Book 3: Chapter 1: Night Train
Clatter…clatter…
The rumbling clatter of the metal wheels striking against the rails echoed in a rhythmic pattern.
Yuan Meng Yu sat in a swaying, iron-plated train carriage. She gazed outside the opposite window where the crimson setting sun was slowly bringing down the last of its twilight glow as it sank under the horizon bit by bit.
The curtain of night silently descended.
It was currently 6:30 PM. There would be another twelve whole hours until the train would arrive at its destination.
This was a night train that departed from the bustling S City and headed southbound non-stop without any pauses in the middle. If nothing unexpected occurred, it would arrive at a small and remote mountain village tomorrow morning.
The twelve-hour journey was long and dull. Moreover, this was an extremely isolated path with no scenery to view, especially since it was during the night. All that reflected in the windows on both sides was boundless darkness.
I doubt anyone would enjoy this kind of boring and unbearable train ride. Especially with how many airplane flights there are now. Even a distance that spans over mountains and waters can be covered in just two or three hours. I bet there are very few people that would choose to take a train as their first choice nowadays.
This was an era of rapid substantial change. Everything followed a fast tempo because time was money.