The development of the Great Northern Wilderness Region now required a great many people. Besides demobilized military personnel and youths sent to the countryside, there were also farmers like them who had been sent to support the border regions.
Most farmers sent to support the border regions would be assigned to work on farms. The government provided them with housing, tickets to get there, daily necessities, and the like.
Although Li Xiangdong was moving to join relatives, he was still part of this government-organized migration.
So he was given fairly good treatment for the journey. The government provided his train and bus tickets, and on top of that, issued him a padded overcoat, padded clothes, padded trousers, Cotton shoes, a padded hat, and a set of bedding.
Before he left, his family took twenty of their only thirty yuan and gave it to Li Xiangdong. “A poor home, but a well-funded journey”—that was the most heartfelt care his parents could offer their son as he prepared to travel far away.
Even though he wasn’t the most favored child, the original owner’s parents had still treated him well.
Li Xiangdong packed his belongings, took the letter of introduction issued by the village, and went to the county town to register. Then he continued on to Jinan, where he met up with people from other counties who were also heading to Northeast China.
The city organized people to escort them all to Jinan, where they would board a train together.
On the train, the original owner fell asleep leaning against the seatback, and Li Xiangdong transmigrated into his body just like that.
Fortunately, one trait of the overworked wage slaves of later generations was their unusually strong mental resilience. No matter where they ended up or how bad things got, they could always talk themselves into feeling better.
It was like that saying: life is like getting screwed. If you can’t fight back, you might as well enjoy it.
Even though Li Xiangdong had come to terms with things, he was still deeply uncertain about his future. After transmigrating and receiving the original owner’s memories, he felt even more lost.
After all, many ideas from later generations were different from those of the present, and it would be easy to give himself away. So Li Xiangdong hadn’t spoken to anyone during the journey, afraid he’d let something slip.
Thankfully, his Aunt Li Guihua hadn’t seen him in many years either. Once he got to her home, he wouldn’t have to worry so much. That was one advantage Li Xiangdong could think of for now.
But no matter what, now that he was here, he could only make a life here. People had to adapt to their surroundings.
The train carrying Li Xiangdong also held not only youths sent to support the border regions, but educated youth being sent down to the countryside from all over. Compared to their enthusiasm, people like him were more hesitant.
“Toot~!!!”
With a long whistle from the train, it began to slow down.
The black characters on the white station sign at Hegang train station reminded Li Xiangdong that it was time to get off.
The educated youth being sent to the countryside were still laughing and chatting as they packed their belongings.
Li Xiangdong silently took his bedding and backpack down from the rack, slung them over his back, and made his way through the bustling crowd toward the carriage door.
After getting off the train, Li Xiangdong stood still and looked around, then let out a long breath. He picked up his luggage and followed the crowd toward the exit.
Outside the station, staff from Hegang’s Resettlement Office held up a large sign that was easy to spot.
After registering at the Resettlement Office, he was given a bus ticket and told to go to the long-distance bus station beside the train station.
Once he reached Beiluo County, he would report to the local Resettlement Office and then head to the village.
There was no other way. Once he got here, he was the only one heading to Beiluo County. The other youths sent to support the border regions each had their own destinations.
The Resettlement Office couldn’t send someone to accompany him on the trip, so he had to go by himself.
Li Xiangdong didn’t mind. He had a ticket, so he wouldn’t have to pay himself. He was a grown man, and it wasn’t as if he could get lost. What was there to worry about?
The distance from Hegang to Beiluo County was about seventy kilometers, but there was no train service there yet. The only way to get there was by long-distance bus.
The long-distance buses made two trips a day, both leaving in the morning and returning in the afternoon. If you missed one, you had to wait for the next day’s bus.
Though the journey was only seventy kilometers, it took two or three hours.
There was no helping it—the roads were truly rough. They were just as bad in winter as in summer. After it snowed in winter, the ground was slippery; in summer, the roads were full of potholes and puddles.
The long-distance buses waited until they were full before leaving the bus station. Then they crawled along the snow- and ice-covered road.
But, as the saying went, you never knew what the weather had in store. Halfway there, the bus broke down on the road.
In those days, it was extremely common for cars to break down.
Most drivers knew how to repair vehicles. As long as it wasn’t a serious problem, they could usually fix it themselves; the passengers just had to wait.
The passengers were used to it, too. They got off, found somewhere to relieve themselves, then gathered some dry grass and branches and lit a fire by the roadside to keep warm while they waited.
Li Xiangdong joined the others around the fire, waiting for the driver to repair the bus.
But today, it was proving difficult. Nearly an hour had passed, and the bus still wasn’t fixed. People were starting to get anxious, mainly because it was so cold. No one could bear staying out in the freezing weather for long.
Just then, several trucks came driving up from the distance.
When the trucks passed them, the bus driver hurried over and stopped them. “Master, where are you headed?”
“Beiluo County. Why?”
“You’re going to Beiluo? That’s great! Could you take these passengers there for me? My bus has broken down and can’t go any farther!” the bus driver said.
“I can’t decide that on my own. You’ll have to ask our leader!” said the driver of the first truck.
Just then, someone climbed down from the last truck and hurried over. “Why have you stopped?”
The bus driver hurried over. “Hello, sir. I’m with the city passenger transport company. My surname is Liu. May I ask your surname?”
“Hello, Master Liu. My surname is Chen. Just call me Old Chen!”
“Leader Chen, here’s the situation: our bus has broken down, and it won’t be fixed anytime soon. Could I ask you to take all my passengers to Beiluo? It’s freezing out here, and if they stay much longer, something could happen to them!”
“What about your bus?”
“I’ll have the ticket seller go with your trucks. Once he gets there, he’ll find someone from our company to come tow my bus back.”
At that time, people valued selfless dedication and mutual assistance. Even if they worked for different organizations, they were expected to lend a hand when someone was in trouble.
Besides, they were going the same way. Helping someone out wouldn’t interfere with their own work.
The cadre leading the group considered it for a moment. “All right, let everyone get on. We can squeeze them in. But I’ll make this clear first: the road is really rough, so everyone needs to hold on tight. If anyone gets banged up along the way, we won’t be responsible!”
They were already lucky to get a ride. Who would complain? So everyone nodded.
Li Xiangdong picked up his luggage and headed toward one of the trucks at the back.
“Hey, it’s you! What are you doing here? Hurry up and get on. Come on, give us a hand!” a voice called from nearby.