Chapter 28: Fang Da's Persuasion

With a solid financial backing, Bai Ping went on a shopping spree in Fengyuan, buying package after package of local specialties. Everyone in the family received a gift—having more money in hand made a real difference.

Fang Ya also successfully managed to get three sleeper tickets. As for Fang Mingyuan, he could squeeze in with any of the three, as he was too young to need a ticket. Bai Ping sent a telegram to Beijing in advance, informing them to send more people to meet the train. With the help of Fang Ya and his two colleagues, the Fang family of four boarded the train to Beijing on the third day after their arrival in Fengyuan.

The train of 1984, although heading to Beijing, was still a far cry from the direct trains of the future. The green, somewhat old-fashioned carriages had no air conditioning, only a few broken fans. Fortunately, it was winter, and people huddled in the carriages without feeling cold; the air, however, was rather stuffy. The three tickets the Fang family had were not together, and only one was a lower berth. However, with Fang Mingyuan's intervention, no one could refuse a child's plea for the elderly. It didn't take long to get the tickets together, and they even managed to get two lower berths. Grandmother naturally showered Fang Mingyuan with affection.

After a long wait, the train finally started, but its maximum speed was only 40 to 50 kilometers per hour. For Fang Mingyuan, who was used to the 200 to 300 kilometers per hour of modern trains, this was a real torture. Before long, he was already tired of the scenery outside the window. "Grandpa, let's play chess, let's play chess! This train is as slow as a turtle!"

"Fang Mingyuan, don't talk nonsense! Do you think this train is too slow?" Bai Ping scolded with a smile. "What about the people who have to take the slow, stop-and-go trains?"

So, Grandpa Fang took out a set of Chinese chess from his luggage and set it up on the bed. Since the game with Zhao Jianguo, Grandpa Fang had gained a young chess companion. Whenever Fang Mingyuan was free, Grandpa Fang would invite him to play a few rounds. They had both won and lost, and it was a lot of fun.

As time passed, the people in the surrounding berths, growing increasingly bored, gradually noticed the old man and the child playing chess. Those who understood and loved chess watched from the side. At first, they thought Grandpa Fang was just teaching the child, but after a few moves, they were surprised to find that Fang Mingyuan really knew how to play, and he was quite good! This drew even more attention. By the end of the game, they were certain that this child, who looked to be under ten, had a high level of skill in Chinese chess.

Fang Mingyuan and Grandpa Fang played three rounds, with Grandpa Fang winning two to one. In fact, Fang Mingyuan had let up a bit; after all, they weren't at home, and he needed to maintain Grandpa Fang's dignity. It would be too embarrassing for Grandpa Fang to lose to his grandson in front of so many people.

After three rounds, Fang Mingyuan complained of being tired, and someone else volunteered to take over. Fang Mingyuan lay on Grandmother's berth, watching the slow-moving scenery outside the window. Before long, he couldn't help but sigh again. "So slow, how long will it take to get to Beijing?"

"Little friend, the distance from Fengyuan to Beijing is over a thousand kilometers. It's a long journey, of course it will take time," a middle-aged man sitting in the middle berth said with a smile as he leaned over.

"Just over a thousand kilometers, and it takes at least twenty-four hours. Isn't that slow?" Fang Mingyuan asked loudly.

"Well, you could take a plane, but it's not easy to get a ticket now. And plane tickets are very expensive!" the middle-aged man shook his head. He could tell from the family's attire and demeanor that they were not from a big city, and for them, plane tickets were clearly too expensive.

"That's right, we can't afford a plane," Fang Mingyuan said dejectedly. Even in his previous life, it wasn't until the early 2000s that air travel became common for ordinary people. Now, unless it was for official business or an emergency, ordinary people couldn't afford it. Although the Fang family was more financially comfortable now, they couldn't waste money like that.

"If only we had a maglev train!" Fang Mingyuan muttered. In his previous life, he had ridden the maglev train in Shanghai and the "Harmony" high-speed train, and the memory was vivid. Compared to those, the current train speed was indeed like a turtle's pace.

"Maglev train? What kind of train is that?" The middle-aged man's ears were sharp; even though Fang Mingyuan had muttered, he still heard it.

Fang Mingyuan was taken aback, not expecting to be overheard. But then he thought, since he had nothing better to do, and the theory of maglev trains had been proposed in Europe at the beginning of the century, it wouldn't hurt to talk a bit.

"Uncle, a maglev train is a high-speed train," Fang Mingyuan said sweetly, knowing that being polite wouldn't hurt.

"A high-speed train? I've never heard of it. How fast is it?" the middle-aged man asked in surprise. If he had heard of it, that would be strange, as even the leading countries in this technology, the UK and Germany, hadn't built experimental lines yet. In China, only a few railway experts who had studied abroad might have heard of it.

Fang Mingyuan scratched his head. The theoretical speed of a maglev train could exceed 500 kilometers per hour, and the actual speed could reach over 300 kilometers per hour. But if he said that, it would be hard to verify. "At least over a hundred kilometers per hour. It's just a train I imagined."

The middle-aged man relaxed, realizing it was just a child's fantasy. But seeing Fang Mingyuan's serious expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Can you explain what kind of train it is and why it can go so fast?" The journey was boring, and teasing a child could pass the time.

"Uncle, have you played with magnets?" Fang Mingyuan asked.

"Of course, I had several large magnets when I was a kid!" the middle-aged man laughed. In their childhood, having a few large magnets was a source of pride.

"Then you should know that magnets repel like poles and attract opposite poles. My idea is this: if the railway tracks are made of magnets and the train is another magnet, using the repulsion of like poles, if the magnetic force is strong enough, the train should be able to levitate above the tracks. If we can control the magnetic force to keep the train stable and prevent it from tipping over, and make it move along the tracks, that would be a maglev train. Our teacher said that trains move forward because of the friction between the wheels and the tracks. Planes are fast because they only have air resistance, while trains have both air resistance and ground resistance, which makes them slow. If a maglev train can levitate above the tracks, it would also have no ground resistance, making it much faster!" Fang Mingyuan tried to explain the principle of maglev trains in a childlike way, which took a lot of effort.

For a long time, the middle-aged man didn't respond. Fang Mingyuan looked up curiously and saw him sitting there, stunned like a wooden statue!

"Oh no, I've overdone it!"