Chapter 37: Surprised Su Huan Dong

In front of him was an old Soviet-made sedan. In 1984, even in Beijing, the number of cars was vastly different from the future. Private cars were almost non-existent, and those who could use cars were invariably top officials from the government or company executives. "Uncle Su, it seems your family is still in the government?" Fang Mingyuan asked in surprise after getting into the car.

"This is due to my father's position, and also to your influence," Su Aijun turned around from the passenger seat, smiling at Fang Mingyuan. After their detailed conversation on the train, Su Aijun subconsciously regarded Fang Mingyuan as an equal.

"What do you mean? How is it due to your father's position and also to my influence?" Fang Mingyuan asked, puzzled. How did this involve Su Aijun's father?

"In fact, it was my father who wanted to meet you today. He works at the Ministry of Railways and is very interested in the train speed increase you mentioned. He wants to have a chat with you. This is my father's official car, which I usually can't use. So it's due to my father's position and also to your influence," Su Aijun explained with a smile.

"Your father wants to meet me?" Fang Mingyuan was even more surprised. In 1984 Beijing, having an official car meant the person held a significant position. He never thought that his casual conversation on the train would lead to a meeting with a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Railways. This plot was too dramatic. How could it be so coincidental?

Bai Lin was even more shocked. Being in Beijing, he naturally understood the significance of this invitation more than Fang Mingyuan. Although he had heard from Bai Ping and the two elders of the Fang family that Fang Mingyuan had stunned a teacher from Fengyuan Jiaotong University on the train, they had all taken it as a joke. Now it seemed that what Fang Mingyuan said must have made sense, otherwise how could a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Railways want to meet a seven-year-old child?

Fang Mingyuan's mind raced. This was a rare and good opportunity. He had been worrying about lacking support within the system, and now this support had come on its own! Although this level of support was too high to be immediately useful, as long as he maintained a good relationship with the Su family, it would be useful in the future. The Ministry of Railways, the "Big Brother of Railways," was a colossal entity in the previous life. Besides, what did he have to fear? Even if he said something wrong, would a high-ranking official really take it seriously with a seven-year-old? With this thought, Fang Mingyuan felt more confident—low risk, high profit, this deal was worth it!

Su Aijun was also secretly impressed. This little guy was so calm upon hearing such news, which was truly remarkable. His uncle, on the other hand, seemed a bit nervous.

Soon, the car entered the residential compound of the Beijing Bureau of the Ministry of Railways and stopped in front of the Su family's house. The old lady Su came to the door at the sound, and her first sight was of Fang Mingyuan. The child was quite handsome and lively, and she immediately took a liking to him.

"Mom, this is Fang Mingyuan, and his uncle, Comrade Bai Lin. Comrade Bai Lin, Fang Mingyuan, this is my mother," Su Aijun introduced them briefly.

"Grandma Su, hello!" Fang Mingyuan was quick to greet, "I came in such a hurry today that I didn't bring any gifts, which is very impolite! But it's all Uncle Su's fault for not giving us a heads-up!" Originally, Fang Mingyuan had thought about buying something on the way, as it wouldn't look good to show up empty-handed. However, the sudden appearance of the car made him forget about it. By the time he got out of the car, it was too late to buy anything.

The old lady Su smiled kindly, "It's fine, no need to bring gifts. It's good that you came. Come in quickly." Over the past few days, she had heard her husband and son talk a lot about this child. Today, it was clear that he was indeed different from other children, with a mature demeanor.

After seating Fang Mingyuan and Bai Lin in the living room and serving them tea, Su Aijun went upstairs to the study to find Su Huan Dong.

"Comrade Bai Lin, where do you work?" the old lady Su asked with a smile. Seeing that Bai Lin was still a bit nervous, she intentionally chatted with him more.

"Ah?" Bai Lin, who was looking around the living room, was taken aback for a moment before answering, "Ah... I work at the China National Import and Export Corporation, as a deputy section chief." As the conversation continued, Bai Lin gradually relaxed.

"Minyuan, come up!" Su Aijun called from the stairs.

Fang Mingyuan looked at Bai Lin, mindful of the respect due to elders. Bai Lin nodded, and Fang Mingyuan then walked over.

Su Aijun led Fang Mingyuan to a small living room on the second floor. The room was furnished with a row of sofas and many old-style pieces. The house was spacious but not luxurious.

As Fang Mingyuan curiously looked around, the door opened again, and a man of about fifty-five years old entered. He was tall, with short, graying hair, and bore a resemblance to Su Aijun.

"Grandpa Su, hello!" Fang Mingyuan jumped off the sofa and greeted him respectfully.

Su Huan Dong looked at Fang Mingyuan. Although his clothes were simple, the child was quite adorable, and he felt a liking for him. "Sit down, no need to be so formal. Do you want anything to eat or drink? Aijun, go get a bottle of soda."

After some casual conversation, Su Huan Dong inquired about Fang Mingyuan's studies, family, and their impressions of Beijing. Then he gradually steered the conversation towards railways. The more they talked, the more surprised Su Huan Dong became. Although Fang Mingyuan spoke in a childlike manner, it was clear that he had many insights about the train speed increase. These insights, while initially seeming unreasonable or irrelevant, made sense upon closer examination.

"Minyuan, do you think that before increasing train speeds, we should convert level crossings to overpasses?" Su Huan Dong pondered for a moment, "While I agree with you in the long term, this is a trend. In the short term, it would be difficult to secure the funding. Moreover, I don't think it's necessary to start this work immediately. Our country is still very poor, and every penny must be spent wisely!"

"Grandpa Su, I once read a term called 'path dependence' in a book. It's similar to 'inertia' in physics, meaning that once a path is chosen, whether good or bad, one tends to stick to it. For example, the standard distance between the two tracks of American railways is 4.85 feet. This is a strange standard. Do you know where it comes from?" Fang Mingyuan asked playfully.

"This is the British railway standard, as the American railways were initially designed and built by the British," Su Huan Dong answered confidently, drawing on his extensive knowledge from years in the Ministry of Railways.

"Then, Grandpa Su, why did the British use this standard?" Fang Mingyuan pressed.

Su Huan Dong frowned and hesitated, "I remember this standard was also used for British tram tracks, and trams appeared in Britain before railways!"

"Grandpa Su, you are wise!" Fang Mingyuan praised, "As expected of someone from the Ministry of Railways." The British railways were designed by people who built tram tracks, and 4.85 feet was the standard for trams.

"Then where did the tram track standard come from?" Fang Mingyuan continued.

Su Huan Dong was stumped; he didn't know this. Knowing and remembering the standard track distance was already difficult, let alone the reason behind it.

Fang Mingyuan then revealed the answer. The first tram builders were originally carriage makers, so they used the width of carriage wheels as the standard. This led to a new question: why did carriages use this width? If carriages used any other width, their wheels would quickly be damaged on the old British roads. Why? Because the ruts on these roads were 4.85 feet wide. This raised another question: where did these ruts come from? The answer was that they were set by the ancient Romans, who used 4.85 feet as the width of their war chariots. If anyone used a different width, their wheels would not last long.

"Then why did the Romans use this width for their war chariots?" Su Huan Dong asked, intrigued. Although he wasn't sure if this was true, the logic made sense and didn't seem like something a child would make up.

"The reason is simple: it's the average width between the two horses pulling the chariot!" Fang Mingyuan's answer surprised Su Huan Dong, but upon reflection, it made sense.

"So, Grandpa Su, the design of the world's most advanced transportation system today was determined by the width of two horses' behinds two thousand years ago. This is path dependence, which may seem paradoxical and humorous, but it is a fact," Fang Mingyuan said seriously. "If you, as the initiator of the train speed increase plan, do not give enough importance to converting level crossings to overpasses, or even neglect it, others will do the same. When train speeds reach 100 km/h, 200 km/h, or even 300 km/h, these crossings will become death traps. By then, the cost of making changes will be much higher!" In the previous life, countless railway accidents occurred each year due to crowded crossings, resulting in numerous casualties and significant economic losses. Now, with this rare opportunity, Fang Mingyuan naturally wanted to warn Su Huan Dong in advance. If he could take this matter seriously, many of the tragedies in the future could be avoided.

Su Huan Dong leaned back on the sofa, closed his eyes, and pondered. He had to admit that the little guy had a point...