The steam engine cut through thick black smoke as the Central Pacific Railroad Company’s transcontinental passenger train proudly whistled, heading eastward.

Countless excited hands stretched out from the windows, feeling the lightning speed of America. Every time the train passed bridges and tunnels, it drew gasps of amazement.

Even the most dignified and experienced Americans couldn’t help but put aside their reserve when facing this epoch-making new mode of transportation. White-haired gentlemen and young cowboys whistled together, shouting, bidding farewell to the azure waters of San Francisco Bay that gradually receded into the distance.

In comparison, that group of Chinese children with their noses pressed against the glass windows, excited to the point of distortion, actually seemed less crazy.

Chen Lanbin and several Chinese officials sat with their eyes closed, hands clasped in prayer. With every “clang” of the train, the muscles on their faces twitched.

But after more than ten minutes, these old scholars couldn’t help but open their eyes to admire the wilderness scenery flashing by at high speed.

Rong Hong was beaming with smiles, constantly exclaiming that if the railway had been operational when he purchased machinery to bring back to China years ago, he wouldn’t have had to take the long detour through Mexico.

Su Minguan also couldn’t quite maintain his composure. Before boarding, he had bought a bestselling book, but after reading two pages, he turned to look outside, finding the rows of English text far less interesting than the farmhouses, small stations, and water towers flashing by outside.

Only Lin Yuchan rested with her eyes closed.

Nothing special really, couldn’t compare to those ancient green trains…

The speed was probably less than forty kilometers per hour. The advantage was running day and night without rest.

The carriages had four classes. Private drawing-room cars were luxurious as palaces, with chaise lounges, dressing tables, and private toilets; sleeping cars had small compartments separated by cloth curtains, with sofas below and bed boards above, which could be used as upper and lower bunks at night; reclining chair cars had reclining leather-backed chairs; the rest were cold, crowded ordinary carriages.

Additionally, there was one “ladies’ car” for the few female travelers and their accompanying family members. Only this car allowed men and women to sit together; all other cars seated only male passengers.

Lin Yuchan had booked seats in this ladies’ car for herself and the female students. The car was mostly empty, so Rong Hong and other men also benefited by getting berths inside. The children came and went freely, enjoying themselves without being improper.

Although theoretically anyone with money could buy tickets for any car, in practice, the vast majority of people of color consciously entered the ordinary carriages, sitting on wooden benches or lying on their bedding.

Thus, this group of respectable Chinese people in the sleeping car became rare specimens, attracting many polite but curious gazes from the moment they boarded.

An elderly nun kept smiling at Lin Feilun, gesturing and talking at cross purposes with her; a middle-class couple carried a snow-white baby only a few months old; the young wife kept staring curiously at Lin Yuchan’s dress, not even noticing when the baby cried, leaving the husband frantic, trying every possible way to comfort the child, becoming more and more frustrated, until the entire car was filled with screaming and wailing.

Lin Yuchan couldn’t help but remind: “He’s hungry.”

“Oh, oh, yes, she’s hungry!”

The young couple suddenly realized, making a big fuss as they ran to the corner at the end of the car. Several gentlemen in the car consciously looked away.

Two minutes later, the wife screamed: “Sam!”

A special stench spread through the air. Lin Yuchan felt nauseous, and Su Minguan quickly opened the window for her.

Husband Sam was going crazy, holding his hands out not knowing what to do. He kept muttering “little devil,” “little demon,” then mumbling apologies to no one in particular.

Just then the conductor came to check tickets. Everyone quickly sat up straight, ignoring the accident at the rear of the car, taking out their tickets one by one.

“This gentleman, uh… please come out for a moment, just to see the ticket…”

Sam was in a complete mess, wiping his hands clean on his pants, searching every pocket, then reaching into his wife’s skirt pockets, getting scolded, then rummaging through bags, with a clatter dropping a stack of diapers…

Lin Yuchan suppressed her laughter, secretly turning back to watch the excitement.

Su Minguan sat across from Lin Yuchan, his expression heavy, glancing at her.

The American couple’s today was their tomorrow. The future looked bleak.

Lin Yuchan said decisively: “Let’s book a private compartment.”

As long as you were willing to spend money, what couldn’t be solved?

The conductor was also at a loss for words, stopping the frantic Sam: “Never mind, if you really can’t find the ticket, it doesn’t matter, no problem…”

“Hell, how is it no problem!” Sam broke down. “Without a ticket, how do I know where I’m going?”

Everyone in the car: “…”

Lin Yuchan gave a meaningful look. Huang He had been eager to help and immediately went over. She was much more skilled at caring for children than the Sam couple. Moments later, the baby was cleanly wrapped, sucking on his fingers, showing a smile.

The Sam couple finally returned to their seats properly dressed, constantly thanking the Chinese girls.

“Oh my, so young, so capable, amazing,” Sam babbled incoherently to Huang He, “Chinese people must be born knowing how to change their diapers.”

Everyone in the car continued speechless. Huang He was shy and hadn’t fully understood, so she simply ran back to her seat.

Lin Yuchan smiled and called out, “I’m her guardian. If you have something to say, speak to me.”

Although she didn’t mind her girls chatting with people on the road to build courage, she saw Minister Chen Lanbin’s expression and decided to be more conservative.

If even the slightest moral doubt arose, her “female student study abroad” plan would be completely ruined.

Sorry, children. No chatting with strangers to practice speaking.

Sam grinned and nodded to her, then nodded to Su Minguan in greeting, introducing himself as a travel writer. Then he suddenly noticed the English book beside Su Minguan and picked it up to flip through a few pages.

“‘The Innocents Abroad’ – not well written?”

Su Minguan was somewhat puzzled but patiently answered that because he was too engrossed in watching the scenery, he had been lingering on the first few pages. The book wasn’t unreadable; in fact, it was quite interesting…

“You can tell from the title it’s not good. Don’t be afraid to criticize us Americans,” Sam laughed. “Your accent is unique, reminds me of someone…”

Lin Yuchan’s tongue moved faster than her brain, interjecting: “Emperor Norton?”

Norton’s resonant voice flashed through her ears.

“…that humorous traveler Sam, who just got married – I can introduce you…”

Sam was stunned, then chuckled.

“Is His Majesty in good health? Where is the imperial presence now?”

Lin Yuchan laughed until she nearly fell over: “Still in San Francisco, perfectly healthy!”

Su Minguan rubbed his temples. Headache. If it weren’t for the pregnant woman beside him who couldn’t be left alone, he didn’t want to waste time with these drama queens.

Sam’s wife called from behind: “Sam! I’m hungry!”

Not necessarily truly hungry. Probably knowing this nonsensical husband would embarrass himself sooner or later.

Sam hurriedly went to attend to her. Then returned with a worried face, picking up several squashed paper-wrapped sandwiches from the floor. They had all fallen from the bag when searching for tickets earlier and had long been trampled flat.

American trains at this time had no dining cars. Everything depended on the few minutes of station stops when passengers could rush to the platform shops to buy something to fill their stomachs.

The train had now been running for four hours. At the first stop, passengers had “charged like ten thousand horses,” rushing to the platform grocery stores to shop. The group of Chinese passengers was completely bewildered throughout, and by the time they reacted, the train had already departed.

As for drinking water, it was delivered by conductors at regular intervals. The train had no running water or purification system; all water was boiled using steam boilers to ensure hygiene. American passengers complained bitterly while the Chinese were delighted.

The next station was still far away. Experienced travelers took out cold food and roasted chicken from their bags, filling the air with delicious aromas.

The Chinese passengers continued to be embarrassed and dumbfounded. Rong Hong patted his stomach and took another sip of tea.

Lin Yuchan dampened a handkerchief with water from her flask, cleaned her hands, opened several paper packages on the small table, and leisurely picked out a roasted sunflower seed.

She smiled and invited the Chinese compatriots and the Sam couple: “Let’s have some snacks first.”

How could you ride a green train without preparing snacks? Eating and sightseeing all the way was the essence of train travel!

None of the people present had more experience than she.

A large sack was filled with various snacks and treats purchased from San Francisco’s Chinatown. Smoked green beans, zongzi candy, small jars of preserved vegetables, pickled dried tomatoes, five-spice beef jerky, buttered sunflower seeds, salted eggs, plus twenty pounds of fresh oranges…

Both sweet and salty options are available. In an age without preservatives, these were all flavored foods that could be stored for up to a week.

Of course, she was careful not to buy items like braised chicken feet or pickled duck webs that would scare Americans into jumping off the train.

The dignified Minister Chen’s expression flickered slightly as he started to stand up.

With a whoosh, the world went dark as the train entered a tunnel. The children screamed dramatically.

A few seconds later, light returned. Minister Chen Lanbin had somehow made his way to Lin Yuchan in the darkness, stroking his beard with eyes smiling like crescents.

“Mrs. Lin, these foods of yours…”

Lin Yuchan said generously: “Help yourselves!”

The children cheered and crowded around. Sam’s cheer was even louder as he picked out some varieties he recognized and carried them to his wife to try.

Lin Yuchan was once again promoted to the most popular passenger, distributing food with a smile.

The children gathered around her feasting when Rong Hong took the opportunity to count heads and suddenly discovered: “Three are missing.”

The air suddenly froze. Lin Yuchan’s heart trembled.

But moments later, the door to the car connection opened. Su Minguan looked amused, carrying one boy under each arm and kicking another with his foot, tossing the three children back into the car.

Rong Hong nearly choked, rarely showing anger: “Where did you go! How can you wander around in an unfamiliar place?”

Because they were too fascinated by the train, Zhan Tianyou had led two devoted brothers to quietly leave, planning to climb to the steam engine for adventure…

At the time, the car had been in chaos because of the Sam couple, and no one had noticed.

Fortunately, they were caught before succeeding. Immediate confinement – hanging their heads, hands behind their backs, sitting in chairs with no snacks.

Chen Lanbin sighed heavily. They’d only been here a few days, and the students’ hearts were already this wild – how would they manage in the future?

The journey on the train was fulfilling and exciting. In the monotonous yet regular noise, a trail of black smoke passed through forests, floated over snow-capped mountains, was shattered by fierce winds and hail, then drilled through the Nevada mountain tunnel that A’Fu had once helped excavate, then raced into the desert, dispersing into azure smoke.

The train advanced under the scorching sun, shuttled under stars and moon, like a black snake winding through colorful rock and sand. Mile by mile, it split open the vast American continent.

It was truly hard to believe. Just a narrow railway track, hidden in grass, in mountain hollows, occasionally crossing a river with two steel lines, could connect two oceans and pull all the residents of an entire continent, bewildered and helpless, into a new era.

Chen Lanbin stroked his beard in amazement – without traveling abroad, how could one know that Western science and technology had advanced so far? If trains could be used to deploy troops during wartime, reducing months of travel to mere days, how could any campaign fail?

“If these mechanical crafts could benefit the country and people, sigh, what would be wrong with that?”

Travel broadened horizons, allowing an old scholar who had read sage books his entire life to contemplate new ideas he had never considered in decades.

A group of children beat their chests, declaring boldly: “When we learn Western railway technology, we’ll build railways everywhere in the Qing Dynasty too, letting you travel from the capital to your hometown in three days!”

Chen Lanbin laughed heartily, then waved his hand, saying it was impossible. America had uniquely favorable geographical conditions, with vast plains in the middle allowing trains to race. Although the Qing Dynasty had vast territory, the terrain was rugged with mountains, peaks, forests, and deserts – tracks couldn’t climb up there. In truly strategic locations, they would still have to rely on mules, horses, and camels.

Lin Yuchan couldn’t help saying: “When meeting mountains, build roads; when meeting water, build bridges. Supply isn’t a problem either. Future trains will get faster and faster.”

Chen Lanbin looked at her with a smile, obviously thinking she was daydreaming: “Faster than this? That won’t do – people wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Lin Yuchan smiled without speaking, thinking that if she took these officials on a high-speed train, they’d probably be scared out of their wits.

At this time, vast areas of the American West remained undeveloped. Herds of elk, buffalo, and wild horses galloped across the wilderness, sometimes occupying the tracks. Conductors would nervously notify passengers in all cars not to make noise and especially not to fire guns, or they might startle the buffalo herds, which could overturn cars – a common occurrence.

Suddenly, a long whistle sounded in the distance. Naked Native Americans rode horses, faces painted with various colors, drawing bows to hunt beasts. Like a gust of wind, they accompanied the train for several minutes, shouting demonstratively at people in the windows, then suddenly disappeared, leaving only hoofprints and dust.

The Chinese people on their first journey to foreign lands couldn’t get enough of the daily strange and wonderful sights, feeling as if they had mistakenly entered the otherworld of the “Classic of Mountains and Seas.”

One deep night, snoring echoed through the sleeping car. Suddenly, the car lurched violently, then slowly stopped. A few seconds later, it began rolling backward.

Someone drowsily woke up and was about to complain when suddenly several clear gunshots rang out just outside the car!

Screams erupted everywhere.

Lin Yuchan was sleeping on the lower sofa berth. Half-asleep, she poked her head out to look and was immediately wide awake with fright.

In the moonlight, five masked bandits on horseback with guns were robbing the train!

Night trains didn’t travel fast, so it was easy to damage the engine. The train was paralyzed in the middle of a desert, at their mercy.

Minister Chen Lanbin was so frightened his hands and feet trembled, his first reaction being to kneel and pray to Buddha and the Empress Dowager for protection.

“How come America has bandits too…”

However, traveling in the nineteenth century, wherever you went, bandits and robbers were standard. It wasn’t like the sky was falling.

Several quick-witted children had already tumbled under their seats. Rong Hong and several teachers also put on their clothes, getting the children to lie down one by one.

With a click, Su Minguan loaded his revolver and said in a low voice: “Few bandits, likely seeking money, not lives. They’ll go to the baggage car and private compartments. We just need to stay quiet.”

Lin Yuchan huddled in the corner of the sofa, embraced by him, and was comfortingly patted on the shoulder. She gently pressed down on the back of his gun-holding hand.

In strange lands, one couldn’t show off recklessly. Since learning that another small life depended on her for growth, she felt herself becoming visibly more timid, hating all risks.

In this real-life version of the Wild West, she’d rather not be a player – better to be just an obscure NPC.

American passengers in the car resigned themselves to fate, hiding under seats and praying in different accents. Only Sam couple’s baby slept soundly.

Sure enough, clanging sounds came first from the baggage car area as wealthy passengers’ luggage was selectively unloaded. Then came several screams and cries, but no one dared snatch things from armed bandits.

Su Minguan listened quietly, occasionally frowning and complaining about the robbers’ slow efficiency. He remained completely motionless.

About half an hour passed before hoofbeats gradually rose, circled the train for a while, then gradually faded away.

The entire train came back to life. Conductors rang bells announcing that the danger had passed. Some ran to check their luggage. Technicians quickly got to work making repairs while others ran to nearby telegraph stations to send for help.

Just as everything seemed to return to order, suddenly, hoofbeats returned!

The wind carried intermittent shouts in heavy, indistinguishable Western accents.

Sam’s face was ashen, his teeth chattering as he helped translate: “They just heard there’s a Chinese delegation on the train, planning to kidnap them for ransom… three people didn’t dare come, two came back… they say Chinese are easy to deal with, they’ve never failed robbing railway workers before—”

Bang! Bang!

Su Minguan had already opened the window, leaning out to fire several shots by moonlight. One horse was hit and fell, the bandit on top was thrown off and pinned under one leg, screaming like a pig being slaughtered.

This was truly bringing calamity upon oneself. The other bandit fled in terror.

The entire car of Americans looked on with solemn respect. Applause and whistles came from several cars.

The train engine was repaired and whistled as it started moving.

Su Minguan had just opened fire with his revolver and returned to the sofa with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

This could be considered getting some revenge for the Chinese worker brothers.

He unloaded the remaining bullets from the gun, studied it for a long time, then tucked it back beside Lin Yuchan. She had fallen asleep despite her nervousness.

Western firearms technology was advancing rapidly. Using a gun that could fire continuously for the first time was like opening the door to a new world.

She knew how to pick things.

It was still more suitable for her to use.

Several boys climbed up from the floor, timidly asking Su Minguan if they could learn firearms from him.

Su Minguan glanced at Minister Chen’s expression in the distance and quietly laughed: “Sleep.”

But Chen Lanbin’s gaze didn’t move away. Across several rows of seats, by the moonlight from outside, he studied Su Minguan’s face.

Su Minguan asked quietly: “Does Minister Chen have any instructions?”

Chen Lanbin was silent for a long time, then smiled: “No. This official was just thinking that although you’re not a member of the delegation, you showed no fear in the face of danger and protected our group’s safety. When Chinese people are abroad, regardless of status, we should support each other. You did very well… Oh yes, this official is old and forgetful – you are… surnamed Lin?”

Su Minguan was slightly startled, then nodded with a smile.

“How long have you been in America?”

“Many years.”

Chen Lanbin smiled: “I thought so. I almost mistook you for someone else.”

Having said this, he lay down on his berth and closed his eyes without another word.