Chapter 5 The Moon of Yesteryear
Sitting in a chair, munching on a meat pie and drinking mutton soup, the chill from the morning breeze was instantly dispelled.
Xie Ning ate very slowly. Her stomach wasn't in good condition, so she always ate light and easily digestible foods. After resting for several days, she should be able to eat a meat pie now.
There was a clock inside the station. She arrived at 7:20, and after finishing the meat pie, it was almost 8:00.
As soon as the window door opened, people crowded forward.
The third-class ticket windows were the most crowded, while the second-class ticket windows were less crowded, and the first-class ticket windows were practically empty.
After careful consideration, Xie Ning still spent five yuan to buy a second-class ticket. Although she didn't know much about it, she could tell with her toes that the environment in the third-class carriage wouldn't be good. Even in modern times, there are different classes of seats.
Since no one had bought first-class tickets, and without knowing the full story, she decided to proceed with caution.
Of course, there was an even bigger reason: she didn't have enough money. A first-class ticket cost ten silver dollars, and she only had eight silver dollars and a few coins left.
After buying the tickets, I turned around and saw that there were still quite a few people at the third-class ticket window. It was crowded and noisy, but no one came out to maintain order. There were many people buying tickets, but the number of tickets was limited, so those who did not manage to get third-class tickets had to buy tickets from scalpers at high prices.
As expected, scalpers can be found everywhere.
The ticket said the bus was at 10 o'clock, but by 11 o'clock, the bus still hadn't arrived. In the meantime, Xie Ning couldn't resist the cravings and hunger in her stomach and happily ate another meat pie.
After waiting for about half an hour, news came that the train was about to arrive. Because she had bought a second-class ticket, Xie Ning was allowed to enter the waiting room and wait, and then go to the platform under the guidance of the staff.
The train was making a loud rumbling noise, and you could see the black smoke billowing from it from a distance. However, Xie Ning was still a little puzzled. How could she see something on the train?
As they drew nearer, Xie Ning tightened his grip on the suitcase. The train roof was packed with people, and when it came to a clattering stop, the passengers seemed to sway slightly.
Is it dangerous to hitch a ride on a train?
Danger!
But they couldn't afford even the cheapest third-class ticket. Even if they climbed onto the train and stood on top, they still had to pay for a standing ticket.
It was all due to the pressures of life. Looking at those disheveled faces covered in soot, Xie Ning couldn't hide her shock. But all she could do was sigh. She wasn't a capable person; all she could do was protect herself and survive in this other world.
If possible, try to live a better life.
In the arrangement of passenger cars, third-class cars are usually right next to the locomotive, followed by second-class cars, and finally first-class cars, which are divided into III, II and I respectively.
The closer you are to the locomotive, the stronger the vibrations, and the more dangerous it is to be near the locomotive if an accident occurs. In addition, the closer you are to the locomotive, the more coal dust will be thrown around, often leaving you covered in soot.
However, in winter, the train arrangement is reversed, with first class cars closest to the locomotive, followed by second and third class cars. This is because the hot water in the train's heating system comes from the boiler, so the closer you are to the locomotive, the hotter the heating is.
The second-class carriage was quite nice; the seats were all cushioned, and there weren't many people, only about three or four.
Xie Ning found a secluded corner and sat down. Before he could even settle in, a person climbed up the window, wearing patched gray clothes and struggling to get up. As he did so, more and more people followed, some carrying large bundles, others carrying loads, and still others carrying children on their backs, one on each side.
Xie Ning felt a tightness in her throat as she watched.
Suddenly, a person sat down in the seat opposite them. He wore thin-rimmed black glasses and a long robe, just like Xie Ning, only the color and style were slightly different.
Judging from his appearance, he looks to be in his late twenties or thirties.
Seeing Xie Ning looking over, he smiled gently and then extended his hand to shake hands with Xie Ning, "Hello, Zhang Congzhi."
"Xie Ning, it's a pleasure to meet you."
There was a dining car in the second-class carriage. Xie Ning ordered a glass of foreign liquor and a Western meal, and Zhang Congzhi did the same. When they chatted, they learned that Zhang Congzhi lived in Shanghai and was going to Nanjing for business.
Judging from his demeanor, Zhang Congzhi was a refined and gentle young man, but his attire made him seem more like a scholar than a businessman.
Moreover, when chatting with himself, he rarely talked about business, but instead talked a lot about literary viewpoints and theories.
Xie Ning didn't consider himself very knowledgeable, but he had read a few books with his elder brother in ancient times. He was born in modern times and had lived there for more than twenty years, so he could still speak up and occasionally had some novel opinions.
But more often than not, Zhang Congzhi spoke, and Xie Ning listened.
While chatting, Xie Ning noticed that someone who had come in with her was asking about the sleeper berths. She lowered her eyes slightly, and when Zhang Congzhi left to go to the restroom, Xie Ning also waved to call a waiter.
Second-class carriages have sleeper berths, but it costs extra.
Four people share a room with two beds on each side, in two tiers. The room is fully equipped with bedding, lights, and fans. The upper bunk costs 2.5 yuan and the lower bunk costs 3 yuan. Of course, this is the price for one night.
Xie Ning booked a lower bunk. After finishing her meal, she went straight to rest. She wasn't feeling well, so she needed to sleep more to recover.
If we run out of money later, we can exchange some with others.
At night, the roar of trains can be heard outside. Some people find it noisy and have difficulty falling asleep, while others find it easy to fall asleep.
Xie Ning happened to be the kind of person who disliked noise, partly because she had slept too much in the afternoon. So she quietly got up and went to the restaurant to read the newspaper. There was no one around at night, so it was quite quiet.
Thud—
The sound of a heavy object falling to the ground drew Xie Ning's attention. It was very late, so the surroundings were quiet, and there were no waiters serving. It was the early hours of the morning, when people were sleeping soundly.
Xie Ning put down the book, then took out a dagger from her spatial storage and held it in her hand. This was her only weapon, and the dagger was inlaid with gems, making it more like a collectible than a weapon.
She doesn't know martial arts, but she's ruthless enough.
There was also a small pot of ginger juice in the space. Since there was no pepper spray here, she bought some ginger, made ginger juice, and stored it away in case of emergency.
creak—
I heard the sound of a door opening from behind...
Xie Ning froze. She was standing in front of the door leading to the sleeper car, her hand on the doorknob. She had no idea whether the person behind her had ill intentions.
As the footsteps behind her grew closer, Xie Ning tossed a pen behind her, then pretended to pick it up and turned around. A flash of silver light, and a sharp blade slashed across the top of her head.
As expected, the visitors were up to no good!
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