"Also, while I am a student, I am also an outstanding student representative and a teaching assistant at our school. It's perfectly acceptable for me to call you Comrade Liu Yun. Since we are of the same rank, I haven't received any notification that requires me to stay up late. Please don't disturb me either. Thank you."
Chen Lishu said, pulled the quilt over herself, and lay back down.
Liu Yun stared blankly at Chen Lishu with her head tilted back for a long time. She then looked back at Gu Lichun and Jiang Yuwei. In the end, she said nothing, turned to the desk, sat down, and continued reading the documents.
But the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. After not looking for long, she slapped the documents in her hand onto the desk and stood up, pacing back and forth in the compartment. Her gaze swept over Chen Lishu, who was already asleep on the upper bunk. She took several deep breaths and returned to her seat.
"Teacher Liu, it's really too late, and we've been on the train all day. How about we do it tomorrow?"
Gu Lichun felt her eyelids growing heavy and her mind not quite clear. She raised her hand to check the time; it was almost eleven o'clock at night. Ignoring Liu Yun's very displeased expression, she put away her documents and closed her eyes, lying down.
The next day, Liu Yun handed a report with only her and Jiang Yuwei's names on it to Chen Guoping. For the rest of the time, she only spoke with Jiang Yuwei and had no further interaction with Chen Lishu and Gu Lichun, other than necessary exchanges.
Chen Lishu enjoyed her rare freedom and paid it no mind.
In the afternoon, the group boarded another train. After three days and three nights, they finally arrived at Yangcheng Railway Station on the fifth day, the 13th.
Yangcheng, as the earliest venue for trade fairs, had developed rapidly and was very prosperous. Especially since this trade fair was the first one since the reform and opening up, it attracted a large number of domestic and foreign guests. The crowds pouring out of the station exit were a clear indication of this.
It took Chen Lishu and her group of over twenty people considerable effort to finally exit the railway station.
Once they were out of the exit, everyone was momentarily stunned by the sight of the high-rise buildings and the bustling traffic.
Big cities were indeed different. Compared to their provincial capital, it was more than twice as prosperous.
As soon as Zou Liang got off the train, he seized the opportunity to take a photo with the camera slung across his chest.
"Everyone, keep an eye on your companions. There are a lot of people, and it will be very troublesome to find you if you get lost," Chen Guoping reminded them as they walked.
The venue for the trade fair was the Liuhua Road Exhibition Hall. Although there were no taxis, during the trade fair, the railway station and bus stations had added many bus routes, including direct shuttle buses with banners.
The staff responsible for reception saw the group approaching and immediately greeted them enthusiastically, addressing them in Mandarin with a Yangcheng accent: "Hello comrades, I am Lin Xiangqian, responsible for this reception."
"Hello Comrade Lin," Secretary Zhang stepped forward to shake hands with him, stated their province, and then briefly introduced the identities of the accompanying personnel.
"I will first take everyone to the exhibition hall to get a general understanding of the layout, and then arrange for everyone to go to the guesthouse."
Hotel rooms were limited and prioritized for foreign guests. Even the guesthouses arranged for other guests were temporarily borrowed from the military.
The group boarded a reception shuttle bus and, after a short while, arrived at the Liuhua Road Exhibition Hall.
As it was morning and the official opening time had not yet arrived, most of the people inside the exhibition hall were staff members.
The items to be exhibited still needed to be transported, and the arrangement of exhibition booths would only begin tomorrow. Everyone was just getting a general idea of the locations of the various areas and then, under the guidance of the staff, proceeded to the guesthouse.
Everyone had traveled by train from the north and was still wearing their thermal underwear. As the sun rose higher, they soon began to sweat.
Although Chen Lishu had taken off her thicker clothes before getting off the train, she was still wearing long sleeves and long pants. As the temperature rose, her forehead began to persweat.
Everyone had some expectations regarding the accommodation, but when they arrived, Jiang Yuwei and Liu Yun's expressions were somewhat displeased. If it weren't for the presence of leaders Chen Guoping and Li Tingliang, Chen Lishu was sure that the two would have turned around and left immediately.
The guesthouse was actually quite large, with three floors. After entering, the long corridor was lined with guest rooms on both sides, with an average of over a dozen people squeezed into each room. The second and third floors were already full, and only a few rooms on the first floor near the entrance were still available.
"You've arrived quite promptly. We didn't expect so many participants this time, so we can only ask the leaders and everyone to bear with us," Lin Xiangqian explained with a smile.
"Then where will those who arrive later sleep if there are no more rooms?" a cadre from the winery asked curiously.
Lin Xiangqian sighed and said, "To be honest, due to limited space, some people are already sleeping in the lobby of the hotel."
If it really came to it, they would likely have to sleep on the floor.
"Thank you, Comrade Xiao Lin, for bringing us here," Chen Guoping thanked him and then led the team to the two rooms that had been arranged.
There were a total of twenty-two people in the group, with eleven people in each room.
Chen Guoping, Li Tingliang, and a few factory leaders were in one room. Chen Lishu, Jiang Yuwei, the four translators, Zou Liang, Director Xu, and two other engineers and cadres were in another.
"With so many people, both men and women, how are we supposed to sleep at night? It's inconvenient to even change clothes. In such a small space with so many people, it will be suffocating," Liu Yun said, throwing her bag onto the bed in a fit of pique.
Jiang Yuwei's face was also a little pale. This situation was not new. The exhibition would last for nearly forty days, and although their product displays were scheduled early, it would still take nearly twenty days. Thinking of sleeping in this place that resembled a pigsty, Jiang Yuwei already regretted it deeply.
If she had known it would be like this, she would never have agreed, no matter what.
"We are here to earn foreign exchange for the country. Let's have a bit more collective sense of honor. What are these minor difficulties? Let's overcome them. Is it still as harsh as the conditions in the first few years?" a cadre couldn't stand it and interjected.
Liu Yun also realized that her reaction was a bit excessive. This was a rare opportunity, and she absolutely could not let others misunderstand.
"I didn't mean anything else. Perhaps I haven't rested well these past few days, so my temper is a bit frayed."
No one else said anything. The male comrades took the initiative to leave, allowing the remaining five female comrades to change their clothes with peace of mind.
Chen Lishu was also very unaccustomed to so many people living together. However, in her past life, when she had nowhere to go, she had also lived in makeshift sheds, where the environment was far worse than here. Especially in the summer heat, mixed smells and the constant harassment of flies and mosquitoes.
"Director Chen said we can have free time this afternoon. Do you want to go for a walk?" Zou Liang suggested after everyone had finished changing their clothes.