Chapter One: Back to Parents' Side
This railway crossing, in addition to the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway passing through here, also has several parallel railway lines inside. Along these railway lines are rows of long red-brick warehouses. Goods that need to be transshipped are transferred here, and freight trains are also assembled here before heading to various destinations. This cargo yard was originally called Longde Gate Station, which was built in 1916 as a small station on the Beijing-Shanhaiguan Railway. After the Beijing-Shanhaiguan Railway merged with the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, it was converted into a freight yard.
Ji Bing's father pushed the cart to the top of the slope with great effort. At this moment, a train was about to pass through the level crossing. The staff on duty at the level crossing blew a warning whistle while slowly lowering two long iron bars with red and white stripes to block pedestrians and vehicles from passing, preventing accidents from happening. With the sound of the train's horn "Woo-woo-", the train suddenly arrived, its locomotive was a steam engine, its body was black, its huge wheels were painted bright red, white mist was billowing out of the top, steam was hissing out from underneath, and behind it was a long string of freight cars, like a giant monster. The deafening roar when the train passed by was indeed heart-shaking.
Ji Bing covered his ears and closed his eyes. He thought it was too terrifying, too unbelievable! And he had no idea what would happen next?! He felt that home was warm, safe, fun, and a thought of going back home suddenly occurred to him. When the horizontal bar at the entrance slowly rose, Dad was about to push the stroller when Ji Bing immediately slipped out of the car and ran towards the back. Dad saw this and hesitated for a moment, then put down Ji Bing's younger brother, propped up the stroller, "Ice Ice, where are you going? Come back! This child is too disobedient!" Dad scolded loudly while quickly chasing after Ji Bing. Ji Bing couldn't outrun Dad, he was caught by Dad and brought back to the original place with his arm around him. "I want to go home, not kindergarten! Waaahhh!" Ji Bing cried out loud. Dad's anger had not dissipated, "Sit properly, don't get down again, if you do, be careful I'll hit you! Not listening!"
The train, this loud and frightening monster, really scared Chiying badly, this kind of unexpected fear deeply imprinted on Chiying's young heart, and could not be erased.
After passing this intersection, it is Yingjiang Road. This is a commercial and financial street leading to the Yangtze River, with various Western-style buildings on both sides of the street, generally three or four stories high, and up to ten stories at most. The street is 1600 meters long from the railway side to Binjiang Guan by the river, which is also one of the top commercial streets in China. Binjiang Guan was built in the early 20th century and witnessed the humiliating history of old Binjiang City. Along the river are Western-style buildings lined up in a row. Binjiang City originated in the late Qing Dynasty and formed a commercial center in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River during the mid-Qing period. After the Second Opium War, the unequal Treaty of Tianjin designated Binjiang City as a treaty port, and Western powers such as Britain, Russia, France, Germany, and Japan successively established concessions in Binjiang from 1860 onwards. The concession area stretched from present-day Yingjiang Road down to Mayang Street, and horizontally from along the river to present-day Zhongshan Avenue, covering an area of about 1 kilometer.
Subsequently, the banks and corporate institutions of Western powers settled in this place one after another. Western-style buildings sprouted up like mushrooms after a rain shower. New streets emerged, new residential areas were born. In 1861, Britain built the first British-style building that combined office and residence in the concession; at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Western-style office buildings continued to emerge on the north bank of the Yangtze River, including Binjiang Customs, HSBC, Citibank, Yokohama Specie Bank, and the British Chartered Bank on Yingjiang Road, as well as Siemens AG on Zhongshan Avenue.
The foundation of these buildings is made of granite, the walls are built with gray stone, Greek-style square blocks, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian columns, Byzantine domes, Baroque carvings, Rococo ornaments, Spanish ironwork railings, and large industrial-era steel frames with massive glass doors and windows. Truly magnificent and resplendent, grandeur and luxury shine simultaneously in these buildings.
The father pushed the two little brothers into a courtyard on Yingjiang Road, less than 200 meters away. He stopped at a small alleyway entrance and led them into a yard with a stone gate. The yard was not big, actually it was a sky well, the ground was a bit damp, and thick moss had grown on the bluestone floor. After walking through the yard, they entered a room with only one window, which made it look dark and gloomy. There were over ten small stools leaning against the wall, and several children were already sitting on them playing. A fat female teacher wearing thick glasses came over: "Excuse me, are you here to enroll in kindergarten?" "Yes, these are my two sons," replied the father. "Oh, there are a few vacancies available. Please leave your children with me, and you go to the back to handle the admission procedures." The teacher said this while leading the two little brothers to sit down on stools beside her.
Qí Bīng looked at the unfamiliar people and environment, feeling very constrained and uneasy in his heart. He was extremely reluctant to stay here, and the thought of going home was like a wave crashing against his heart. When Qí Bīng's dad finished with the formalities and came over, Qí Bīng burst into tears: "I don't want to be here, I want to go home, I want to go home..." His little brother also started crying, and the two brothers wailed in unison, attracting the attention of other teachers and children. "Don't cry, don't be too shy, you'll get used to it," the teachers comforted them. Qí Bīng's dad whispered something to the fat female teacher and left without looking back. Qí Bīng saw this and knew he couldn't go home, so his crying slowly subsided like a deflated balloon. "Let's play with blocks!" A little friend brought over some colorful blocks, but Qí Bīng ignored them, staring blankly at the only window in the room...
Actually, Qi Bing was thinking of the time he spent in Huanglin Town. There were too many memories left there. The bluestone road had his happy footprints, and the riverside fishing trip left its mark, as did the outdoor movie screenings on the town square that brought him joy, and the excitement and happiness of picking wild mushrooms and vegetables with his friends. He seemed to have returned to those familiar mountains and waters. His younger brother saw that he wasn't speaking, came over several times to call out to him, but Qi Bing pushed him away impatiently. Except for eating lunch, taking a nap, and going to the bathroom, Qi Bing was stuck in his chair like glue, rarely moving. His younger brother played with other kids, occasionally coming over to grab Qi Bing's hand: "Dodo, come play with us! Get up!" Qi Bing still ignored him, dodging his brother's outstretched hand.
Finally, Dad arrived to pick them up. Chiying's face showed a hint of joy as he quickly stood up and dragged his little brother towards their father. As they headed back with Dad, Chiying thought to himself: "I'm never coming back to this place again."
The next day, Dad woke up the two brothers as usual. Qi Bing ignored his father's urging and covered his head with a quilt, continuing to sleep. Seeing this, Dad pulled open the quilt: "Ice Ice, hurry up, it's late, get out of bed!" "I'm not feeling well, my head hurts, I can't get up." Qi Bing shouted with his hands covering his eyes. Dad used his hand to touch Qi Bing's forehead, "It's fine, what are you pretending for? Don't be stubborn, hurry up and get up, or you'll be late!" Qi Bing ignored him again and covered his head even tighter with the quilt. Dad angrily said: "If you don't get up, I'll hit you!" He used his hand to pull Qi Bing's quilt again, and Qi Bing grabbed the quilt and started a tug-of-war with Dad.
At this time, Mom came home from the night shift. Mom works in a pharmaceutical factory and has been working long hours on rotating shifts, so the two brothers rarely see her, mainly because Dad is responsible for their daily lives. "What are you doing? You two!" Mom said, pulling open Dad's hand. "Ice doesn't want to go to kindergarten, pretending to be sick, and it's almost late." Dad replied, withdrawing his hand. "Forget it, forget it. If the kids don't want to go, they can stay home. They're old enough to listen, give them a key. Ask Aunt Milk downstairs to take care of them, just don't let them go on the big road." Mom finally made this decision. Dad heard Mom say this and said helplessly, "It's the only way, this kid is too stubborn." When he heard this, Qi Ice happily rolled around on the floor, "Not going! Not going! We can sleep in!" The parents looked at each other and smiled.
