Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 13 Trying to Make Money

A group of people burst into laughter and started whispering among themselves: "Pingping, this is still a virgin, you should be gentle with her!"

"Wow! This big man is surprisingly thoughtful. He must know how to sew at home, right?"

"Sell you information? If you were a pretty girl, that might be more like it; at least you could trick some idiot into buying us a meal. These rough, old men are all so indecisive. We're the kind of people who do the hard labor!"

Li Wei grew impatient and roared, "What are you all yelling about? I was just asking a question. Shut up, everyone. Anyone who disagrees, step forward and say something."

Suddenly, the entire room erupted in laughter. The room and the surrounding area were filled with joy...

Li Wei frowned as he looked at everyone. After a while, everyone finished laughing, but they all sat there without moving, their mouths still chattering.

"Such a temper? Young man, if you don't have the skin to swallow your pride, go back! This job isn't for you."

"Yes! The boss is obsessed with cutting wages, the foreman is constantly finding fault, nitpicking and creating problems, and on top of that, we have to deal with highway robbers. This job is tough!"

A thin old man wearing glasses chimed in: "Most of us have stomach problems or back pain and can't take it anymore. We work one shift and then go home to rest for a few days. If you're healthy, find a long-term job and ask Boss Jin to find you a decent boss with a stable salary."

"Yes, yes! Some bosses are too harsh on their employees and often find excuses to deduct their pay. Boss Jin has a lot of contacts, so he can help you find someone who can earn three or four thousand a month."

Jin Ping shook her head: "Old Li, don't listen to their nonsense. Our job pays well based on skill. The wages are higher in Xinjiang and Tibet, but the technical requirements are higher, plus there's altitude sickness, many people here can't handle it. If you don't think this place is suitable, I'll delete your information and you can go somewhere else to try. If you trust me, go with Xiao Sun and see if you can make it. Also, my computer isn't connected to the internet, so the information won't be lost."

Li Wei sighed, "I'll give it a try first!"

These tractor trucks, which were first introduced in 1994, have only become popular in recent years due to the rapid development of road infrastructure. They are known for their large cargo capacity and powerful load-bearing capacity.

I'm pretty good at driving my own car, but I've never driven anything like this before. I'll give it a try! What if I'm one of those rare geniuses who can outpace even the most experienced drivers right away?

Xiao Sun grabbed the keys, drove Jin Ping's Xiali, and took Li Wei away.

Arriving at the parking lot, which was two-thirds full of large trucks, Xiao Sun stopped the car and laughed, "You're in luck! There's so much space here. Last time, it was packed with cars. Let's go."

Li Wei followed him to a corner where a dusty, dilapidated car was parked. There were three parking spaces between the cars. Xiao Sun skillfully turned on the power, opened the car door, got in, and started the engine.

Li Wei stood blankly under the cab, looking at the standard thirteen-meter trailer and listening to the roar of the engine as Xiao Sun controlled the throttle.

Then Xiao Sun jumped out of the car, holding a hammer, and started banging on the tires around the car.

After returning and getting into the car, he gestured for Li Wei to step back and watch. Li Wei stepped back a few steps and saw him shift gears, accelerate, drive out of the parking space, speed up, circle around, and then reverse the car back into the parking space, park it, and turn off the engine.

He jumped out of the car and said to Li Wei, "If we do one lap like this, we'll pass. Then we'll have Boss Jin find a flat route and do a trial run."

Li Wei nodded, opened the car door and got in. Xiao Sun sat in the passenger seat, looking at Li Wei.

Li Wei smiled and nodded, then looked down at the gearshift. It wasn't the new eight-speed car his friend had mentioned; it was still the old six-speed FAW Jiefang truck from his driving school. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

I pressed the clutch, shifted into first gear, and looked around for the handbrake, but couldn't find it.

With a determined look, I revved the engine and released the clutch. The engine groaned dully, then whirred a few times before stalling.

Xiao Sun stared wide-eyed in surprise, pointing to a small protrusion behind the gear shift: "Dude, you started learning to drive pretty early, huh? Now the mechanical handbrake has been replaced by an air brake, you know, that thing, just release it."

Li Wei blushed and awkwardly started the engine. The engine roared to life again. He carefully shifted gears, touched the handbrake, and pushed it hard, but there was no response.

"Lift it up, lift it up with force," Xiao Sun reminded him.

"Oh!" Li Wei was a little embarrassed. He pulled hard, and with a hissing sound of air being released, he breathed a sigh of relief and carefully released the clutch and stepped on the accelerator.

The car slowly drove out and leisurely strolled along the parking lot.

"Accelerate and shift gears? This speed wastes fuel. Watch out for vehicles on both sides, check your mirrors. You have to be careful of your surroundings when this big guy is moving."

Li Wei's forehead was covered in sweat, as if he had returned to the driving school days when he was being nagged by his instructor and was in a flurry of activity.

"Turn, turn left."

"oh."

"Oh my god, stop the car! We're going to scrape it!"

Li Wei was covered in sweat and his big foot slammed down.

As Xiao Sun nervously looked around, the car suddenly stopped, and his head hit the glass.

"Ouch!" the man cried out, clutching his head. "Haven't you ever driven a big truck before? What are you doing? How can a truck turn like a small car? Can you turn without leaving enough space? What if we scrape it? Can you afford to pay for it? Ouch, my head hurts so much."

Li Wei peeked out and saw the front of the car approaching. The car body squeezed into the parking space next to the aisle by more than forty centimeters. When the front of the car came over, he saw that there was a beat-up BMW parked in the empty parking space.

Xiao Sun rubbed his head, raised his hand to pull the handbrake, leaned over to turn off the engine, and pulled Li Wei aside to whisper, "Brother Li, don't say anything for a while. We can't afford to mess with this guy."

Li Wei turned around and looked at Xiao Sun with a puzzled expression.

Seeing the large truck stall, the beat-up BMW rammed forward, wedging its front end right between the front and rear axles, before stopping and turning off the engine.

Ignoring Li Wei, Xiao Sun jumped out of the car, opened the door, and approached the beat-up BMW with a fawning smile, bowing and scraping like a traitor: "Brother Wang, out for some fun? This guy was introduced by Sister Jin's friend. He's just trying out some work, not a stranger. Can you look somewhere else? You can't ask acquaintances for change!"

The BMW rolled down its window, revealing a shiny bald head, an unbuttoned shirt that showed a thick gold chain, about the thickness of a little finger, small eyes, a bulbous nose, and a face full of fat.

"Damn it, is this your property? This is a parking space, I can park however I want, who cares? Who do you think we are? Get lost."

Xiao Sun, unwilling to cause trouble, said, "Brother Wang, I'll leave right away. We agreed that you'd park your car here, so don't cause any more trouble."

"Who the hell are you? I can do whatever I want."

"Brother Wang, you're a person of status, why are you picking on us poor people? If you're so capable, why don't you go and stage an accident at the municipal government? Everyone there is richer than us. What's the point of bullying us pitiful people?"

"So, you're trying to challenge me, you alpaca?"

Li Wei was a little confused, and quickly got out of the car to smooth things over: "This is Brother Wang, right? It's not appropriate for you to park here. Please back up, and we'll go. It's so close, I'm not sure if I can handle it. Xiao Sun, adjust the car, and I'll drive it back."

Brother Wang laughed loudly, then suddenly his face hardened: "Who the hell let their belt slip out? I'd like to see who dares to touch you without a thousand dollars. Get lost."

Li Wei pulled Xiao Sun behind him: "You drive, I want to see what this guy is capable of."

Pointing at this so-called Brother Wang, he said, "Quickly reverse and clear the way."

Suddenly, Brother Wang, wearing a large gold chain, coughed up a mouthful of phlegm that flew straight towards Li Wei's face.

......