Chapter 29: Genius!

The middle-aged man was named Su Aijun, an employee of Fengyuan Jiaotong University. This trip to the capital was half for official business and half to visit his parents.

After a long while, he finally came to his senses from the shock, looking at Fang Mingyuan on the lower bunk with disbelief. He simply could not believe that such a theory, such an idea, could come from a child. In this vast land of China, there must be at least two to three hundred million people who have played with magnets, yet no one had thought to apply them to trains. The name "magnetic levitation train" was apt, not only vivid but also clear, making it easy for anyone with a basic understanding of magnets to grasp its meaning. But no one had broken through this layer of paper, and thus no one had thought to use magnetic forces in this way!

Su Aijun, after all, was an intellectual. Although he was not in the railway industry, his mind told him that the theory proposed by Fang Mingyuan was feasible! Perhaps China could not develop a practical magnetic levitation train in the short term, but it was only a matter of time. If such a magnetic levitation train could be developed, its speed would definitely exceed 300 to 400 kilometers per hour! This would be a revolutionary advancement for the railway industry! Just thinking about the possibility of traveling between Fengyuan and the capital in just three to four hours made Su Aijun's head spin. It would be no slower than flying.

Thinking of this, Su Aijun's attitude towards Fang Mingyuan was completely different from before. Earlier, he had merely seen a cute child and, bored during the journey, had engaged in a playful conversation. Now, Su Aijun regarded Fang Mingyuan as someone he could converse with on equal terms—at least in terms of the magnetic levitation theory. This child had thought of it and expressed it in childlike language, while Su Aijun, in his thirties, could not even match a child.

Seeing that he had come to his senses, Fang Lao Ye, Fang Lao Tai Tai, and Bai Ping finally breathed a sigh of relief. They had heard the two men's conversation earlier. Although they did not think Fang Mingyuan's wild ideas had any value, the middle-aged man on the upper bunk had been staring blankly after listening, which made them uneasy. When traveling, it was always better to avoid trouble. If their child were to provoke someone with mental issues early in the trip, the rest of the journey would be unbearable. If anything happened to the middle-aged man, it would be a serious problem. In this short time, they had already considered Su Aijun to be mentally unstable.

Su Aijun, being a perceptive person, understood from their gazes that his earlier behavior had been misunderstood. He felt both amused and frustrated. He jumped down from the upper bunk and smiled, "Old sir, my name is Su Aijun. This is my work ID."

Fang Lao Ye took it and examined it, his expression changing. "Fengyuan Jiaotong University? You are a teacher at Fengyuan Jiaotong University?" In those days, people held those who could enter university, whether for study or work, in high regard. Fengyuan Jiaotong University was an old and prestigious institution in Shaanxi Province, established during the Republic of China era. It was a well-known brand in China.

"Haha, sometimes I also teach classes," Su Aijun smiled.

Fang Lao Ye returned the work ID to Su Aijun, feeling much more at ease. Fang Lao Tai Tai and Bai Ping also relaxed, and they smiled at Su Aijun.

"The child's words just now were quite insightful and gave me a lot to think about. May I continue our conversation?" Su Aijun asked politely.

"Sure, sure, children have wild ideas. Teacher Su, please don't laugh at him!" Fang Lao Ye was secretly delighted. If his grandson could build a good relationship with this university teacher, it would be a good choice for him to apply to Fengyuan Jiaotong University in the future. He would have someone to look after him at school, and it was close to home, where his uncle could also take care of him. If they wanted to see their grandson, they could visit Fengyuan.

"Not at all, not at all, the child's ideas are quite interesting," Su Aijun smiled. "It's rare to find a child with such imagination. You have done a great job raising him!"

"That's because the child is smart and has loved reading since he was young. We, being workers with little education, haven't really taught him much," Fang Lao Ye smiled.

"Fengyuan Jiaotong University?" Fang Mingyuan was also surprised. He had indeed been lucky, casually chatting and running into a university teacher. No wonder this man was so sensitive about the magnetic levitation train!

"My name is Fang Mingyuan, and I am in second grade," Fang Mingyuan quickly introduced himself as Su Aijun's gaze turned to him. "Please don't call me 'little friend' or 'kid.' Children have dignity too." Since he had run into this man, he decided to leave a deep impression, as it might be useful in the future! University teachers were rare resources in 1984! Fang Mingyuan had made up his mind in an instant.

"Ah..." Su Aijun was at a loss for words. If he were to use modern terms, Fang Mingyuan's words had left him quite stunned.

"Xiao Mingyuan, can you tell Uncle what the benefits of increasing train speed are?" After a few casual exchanges, the topic returned to train speed.

"Of course, the faster the train, the better. First, our country is vast, stretching thousands of kilometers from north to south and east to west. If you take a train, it can take several days and nights. Even in a sleeper car, it's uncomfortable, and those in hard seats must be even more uncomfortable. Taking a train is like enduring a hardship. If there's an emergency, such as a flood or drought, and the country needs to transport large amounts of supplies across provinces, it can take several days, which is like trying to quench thirst with distant water!"

Su Aijun's eyes lit up. The child was right. If the speed could be increased, the first to benefit would be military trains, greatly improving the speed of large-scale troop movements. This would have an immediate impact on China's military strength. If the entire army could be moved to any location reachable by railway within three to five days, regardless of their original province, the deterrent effect on neighboring countries would be stronger than adding several more army divisions. At that time, the war between China and Vietnam was still ongoing, and as an adult, Su Aijun could not help but be concerned about military matters.

"Second, it's also to save money!"

"Save money? Why?" Su Aijun was puzzled. He had never heard that increasing train speed could save money. The faster the speed, the higher the fare, and thus the more expensive it should be. That's why ship fares were the cheapest, and air fares were the most expensive.

"Uncle, let me give you an example. If you need to travel on official business from Fengyuan to the south, it would take about three to four days by train. Let's say three days. It would take you three days to go and three days to return. If you travel once a month, that's six days on the road. As a teacher, you might not be able to do much academic work on the train, but you could read and improve yourself," Fang Mingyuan looked around the noisy carriage and pouted, "But I don't think reading would be very effective. But if you were a factory manager or a technical expert, those six days would be wasted. However, if the trip from Fengyuan to the south only took one night, you could sleep on the train and handle business upon arrival, utilizing those six days. I don't know how much you earn in a month, but based on my father's salary, you could save about six to seven yuan a month. With hundreds of thousands of people taking trains daily, over time, the savings would be substantial!"

Su Aijun was stunned for a moment. He had never thought of it this way.

"Third..."

"Fourth..."

"Fifth..."

By the end, Su Aijun's gaze towards Fang Mingyuan had become somewhat numb. He, a university-educated adult, saw increasing train speed as a minor matter, but in this child's mouth, it had become a significant national and public benefit! The impact was far-reaching!

The child's logic was clear, even though it was expressed in childlike language, it made sense.

"He's in second grade, about seven or eight years old. I graduated from university and am thirty-two years old. How can the gap between people be so great?" Su Aijun wanted to hold his head and scream.

This child is a genius!