In those years, walking on the road to and from Enshi

I am the first Wuhan person to know Enshi.

Twenty years ago, the Grand Canyon in Enshi had not yet been discovered and developed. At that time, no one from Wuhan went to Lichuan Sumadang to buy a house to escape the summer heat, and Enshi did not have "iron and public transportation" (railways, highways) , medium-sized airport), there is only one "318" national highway and "Yun 8" small plane in and out of Enshi.

At that time, China Huarong Corporation was just established. Each province set up an office named after the provincial capital. The one in Hubei was called the "Wuhan Office", and the office was naturally located in Wuhan City. Huarong's function is to deal with bad loans transferred from ICBC. Bad loans can be found all over the province. I was assigned by my unit to deal with Enshi.

I became a frequent flyer of the "318" National Highway and the "Yun-8" small plane at that time.

1. By car

When traveling in and out of Enshi all year round, buses are the most commonly used means of transportation. Take the Hanguang Expressway bus on the Wuhan-Yichang section, which is fast, stable and safe. Take the Hanguang Expressway bus on the Yichang-Enshi section. The long-distance sleeper car departs in the morning and arrives in the morning, taking the only famous "318" national highway in and out of Enshi.

Although the Yichang-Enshi section of the "318" National Highway is not in Sichuan, it is no less difficult than the "Sichuan Road", with high mountains, long slopes, twists and turns, and hundreds of twists and turns. Sometimes we just climbed over a pass, and then it was a steep downhill with a big turn, and there was a car on the way, and we could leave and leave in just a moment! There is Li Bai's poem "The Road to Shu is Difficult" as evidence: "The sky is not full even when the peaks are gone, and the withered pines hang upside down and lean on the cliffs. The rushing waterfalls are noisy, and the cliffs turn into rocks and thousands of valleys are thundered." There is a comparison on the "318" National Highway. The dangerous place is Longtangou Bridge, 20 kilometers away from Langping Town, Changyang County. It makes a 360-degree turn and goes down for 20 meters through a suspended hollow, like winding on the back of a snail, which is thrilling. In April 1984, our beloved Comrade Hu Yaobang passed by here on his way to Enshi and got out of the car specially. We can't guess what the great man was thinking at this moment. Whether he was thinking about the long and winding road of China's revolution like this snail's back, or lamenting the misfortune of life. .

I can’t remember how many times I walked on the “318” National Highway, but I still clearly remember one time when I returned to Wuhan from Enshi and got on the Enshi-Xiangfan long-distance bus at Enshi Wuyangba Station at 3 p.m. The bus (not called Xiangyang City at that time) was going to get off at Yichang and then transfer to Hanguang Expressway to Wuhan. Experienced drivers in mountainous areas know that driving in mountainous areas at night is safer than during the day because driving on mountain roads can clearly see oncoming traffic. The car dealer stops at Dazhiping Town for a meal. Each table has 10 people and costs 25 yuan per person. The driver’s meal is free of charge if arranged by the boss. The mountains are rich in potatoes, and potatoes are indispensable at any table in Enshi. After dinner, when we were getting into the car and were about to leave, a man from Henan drove over 20 sheep. The people from Henan wanted to sell sheep to Xiangfan and transfer to Henan. Seeing that there was business, the driver was so happy that he took the money and hid aside to smoke. I wonder, where is the sheep suit? It won't be installed in a passenger car. Just as I was thinking about it, I saw people from Henan found a ladder and set it up next to the bus. With one hand, they grabbed the hind legs of the sheep and put the sheep on the roof rack. They were busy going up and down, and they were so tired that they were sweating profusely. , but as soon as a sheep was put on the roof of the car, the sheep under the car ran away. The Henan people hurriedly gathered the sheep that were running around to the car, and they went around in a cycle, looking at the head and not the tail. They were tired. Enough. The speed of loading the sheep is getting slower and slower. Two hours have passed, no one is helping, and no one seems to care about the waiting time. I carry important documents with me, and I don’t dare to get out of the car to help for fear of something going wrong. The time is getting later and it’s getting darker and darker. I thought that by entrusting the driver to take care of the document package, I can help the people in Henan. , the driver readily agreed to take care of the document package, and I quickly got out of the car, "Boss, I will help you look after the sheep, you can just load the sheep." The Henan people responded gratefully, "That's great, thank you kindhearted person." Because of my participation , the speed of loading the sheep was obviously accelerated, and all the sheep were loaded in a while. The Henan man and I climbed on the roof of the car to count the number of sheep, and found that two sheep were missing. The Henan man was so anxious that Basha kept talking in tears. , it’s broken, it’s broken, it’s a loss, it’s a loss, it’s not a hit, it’s a hit. I mobilized two young men to search around the area. After searching for about half an hour, I finally found the two sheep, and then the sleeper car started to move on. After getting on the bus, the boss from Henan told me that he and his wife were both laid-off workers. They were self-employed and came to Badong to sell sheep this time. The couple came together the first two times, but the mother-in-law was sick and the children had to go to school, so I came alone. Selling sheep. The boss from Henan repeatedly asked for my phone number and called me a good person. I actually received his blessing before the Spring Festival.

I am really happy and willing to do something useful. Although I am very ordinary and have no ability to do "very good" things, I am still a little bit happy to help the disadvantaged groups this time. I am so satisfied. I want to thank this laid-off worker from Henan for giving me this opportunity and letting me be vain for a while!

In addition to kindness, what else do I have!

The "318" National Highway from Yichang to Enshi has high mountains and long roads. It is an accident-prone section. Traffic accidents are seen almost every time. I've been in danger too.

Once, I returned to Wuhan from Enshi and took a long-distance sleeper from Enshi to Yichang. It was early winter. There was snow on the mountains and freezing ice on the road. The driver tied anti-skid chains to the tires, which made the car very difficult. After huffing and puffing, we climbed a big uphill to the highest point in Yesanguan Town. Drivers who have used anti-skid chain vehicles all know that after wearing anti-skid chains on the tires, the car will drive slowly, have bad tires, and the car will "squeak". It was not smooth. The driver saw that the road was no longer icy, so he got out of the car and took off the anti-skid chains. Immediately, he went downhill for more than ten kilometers. After the car went down a slope, the road became icy again. The sleeper car was on the super slippery ice surface. It shook violently from side to side on the road, waking up all the passengers. Some female passengers screamed, "Ah! Oh my god!" I realized there was a big problem, but I didn't know what it was. My brain was tense and in a state of confusion. Blank. One moment I thought of my son who was still young, and the other moment I didn’t know where to think. At that time, although long-distance sleeper cars had seat belts, it was very uncomfortable to wear seat belts while lying down. Most people didn’t wear them, and some seat belts were broken and useless. My seat belt is also broken. Although I was extremely nervous, I knew the only thing I had to do was to hold on to the pillar. After a few minutes, the car finally stopped. I breathed a sigh of relief and found that my underwear was soaked with sweat and my hands couldn't hold it together.

When I walked out of the car, I saw a pale moon hanging in the night sky. Damn it, God bless me, I am still alive! A group of people in the car angrily scolded the driver for driving the car. The driver said, "Seeing as there is no snow on the mountain, it is even less likely that there will be snow below the mountain. Then you know there is still snow below the mountain." After analysis, it may be that the maintenance workers of the highway section only spread salt on the mountain, but not on the bottom of the mountain. The temperature dropped again that day, and the road below the mountain was icy.

I have no intention of blaming the driver or the road maintenance workers. They must also have many reasons for their troubles. Thinking about my young children and thinking about how lucky I am to still be alive.

But I decided not to take this bus again tonight. There were two passengers who had the same idea as me. We decided to walk nearly ten kilometers to Yesanguan Town. When it was almost dawn, we found I was lying in a warm quilt at home in a hotel. I couldn't fall asleep, so I just got up, ate something, and fell asleep in a daze.

I was a little scared when I thought about it afterwards. That day was really gone. How would my young children and elderly mother live? I am afraid of the worries of my relatives. This is the first time I have spoken out.

2. Flying

In the early 2000s, Enshi Xujiaping Airport was small and had not yet been expanded, so it could only take off and land small "Yun-8" type aircraft. Enshi is located in a mountainous area and is often shrouded in clouds and fog. Whether it can take off or land completely depends on the weather. Experienced passengers often call their friends in Enshi to ask about the weather in Enshi before taking off from Wuhan. Enshi will look in the direction of Xujiaping Airport before flying to Wuhan. Look to see if there are any clouds in the sky. This method is more accurate than the information released by the airport.

Enshi Airport is small, with few flights every day, mainly to Wuhan. The airport staff are always the same, and the people flying are always the same few familiar faces. Most of them are eating at the company and running. In business, after a long time, each other still smiles and nods, which means they have met you again.

The first time I took the "Yun-8" to Enshi was in the midsummer of 2001. Shortly after the plane took off, I suddenly saw a white mist in the cabin. I suddenly became nervous. There was no smell, and the passengers didn't react at all. It was so strange, I asked the neighbor passenger, what...what's going on? My neighbor told me that opening the skylight on the plane allows cold air to come in to cool down and save fuel. Oh, it turns out there is such a weird thing.

The punctuality rate of this Enshi route depends on the weather. I usually choose it when things are not too urgent, but sometimes it is not accurate. It was the spring of 2002. It was about 9 o'clock in the morning. Before boarding the plane, I called a friend from Enshi Airport. The weather was very good and the plane was on time. After taxiing for a while, there was a sudden announcement that the weather at Enshi Airport had changed. Go back to the terminal and stand by. , we returned to the terminal building. At noon, the airport took care of the meal. We waited and waited. Finally, we took off at 3 pm. After flying for 50 minutes, we saw Enshi Airport. It was a bit cloudy and foggy. The plane circled in a circle and the announcement rang again. Due to weather conditions, we cannot land, so we have to go back to Wuhan." At 5 o'clock, we returned to the Tianhe Airport terminal.

After a day of hard work, some passengers clamored for refunds. The airline refunded their tickets, but the airport never announced the cancellation of the flight. It always explained that it depends on the weather conditions. At 6:30, a friend from Enshi’s travel company called He said that the weather had improved now and there seemed to be no clouds above the airport. After a while, the announcement informed us to board the plane. Finally, I arrived in Enshi at 8pm.

Sometimes, patience is more important than results!

3. Becoming an Enshi person

Enshi is the farthest prefecture and city from Wuhan. It takes 3 or 4 days to go there and back. There are no highways from Enshi Prefecture to other counties and cities. It takes 6 or 7 hours to go to the farthest Hefeng County. In those years, I spent about one-third of my time in Wuhan, Enshi, and on the road.

After traveling in Wuhan and Enshi for 5 or 6 years, I couldn’t even figure out where I was working. People regarded me as a local. The first words people from Enshi often say when they meet are: Shaanxi, I'm back. The people from Wuhan also say the same thing. The ticket checkers and security checkers at Enshi Airport are also familiar with each other. They don't say "hello" like people at big airports, but are very kind. Said: Coming, the waiter at the small restaurant on National Highway 318 also said: Coming.

In those years, walking on the road to and from Enshi, closing my eyes, I can think of every turn on the "318" national highway, the smiling faces of the airport staff, and the old people on the "Yun-8" plane. Regular customer;

In those years, I traveled to various counties and cities in Enshi Prefecture, eating big mouthfuls of bacon, drinking big bowls of corn wine, watching Tujia hand-waving dances, and listening to "Six Bowls of Tea";

< p> In those years, we asked about the survival of restructured enterprises, interviewed the sufferings of laid-off workers, fought against the bad habit of "escaping debts", and competed for harvests from the national treasury.

I am used to the sour and spicy taste of slag, potatoes, and Houttuynia cordata, but I am far away from the alluring aroma of coffee. Over the past six years, I have been walking on the road to and from Enshi, bumpy and dusty all the way, and I have become a mountain person - short-tempered and straightforward by nature. future.

Shaanxi Army 20210813 in Hongshan District, Wuhan