Reborn in 80: Starting with hunting in the mountains to get rich

Chapter 269 Xu Da Returns to the Automobile Department

Drivers were highly respected and held a certain social status at the time. Later, when color televisions first came out, many of those who could afford them were drivers in their work unit's motorcade.

Li Ju'an tightened the last screw, then used both hands to pull himself out from under the car, got up, nodded to Aunt Zhang and Sun's mother, and that was it.

He got into the driver's seat, and Mr. Chen sat in the passenger seat. He first filled the water tank with water, then cranked the lever for a while before the car could start normally. This was a common practice in older cars. Luckily, it was springtime; in winter, he and Mr. Chen would have to stand behind the car and push it together.

Aunt Zhang was very hospitable. She called out to Li Ju'an, "Little Li! Tell your mother to take some wild vegetables I just picked. Blanch them in boiling water, add them to the meat filling, and make buns or dumplings! They'll taste so delicious."

Before the car started moving, Aunt Zhang ran over to Li Ju'an and passed the wild vegetables from her basket through the rolled-down window. She also happily handed some to Master Chen.

She handed over most of her basket of wild vegetables and flowers to Li Ju'an, making him feel embarrassed. He said politely, "Aunt Zhang, you've given me too much. I can't eat it all."

Aunt Zhang said cheerfully, "If we can't eat it, we'll dry it, pickle it, and use it as filling for dumplings later. It'll taste delicious. Master Chen, right? You've been very kind to our Jia'an."

Li Ju'an turned his head and noticed that Master Chen, who was usually stern and unsmiling, was now even more silent with a stern face, but he didn't refuse the wild vegetables that were stuffed into his hands, and even glanced down at them. He found it amusing and said with a smile, "Thank you, Aunt Zhang, Master Chen likes them very much."

Master Chen turned his head and scolded him sternly, saying, "Have you rested enough? If you have, keep pressing the accelerator. Don't let me see you make any mistakes again."

Li Ju'an quickly responded twice, waved to Sun's mother and Aunt Zhang with a smile, and continued driving.

He gripped the steering wheel, turned it while stationary, didn't even sit on the seat, shifted gears, stepped on the gas, and drove off.

After he left, Sun's mother was still in shock for a long time. She said to Aunt Zhang, "Am I seeing things? That was Li Ju'an, wasn't it?"

Aunt Zhang said cheerfully, "That's right. Who else could it be but Li Ju'an? Who else in our village could go to the forest farm to practice driving? If you ask me, Li Ju'an is good at hunting. Maybe he caught the eye of Leader Chen at the forest farm and wants to work in the motorcade. He can even help the forest farm hunt wild boars and tigers in his spare time. Leader Chen likes to recruit hunters into his unit, doesn't he?"

Sun's mother nodded more and more as she thought about it, repeatedly saying yes. She suddenly slapped her thigh and exclaimed in regret, "Why didn't I think of letting my good-for-nothing son take on the work at the forest farm? Sun Weimin is good at hunting too, why wasn't he chosen by the forest farm leaders?"

Her voice had a sour undertone, laced with sarcasm. As she spoke, she walked forward. Aunt Zhang rolled her eyes inwardly, thinking to herself: "Your son, still trying to steal other people's traps. Everyone in the village knows that. Sun Weimin sneaked around and stepped on a trap, ending up in the hospital."

But Aunt Zhang didn't say anything. She smiled and took Sun's mother's arm as they continued walking back, saying, "Oh dear, once the young man from the Li family gets his marriage certificate and has a car, we can also benefit from it and hitch a ride. Don't you think so?"

"You still want to take advantage of this? You're dreaming. Who said Song Lanhua moved to such a far-away dry land last time? If you ask me, it would be better if you spent more time with Song Lanhua."

Aunt Zhang and Song Lanhua used to be neighbors, seeing each other all the time. Later, Song Lanhua moved with Li Ju'an to the dry land they were allocated to build a new house. Aunt Zhang congratulated her, but she was always uneasy. Compared to others, her son and nephew had received land in a good location, but her grandchildren and children needed money for school, and her son and nephew wanted to buy a house in the city and were unwilling to build one in their hometown.

So her house construction was put on hold. While many other households in the village had already started building their houses and were busy every day, with firecrackers and shouts of celebrations heard everywhere, her house was deserted and quiet.

She told her husband, but he didn't care and always said the old house was fine and they were used to living there. She felt even more upset. Seeing that one self-built house after another had been built while hers was still an adobe house, she vented her anger on her husband: "Don't you think of a solution? We can't just live in this old house forever. We need to think about the future."

Aunt Zhang's protests were in vain, and now she could only look on with envy at Song Lanhua. During the day, apart from gathering herbs in the mountains, she would spend the rest of the time knitting sweaters with Song Lanhua. Song Lanhua was also happy to have her old neighbor come to keep her company, and she gave Aunt Zhang a room to stay in, saying that she could stay there when it got late and go back another day.

That day, Li Ju'an was yelled at by Master Chen all day long. Before he left, Master Chen shouted seriously, "Being strict with you now is not a bad thing. If you have any violations or accidents in the future, the supervision department has the right to revoke your student driving qualification. Only after you have driven safely for a year can you be granted a full driving license."

Li Ju'an would have to drive at the forest farm for a year before he could get his driver's license. There was no use in rushing him during that long. So, he had to go to the forest farm's motorcade every few days to report for duty. After a while, all the drivers at the motorcade got to know him.

Xu Da has finally returned.

Xu Da was finally discharged from the hospital, and his cast was removed. He excitedly returned to the car department and grinned at his colleagues, telling them the good news: "The girl the matchmaker found for me last time is from a nearby village. She's beautiful, down-to-earth, and a virtuous girl who can manage a household. She might be a good match."

His colleagues in the automotive department laughed at him, saying that so much time had passed, and it was another matter whether the girl was still waiting for him.

Master Chen, ever outspoken, said directly, "You've been in the hospital for three months, shouldn't you hurry up and ask the matchmaker? How many blind dates has the matchmaker introduced you to in those three months? Maybe they've all gotten married and registered their marriages."

Xu Da inwardly cursed. Given the matchmaker's mercenary nature, she might actually be very eager to introduce Lin Mei to potential partners. He turned to leave, but then suddenly remembered something and, with a smirk, asked the motorcade commander if he could borrow a car.

"Can I borrow your car, Brother Chen? I'll come back tonight to return it."

"Where are you going with this car? What, picking up girls?"

"Brother Chen, what are you talking about? You can't pick up girls like that. You can only take a girl out for a stroll."

The colleagues in the automotive department exchanged knowing smiles, understanding the situation perfectly. Just like anyone who buys a bicycle will take their daughter out for a spin, the same applies to driving a car.

Master Chen said, "Go ahead, but remember to come back tonight."

Xu Da excitedly shouted, "Great! If it works out, I'll send wedding candy to Brother Chen."