Chapter 201 Jiang Lao
It is obvious at first glance that Mr. Jiang and Comrade Wang are not ordinary people. They both have a strong official aura. If you want to know how Song Yuanchao can tell, of course it is because of his experience.
In his previous life, Song Yuanchao was a middle-level cadre in the telecommunications department. He usually did a lot of work to receive superiors and local leaders. In addition, the level of Shanghai was originally high, and he met many senior leaders, so naturally he gained experience.
In addition, although Mr. Jiang's clothes looked like those of an ordinary old man, his temperament and manners of being a leader for a long time were very obvious. Comrade Wang was even easier to identify. Judging from his skillful actions of serving tea and water to Mr. Jiang, Comrade Wang was probably Mr. Jiang's secretary or subordinate.
Another more important point is where they are, which is a soft sleeper compartment.
How could one get a ticket for a soft sleeper compartment without some kind of identity? Although Song Yuanchao was sure of the other official's identity, he pretended not to know. After all, when traveling abroad, it is better to ask less about some things to avoid unnecessary trouble.
There were four beds in their compartment, but in the end there were only three of them, and no one came to the other bed until the train slowly left the platform.
This is normal. Soft sleeper compartments are usually not full. It is considered a lot for a compartment like the one where Song Yuanchao is to have three people in it. Generally speaking, it is not uncommon for there to be only two or even one person in the compartment. After all, not everyone can sit in a soft sleeper compartment in this era.
Song Yuanchao's berth was on the left side of the window, and on the right side of the window were the berths of Mr. Jiang and Comrade Wang. Originally, when Song Yuanchao came, Mr. Jiang and Comrade Wang were both sitting on the beds by the window. As soon as Song Yuanchao arrived, Comrade Wang, who was originally sitting on Song Yuanchao's bed, took the initiative to give up his seat and sat next to Mr. Jiang.
After packing his luggage, Song Yuanchao took a cup of hot water to the connection between the carriages. After returning, he nodded to Mr. Jiang and Comrade Wang, then sat down on his bed, took out a book and began to read.
After watching for a while, Mr. Jiang, who was smoking opposite, suddenly asked, "Xiao Song, did you study politics in college?"
Song Yuanchao was stunned for a moment, then he understood what Jiang Lao meant. He smiled and put down the book in his hand and said, "I am studying economics, but many aspects of economics are inseparable from politics, so this kind of book is also required."
Old Jiang suddenly realized. No wonder he saw Song Yuanchao reading political books. So that's why.
The two started chatting about this topic, first talking about the courses Song Yuanchao took in school, then gradually talked about the connection between politics and economy, and then slowly brought up the current reform and opening up.
Although reform and opening up was proposed as early as the year before last, it was not really implemented until last year. Especially after the National Day last year, the state relaxed restrictions on individual economy, which made the whole market start to liven up from the original stagnant water.
Now, the domestic economy has started to take off, and all walks of life are rejuvenated. This is especially true in coastal areas. Compared with the lagging inland areas, farm contract responsibility system has been implemented in many places, and major coastal cities are changing with each passing day.
"This trip to Yanjing is completely different from the last time. The city of Yanjing is much more lively than before, and the goods on the market are much richer than a few years ago. It is really an eye-opener." Old Jiang couldn't help but sigh.
"You are right. In addition to these, there are many new things in Yanjing City." Comrade Wang interjected.
Originally, this sentence was meant to agree, but when Old Jiang heard it, his face darkened a little: "Let's not talk about those things, they are all rubbish that came from who knows where. Good pants with such big trouser legs, and those sunglasses, fancy shirts, and yes! And the tape recorder, what kind of lascivious music is playing!"
Song Yuanchao smiled noncommittally at Jiang Lao's comments and said nothing. Jiang Lao was an old comrade with strong principles, and it was natural for an old comrade like him to reject new things.
In fact, this is also true. In the early 1980s, when bell-bottom pants, floral shirts, jeans, denim jackets, microphones, and four-speaker tape recorders became popular, there were many voices in society criticizing these dregs from capitalist society.
These things are synonymous with fashion and trendiness in the eyes of young people, but in the eyes of many people with traditional ideas, they are not only dregs, but also garbage that poisons young people.
These two different viewpoints and opinions caused a strong collision at the time, which also brought about many contradictions. The fierce debate and problems caused by this lasted for several years. It was not until the late 1980s that the ideological changes formed by the deepening of reform and opening up were gradually accepted by most people.
Jiang Lao's views represent the views of many people and belong to the category of "conservatives". However, Song Yuanchao did not make any comments on Jiang Lao's views, because he knew that such discussions were meaningless and time would prove everything. Moreover, he and Jiang Lao just met by chance, so it was inconvenient for him to say more on this issue.
After criticizing for a few sentences, seeing that Song Yuanchao was smiling without saying anything, Mr. Jiang gave up the idea of continuing the topic and instead talked about the changes that reform and opening up had brought to the market economy.
In response to this, Song Yuanchao answered some of Mr. Jiang's questions cautiously. In order to avoid making mistakes, Song Yuanchao maintained an attitude of approval for reform and opening up and discussed the issue from the perspective of combining economics and political science. Many of his words were just passing mentions. However, it was precisely because of Song Yuanchao's cautious attitude that Mr. Jiang looked at him differently. He felt that this young man was not only capable in theory, but also much more stable in thought than ordinary young people.
"Xiao Song, what are your plans after graduation?" After chatting for more than an hour, Mr. Jiang asked with a smile.
"I will only be a sophomore after the summer vacation, and I still have three years to graduate. It's a bit too early to talk about this now." Song Yuanchao replied.
"It's a good thing for young people to have a plan for the future. Only with a plan can they work hard according to it and achieve their goals."
"Mr. Jiang, what you said is very right, but now is different from the past. The choices are wider than before. If you finalize the plan now, it would be a bit hasty. It is better to learn more and see more while you are in college to broaden your horizons. It will not be too late to consider it carefully when you are a junior or even a senior."
Song Yuanchao answered with a smile. His answer made Old Jiang nod slightly. He felt that Song Yuanchao was neither arrogant nor impatient in considering issues and was a good candidate.
The train from Yanjing to Chuncheng takes two days and three nights, which means it will not arrive until midnight on the third day after Song Yuanchao got on the train.
It was a long journey in a small soft sleeper compartment. Even though Song Yuanchao didn't want to talk too much with Mr. Jiang, he couldn't avoid the other party taking the initiative to talk to him.
During the conversation, Song Yuanchao found that Mr. Jiang's thoughts jumped very quickly. Perhaps the previous topic was still about the pros and cons of reform and opening up, and the next topic jumped to the cultural differences between the East and the West.
Although Song Yuanchao had been reminding himself and restraining himself during the conversation, some words to this stranger, Mr. Jiang, were not as casual as those between him and Lin Daoyuan, so Song Yuanchao basically listened more and spoke less. But after a long time, Song Yuanchao would inevitably relax and subconsciously blurt out some of his own opinions, which often made Mr. Jiang's eyes light up, and then he would question Song Yuanchao endlessly.
During these two days and three nights, Song Yuanchao was somewhat fed up with Jiang Lao's "torture". What's more, this old man was in very good spirits. As people get older, they get very little sleep. Jiang Lao, who only slept four or five hours a day, would come to Song Yuanchao to chat after waking up, and the chat would last for half a day.
This was really hard for Song Yuanchao. He was a young man and needed at least eight hours of sleep a day. In addition, he was on the train, so his sleep was shallow. Song Yuanchao had not been able to rest well. Many times, he was dragged by Mr. Jiang to talk for hours. For some questions, Mr. Jiang would ask repeatedly, forcing Song Yuanchao to rack his brains to answer them. It was really too much for him.
Fortunately, no matter how long the journey is, it will eventually come to an end. When the train slowly stopped at Chuncheng Station, their journey also came to an end.
"Xiao Song, after you graduate, you can consider working in the southwest. Chuncheng is a good place and young people like you can do a lot." Carrying his own luggage and helping to carry some of Mr. Jiang's things, Song Yuanchao, Mr. Jiang, and Comrade Wang got off the carriage. When they stood on the platform to say goodbye, Mr. Jiang still remembered what he had said to Song Yuanchao before.
"Thank you, Mr. Jiang. I will seriously consider it." Song Yuanchao nodded with a smile. Just as Mr. Jiang wanted to continue to say something to Song Yuanchao, a few people on the platform walked quickly towards Mr. Jiang and Song Yuanchao. When Comrade Wang saw them, he hurriedly said something in Mr. Jiang's ear. Mr. Jiang looked in that direction and nodded.
"Well, it's fate that we can chat in the same carriage until we arrive at the station. Xiao Song, we will meet again someday!" As he said that, Old Jiang extended his hand to Song Yuanchao, who shook hands with Old Jiang neither arrogantly nor humbly. After he let go, Old Jiang smiled at Song Yuanchao and turned to walk towards the people who came to pick him up. At this time, Comrade Wang greeted Song Yuanchao and left with Old Jiang.
"Good guy, they're finally gone..." Watching Old Jiang and the others leave, Song Yuanchao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He had been exhausted these past two days. Just imagine having to chat with an old man like Old Jiang every day, and the chats would last for several hours. The topics covered a wide range, and some were even very sensitive. Song Yuanchao had to go over each question in his mind before he could answer it. Wouldn't that be tiring?
After seeing Mr. Jiang's departure, Song Yuanchao felt a lot more relaxed. He looked around and saw that most of the passengers on the platform had already left. Song Yuanchao carried his luggage and walked towards the exit in the direction of the sign. After a while, he left the station through the exit.
It was past ten in the evening, and the bus outside the station had already stopped running. It was pitch black in the distance, and Song Yuanchao didn't know where to go. After thinking about it, he decided to ask the station staff nearby. It was reasonable that there were hotels near the train station. It was too late today, so he could just find one to stay in and wait until tomorrow morning.
But just when Song Yuanchao was about to turn around and ask someone, a 212 bus with its headlights on drove straight towards him, braked, and stopped directly in front of Song Yuanchao.
