding alumnus of our college. It will be a great time for you to realize your ambitions when you return to your alma mater..."

He talked on and on, talking about Liu Zhitai's past history of honors, and inadvertently started to flatter him.

Director Lu is indeed worthy of being an administrative official. Liu Zhitai had to stand where he was, quietly listening to the endless words of praise from this middle-aged man, with mixed feelings in his heart.

He Hongmei knew Liu Zhitai's delicate state of mind at the moment, and she came to his rescue at the right time. She dissolved the awkwardness in the air with a gentle smile: "Director Lu, there are too many people here, why don't we move to the car and talk while walking?"

Upon hearing this, Director Lu's face flashed a trace of discomfort, but he quickly adjusted himself and showed his tact: "Oh, how rude. I forgot the occasion when I saw Professor Liu. Professor Liu, let's get in the car and continue our communication." After saying that, he naturally stretched out his hand, wanting to share the burden of carrying the luggage for Liu Zhitai.

"Oh, Director Lu, this is absolutely not allowed. How can you do it yourself? Let me do it." Seeing this, Liu Zhitai hurried forward to dissuade him, his tone full of humility.

Director Lu waved his hand, looking relaxed. "Haha, you're welcome. There's more than a generation difference in age between us. If you don't mind, just call me Brother Lu. It's only natural for an elder brother to help his younger brother."

Director Lu was firm in his attitude, so Liu Zhitai had to give up. He thought to himself: "This man is only about 40 years old, and he can sit firmly in the position of Personnel Director of Peking Union Medical College. How can he win the support of the people if he doesn't have real ability?" His words revealed his recognition and admiration for Director Lu's ability.

When they arrived at the residence in the alley of Dengshikou West Street, night had quietly fallen. Director Lu declined the affectionate invitation of Liu Zhitai and his wife and insisted on leaving.

Liu Zhitai, who was straightforward, felt sorry for troubling Director Lu. After a brief thought, he took out a box of exquisite cosmetics from his bag and handed it to Director Lu, saying sincerely, "Brother Lu, this is the cosmetics I brought back from Germany. I wanted you to take it back for your sister-in-law to try..."

Director Lu, a man who had experienced a lot and was well-informed, knew that this box of high-end foreign cosmetics was very valuable and rare. He waved his hand and responded sincerely: "Brother, I appreciate your kindness, but this thing is too valuable, I am ashamed to accept it..."

Unexpectedly, Liu Zhitai was very eloquent at this moment. He said to Director Lu sincerely: "Brother Lu, this gift is not given because of your status, but purely based on our deep friendship. You are not going to disown me as your brother, are you?"

Director Lu was actually quite tempted. The foreign goods were just what he wanted, and he wanted to take them home as a surprise for his wife, but he didn't show it for the sake of face.

Seeing Liu Zhitai's sincerity, he no longer refused: "In that case, I will be disrespectful to refuse. From now on, we are as close as brothers. Brother, you must come to my house when you are free. It's getting late, I'll go first."

Liu Zhitai and He Hongmei quickly stood up and wanted to see him off, "Brother Lu, please slow down, we won't see him off!" Although they said they wouldn't see him off, they still saw him off to the door.

"Okay, go back and have a rest. You must be tired after sitting on the train for so many days..." Director Lu said goodbye very satisfied.

After seeing Director Lu off, Liu Zhitai and his wife quickly returned to the house and began to busily tidy up.

"Brother Zhitai, you go and have a rest first. I'll take care of the luggage." He Hongmei looked at Liu Zhitai's slightly tired face and suggested with concern.

Liu Zhitai knew that he was tired. He could not compare with his brother Liu Zhiye who had an extraordinary physique, so he did not force himself. "Okay, then I'll go take a nap first, and call me when the meal is ready." After that, he walked towards the bedroom and prepared to take a rest.

Director Lu hummed a cheerful tune and walked into the house with a happy face.

"Hey, Old Ma, why do you look so happy today? What good news happened?" Director Lu's wife, Sister Ma, came forward with a look of curiosity and teased with a smile.

Director Lu raised his lips and responded mysteriously, "Of course there is a happy event, and it's specially prepared for you."

Hearing this, Sister Ma's eyes suddenly sparkled with excitement, and she asked eagerly, "Oh? Tell me, what good thing could make my old Lu so happy?"

Director Lu no longer kept the secret. He gently opened his briefcase, took out a box of exquisitely packaged high-end cosmetics, and gently placed it in front of Sister Ma. He smiled and said, "Take a look at this. Does it suit your taste?"

Sister Ma is not an ordinary woman. When she glanced at the strings of foreign language symbols on the cosmetics box, which were like a mystery to her, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes.

She couldn't help but cover her lips with her hand and exclaimed, "Oh! It's a foreign thing?"

(End of this chapter)