Chapter 25 - Special Treatment! - Starting as a Train Driver to Enter the Ministry - NovelsTime

Starting as a Train Driver to Enter the Ministry

Chapter 25 - Special Treatment!

Author: mughal
updatedAt: 2025-08-02

Chapter 25: Special Treatment!

Chen Maihua wasn’t having an easy time either. Her toddler niece, upon seeing the nine-year-old Chen Maihua, burst into tears, wailing, “Auntie hug! Auntie hug!”

Several other little girls around Chen Maihua’s age swarmed her, some calling her “big sis,” others “little sis,” and some just shouting nonsense.

Chen Maihua, utterly helpless, looked around for Chen Shi to rescue her—only to find him already besieged by a horde of tiny terrors!

For the first time, Chen Shi truly understood the saying “many children, many blessings”—it was a curse!

Whoever claimed having lots of sons was a good thing? Step forward and babysit his nephews for a day. If they didn’t go insane, Chen Shi would salute them as true warriors!

The wind picked up as they walked, stopping and starting along the way.

Finally, under the teasing gazes of the villagers in East Qin Village, Chen Shi arrived at his grandparents’ house.

His four uncles, seeing how unruly their grandsons were being, immediately barked at their own sons:

“You little brats! Little Chen Shi rarely visits—keep your kids in line! Whoever misbehaves gets a beating!”

Chen Lao’han limped out, glaring fiercely at Chen Shi.

Seeing his father covered in footprints from being roughed up, Chen Shi felt an instant surge of satisfaction.

Chen Maihua snorted. “Hmph, and you call me a tattletale!”

Chen Shi smirked at Chen Lao’han, who growled, “Just you wait!”

“Grandpa! Grandma! Dad says he’s gonna beat me again when we get home!”

Chen Bold’s wife rushed out, shielding Chen Shi behind her, and swung a broom at Chen Lao’han.

“You ungrateful brat! I raised you all these years, and now you think you’re tough?! Back when you were a kid, you caused so much trouble—if we’d beaten you half as much as you threaten him, you’d have been dead long ago!”

As the saying goes: The eldest son and the youngest grandson are the old folks’ treasures.

Chen Shi, being the youngest grandson of the Chen family, had always been the apple of Chen Bold and his wife’s eyes. His rebellious streak? Entirely spoiled into him by Chen Bold.

Hiding behind his grandfather, Chen Shi stuck his tongue out at Chen Lao’han, whose face turned livid with rage.

Grandma Chen pulled Chen Shi toward the house.

“Come on, let’s ignore that unreasonable father of yours. When he was little, he tore tiles off roofs and set fires in the mountains—never a dull moment! And now he dares to act all high and mighty with you?!”

“Quick, come inside with Grandma. I saved some treats for you! Your aunt went to the capital to study modern midwifery and brought back egg cakes—I didn’t even touch them, just kept them all for you!”

She pulled out a key tied to a string around her waist, unlocked a chest on the kang (heated brick bed), and carefully retrieved a small box.

A crowd of little rascals gathered at the door, swallowing hard as they stared at the treats.

Grandma Chen ignored them, shoving the egg cake into Chen Shi’s hands.

“Eat it all yourself. This is just for you—nobody else gets any!”

The rest of the Chen family was used to this. The old lady had always doted on Chen Shi, her youngest grandson, and nobody dared complain.

Got an opinion? Keep it to yourself!

Chen Shi reveled in this favoritism. In his past life, he’d never been the cherished one. Now, with his grandma’s love, he treasured every bit of it.

“Grandma, you have some too!”

“Oh, I don’t like these.”

“Then I won’t eat it either!”

Chen Shi pretended to toss the cake aside, making Grandma Chen panic.

“Alright, alright, I’ll have a bite!”

She barely touched it with her lips—not even tasting a crumb—but Chen Shi broke off a piece and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Eat, Grandma! It makes me happy!”

“Ah! Ah!”

Grandma Chen’s eyes welled up. She hadn’t spoiled him in vain. In this big family of dozens, whenever there were treats, most kids either fought over them or sneaked bites behind her back.

A few thoughtful ones might share with Chen Bold, but almost no one remembered Grandma Chen.

Yet here was Chen Shi, thinking of her.

Who dared call her little Chen Shi a good-for-nothing loafer?

He was the most outstanding boy in the world!

Chen Shi asked, “Grandma, will Aunt stay in the capital?”

Grandma Chen sighed. “Not likely. These days, becoming a city dweller isn’t easy. She learned this new midwifery method—says she’ll be the cooperative’s full-time midwife now. But I think it’s a long shot.”

“From what she described, this ‘modern delivery’ sometimes involves cutting open the belly at a hospital—terrifying! Not just our village, but folks from ten neighboring villages would refuse. They say babies delivered this way get ‘wind sickness’!”

Chen Shi understood.

He remembered that starting in 1951, the new government had begun promoting modern midwifery. Before that, most women gave birth at home.

This shift eventually led to hospital births and, later, prenatal checkups.

“Mom, don’t fill Little Chen Shi’s head with nonsense!” Chen Xin, Chen Shi’s aunt, walked in. “Modern midwifery doesn’t cause ‘wind sickness’! The old midwives just spread rumors because it cuts into their profits!”

“Back then, delivering a baby meant a feast at the mother’s house, two towels, and ten eggs! But with the new method, they’re out of work. Those old hags treated women like cattle—pressing their bellies with rolling pins, gagging them with rags!”

“Some even shoved their hands inside and yanked the baby out! No wonder so many women suffered or died!”

She turned to Chen Shi, studying him. “Let Auntie see—have you grown taller?”

Chen Shi laughed. “Auntie, I’m twenty! Where’s the growing left to do?”

Chen Xin, the eldest of Chen Bold’s children, had practically raised her five younger brothers—including Chen Lao’han—on her back.

After marrying, she learned midwifery from her mother-in-law and became the village midwife.

But after witnessing too many brutal deliveries, she was the first in Qin Village to volunteer for modern midwifery training when the new government introduced it.

Noticing the newfound steadiness in Chen Shi’s once-mischievous eyes, Chen Xin smiled.

“Ah, so the old saying’s true—‘First marry, then establish yourself.’ Getting married really has settled you down!”

Grandma Chen clapped her hands. “Enough chatter! Now that you’re back, help me cook. Kill a chicken—we’ll stew it to nourish Little Chen Shi before he heads to his in-laws’!”

“On it!”

As the Chen household bustled with activity, Chen Lao’han limped in, covered in dust and footprints, and shot Chen Shi another glare.

Chen Shi opened his mouth—

“Shut it!” Chen Lao’han snapped. “Your grandpa’s out on village business. Come here—I’ll brief you on the Railway Ministry exam while we’ve got privacy.”

“Who knows who’s eavesdropping back in the courtyard?”

Chen Shi grinned. “Ha! So you were planning to leak me the questions! Special treatment, huh?”

Chen Lao’han scowled. “Nonsense! This is proper preparatory training—no leaks!”

“First question—last exam’s essay topic. Likely to repeat since it’s critical: ‘During rainy weather, especially on uphill tracks, train wheels often slip or spin on wet rails, sometimes causing derailment. How to prevent this?’”

“Second question—basic structure of a steam locomotive. Four parts:”

“1. The boiler (the body, with ‘organs’ like heart, liver, lungs).”

“2. The running gear (legs and feet—pistons drive the wheels).”

“3. The cab (the brain, full of controls).”

“4. The tender (the kitchen, carrying fuel and water).”

“And no—steam trains don’t run on steam expansion alone…”

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