No, I was just a concubine, how did I become the queen?

Wang Xiaohua was about to persuade her again when a whistle suddenly sounded beside her, like thunder exploding from the ground.

"The train is about to start!" someone shouted, and the crowd became agitated.

Widow Wang stood on tiptoe and looked over with wide eyes, and saw a long black shadow wrapped in white smoke rumbling towards them.

The "clicking" sound made by the friction between the iron wheels and the rails seemed to be pressing on people's hearts.

The huge monster did not need a horse or an ox. It moved just by the white mist and roar it spewed out until it stopped in front of the platform.

"How, how is this possible..." Widow Wang opened her mouth wide and the package in her hand fell to the ground.

She looked at the steam coming out of the locomotive like clouds and mist, and in a trance she thought it was the arrival of the gods.

The passengers around also exclaimed in amazement, and some even knelt down and kowtowed to the train, thinking they had seen a miracle.

"Get on the bus, get on the bus, don't delay the departure time!" The attendant puffed out his chest and reminded everyone loudly.

The time of departure is very particular. His Majesty specially asked the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to calculate the auspicious time, and it cannot be delayed at all.

When everyone heard the "auspicious time", they didn't dare to delay. After all, whether the journey would be smooth or not depended on whether the time was accurate!

The conductor guided everyone onto the train. Widow Wang, pulled by her daughter, stepped onto the carriage with unsteady steps.

The carriage is spacious and bright, with wooden seats arranged neatly and glass windows on both sides filtering the warm winter sun into golden fragments.

"This...is this glass?" She sat down carefully, reached out to touch the transparent glass, and exclaimed in disbelief.

The people around her were not much better than her, and they were all shocked by the glass window.

This is colored glass, completely transparent colored glass at that. How much does it cost?

Some people reached out to touch it, some put their faces close to it to feel it, and one young man even kissed the glass desperately.

The flight attendant quickly stopped them: "Be careful, if you break anything you'll have to pay for it!"

The people who had seemed a little crazy just now immediately moved away from the window when they heard the word "compensation".

Some passengers sitting by the window even asked to change seats, fearing that they would accidentally hit the window and end up in huge debt.

The flight attendant was speechless: "Just don't touch it. This glass is not made of tofu."

"There's one seat left, but there's no room for you to change!"

Most of the passengers sat carefully, and some of the really timid ones just sat down on the ground, as they didn't want to touch the window.

Widow Wang also wanted to sit on the floor. She thought the floor was very clean and even neater than the benches in her house.

Wang Xiaohua grabbed her and said, "Mom, you finally get to ride a train, you should take a good look outside."

"If you're really scared, switch seats with me. I'll sit by the window."

Widow Wang was still afraid: "Xiaohua, what if you accidentally touch Liuli?"

"It's okay, I'll be careful and won't get hurt." Wang Xiaohua knew that saying anything else was useless, so she could only comfort Widow Wang in this way.

Widow Wang thought that Wang Xiaohua was usually very steady, so she changed seats with her and dared to look outside.

At this point, she pinched her thigh to make sure she was not dreaming.

This train really doesn't need horses to pull it, it can run on its own!

"The train is about to leave the station, please stay calm, everyone, stay calm!" The attendants in every carriage were diligently reminding everyone.

When the train started, Widow Wang grabbed the handrail suddenly, her face pale.

There are many people who are as scared as Widow Wang. Some people even start to feel dizzy when looking out the window.

Fortunately, the conductor said, "Don't be afraid, everyone. The carriage is safe."

"I'm steady even when I'm standing, so it's even more unlikely that anything will happen if everyone else is sitting!"

Only then did everyone realize that the carriage was unusually stable, and the things on the table were surprisingly stable. Even though they were so grown-up, they were just swaying with the rhythm of the carriage.

Looking out the window again, the trees, farmlands, and villages were receding like shuttles, and the speed was not slow at all!

The old man sitting next to me was so excited that he burst into tears: "I have lived for sixty years, and I can actually witness such a miraculous thing!"

"It used to take three days to get to Tianjin, but now we can probably get there by noon!"

"Mom, look!" Wang Xiaohua pointed outside the window.

Widow Wang glanced in the direction she was going and happened to catch a glimpse of a group of postmen on horseback. The usually majestic horses now moved like snails beside the train.

Widow Wang thought about the train ticket again. She clutched her sleeve and muttered quietly, "Five hundred coins..."

Before he finished speaking, the merchant sitting next to him smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, please don't think it's too expensive!"

"I travel back and forth to Beijing and Tianjin for business all year round. In the past, hiring a carriage would have cost two taels of silver for freight alone, and I also had to worry about encountering robbers."

"This train is fast and safe, and five hundred wen is a steal!"

Not to mention that although he had a lot of goods, the train didn't say it wouldn't take him, but he had to pay extra freight for goods exceeding 100 kilograms.

Now his cargo is securely tied to the top of the train, very safe!

"Yeah, Mom, this money is really not expensive~" Wang Xiaohua secretly stuck out her tongue at her mother.

Widow Wang murmured, "The Queen is truly a deity descended from heaven..."

“This money is worth it!!!”

Widow Wang, who feels painful for a long time when spending a penny, can actually say that it is worth spending fifty cents per person. It shows that it is really worth it!

Time passed quickly, and before everyone could enjoy it enough, the train gradually slowed down.

Someone couldn't help but ask: "What's going on? Is the train out of power?"

The flight attendant listened to the whistle and explained, "Everyone, take your luggage and look after your children. We'll be arriving in Tianjin soon!"

As soon as these words came out, the whole audience was shocked: "Ah? It's here already?"

"Why does it feel like only a moment has passed? How did we get here already?"

"This fast speed isn't always a good thing. I haven't enjoyed it enough yet!!!"

They were riding for free, and since the time was short, they felt like they hadn't gotten enough of the bargain.

The flight attendant almost laughed out loud: "Sir, isn't this fast a good thing?"

"It's noon now. We can have a bowl of gabacai when we get to Tianjin. You'll be hungry on the train~~~"

No matter how reluctant everyone was, the train gradually stopped.

When we arrived in Tianjin, the sun had just passed the zenith.

Widow Wang stepped on the solid platform, but still felt like she was walking on clouds, a little shaky.

The square in front of the station was already crowded with people who had heard the news and were eager to see the real appearance of the train.

A scholar shook his head and sighed: "This is the lucky star of our Qing Dynasty!"

"In the future, grain will be transported from the south to the north, and the two sides will share what they have, and the people's lives will get better and better."

"Moreover, government orders can be issued in the morning and implemented in the evening. This is a blessing for the country!"