Chapter 312: A Journey by Train

The second-class carriage was a step above the third-class mainly because it was actually a carriage. The third-class carriage was just an open car with railings and no seats. But the price was so low that everyone could afford it, so it became the first choice for farmers going out. The third-class carriage was always crowded with local farmers and the fruits, vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish, and shrimp they brought to the town to sell, as well as various daily necessities they brought back from the town.

Lin Ming was quick and agile. He managed to grab a seat as soon as he got on the train. Then he discovered that almost everyone in the second-class carriage was a “fake short-hair (a derogatory term for the Australians)” who had shaved their heads and changed their clothes. He, in his Ming dynasty attire, looked very out of place squeezed in the middle. Lin Ming couldn’t help but curse inwardly: What a mistake! I should have bought a third-class ticket.

The carriage was crowded, and the seats were not very spacious. Lin Ming was tightly squeezed between two naturalized citizens, unable to even stretch his arms. He had no choice but to endure it.

To Lin Ming’s left was a young girl. She hadn’t cut her hair short, but had two braids with red cloth strips tied at the ends. She was wearing a blue cloth dress of the “short-haired bandits” style, shamelessly revealing her calves wrapped in white cotton socks.

According to Lin Ming’s concept, wearing white shoes and socks was mourning attire, but this girl was wearing black shoes and had red strings in her hair, so it was obviously not that.

“Red strings in her hair, but wearing white socks and showing her calves, truly incredible!” Lin Ming grumbled to himself, but he felt the girl’s thigh pressing tightly against his. The warmth and elasticity of her skin caused a certain physiological change in the probationary centurion, who had been away from home for several months and had not tasted “meat” for a long time. Fortunately, the loose clothing of the Ming dynasty prevented any embarrassment.

The girl was carrying a small yellow cloth bag. As soon as she sat down, she took out a book from the bag and read it silently. Lin Ming was curious and peeked over. He saw that it was a small book with square characters printed in the Song typeface. Above each character were some curvy symbols. Lin Ming was well-traveled and knew this was the script of the red-haired barbarians. He just didn’t know why it was placed above the square characters.

From the girl’s appearance, it seemed she was learning to read. Lin Ming himself also taught the maids and concubines in his family to read in his spare time, but this was a kind of “elegant pastime” to kill time. In his opinion, it didn’t matter whether a woman was educated or not. His wife was illiterate when she married him, and it didn’t affect their love for each other.

To his right was a thin man in a greasy blue cloth short jacket. As soon as he got on the train, he leaned his head against the back of the seat and started snoring. His head kept tilting and leaning onto Lin Ming’s shoulder, which made him miserable.

While he was grumbling to himself, he heard a series of whistles from outside the window, followed by a long blast of a steam whistle. The seat under him suddenly moved, and the train slowly started.

Years later, Lin Ming still found it difficult to describe his feeling of riding a “train” for the first time. The word “shock” might not be appropriate. It was more like his feeling of riding a horse for the first time: both novel and frightening. The locomotive rumbled, spewing black smoke from its smokestack, and pulled the carriages through the fields of Lingao. The slightly chilly winter wind blowing on his face was surprisingly refreshing.

The track from Bopu to the East Gate Market was laid along the Wenlan River. After the completion of the comprehensive renovation project of the Wenlan River, which took nearly five years, this river, which originally had a huge difference in water level between the wet and dry seasons, had been canalized. Relying on the sluices, dams, diversion canals, reservoirs, and wind and steam pumps along the way, the Wenlan River could generally maintain a certain water level throughout the year. In addition to ensuring the stable power generation of the hydroelectric power station, it was also used to supply daily life, industrial and agricultural production water along the river, and could also meet a certain degree of river transportation. The river shimmered, and the revetments of the banks were paved with stones, on which grass had already grown. Planting trees could easily damage the riverbanks, so the trees were all planted below the revetments.

Because the planners of the Lingao Construction Corporation had intentionally designed the area along the river as a “scenic belt” for recreation and entertainment, the banks of the river, except for the industrial and dock areas, were landscaped. Not only were there flowers, grass, and trees, but there were also a few pavilions and other buildings. Shallow-draft river tugboats towed box-like canal barges, slowly moving along, looking like a miniature landscape.

Lin Ming had never been to Lingao and naturally did not know what the Wenlan River used to be like. But he could see that this river had been regulated.

“I didn’t expect the ‘short-haired bandits’ to have some artistic taste,” Lin Ming thought to himself as he looked at the scenery along the river, secretly admiring it. Of course, Guangzhou had countless scenic spots, and the scenery was a hundred times better than here. However, the neatness of the buildings, the flatness of the roads, and the cleanliness of the villages and streets along the way were also a world of difference. It was just a pity that the water was turbid and there was a lot of garbage floating on it, not a clear stream at all.

When the train passed through the industrial area, the leisurely and elegant atmosphere on the riverbank completely disappeared. The huge red brick houses were covered in black soot. Steel and ceramic pipes crisscrossed, and from time to time, there were huge crashing sounds and rumbling noises. There were many chimneys here, and the black and white smoke almost covered the sky. On the storage yards by the river were small hills of coal and coal ash. Countless sacks, wooden barrels, ceramic jars, and wooden boxes of various sizes were piled into huge stacks, covered with reed mats. Tall iron cranes, panting white steam, loaded these goods onto barges on the river. Coal slag and various kinds of garbage floated on the water.

Before Lin Ming could form an opinion, a strong smell of smoke mixed with sour and foul odors rushed into his nostrils, choking him and making him cough repeatedly. He hurriedly covered his nose, cursing these “short-haired bandits” in his heart for spoiling the scenery!

The train started and stopped, stopping at several places along the way. At each stop, a thin female short-hair in a blue uniform and carrying a yellow cloth bag would walk along the aisle, shouting the station name to remind passengers to get off. Some got off, some got on, and the carriage was always full.

While he was grumbling, the train gradually slowed down. Lin Ming saw that the houses and people by the roadside were becoming denser, and there were more shops. He knew he was probably arriving at a town. Sure enough, the female fake short-hair on the train came to shout, “East Gate Market has arrived!”

This was a major stop. More than half of the people in the carriage got off at once. Lin Ming also squeezed into the crowd and got off the train.

Lin Ming followed the flow of people out of the East Gate Market train station. Outside the station was a flat, paved open space, with many carriages, handcarts, and rickshaws parked. There were also many vendors, clerks, and laborers gathered around, making it very lively. As soon as a large number of passengers poured out of the station, the people who had been squatting and chatting or leaning against something and dozing off all perked up and came forward to solicit business.

Lin Ming slung his small pack over his shoulder and officially set foot in this long-awaited “den of thieves.”

He had long since found out that the East Gate Market was the largest and most prosperous town in Lingao. Most importantly, it was very close to the “short-haired bandits’” lair, “Bairen City.” Many “true short-hairs” would appear in the East Gate Market, making it the best place for news about the “short-haired bandits”.

His sister-in-law was most likely trapped in this Bairen City. As long as he could lie low in the East Gate Market, it would be much more convenient to gather information or rescue her.

While he was pondering, the vendors and clerks in the square had already come over to solicit business: “Sir, want some fruit? Fresh Australian-grown snow pears, five cents a jin!”, “Australian ice cream, new fruit-flavored varieties!”, “Stay at a hotel! Rated three-star by the Ministry of Commerce, bedding changed for each guest, no fleas, no bugs! If you’re tired, there are also young girls for massage, with yellow tickets!”, “Going to the county town? One seat for the county town! Leaving as soon as we’re full!”, “Cheap inn discount! Pay for one month’s rent and stay for a month and a half!”

Amidst the clamor, Lin Ming subconsciously protected his pack. Stations and piers were usually places where all kinds of criminals lurked: robbers, pickpockets, and swindlers all liked to do business in such lively places. Although he wasn’t carrying much money, if he were robbed, it would not be easy to get by here.

However, although there were many people here, there was no chaos. The clerks and vendors just shouted their wares, and no one caused trouble. Lin Ming squeezed through a path and came out of the crowd, only then did he realize the reason. In the center of the square was a wooden platform with a door-frame-like structure on it, from which hung three or four corpses in various states of desiccation, slowly swaying. At the four corners, several prisoners who had been whipped until they were covered in blood were chained to wooden stakes. Whether dead or alive, they all had a sign with ink writing hanging from their necks, probably stating their crimes. Seven or eight “short-haired bandits’” “public servants” stood around, chests puffed out, watching the scene in the square.

“I have long heard that the ‘short-haired bandits’ practice the methods of the Legalists, and it is indeed so,” Lin Ming thought to himself, secretly alarmed. He knew that this was a place where one could not make a single mistake. He couldn’t help but silently recite the various “‘short-haired bandits’ rules” he had heard, lest he forget and violate the “‘short-hair’ law.”

Lin Ming quickened his pace and soon left the station square. He was not familiar with the East Gate Market and just walked along the street, planning to find a place to stay first and then see where he could find work.

Different from what he had imagined, Centurion Lin did not see the crowded stalls and chaotic goods he had expected. On both sides of the neat stone-paved road were rows of shops, with a bustling flow of people in and out. The street was also wider than in Guangzhou. In the middle was a roadway for carriages, handcarts, rickshaws, and livestock only. The raised sidewalks on both sides were for pedestrians.

Lin Ming walked on the sidewalk. Although he intended to be low-key and not attract attention, there were too many new things here in the East Gate Market, and he couldn’t help but look around. Whether it was the streetlights, zebra crossings, trash cans, or large glass display windows, they all made him stop and look. Before he knew it, he had walked to the vicinity of the cooperative’s main store.

The cooperative’s main store was not only the largest of the surrounding buildings in terms of size, but its Art Deco architectural style was also completely different from the surrounding buildings. Even someone like Lin Ming, who had often traveled to foreign lands and seen European architecture, was instantly struck by a great impact. Seeing the glass dome rising in the middle of the building, he couldn’t help but be stunned.