But now, the Chinese Eastern Railway was in utter chaos. Train delays had become commonplace, minor problems compared with the frequent destruction of tracks and overturning of trains-serious incidents that would never have happened under normal circumstances.
As he ate at a leisurely pace, he chatted off and on with the talkative attendant, learning all about the current situation and rumors in Changchun City and its surrounding areas.
When they finished talking, Cui Jiuyang casually tipped the attendant a few large copper coins.
Amid the attendant's flattery, Cui Jiuyang put down his bowl and chopsticks and strolled out onto the street.
Whatever the case, he still had to visit Kuanchengzi Station and find out firsthand exactly what was happening with the trains on the Chinese Eastern Railway.
Otherwise, with such a long journey between Changchun and Harbin, surely he could not actually buy a donkey cart and trundle all the way there?
Walking along the street, he saw for himself how chaotic and... surreal this city was.
The men on the streets, young and old, sported all manner of hairstyles. Some wore queues or traditional topknots, some had gleaming close-cropped heads, and some even had the center-parted collaborator's hairstyle, wearing dress hats and carrying walking sticks as they played the gentleman.
Their clothing was even more varied: Chinese padded jackets and trousers, heavy Russian wool overcoats, Japanese military greatcoats-every style imaginable crowded onto the same street, creating an indescribably jarring sight.
The moment he entered the area around Kuanchengzi Station, the architecture changed abruptly, taking on a distinctly Russian flavor.
It gave Cui Jiuyang a peculiar sense of displacement in time and space, as though he had stepped into one of those imitation Russian-style streets in Chinese cities a century later.
Every so often, he spotted a big-nosed, deep-set-eyed Russian