"Azhe, what job were you assigned to?"
After all this hassle, Li Xiangdong only now thought to ask.
"Train attendant. What about you? What's your position?"
"Water supplier."
"Water supplier? What's that?"
Azhe looked puzzled. It was his first time hearing of such a role.
"Trains need water, right? My job is probably to ensure the train's water supply. Something like that. I'm not entirely clear on the details myself."
Back in the personnel department, Li Xiangdong had forgotten to ask about this. He was only half-sure, but he figured his guess was close enough.
Azhe asked, "Do you need to board the train?"
Li Xiangdong nodded. "Of course. My position is as an onboard water supplier."
"Sigh, we're both hard-luck cases, aren't we?"
Azhe let out a sigh.
The personnel department clerks had been so warm to Li Xiangdong that Azhe assumed his childhood friend must have landed an easy, carefree job with no one looking over his shoulder.
Who would've thought they'd both end up working on trains, traveling far from home?
Each trip would be long, and they'd have to serve people the whole way. Just thinking about it felt exhausting!
"Damn, Azhe, what's that supposed to mean? You come to work at a train station but don't want to work on a train? Then why are you even here?"
Li Xiangdong was starting to think his friend was a complete fool who couldn't tell good from bad.
Ask any of the desk-bound staff at the train station, and every single one would jump at the chance to work on a train.
The higher-ups, to appease the desk workers who sometimes showed up with their families to complain, even raised wages for some of those positions without any justification!
Li Xiangdong's assignment to an onboard role was thanks to his grandfather pulling strings.
As for Azhe, it was purely compensation from the higher-ups for the hardships he and his father endured during the great movement.
Li Xiangdong was certain that among this batch of recruited returnee youths, only a handful would get to work on trains.
Did Azhe think onboard positions were as common as cabbages?
"Dongzi, can you stop looking at me like I'm an idiot? Am I wrong? Working on a train, serving people—it's exhausting! I think it's not even as good as being a ticket seller. They sit in an office all day, safe from wind and rain. How comfortable is that?"
Azhe's face was full of envy, as if he wished he could trade places with a ticket seller.
"Don't be stupid and try to switch positions!"
Li Xiangdong was genuinely worried his friend might impulsively try to swap jobs, which would make the other person laugh their head off.
Azhe nodded. "I know, I know. I won't switch. My dad said working on a train is good. You get subsidies for each trip, and the pay's better."
"Most importantly, if my mom has remarried, my dad and I probably won't leave. In a job like this, where you're serving people, the harder you work, the more likely the leaders will notice you. That'll help with future pay raises."
Li Xiangdong couldn't help but laugh at Azhe's words. Both Azhe and his dad were clear-headed fools!
For train staff, no one cared about the measly tens of yuan monthly salary.
Forget about pay raises—whether you were a temporary worker or never got promoted, as long as you could keep working on trains, plenty of permanent desk staff would be eager to trade places with you!
But Li Xiangdong didn't tell Azhe this. He decided to let his foolish friend figure it out on his own.
The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at the medical office and handed their forms to the doctor.
Given the medical limitations of the time, the exams were basic: height, weight, hearing, and vision.
The most critical check was for color blindness, as some train station roles had strict requirements for it.
If you were colorblind, the station leaders would immediately reassign you.
The results came back quickly, and both passed without issues. With the doctor-signed medical forms in hand, they returned to the personnel department's main office.
As soon as Li Xiangdong walked in, he spotted a young man in his twenties wearing a railway uniform.
He was short, sitting on Big Sister Sun's desk with his feet dangling off the ground, chatting with her and laughing.
Despite his impolite behavior of sitting on her desk, Big Sister Sun didn't show the slightest hint of displeasure.
Even Comrade Xiao Wang, standing nearby, couldn't get a word in but still hovered with an eager smile, more enthusiastic than he'd been with Li Xiangdong!
Li Xiangdong took a closer look at the young man and felt a jolt.
He bore a striking resemblance to Hou Jianshe—about 70% similar. Short, skinny, with prominent cheekbones.
The only difference was the young man's droopy, triangle-shaped eyes, which looked lifeless.
Seeing Li Xiangdong enter, Big Sister Sun said to the young man, "Hou San, the Li Xiangdong you were looking for is back from the medical office."
Hou San's droopy eyes glanced over, then he turned back, frowning in confusion. "Big Sister, which one of them is Li Xiangdong?"
"Li Xiangdong's the tall one, obviously. You don't even recognize your own relative? Don't make me laugh!"
Big Sister Sun chuckled and playfully swatted Hou San, either amused by his words or his expression.
Li Xiangdong, seeing those furrowed, droopy triangle eyes, had to dig his nails into his hand to keep from bursting out laughing!
Hou San's eyes darted around, and he grinned. "I'm just messing with you, Big Sister. How could I not recognize my own relative?"
He hopped off the desk and sauntered over to Li Xiangdong, acting overly familiar and trying to sling an arm around his shoulder.
But being a full head and a half shorter, the gesture felt awkward, so he dropped his arm.
Crossing his arms, he asked, "Did you pass your medical exam?"
"Yeah, I passed. What's up?"
Li Xiangdong was a bit exasperated. This was like a fake Li Kui meeting a real whirlwind!
Luckily, he never left room for others to trap him with his words, so he could easily extricate himself.
What puzzled him was why this guy, Hou San, didn't call him out directly. What was he up to?
But whatever—it didn't matter. With the way Hou San looked, he didn't seem like a smart guy. Li Xiangdong figured he could handle him with a bit of smooth talking if needed.
Hou San swayed cockily, barely standing still. "Hand your medical report to Big Sister Sun, grab your work permit, and come with me. I'll take you to pick up your work supplies. Hurry up—I'll wait outside the office."
Li Xiangdong raised an eyebrow. "You're taking me?"
"Yup."
Hou San nodded. "If you don't believe me, ask Big Sister Sun."
Seeing Big Sister Sun nod with a smile, Li Xiangdong pointed to Azhe beside him. "I've got my friend here too."
"Let him come along, then."
Hou San gave Azhe a quick glance before strutting out of the office with an air of arrogance.
Azhe leaned in and whispered to Li Xiangdong, "Dongzi, is this guy your relative? How come I've never seen him before? He's got a funny look, but man, he's cocky!"
Funny? Definitely.
Cocky? Not just a little—very cocky!
Li Xiangdong was baffled. Hou Jianshe was such a sharp guy—how did his family produce someone like this?