Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 52 Brother Wei is scared

Boss Bian was delighted and started talking loudly and carelessly: "Do you know why I like to find drivers through Jin Ping? That woman is reliable; the drivers she sends are basically people I know well."

You're talking nonsense again. I only went twice. How could I know everything about you? I'm pure with every woman except my wife. It wouldn't be good to slander me like this. My wife would be angry if she found out.

Boss Bian quickly got into his car, drove it to the back of a line of large trucks, and then told Li Wei to follow the lead trucks.

Li Wei sat bored in the driver's seat, smoking his boss's cigarette. Every ten or twenty minutes, he would move to the next parking space, while Boss Bian got out of the car and disappeared.

Under a gloomy, windless sky, sitting in the driver's seat, which was scorching hot at around 50 or 60 degrees Celsius, and looking at the drooping leaves on the roadside, Li Wei's clothes were quickly soaked with sweat.

Remembering that Boss Bian had deliberately turned off the air conditioning before getting out of the car, Li Wei endured it, turning off the engine and getting out of the car to cool off under the shade of a tree every time he picked up the car.

At noon, the guy returned, followed by four other people. He told Li Wei to lock the car and go eat.

Leaving me here while you go off to have your own fun, this kind of boss expects me to stay with you long-term? No way!

On the way, Li Wei overheard several experienced drivers discussing where to eat, what a few pretty but unfathomable shampoo girls had come to the nearby hair salon, and who had been unlucky enough to be caught by the road administration and fined tens of thousands of yuan. Li Wei felt completely out of place in the conversation.

Boss Bian patted Li Wei on the shoulder: "Master Li, come work for me! I'll pay you to find out what kind of people the shampoo girls are up to."

You can't subdue them, so you want me to step in? You've been smearing me for ages, and there's still no resolution.

Li Wei shook his head and refused: "I'm not that kind of person."

Boss Bian laughed and said, "What's the big deal? Are you afraid your wife will find out? It's alright, she'll definitely understand."

Li Wei touched his head, still vaguely feeling a bit of pain, and said with a somewhat melancholy expression, "I don't understand."

"Just don't let her know."

Pshaw, I don't believe you. Judging from the crude and vulgar language you guys use, you were just laughing at some idiot who almost had his "assistance device" cut up by his wife.

Once you get to know each other, you have frequent family gatherings. It would be strange if you hadn't let it slip.

Besides, who's struggling to pay their grain taxes and still thinking about this? I want to live a few more years and wait to see the men's football team win the championship.

Li Wei shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "Absolutely not."

"Blockhead."

Say whatever you want, I'm a man of principle.

After giving his conclusion, Boss Bian turned around and started chatting and laughing with the others.

Believe it or not, Boss Bian wasn't exaggerating. Lunch was indeed better than anything we'd had before. Three cars, six people, and three bosses – the standard was far higher than what you'd get with just a driver. There was even seafood and local liquor, a bottle of which cost ten yuan, something most people wouldn't dare drink.

Hearing that it would be getting dark before he could get to the front of the line, and that he wouldn't have to worry about anything once he reached the port gate, Li Wei decided to have a few drinks.

Legend has it that people from Shandong Province used to have a flaw: they liked to see others get drunk, especially the first time they drank alcohol. They always felt embarrassed if they didn't let others have a good time.

Seeing that Li Wei was not very sociable, the four of them, led by Boss Bian, started to urge him to drink, intending to get Li Wei drunk and embarrass him.

On the surface, he seemed helpless but was actually delighted; in fact, Li Wei hadn't drunk freely in a long time.

From being hesitant and awkward to actively offering drinks, they only drank seven bottles.

The six of them drank a total of eleven bottles, and to the restaurant owner's delighted surprise, the five scoundrels fell asleep at the table.

"Want to challenge me to a drinking contest?" Li Wei looked at them disdainfully, his expression aloof and arrogant. To be honest, when it came to eating and drinking, Brother Wei was second to none.

After that, he lost his energy. Li Wei, having eaten and drunk his fill, sat in his seat, staring at the restaurant owner.

Even the waiters couldn't take it anymore. After cleaning up, the chefs and other staff went home, leaving behind five slobs sleeping on the table and the restaurant owner who came over a few times only to go back and stare blankly.

Li Wei couldn't sit still any longer. Being stared at like that was really uncomfortable. He stood up, stretched his muscles, and walked out of the restaurant. A little while later, he ran back to his car.

Anyway, Boss Bian said we'll just wait in line.

Following the convoy, it wasn't until after five o'clock that Boss Bian and several others returned, supporting their heads and staggering.

Pointing at Li Wei, Boss Bian ran to the roadside to vomit for a while, then went to his sleeper berth and lay down, muttering, "Close the windows and turn on the air conditioning. I'm not loading any cargo today. I want to sleep."

When you work for someone else, you have to listen to your boss. Li Wei got off the bus and told the cars behind him that they could cut in line. He then ran back to the bus, thoughtfully poured water for his boss, waited for him to wake up and drink, and then leaned back in his seat to sleep.

It wasn't until after 10 p.m. that Boss Bian woke up. He picked up his water glass and drank it all in one go, then covered his head and sighed, "My head hurts so much."

After sitting for a while, Boss Bian handed Li Wei fifty yuan: "Go get something to eat, I'll just wait in line."

"Oh, loading cargo? Should I bring you some food, or do you want to eat it yourself later?"

"I'm not eating anymore, my stomach hurts. There's still time, but if we don't load the goods, we'll waste a day."

Li Wei said sincerely, "Boss Bian, I'm sorry about today. I couldn't control myself and everyone got drunk."

Boss Bian waved his hand: "It's not your fault, we didn't know either."

This boss is really nice. The food is good, the cigarettes are good, and we can even have a little wine. He's also very understanding. It's much cooler here now. If it's Changgan, we can discuss it.

Since he couldn't eat too much when he went out to eat, Li Wei found a boxed lunch place that cost seven yuan, filled his stomach, and came back.

After handing over the change, Boss Bian counted it and looked even more satisfied.

The truck wasn't fully loaded until after midnight, and the total weight of the cargo reached 159 tons when weighed.

Li Wei listened in surprise to the distinctly low, muffled sound of the engine and the howling of the accelerator pedal. Then, looking at Boss Bian's serious face after he replaced the plain water with strong tea, he suddenly felt like he had a completely different boss.

After leaving the port, Boss Bian kept making phone calls. Li Wei followed him. Boss Bian got out of the car first and smeared mud on the front and rear license plates. After washing himself a little, Li Wei saw the group of people who had been drinking at noon driving over.

When the three bosses met, Boss Bian returned and told Li Wei to go to sleep in the sleeper berth.

In this state, how could Li Wei dare to sleep? He sat in the passenger seat, trembling with fear, watching the three large trucks with blurry license plates begin their race.

As we exited the intersection, more and more large vehicles gathered, racing each other and greeting one another with their horns.

All along the way, red and green lights were irrelevant to them. Car horns blared incessantly, and they seemed to be swerving left and right, recklessly speeding along as if their brakes had failed.

Such a heavy vehicle accelerates very slowly and is difficult to brake when it's moving. Fortunately, there weren't many cars on the road late at night, so the speed gradually increased.

Under the stark white xenon headlights, cars on the road swerved to avoid him. Looking at the fearless Boss Bian, Li Wei felt a chill run down his spine.

Suddenly, the phone rang abruptly. Boss Bian immediately turned on the speakerphone, and a terrified voice came from the other end: "Brother Bian, there's a road administration checkpoint ahead."

Under the light, Boss Bian's face looked so ferocious: "Damn it, you took the money and didn't do the job? If you dare to stop me, just run me over."