The Railway in a Can

Old Wang works in a cannery, which sounds a bit ridiculous, right? But he really is in a cannery, and his daily job is to put miniature sections of railroad track into specially made cans.

When he first entered the factory, he thought it was a joke played by some immature kid. Miniature railroad tracks? What use could they possibly be other than as a springboard for mice? On the first day, he couldn't help but laugh out loud at his colleagues on the assembly line, which earned him a scolding from the foreman, who said he was disrupting production order and deducted his pay for the day. From then on, Old Wang dared not laugh again.

The factory was very quiet, the roar of the machines was minimized, and everyone was like a clockwork robot, repeating the same actions: pick up the rails, put them in the cans, close the lid, and send them down the assembly line. Old Wang didn't understand where these canned rails were being shipped to or what they were for. He asked the older workers, but they just shook their heads, telling him not to ask questions and to just do his job.

Every day after work, Old Wang would see huge trucks parked outside the factory. The cans were neatly loaded onto the trucks, and then disappeared into the night. He tried to inquire from the truck drivers, but they always kept silent, just lighting cigarettes, squinting their eyes, and looking into the distance as if waiting for something.

Old Wang began to suffer from insomnia. Every night, he would dream that he was in a huge can, surrounded by dense miniature railroad tracks, and he himself had turned into a tiny locomotive, endlessly going around and around on the tracks. He wanted to escape, but he couldn't find an exit.

One day, while packing cans, Old Wang suddenly noticed that the color of one of the rails was slightly different. It wasn't the usual gray, but a light shade of green. He picked up the rail and examined it closely, feeling like it was glowing. He wanted to keep the rail and take it home to study, but as soon as he put it in his pocket, he was immediately caught by a surveillance camera.

The foreman, with a dark face, called Old Wang into his office, severely criticized him, and confiscated the "special" rail. Old Wang knew he had made a big mistake, stealing from the factory was grounds for dismissal. But he didn't regret it, because he felt that the rail contained some kind of secret, a secret that could break through all of this.

Old Wang decided to find out the purpose of these canned rails. He began to observe secretly and collect information. He found that every night a mysterious black car would park at the factory gate and pick up a man in a suit and tie. That man always carried a black briefcase and had a serious expression. Old Wang guessed that this person must be related to the canned rails.

Old Wang decided to follow the black car. He secretly followed it every day after work, all the way to a towering skyscraper in the city center. He saw the man in the suit enter the building. He wanted to follow, but was stopped by the security guard at the door.

Old Wang didn't give up. He decided to come back the next morning. The next day, he came to the building early and saw the man walking out of the building again, still holding the black briefcase. Old Wang wanted to ask him some questions, but before he could even open his mouth, the man had gotten into the car and disappeared into the traffic.

Old Wang felt very frustrated, he didn't know what to do. Just then, he suddenly noticed someone waving at him across the street. The person was wearing work clothes and holding an old-fashioned can in his hand. Old Wang thought he looked familiar, and on closer inspection, he realized it was the old worker he had laughed at in the factory before!

The old worker smiled and said to Old Wang, "Young man, you've finally arrived, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Old Wang walked up to the old worker, a look of confusion on his face, and asked, "You're waiting for me? What do you want?"

The old worker didn't answer directly, but opened the can in his hand. Inside the can, instead of miniature rails, was a patch of lush green grass, with a miniature train puffing smoke and moving slowly along a track. The old worker pointed at the train and said, "Look, this is the 'railway scenery' we make, it can take us anywhere."

Old Wang was shocked, he couldn't believe his eyes. The old worker continued, "We're not making rails, but hope. The railways in these cans are connected to our dreams and distant places. Although we are trapped in the factory, our hearts can fly freely."

Old Wang understood, he finally understood. These canned rails were not for actual transportation, but for people to escape reality. He looked at the can in the old worker's hand, as if he saw the longing deep inside his own heart. He smiled, and this time, it was a smile that came from the heart.

Just then, a huge truck drove over, loaded with canned rails. It stopped right in front of Old Wang and the old worker. The door opened, and a man in a suit walked out, carrying a black briefcase. He looked at Old Wang and said coldly, "You, come with me."

Old Wang looked at the man, then looked at the "railway scenery" in the old worker's hand. He didn't say anything, but silently followed the man onto the truck. The truck started up, carrying him and countless cans of rails, and drove off into the distance.