The next morning, on the way to the train station, Zhang Zhiwei spent a few dozen coins to buy some buns, meat patties, steamed buns, roast duck and so on.
Those who have ridden the green-skinned train in later generations know that things on the train are expensive, so it is best to bring some food with you before boarding.
The steam trains of the Republic of China were much slower than the green trains of later generations, so it was definitely a good idea to prepare some food.
Zhang Jingqing agreed with this.
When we got to the train station, we started buying tickets.
In this year, transportation is scarce and train tickets are very expensive, but business is still very booming and the ticket windows are full of people.
"Master, please sit down for a while. I'll go buy the tickets!"
Zhang Zhiwei looked around and found a window with less queue to buy tickets.
After waiting in line for a while, it was his turn.
The ticket seller at the window asked:
"Master Dao, what class of ticket do you have?"
"What's so particular?" Zhang Zhiwei asked.
"Is this your first time riding a train?"
"yes!"
The conductor looked Zhang Zhiwei up and down and said, "Since this is your first time, let me explain. The carriages on this train are divided into different levels: first class, second class, and third class. This window only sells second class and first class tickets. If you want to buy third class tickets, you have to go to the nearby windows where there are longer queues."
It turns out that the division of business class and second class seats has been around for a long time.
Zhang Zhiwei asked: "What's the difference?"
The conductor said, "That's a huge difference. The ride experience on these three types of cars is completely different, and of course, the ticket prices are also different."
"First-class cars are the most comfortable, with luxurious facilities, spacious seats, carpeted floors, and complete facilities such as dressing rooms and toilets."
"Let me tell you this, the seats are covered with goose down. When you sit down, it hugs your body tightly and is so soft. It's so comfortable."
"The decoration and equipment of the second-class carriage is slightly inferior to that of the first-class carriage, but it also has cushioned chairs and spacious seats."
"Third-class carriages have the simplest facilities. The seats are hard and extremely narrow. There are no berths, and passengers cannot enter the dining car."
"Especially at night, when the lights are dim and there are so many people around, I can't read or sleep. I guess you can't even concentrate on meditating and chanting."
"Master Dao, do you want to buy a second-class seat or a first-class seat?"
"How much is it?"
The conductor said, "Third-class tickets are 2.5 yuan, second-class tickets are 5 yuan, and first-class tickets are 10 yuan. Second-class and first-class cars come with sleeper berths, so if you want to sleep, you'll need to pay extra!"
Zhang Zhiwei casually threw out 20 yuan: "Two first-class tickets, window seats, side by side!"
But before the ocean fell from the sky, it was caught by a hand.
The person who caught it was Zhang Jingqing.
Zhang Jingqing put away the 20 silver dollars and took out 10 of them and handed them to the counter:
"Two second-class tickets would be fine!"
The ticket seller looked at Zhang Zhiwei: "This..."
Zhang Zhiwei nodded and said, "This is my master, I'll buy it as he says!"
Looking at the 10 silver dollars in his hand, the ticket seller couldn't help but persuade:
"This old Taoist priest is obviously a wealthy man. You should buy a first-class seat. It's more comfortable and spacious, much more comfortable than a second-class seat!"
Zhang Jingqing said in a deep voice: "Just a second-class seat!"
Seeing this, the ticket seller said no more and handed over the ticket with both hands.
"Here's the receipt!"
Zhang Zhiwei took the ticket and went to the waiting hall under the guidance of the staff.
There is a special waiting room for second-class seats.
The first-class car is a VIP compartment.
The only thing third-class passengers could do was wait beside the tracks, smelling the coal dust.
In the waiting room, Zhang Zhiwei asked in confusion: "Master, why don't you sit in first class?"
He thought Zhang Jingqing would say something about how first-class seats are inconvenient and that one should see all kinds of people in the world.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Jingqing said in a deep voice: "Because there are many red-haired ghosts in the first-class carriage, it stinks!"
"Red-haired ghost..."
Zhang Zhiwei was stunned for a moment, then immediately remembered the meaning of the term "red-haired devils", which originally referred to the Dutch colonists, and later referred to all foreigners.
Master chose the second-class seat because he doesn’t want to meet foreigners?
Thinking about the conductor's description of the carriage, Zhang Zhiwei immediately understood.
The first-class cars are occupied by either the rich or the noble, and most of them are foreigners who are arrogant, or high-ranking officials and nobles whose minds are full of feudal remnants.
No matter which of these two types of people, they look down on ordinary people.
Especially for foreigners, "sick man" is basically a catchphrase they often say.
He and Zhang Jingqing wore Taoist robes and had long hair, which inevitably attracted attacks, comments, and ridicule.
As the saying goes, when you have a sharp weapon, you will naturally have murderous intentions. If the other party mocks him, and if it is not excessive, Zhang Zhiwei may not care too much.
And if the one who was humiliated was his master Zhang Jingqing, Zhang Zhiwei would probably not be able to tolerate it and would slap him in the face to teach him a lesson.
Thinking of this, Zhang Zhiwei said, "Most of these red-haired ghosts have body odor, so they like to use perfume to cover it up. But if they gather in groups, it's really a torture. Master is indeed wise and powerful!"
Zhang Jingqing narrowed her eyes and gave Zhang Zhiwei a sullen look. "If you keep saying that, I'll use the Chonglong Jade Talisman on you and throw you into the middle of those red-haired ghosts. Let you feel it!"
Zhang Zhiwei: “…………”
The Chonglong Jade Talisman is a talisman that deifies the nose and can give a person a sense of smell comparable to that of a dog.
If you are in a place filled with strong body odor and perfume...
Zhang Zhiwei shuddered. Normally, he would sneeze if he smelled a strong perfume, let alone the smell of his divine nose, which was also mixed with body odor.
He immediately became a good boy, stopped talking, closed his eyes and meditated, cultivating his life.
Not long after, the train arrived at the station.
People in each carriage lined up to get on the bus.
When getting on the bus, Zhang Zhiwei glanced at the situation in the first-class and third-class cars.
The first-class carriage was the shortest, just as he had guessed. Most of the people on the first-class carriage were foreigners wearing suits and holding canes.
There are also some people wearing long gowns and jackets.
These people look down on everyone they see, but they lower their heads only in front of foreigners.
The third-class car is the longest and has the most people, and it is as crowded as a can of sardines, giving a feeling of reminiscent of Indian trains in later times.
After taking a look, Zhang Zhiwei looked away.
Get on the bus and take your seat.
Zhang Jingqing and Zhang Zhiwei sat side by side by the window. Opposite them sat a young couple with a baby.
Not long after, the train set off with the sound of "clang clang".
Perhaps it was because the train was making too much noise, and after it started, the baby kept crying, causing great dissatisfaction among the people around him.
The couple apologized sincerely and tried their best to comfort each other.
But none of these could disturb Zhang Zhiwei and Zhang Jingqing. The master and disciple sat cross-legged on soft chairs, calmed down, meditated and practiced qi, looking like Taoist masters.
When the couple opposite saw this, they comforted the baby and came over to chat for a while.
"The child was a little noisy as it was his first time riding a train, disturbing the two Taoist priests' meditation. We are really sorry!" said the couple.
"It's okay!" Zhang Jingqing said with a smile.
"I wonder which sect the two Taoist priests are from?" asked the husband.
"My master and I are from the Zhengyi Sect of Mount Longhu!" said Zhang Jingqing.
"It turns out to be the Taoist priest from Tianshi Temple!" The couple was overjoyed and quickly took out two silver dollars and handed them to Zhang Jingqing.
Zhang Jingqing waved his hand and refused: "Donor, as a monk, we talk about fate, not money!"