Whispering and laughing, Xu Changqing and He Xiaotong soon followed He Jianmin to a post office on a nearby main street.
Once inside, Xu Changqing decided not to call home. It was already dark, and her dad was unlikely to be working the night shift at his unit today.
While He Jianmin went to one side to sign up for a phone call, Xu Changqing went to the other to get in line to send telegrams to her dad and Shen Mingquan.
She had already planned the contents of the telegram to her dad. She needed to clearly state a few things: first, that she had arrived in Beijing today, and second, that her trip was going smoothly and she was safe.
Next, she mentioned that she had shipped some items back from the train station today, when they were expected to arrive, and who would be calling him about them.
Finally, she noted that one of the cardboard boxes contained a handwritten letter she had written on the train, and she hoped her dad would open that one first.
