Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 15 Uncertain Future

"Big brother, we were wrong, let's talk this out."

"Now you know how to talk properly? Where did that energy go? I haven't had enough yet! Why don't you call a few more people over?" Li Wei excitedly flexed his wrists.

Wang Fugui shook his head repeatedly: "No more, it's all a misunderstanding. We brothers were blind to your greatness, please forgive us, brother. Um, I'll host a banquet later and invite you to have a few drinks to apologize."

Li Wei waved his hand: "I don't usually drink much, forget it! You guys are all young men who don't do anything serious and instead think about these crooked ways. You'll get into trouble sooner or later. Back the car up, I need to test drive it so I can get to work and make some money."

Wang Fugui nodded repeatedly: "Brother is right, I'll drive off right away."

Li Wei ignored him and went to pick up the phone. When he got to the phone, he found that his old Nokia 3310, which he had used for nearly six years, had been broken into three pieces.

Li Wei picked up the phone: "If you break my phone, I'll beat you guys up again."

Wang Fugui looked at Li Wei nervously: "Brother, there are new color screen phones now that can take pictures. Even if it really breaks, I'll buy you a new one right away. Please don't make any more calls."

Li Wei installed the battery and back cover, turned it on, and the familiar music started playing. On the black and white screen, two hands were clasped together.

"Ugh! This thing is really sturdy. Should I drop it again?" Li Wei muttered to himself.

A little dumbfounded, Xiao Sun wandered around behind Li Wei. Hearing Li Wei's mutterings, he came to his senses: "It's useless, Brother Li. I used to have this phone too, and it never broke. I deliberately soaked it in water when I was washing clothes. My wife took it out, removed the battery, and dried it with a hairdryer. Unless you drop it like crazy, you can't break it at all."

The four bald men watched Li Wei nervously, wondering if he would smash his phone and blackmail them.

Li Wei shook his head: "Forget it, it's been used for almost six years, let's keep using it. I'll buy a new one when my son gets into university."

Xiao Sun asked curiously, "How old is your son?"

Li Wei smiled and said, "You're in second grade now. If you study hard, you can go to university in ten years."

Xiao Sun shook his head seriously: "Your son definitely won't like this phone. New phones these days all have color screens, cameras with 300,000 pixels, and music playback. I saw someone online say that future phones will be similar to computers, with internet access, high-definition pixels, photo and video recording capabilities, and even the ability to watch TV series."

Li Wei turned around and patted Xiao Sun on the shoulder: "Young man! Not bad ideas, but even if everything you say is true, with our meager earnings, wouldn't such a high-tech phone cost almost as much as a house? What's the point of buying that thing? Are we going to starve?"

Xiao Sun blushed and argued, "But the internet says that electronic products will become cheaper and cheaper in the future."

Li Wei scoffed, "Everything online is a lie. Even the 'experts' in the newspapers are unreliable. You still believe what's online? Pshaw! They might sell you out one day and you wouldn't even know it."

Little Sun stammered, "But...but the internet says..."

Li Wei sighed and said earnestly, "Xiao Sun, I think you're a good young man. Let me give you a piece of advice: stop posting all that stuff online. Even if all those features you mentioned are implemented, a cell phone costs about the same as a car. Which one would you buy? Who can see that thing if you just put it in your pocket? Driving a car is much more prestigious."

He kicked the bald man, Number Three, who was sitting on the ground, dumbfounded: "Tell me, am I right?"

Number Three, the bald man, nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice: "Big Brother is right. That makes perfect sense!"

Li Wei laughed: "Look, he's a professional con artist who's been around the block, he's seen it all, and he even thinks what I said makes sense."

The third bald man argued, "We're not professional scammers."

Li Wei kicked him again: "I say so, so it is."

Xiao Sun shook his head and remained silent, it was unclear what he was thinking or whether he had been persuaded.

Wang Fugui got into the car and reversed it.

The three bald men hurriedly squeezed into the car, and Wang Fugui drove off.

Li Wei watched them leave, then called Xiao Sun to get in the car and continue driving around.

After this little incident, Xiao Sun became very patient and spoke in a much gentler tone.

Back in front of the parking space, after several failed attempts to reverse, Xiao Sun's voice grew louder again: "You're going the wrong way, brother! Trailers reverse in the opposite direction; you need to allow enough room. How can you not get in this wide-open space? What are you going to do in Sichuan?"

Li Wei, covered in sweat, said, "I'm not going to Sichuan for now. Didn't you say there are flat and wide routes there?"

Finally, getting impatient, he slammed his hand on the steering wheel with a stern face: "You do it! Give me a demonstration."

Xiao Sun was startled and quickly agreed, stepping forward to switch places and patiently explaining how to steer, how many turns were most appropriate, and when to return the steering wheel to center, etc.

Li Wei tried again, and after several attempts, he finally succeeded in backing the car into the parking space.

He turned off the engine, jumped out of the car, and nodded with satisfaction at the large truck: "I've finally tamed you."

Xiao Sun lowered his head and remained silent, carefully locking the car and disconnecting the battery.

The two returned to the Xiali car, and Xiao Sun drove back in silence.

Li Wei asked, "When can I start working?"

"This needs to be arranged by Boss Jin; I work for her too."

Back in the office, all the other drivers had left. Upon seeing the two of them, Jin Ping's hearty laughter rang out: "How was it? As long as that old clunker can be driven well, this new car is a piece of cake!"

Xiao Sun put down the keys, pulled Jinping aside, and whispered something in her ear.

Jin Ping's expression changed several times, and after a long while, she said, "Old Li, well... things haven't been going well lately. And... Boss Che isn't exactly short-staffed either. You've left your phone number here, so I'll let you know as soon as there's work. Go back and wait for my call. In the meantime, you can find some work to do."

Li Wei knew perfectly well that his driving skills hadn't satisfied the other party. This young man, Sun, had just whispered something in his ear, and he thought to himself, "What a despicable person."

When you're in a bad mood, your face naturally looks pale. Li Wei silently picked up his things and prepared to go home.

Just as they were about to walk out the door, Jin Ping suddenly called out sincerely, "Old Li, wait a minute. Actually, your friend asked me to try my best to take care of you, but you really aren't used to big trucks."

"Here's what we'll do! If you have time, try to come over and practice in my beat-up car. I'll definitely arrange things for you when you're ready. Please understand, after all, I can't let the car owner take advantage of me."

Li Wei turned around: "Thank you for your kindness, but I've never driven a big truck before. If I come here to practice, how will the gas cost?"

Jin Ping shook her head: "Forget about the gas money. Just work for me for a few more years. After all, I charge a commission for introducing drivers. Although the car owner pays for it, it's not easy to find a reliable driver."

Li Wei nodded: "Thank you if it's possible. I'll adapt as soon as possible."

He turned around, twirled his bag, and walked away, thinking himself quite dashing.

Not far from the logistics center was an open space. When no one was around, Li Wei's back slumped.

He randomly found a place to squat down, lit a cigarette in a daze, and started smoking. He hadn't found a job, so how was he going to keep his promise to his wife? It would take about half a month to wait for Wang Fuyou, and what if something changed in the meantime?

Going to practice driving? They said it's free. But the favors I owe are even more expensive!

If I don't practice driving, what can I do during this time?

I smoked one cigarette after another until my legs went numb from squatting.

I slowly stood up, feeling a little dizzy.

Shaking his head, he looked around helplessly; he was all alone in the empty space.

Finally, three cars drove towards him on the road. Two vans split to the left and right, revealing the BMW in the middle.

Li Wei looked on blankly. What was Wang Fugui doing here again? Was he going to invite me to dinner?