22 A locomotive whistled, interrupting his train of thoughts. Before him was a hub station with outdated equipment. He thought: “How backward! It is China’s backwardness that is the shame of Communists! And a branch office chief actually took the lead in this…”
23 He grabbed the phone: “Old Bai? I say you should change your profession, go perform in theatre! You’re a good actor, talking falsehoods into truths. When did you learn this trick? This is called the Communist Party fooling the Communist Party!…”
24 On the phone, Bai Fan both argued and pleaded. Liu Dashan slammed the phone on the desk, circled the room, and picked up the receiver again: “Are you still a Communist or not? You just wait for your disciplinary action!”
25 That evening, the Bureau Party Committee passed Liu Dashan’s proposal: to note down Bai Fan’s serious mistake of the first degree and to remove him from his post as head of safety oversight; to remove the Baita stationmaster from his post; and to issue a circular commending Lü Jiucai.
26 After the meeting ended, he felt tired. Just as he sat down, a person came in. When he realized this person was Lü Jiucai, he asked with deep feeling: “Are you a Communist?” “Yes, I joined the Party in 1950.”
27 After a moment of silence, he suddenly embraced the old man, with tears glistening in his eyes: “Old partner, you are a truly good person. It’s a pity you’re fifty-nine. If you were just a few years younger, so many posts could be filled with a loyal person like you.”
