Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 49 Pickaxe Handle Again

One of the two people boarded a sleeper berth, while the other sat in the driver's seat.

The nature of male friendships is sometimes hard to define; a few cigarettes and a few casual words can sometimes lead to a friendship.

Li Wei recounted the frustrating experience he had encountered and learned that the truck ran along the coast of Fujian Province. This particular trip took them to the provincial capital, where they were bringing back general merchandise. The two men were brothers from the same family, both surnamed Zhou, and both were seasoned drivers.

After chatting for a while, Li Wei swallowed his pride and ate a few of their pancakes.

After a quick cleanup, the truck drove out of the service area.

"Brother Zhou, with so many big trucks coming to Langya Department Store every day, do you think we can sell anything?"

"Brother, you haven't been in this business long enough to know, but right now only Langya Logistics can ship nationwide at the fastest speed; most other logistics involve transshipment."

"Isn't that just spending more money?"

"It doesn't cost much money, and it's faster. The freight cost for our return shipments is just enough to break even. Only the shipments that go out make a profit. Overall, it's cheaper for the shipper than finding a truck directly from the origin."

"Is this your own car?"

"My brother and I bought it together."

Li Wei looked at the 336 twelve-speed Auman with envy: "Then you two must be making a fortune."

The two brothers shook their heads almost simultaneously: "It's just hard-earned money. We leave our wives and kids at home, we don't see them, we don't know how well they're doing in school, we're abandoning our families and careers. Who would want to do this if there were other options?"

Listening to the steady engine sound, touching the soft sleeper berth, and looking at the small refrigerator in the corner, Li Wei said, "You two have brought your whole house here."

"I have no choice but to work hard! My car loan is almost 20,000 yuan a month, and the insurance is almost 20,000 yuan a year. How can I support my family if I don't save money?"

"Why don't you say that the car will be yours in three years? This is called getting a good deal and then complaining. If I don't give you a loan, when will you ever save enough to buy this big car worth over 500,000?"

"That's right, the country is good, so we should be content with what we have."

"Brother Zhou, I've heard Fujian Province is very wealthy, right?"

"Why believe that? It's only in coastal areas. Their mountainous areas aren't even as good as our Langya."

"I heard their average salary is very high?"

"Oh! Your surname is Li, and Li Ka-shing's surname is also Li. Your combined income is quite high, but what use is it to you?"

"That's true."

Then, listening to the two brothers talk about their experiences in Fujian Province broadened Li Wei's horizons.

"Let me tell you, brother, it's better to marry a girl from Fujian province. They're truly hardworking and resilient. The restaurant my brother and I went to was run by locals. The men sat on recliners by the door drinking tea while their wives and sisters-in-law were busy cooking, serving dishes, and cleaning tables. They were working like crazy, and the husbands didn't even have to lift a finger," said Mr. Zhou, the driver, with envy.

"Yes, yes!" Sleeper berth driver Zhou immediately perked up: "I asked her why she didn't call her husband to help, and guess what his wife said?"

Li Wei readily agreed: "Oh? What did you mean?"

The sleeper berth attendant, Mr. Zhou, slapped his thigh and, mimicking a woman's tone, said, "My husband is a man destined for great things; how can I let him do such tedious little tasks!"

The driver, Mr. Zhou, immediately chimed in: "That man is short and ugly, but his wife is very beautiful, has a great figure, and is so capable. I heard from others that the man has been thinking about doing something big for five or six years and still hasn't figured it out."

"Yes! The key is that the wife was quite happy. There were many people eating at the restaurant, and they were all exhausted, but she didn't let her husband do any work."

The two brothers sighed at the same time, "Why don't we have such good wives?"

Could it be that this kid is well-endowed...? Li Wei quickly shook his head, dispelling the thought.

"Sigh! We're never home, and my wife has become like Pan Jinlian without me even realizing it. It's pitiful."

"Of course not, the child is already so big," Li Wei said with a smile.

"You can see? It's not like you're a shy young woman who can't say anything just because you have a child."

"You two are overthinking it, everything will be fine."

Suddenly, the sleeper driver, Mr. Zhou, said, "That's right. Your wife knows you're leaving today, but she definitely won't know you're going home. Listen to me, don't call after you get off the train. Go home secretly to check on things. We've been on this trip for over ten days, and she hasn't said she'd be coming back today. The kids are all at boarding school, so we're planning a surprise visit to see if anything's wrong at home."

Li Wei was a little dumbfounded: "Isn't this a bad idea for you two? What if you accidentally upset your wives?"

"Tch, just say your phone died, it's too late, and you didn't want to wake your wife while she's asleep, so make up a lie."

That's true. My wife is quite pretty. What if she does something naughty while I'm not home, even after I've put the kids to sleep? It's not like I'm used to having an extra hat on my head all of a sudden.

He kept saying that his wife was definitely fine, but in his heart he was thinking about how to explain his sudden return home.

It was past 11 p.m. when Mr. Zhou finally got off the highway. Instead of going to the unloading point, he parked directly in a large parking lot nearby.

Li Wei and the two of them left the parking lot, and after thanking him again, they said goodbye.

At the entrance of the parking lot, there were many red three-wheeled and black taxis that had come out to chat because they were too hot at home. When they saw Li Wei and his two companions standing at the entrance with their bags, they immediately greeted them with smiles and asked if they planned to stay at a hotel or go to a bathhouse to relax.

Two weeks later, Li Wei got into a taxi and drove off. After thinking it over, he realized that going home was the priority. After some haggling, an old man in his sixties won the price of 14 yuan over those guys who were holding out for 15 yuan.

This little tricycle, carrying just me, charges 80 cents per kilometer, while our big trucks, carrying dozens of tons, only charge 8 or 9 yuan per kilometer.

A big truck consumes over 40 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers, how much does your little tricycle consume? And how much do I weigh?

We need to secure and seal the cargo when loading it, but I can get on your tricycle myself without having to worry about sealing it.

If we follow my calculation, how much do you think it would cost?

Recalling how a group of tricycle drivers waved their hands repeatedly after he spoke, saying they wouldn't pick him up even if he didn't work for three days, Li Wei smiled and thought, "My eloquence has improved!"

The old man is right. We also need to earn money to support our families. It's not easy working in the middle of the night. Since you think fifteen is too much, I'll give you a discount of one yuan.

Sure enough, I guess that old gentleman must be a retired leader who doesn't care about a few cents; he just wants to contribute his remaining energy to serve the people. Unlike those greedy guys who won't work for less than fifteen cents.

Under the bright streetlights, the little tricycle chugs along, puffing out black smoke, carrying Li Wei's myriad worries as it races home.

Upon arriving near the residential area, Li Wei called for the car to stop. After paying, the old man continued to work, searching for jobs all over the streets.

Even late at night, there were still many stalls on the streets of Langya. Li Wei patted his stomach, feeling embarrassed that he hadn't eaten his fill in the car.

It's just past noon, how about a bowl of noodles? But after wandering around for a bit, I realized it's all just barbecue skewers.

The skewers are a bit pricey, so I'm skipping them and going home.

I rushed back to the residential area, only to find the gatekeeper asleep.

Li Wei slowed his pace as he entered the building, tiptoed to his own door, and took out his key to open it.

Hmm? Li Wei gently tugged a few times; was it locked from the inside?

Damn, this is no problem for my skillful brother Li Wei. When he was in prison a while ago, he thought it was good to have more skills, so he learned how to open a locked door from an old craftsman who liked to do chores whenever he had free time.

Wei quietly went downstairs into the storage room, took out some tools, and went back upstairs.

Watch out, I'll get rid of you in five minutes. If I find out my stinky wife is doing something bad, watch out, I won't be polite.

A dozen minutes later, with a soft rustling sound, the door opened, and Li Wei quietly entered. He saw that all the curtains were drawn, and the room was pitch black.

Li Wei turned around and quietly closed the door, then crouched down and made his way to his bedroom.

Suddenly, a bright flashlight shone in front of him, shining directly into Li Wei's eyes. The instant shock made him close his eyes tightly, feeling as if he was about to go blind.

With a scream, a dark shadow slammed into Li Wei's head with a thud.

"Ouch, she's murdering her husband!" Li Wei cried out in pain, his body swaying precariously. It was a pickaxe handle. How could there be a pickaxe handle in the house?

Then Lu Lili's voice rang out: "Li Wei? Jingjing, don't hit him..."

"Bang!" Li Wei was hit hard on the back again, this time by the handle of a pickaxe.

Is that my wife and sister-in-law? They hit me so hard! They're so strong, yet I always have to do all the heavy lifting. Next time, let them carry the gas cylinders themselves!

"Thump," poor Wei Ge thought to himself before collapsing heavily to the ground.