Fuzhou Railway Station, where crowds reappeared, was accompanied by the broadcast sound of the station, and more than 1,000 passengers boarded the K1268 train one after another.
This train from Fuzhou to Chongqing North is one of the most beloved homecoming trains for migrant workers in Fujian, Sichuan and Chongqing. How are the migrant workers’ brothers this year? What are your plans for the coming year? During our stay in Spring Festival travel rush, we boarded K1268 times together to listen to the New Year’s wishes of fellow villagers.
"This year is not easy."
"We have boarded the bus", "Everything is safe" and "We will arrive at noon tomorrow" … … With the sound of the whistle, the hard-seat carriage of the K1268 train gradually became lively. Passengers carrying big bags and small bags were looking for a place to stay, while screaming to report their safety to their families at the other end of the phone.
This is the ninth year that Guo Guanlin came to Fujian. This old man in Guang ‘an, who is nearly sixty years old, worked as a security guard and went to a factory. Now he works in a luggage factory in Fuzhou. For him, the past year has not been easy. Due to the sluggish foreign trade situation, the efficiency of his luggage factory declined. At the end of the year, the couple cut their payroll and only saved more than 30,000 yuan. In previous years, the couple could have a balance of about 80 thousand yuan a year.
The train sped by, and in the crowded hard-seat carriage, the workmates talked about the stories of the vast expanse of the country. Many people feel that in 2022, under the repeated influence of the epidemic, "it is really not easy."
In 2022, many construction sites were affected by the epidemic, which also affected the money bags of migrant workers. Zhou Juewu and his wife are a couple on the construction site. In the second half of last year, under the influence of the epidemic, the construction site did not start for three months, and the couple were in a panic in the rental house. "The two sons in the family can have a new house for their marriage, so they have to fight again." Zhou Juewu said.
The couple didn’t save much money this year, but Zhou Juewu was not discouraged and contacted the foreman early to prepare for next year. "I’m still not sure if I can work on this site after rework. If not, I have to continue to find my next home." Zhou Juewu said.
Work in the coming year, the distress of unpaid wages, and the worry of layoffs … … In the carriage, everyone talked noisily about the ups and downs of the past year.
"Although we don’t earn much, but the boss hasn’t laid off employees, we must stick to it and tide over the difficulties together." Guo Guanlin said.
"This year is very warm."
In Fujian, there are more than 1 million Sichuan migrant workers. High-rise buildings and brightly lit workshops all have their silent dedication, and they also feel the warmth of home here.
Tang Xiaohong, from Quxian County, Dazhou, Sichuan, arrived at the railway station early, which was his return home for the Spring Festival after seven years. No sooner had the train left than he couldn’t wait to talk to his family on the phone. "I saw my parents getting older this year, thinking that no matter how much money I earn, I have to go back and spend time with my family." Tang Xiaohong said.
This trip K1268 accompanied Tang Xiaohong back and forth for many years and witnessed his "working footprint". The difference is that this year, with the help of the local chamber of commerce, he and his wife got free tickets, which saved more than 500 yuan. When they got on the bus, Fuzhou Railway Station also presented them with love and epidemic prevention kits and put on red scarves to keep them warm, which made them feel warm.
"If you have money and no money, go home for the New Year." Deng Renfeng, the stationmaster of Sichuan Dazhou Migrant Workers Service Station in Fuzhou, said that Fuzhou Railway Station and the Xiamen Office of the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government jointly organized the "Smooth Road to Spring Festival travel rush" and launched a free train for migrant workers to return home, and more than 260 fellow villagers got free tickets.
Chang Yufeng and Wang Xingqin also got free tickets. As fellow villagers in Quxian County, Sichuan Province, they stayed in a toy factory in Jinjiang, Quanzhou for more than 20 years. Chang Yufeng feels that when she is away from home, the warmest thing is not only the company of her hometown, but also the care of the factory. This year, the efficiency of the factory was not good, but by the end of the year, the boss still gave everyone red envelopes to encourage them, and even stuffed one into his 80-year-old mother’s hand. Chang Yufeng said that the factory that has been with her for more than 20 years has become half a home. Here, foreign employees can slowly take up management positions like locals, which makes her feel that the assembly line is boring but not cold.
On the train, many people share the same aspiration with Chang Yufeng. When they were young, they packed their bags, followed the train to a foreign land and spent their youth in factories and construction sites. Although the past year was hard, there was always warmth for them to choose to stick to it.
"Go far away, go home"
In the crowded K1268 train, at first glance, most of them are middle-aged and elderly people. From a few decades ago, they packed their bags and went to work in the coastal areas, and now their children have gradually grown up. Many migrant workers have begun to face another choice of continuing to drift and returning to their hometowns.
After working hard for most of their lives, many migrant workers will eventually return to their places of birth. They either buy houses in the urban area of their hometown or build new houses in their rural hometown. Wang Benxuan’s child just graduated from college last year and works in an Internet company in Chengdu, with a stable income. When a person is in Fuzhou, he often imagines the days after retirement.
"Although migrant workers do not have the concept of retirement, it is not the way to drift outside after a few years when their grandchildren are born." In recent years, the village where Wang Benxuan is located has undergone farmland transformation, returning forests to farming, and the village appearance has been greatly improved. After leaving the land for most of his life, he suddenly found that the pastoral life was still his more yearning destination.
Compared with their parents, the distance is still their hometown, and the next generation has more choices.
In this returning team, Huang Xue, a post-95 generation from Dazhou, Sichuan, is one of the few young people. As the second generation of "Fu Piao", she spent her middle school and college time in Fuzhou. Huang Xue said that unlike their parents who walked out of the mountains, the children of this generation of migrant workers who have received higher education are no longer confined to factories, construction sites or agricultural land in their hometown. They have more courage and ability to try.
After coming to Fuzhou for a long time, Huang Xue has not only become a Sichuan girl who doesn’t eat spicy food very much, but sometimes she will learn the slang of Fuzhou with her fellow villagers, "I am inseparable ‘ Tiger correction ’ " . Today, she has opened two beauty salons in Fuzhou, hoping to use her own strength to let her parents who have worked hard for most of their lives retire early.
From twilight to night, the distance of more than 2000 kilometers and the hard seat of 26 hours are far away and hometown. K1268 special train for returning home from work, full of "migrant workers" heading for the hometown that I miss day and night.
(Reporter Yan Xiaoan, Wu Jianfeng, Zhou Yi)
