Chapter 61 Ding Ding Car

East four.

Next to the yellow stop sign for tram number 2.

Wang Mengde and He Shengnan were standing there waiting for the car to arrive.

Today, they plan to take advantage of the holiday to take the tram and go for a stroll over the overpass.

Tram, also called "Dingdang car".

As for why it is called this name, it is because the wiring equipment on the roof of the tram will make a unique "grinding" sound when the tram is running; plus when the driver steps on the horn button with his foot, a tinkling sound will be heard from the front of the car.

Therefore, people all over Beijing call trams "ding ding cars".

"Mom, why is this bus stop sign yellow?" A little girl, about four or five years old, who was not far from them, asked her mother.

The mother, who was in her thirties, was visibly stunned when she heard her daughter's words.

After riding the tram for so many years, she really didn't know the reason.

Seeing that her mother didn't say anything, a trace of disappointment flashed in the little girl's eyes, and she looked up and continued to stare at the bus stop sign in a daze.

"Meng De, do you know?" He Shengnan asked in a low voice.

"I actually know the reason." Wang Mengde said with a smile, then he leaned over to his wife's ear and said a few words.

He Shengnan suddenly understood what was going on. She walked up to the little girl, squatted down and said softly, "Little sister, this yellow sign represents the No. 2 tram, the red sign represents the No. 1 tram, and the blue sign represents the No. 3 tram..."

"Why use different colors? Mainly because it is to make it easier for illiterate people to ride the bus so that they can distinguish them."

"So that's how it is. Thank you, big sister." The little girl thanked her.

At this time, a Type 52 8-wheeled tram with a beige upper part and a dark red lower part came slowly over with a clanging sound of "grinding electricity" and a "big braid" on its head.

People waiting on the platform quickly lined up.

They got on the bus in an orderly manner. There were not many people on the bus at that time, so Wang Mengde and He Shengnan found a seat and sat down.

The seats on the tram are arranged in a row along the sides of the windows, and the seat surfaces are made of wooden strips.

After everyone got on the bus, a female conductor looked outside carefully, then blew the copper whistle hanging around her neck, making two soft sounds, one high and one low, to remind the driver that he could close the door and drive away.

Regarding the matter of blowing a whistle to remind the driver, a Beijing-style proverb was born: "When an old lady gets on the tram—don't blow it first!"

After the vehicle started, the conductor began to collect fares from every passenger who had just boarded the vehicle.

When it was He Shengnan's turn, she took out her monthly bus ticket. The conductor checked it carefully and returned it to her after finding that it was correct.

The monthly pass for employees in Beijing is RMB 3.5 per month, and can be used to take any bus line in the city.

As for her monthly ticket, she bought a suburban special line ticket because she has to take the bus to Qinghe for work. It costs four yuan a month. In addition to the urban bus line, she can also choose to take one more fixed bus route.

As for Wang Mengde, he basically didn't take the bus and didn't have a monthly ticket, so he could only take out ten cents and hand it to the conductor.

The current tram ticket prices, like those in later generations, are tiered, 5 cents, 10 cents, and 15 cents. A 5 cent ticket can take you up to six stops, while a 15 cent ticket is the price for the entire journey. The vehicle slowly moves forward along the track, and the driver occasionally steps on the button under his feet. The bell hanging on the front of the vehicle makes a jingling sound, reminding pedestrians in front to avoid it.

On both sides of the front window frame, there are two devices about the size of a pencil case. When turning, a "little arm" will extend from the "pencil box" on one side to remind pedestrians behind that you are about to turn.

The little girl from before was sitting next to He Shengnan.

"Sister, you and the big brother next to you are both good-looking." The little girl tilted her head, looked at the two of them, and suddenly spoke.

"Thank you, little sister, you are very cute too." He Shengnan said with a smile.

The little girl has two pigtails on her head, a chubby face, big eyes, and a big dimple on one side when she smiles. She is really cute.

"Hehe, sister, where are you going? Niu Niu and mom are going to grandma's house in Qianmen." The little girl was very happy to be praised. She leaned towards this and asked with a smile.

"Sister and brother are going to play over there."

"The overpass, Niuniu likes to go there too." When the overpass was mentioned, the little girl's eyes lit up, and then she turned her head to look at her mother beside her, and then whispered, "It's a pity that my parents are too busy and don't have time to take me there."

Along the way, the two of them got together and chatted happily.

When the car turned at Dongdan intersection, the little girl accidentally glanced out the window, then pointed outside and said, "Sister, look, this is the traffic police directing traffic, and there are many cars waiting in line."

Wang Mengde turned his head and looked outside. He saw a round platform in the middle of the intersection. A traffic policeman was standing on the platform directing traffic with a baton in his hand. Not far away, several cars and taxis were parked waiting for passage.

Taxis are basically brands such as "Victory 20" and "Warsaw", while high-end cars are "JIM" and "GAZ". These cars were donated or imported from Big Brother.

"Wow, Niu Niu is so amazing, she even knows this." He Shengnan said in surprise.

"Hehe, I learned all these in kindergarten." The little girl said proudly.

"Sister, the kindergarten teacher also taught us to sing. Let me sing for you." As she said that, she sang "Let's Row the Boat Together". The clear voice, combined with the clanging sound of the tram, was surprisingly harmonious.

The song "Let's Row the Boat Together" became a must-sing song for every child in Beijing as soon as it was released this year.

Everyone around looked at the little girl with a smile on their face.

The vehicle went along Dengshikou, Dongdan, and Wangfujing and soon arrived at Qianmen Station.

Before getting off the bus, the little girl held her mother's hand and waved goodbye to He Shengnan reluctantly, saying, "Sister, please come to Dongsi to play with me when you have time."

Just now, the two people already knew which alley the other lived in.

"Niuniu is so cute." After the car started again, looking at Niuniu who was still waving at her outside, He Shengnan waved back out the car window and sighed softly.

"Yes, we want to have such a lovely daughter in the future." Thinking of the cute look of the little girl just now, Wang Mengde felt that it would not be bad to have a daughter.

"Yeah." He Shengnan nodded.

She thought to herself that in the future, she and Meng De would have at least four children, three brothers and one sister.

Soon, we arrived at the overpass station.

(End of this chapter)