Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 36 The Zhang Family

Wang Fuyou is a heartless bastard who's always putting people down. Just wait until we make our fortune, hehe!

Li Wei lay down, muttering to himself, and turned off the light to sleep.

In a daze, he dreamed that he had made a fortune, with countless red hundred-yuan bills piled up in front of him. Just as he was busy counting the money, the phone rang. Wang Fuyou answered the phone, said a few words, and called Li Wei to get up.

Li Wei rubbed his eyes; the money was gone.

The two quickly packed their things and rushed to the logistics company.

After entering the compound and arriving at the greenhouse, Li Wei entered the dedicated line gate through the back door, put down his rice bowl, found the key on the wall, and returned to the driver's seat to put down his clothes.

Wang Fuyou asked Boss Liu how tall the goods were, and Boss Liu told him that they were only 4.8 meters tall, so he confidently directed the loaders to cover them with tarpaulins.

This time, five layers are needed. The first layer is a coarse tarpaulin to cover the bottom and carry the goods. The second layer is nylon cloth. The third layer is a large plastic sheet for rain protection. The fourth layer is a double-layered, thickened plastic sheet, also for rain protection.

Wang Fuyou ran back and forth to make sure that the goods were not covered up.

Finally, cover the top with a layer of three-proof cloth, and then reinforce it with netting.

The loaders got off the forklift and each started to tie ropes on one side to reinforce the structure.

Boss Liu came out, holding a large envelope, and handed it to Wang Fuyou, instructing him, "I don't want to make phone calls, it'll just make me angry. Could you please pass on a message to Zhu Changfei at the unloading station and tell him to transfer the cash-on-delivery fee to me as soon as possible? If this drags on any longer, I'll replace him. He has money to support his mistress but no money to pay the bills, what kind of person is he?"

Wang Fuyou agreed, echoing Boss Liu's accusations, then put the envelope back in the driver's seat and started the engine.

After getting off, he walked around the car to check it, using a crowbar and a rope to tap the tires.

The stevedores packed up and left. Boss Liu shouted, "Have a safe trip!"

I went back to sleep too.

After the two of them had been busy for a while, they were ready to leave. Li Wei watched Wang Fuyou drive from under the car to prevent them from scratching other vehicles or the shed in the narrow space.

I ran to the gate with the car, took the money to the gatekeeper to get the driver's license, and the gatekeeper came out and raised the barrier to let me through.

Li Weicai got into the truck after it left the gate, and the truck sped off towards the highway.

On the roads of Qiantang at night, there are few vehicles, and large trucks can reach the highway without having to dodge.

Once on the right track, Wang Fuyou told Li Wei to continue sleeping, and they would switch shifts after crossing the provincial border.

Li Wei calculated the time, quickly lay down, but found himself having trouble sleeping.

I simply sat in the passenger seat to take notes of the route and chatted with Old Wang while he smoked.

The road wasn't long, but it was full of ups and downs. Going uphill, the speed was as slow as a snail when downshifting, while going downhill, the speed was off the charts when coasting in neutral, which amazed Li Wei, who rarely drives on highways.

Wang Fuyou laughed and said, "This little slope is nothing. The slopes in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are real hills. There are basically no flat roads. They are all ups and downs for tens of kilometers."

Li Wei joked with a touch of wistfulness, "Wow, how much fuel would that save if you could glide like that?"

"Don't worry! Nobody dares to coast in neutral there. Big trucks all have water brakes; they wouldn't dare drive without them to cool down."

"Does our car have water brakes too?"

"This hill is only a few kilometers long. Installing that thing increases the weight, so you can haul less cargo and make less money. If you go further south, you can find trucks from Fujian."

"It wasn't included with the car from the factory?"

"Yes! This is also a way to generate revenue, especially for large trucks that travel long distances on mountain roads. It would be very dangerous not to install water brakes, and any accident would be serious. Installing water brakes is considered unauthorized vehicle modification, and if caught, you will be fined. And fines always need a reason, right?"

"Old Wang, I've noticed something's off with you! You're actually criticizing the regulations? Are you trying to rebel? I think you haven't had enough of the iron fist of the dictatorship of the proletariat."

"Brother Wei, I was wrong. Unauthorized vehicle modifications should be punished. It's just a 30 or 40 kilometer downhill stretch. Why did I need to use the brakes? I could have just closed my eyes and gone."

"Old Wang, you're really mean!"

Old Wang sighed, "Actually, they all know their limits. The fines are within acceptable limits. They basically won't push people to the brink. They all understand that if you kill the hen, there won't be any eggs left to eat next time."

Li Wei laughed heartily, his third realization: No matter how incorruptible an official may be, his subordinates will always be as slippery as oil.

These tasks were definitely done by temporary workers.

We arrived at the provincial border while chatting and laughing. Apart from a few security guards on duty, there were no problems.

After paying the toll and passing through, a security guard came over and stopped the car from leaving, saying that it was too tall and too wide and needed to wait for the road administration to start work. Wang Fuyou smiled and handed over fifty yuan in his empty wallet, telling them, "The car will cause congestion if it's parked here. I'll drive the car to a more spacious place ahead."

The security guard took the money, returned the ID card, and said, "Wait up ahead. Someone will come to handle this tomorrow morning." Then he ran off to stop other vehicles.

Li Wei watched the approaching trucks; very few of them were overloaded. Five or six security guards were extremely busy.

Wang Fuyou quickly accelerated and drove off, passing through the tunnel and entering the service area to change shifts.

"Brother Wei, I'm going to get some water. The water from Taihu Lake is very sweet, but it won't taste good after this service area."

Li Wei agreed, walked around the car to check it, sat back in the driver's seat, lit a cigarette and waited, while turning on the lights to look at the map and compare it with the highway markings written on the paper.

The passenger door opened, and Wang Fuyou got in and put down the thermos: "Brother Wei, that's no use. I'll just tell you how to get there, and you'll remember everything in one trip."

He said "Oh," closed the map, started the engine, and drove off. It was over 150 kilometers to the bridge. After a while, Wang Fuyou got sleepy, gave Li Wei a few instructions, and then went to sleep in the back.

There were very few cars on this road. The wide, six-lane road was flat and smooth. Li Wei forgot the advice that 60 km/h was the most fuel-efficient speed and stepped on the gas, letting himself go.

Don't let the old car fool you; it can go incredibly fast. What should have been a three-hour journey took Li Wei only two and a half hours.

Once inside the bridge toll plaza, Wang Fuyou was patted on the shoulder and weighed.

The guy rubbed his eyes, checked his phone, and exclaimed, "Brother Wei, what speed are you going? Oh no, Gao Bapi is going to yell at us!"

"Huh?" Li Wei remembered the advice that sixty was the most fuel-efficient fuel, and felt a little uneasy: "Around eighty."

"Sigh! Never mind, just make sure you... I'll tell you later..."

This guy's been going on and on, and Li Wei sat in the passenger seat listening helplessly.

A few minutes later, after crossing the bridge, they switched directions and continued driving. Wang Fuyou muttered something for a while before going back to sleep.

Remember the lesson, maintain your speed, and you'll find yourself in the darkness before dawn after taking the highway.

As everyone knows, driving in the middle of the night is the most exhausting. Li Wei, who hadn't slept well in the first half of the night, started to doze off. Helplessly, he imitated Lao Wang by pinching his thigh and smoking.

I waited until dawn, and only ran a little over 100 kilometers. I didn't dare rub the insides of my legs anymore, because they hurt when I touched them. I also finished a pack of cigarettes.

Listening to Wang Fuyou's even snoring, Li Wei regretted not sleeping when he should have, and instead spending more than two hours chatting with this guy.

Open a pack of cigarettes and keep working hard.

Wang Fuyou once said that staying up late is a basic skill for a qualified driver. If you want to make a living this way, you must learn to sleep and wake up whenever you want.

After driving for a while, the car gradually slowed down, and the surroundings became quiet.

"Slap!" Li Wei slapped himself hard across the face, shook his head, and lit a cigarette.

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P.S.: This morning, my editor helped me change the name, and the contract needs to be reprinted. I forgot how to download it, so the silly girl at the print shop and I spent two and a half hours figuring it out on our phones.

Then the silly girl said she had lost a lot of money and that I had delayed her business, so she insisted that I add five yuan.

Are you kidding me? The infamous "Iron Rooster of the Glass" was known for being extremely stingy. Was he the kind of person who would casually part with an extra five dollars?

I patiently argued with her for two hours, and finally, the silly girl was convinced and admitted that she was wrong.

They waived the printing fee and even gave me a free bottle of water.

Pshaw, you look down on me? Printing fees are a must.

I spent another hour talking, which made the silly girl seem even sillier. After taking the money, she even gave me a bottle of water.

It seems that when doing things, one should always persuade others with virtue and reason, as this is more cost-effective.

Upon reflection, I realized I'd lost out; not only had I neglected to plan the chapters, but more importantly, my throat was very sore.

When I got home, my son actually questioned why I hadn't cooked for him.

Are you kidding me? I'm not a professional cook. Who says parents have to cook? You're a middle school student, can't you cook for me?

Just as I was trying to reason with him, his wife came home.

My throat hurt, and I couldn't argue with that mother and daughter. I was berated and felt utterly worthless.

I'm not eating. I'll find a place to hide and write. I got a little hungry in the afternoon. My wife was at home and I felt bad going back, so I bought a radish and ate it.

I feel even hungrier now.

Or should I go home, admit my mistake, and cook?