Chapter 52: This Time, He Won the Gamble!

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept up, raising dust from the ground.

Li Xiangdong spat twice, clearing the dirt that had blown into his mouth.

He squinted and looked up at the sky. The originally gray vault of heaven was now growing even more gloomy.

The wind picked up strength, carrying with it the most authentic specialty of Beijing—sand!

Li Xiangdong shouted to A-Zhe and Hou San beside him, "Let's head back quickly, it's going to rain right away!"

Before he even finished speaking, he broke into a run toward the building.

By the time the three of them climbed the stairs and returned to the second floor of the waiting hall, heavy rain was pattering down outside.

A flash of lightning cut across the sky, bright as day, accompanied by a rumbling roll of thunder.

The raindrops grew larger, beating against the building's glass windows with a sharp, drumming sound.

Faced with the sudden and fierce storm, the crowd outside the railway station surged into the first-floor waiting hall in a swarm.

Outside the building, the wind howled, while inside the waiting hall, the noise was deafening, sounding like ghosts wailing and wolves howling!

Li Xiangdong stood on the second floor, looking down at the packed crowd below. People were shoving each other and hurling curses, and some had already been knocked to the ground.

At this sight, while feeling a deep sense of foreboding, he also sensed a rare opportunity right before his eyes!

Li Xiangdong glanced at Hou San beside him. Whether this would succeed depended entirely on this dim-witted fellow!

With a hardened resolve, he stepped right up to the railing and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone, please quiet down! Everyone, please quiet down!"

Finding that his voice was completely drowned out, Li Xiangdong turned to A-Zhe and Hou San. "Quick, come over and shout along with me!"

A-Zhe and Hou San had also taken in the chaotic situation below. Abandoning any sense of shyness or embarrassment, they cupped their hands around their mouths just like Li Xiangdong, stepped up to the railing, and joined in shouting at the top of their lungs.

Still, it had little effect; the noise and bickering below were simply too loud!

Hou San pulled a whistle from his pocket. "Brother Dong, use this."

Li Xiangdong snatched it away, took a deep breath, and blew—*tweet, tweet!*

Two sharply piercing whistles rang out.

The crowd downstairs gradually calmed their panic and began to look up toward the second floor.

The stone in Li Xiangdong's heart dropped. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he roared, "There is still empty space on the second floor! Men down there, make way for the women, children, and elderly beside you, and let them come up first!"

Just as he finished shouting, the public address system inside the building crackled to life.

"Attention, attention please, dear passengers. Attention please, dear passengers..."

Standing on the second floor, Li Xiangdong watched the crowd below. Only when they began to sort themselves out and move in an orderly fashion under the guidance of the Beijing Railway Station's on-duty staff did he lead A-Zhe and Hou San to quietly slip away after a job well done.

Weaving through the flow of people, the three of them took the stairs down to the first floor.

Under the gaze of all the passengers and the on-duty staff, they crossed the crowd, reached a side door, opened it, and retreated into the office area corridor.

The moment the door clicked shut, A-Zhe slapped Li Xiangdong on the shoulder and said with great excitement, "Dongzi, you're cunning as a fox! With that shouting of yours, you've made yourself completely famous here at the Beijing Railway Station! I never knew you had such a booming voice. Are your vocal cords holding up?"

Li Xiangdong returned the whistle to Hou San, cleared his scratchy throat, and coughed twice. "What do you think? Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and pour me a glass of water."

Despite his words, a smile lingered on his face.

Earlier, before the broadcasting station and other on-duty staff in the hall could react, he had used his powerful voice and Hou San's whistle to calm the panicked crowd in an extremely short span of time.

What was this?

This was quick thinking in the face of a crisis, a display of courage and fearlessness in taking responsibility!

He knew that what the three of them had just done would surely reach the ears of the duty supervisor through the staff on duty in the waiting hall.

Even though they weren't under the jurisdiction of the Beijing Railway Station, that wouldn't stop them from making a name for themselves, would it?

Back in the water supply team's office.

Hou San and A-Zhe remained brimming with excitement; after all, the two of them had shared the spotlight right alongside Li Xiangdong!

A-Zhe found Li Xiangdong's tin mug on the wooden shelf, filled it with water, placed it before him, and asked with a smile, "Dongzi, do you think the three of us might actually snag a commendation for what happened just now?"

"That's right, Brother Dong, the three of us got the masses to quiet down before the broadcast even went out! Who knows what consequences there might have been if we'd been even a step slower!"

Hou San's eyes were practically glowing as he spoke. He hadn't received a single certificate of merit since elementary school; if the workshop could issue him a commendation over this, just thinking about it made him feel wonderful!

Li Xiangdong was holding a large mouthful of water in his mouth, slowly swallowing to soothe his throat. Hearing their words, he finished swallowing the water.

He glanced at Hou San. "Who knows? The three of us just happened to be at the right place at the right time and seized an opportunity by playing it smart. Don't let your imaginations run too wild just yet."

Seeing the disappointment on their faces, he offered some comfort. "Why would you feel any imbalance in your hearts? Just think about those two colleagues we saw on the platform earlier—what kind of work do they do day in and day out? Now think about ourselves."

As soon as Li Xiangdong said this, he felt a twinge of embarrassment himself, let alone A-Zhe and Hou San, neither of whom pressed the matter of the commendation any further.

He drank his water in silence, soothing his throat while listening to A-Zhe and Hou San bantering beside him.

Time slowly drifted by, and soon it was four o'clock in the afternoon.

The storm had arrived swiftly and poured heavily, but it wasn't particularly long-lasting.

After raining fiercely for just over an hour, it gradually tapered off.

Li Xiangdong's throat was feeling much better now, and the three of them were deep in lively conversation when the office door was pushed open from the outside.

Seeing the person who had entered, Li Xiangdong stood up and greeted, "Hello, Team Leader Liu."

A-Zhe and a reluctant Hou San stood up as well and offered their greetings.

Liu Erdan first placed two cloth bags he was carrying onto the desk, then walked over to Li Xiangdong and patted him on the shoulder. "Well done!"

He turned his gaze to A-Zhe. "You must be the new hire from the train crew?"

A-Zhe replied, "Yes, sir. My name is Shi Zhengzhe. Team Leader Liu, you can just call me A-Zhe."

Team Leader Liu nodded. "Your team leader is looking for you right now, you'd better head back quickly."

Seeing the look of apprehension on A-Zhe's face, Liu smiled and said, "Don't worry, it's good news. Don't you know what the three of you did just now? Get back there now."

"You got it, Team Leader Liu, I'm heading back right away."

As A-Zhe departed, Li Xiangdong looked eagerly at Liu Erdan. Things had reached this point; how could he not understand? He had won his gamble!