Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 469 On the road

After receiving the funds from Sister Zhou, I filled up my gas tank at the health department.

Just before driving off, Sister Zhou suddenly took out a portrait of Mr. Li, climbed into the driver's seat, and hung it on the rearview mirror.

She explained in a low voice, "I got this from the driver foreman at my workplace. Hanging this portrait on long-distance drives is not only a sign of respect, but also a way to ask for the God's protection. The old man has fought in so many battles over the years, yet he has never been injured. He is the God of Peace!"

Chen Fan suddenly realized why so many experienced drivers hang portraits in the driver's seat; that was the reason.

He said "thank you" to Sister Zhou.

He then waved goodbye to the group of people seeing him off from the health department and drove off in his car.

After driving two streets, Chen Fan held the steering wheel with one hand and the map given to him by the driver foreman of the health department with the other.

But he still needs one hand to scratch his head.

This map doesn't have a cardinal directions, how am I supposed to read it?

Do I need a compass too?
(A national transportation map from the 70s; long-distance drivers dared not drive without it.)
Fortunately, there aren't many long-distance routes these days. After asking around and driving around the city for a while, I finally found the exit from the city, got on the national highway, and the road stretched out flat.

After Chen Fan redesigned and modified the car, the air leakage problem has been greatly improved and is almost imperceptible. The shock absorption system has also undergone major surgery, making it very comfortable to drive.

However, even in the dead of winter, without any draft, one can still feel cold hands and feet, so there's not much comfort to be had.

Fortunately, Russian cars are all equipped with air conditioning, although they only have heating and no cooling, it's enough.

Chen Fan turned on the car's heater, and a blast of warm air made him feel much more relaxed.

After getting onto the national highway, the traffic and pedestrian flow on the road decreased significantly by more than half.

The entire highway was his runway! ...Then I saw a long-distance bus.

I don't know which bus station this bus came from; the roof was piled high with luggage, and the inside was full of passengers.

Chen Fan honked the horn twice, and the bus in front immediately slowed down and moved to the right.

There's no other way; the national highway is too narrow now. I can only ask the person in front to make way, otherwise I can't overtake.

Chen Fan sped up and overtook it from the left, glancing at the bus carriages along the way.

Yes, it was very quiet and safe. Even the passengers with standing tickets were holding onto the seat backs with serene expressions and swaying their bodies in the aisle. I wish them the same ease during their next 5-hour journey.

With a press of the accelerator, the car quickly passed the bus, and ahead lay another flat plain.

We drove for a while, and I don't know if we've left the Yunhu area yet.

It shouldn't be the case. Before Yunhu was fragmented into several parts in the 80s, it was the largest region in Jiangnan Province, without exception. It occupied the largest area and the best resources among all regions in Jiangnan, and its comprehensive strength in terms of economy and population once surpassed that of the provincial capital.

Unfortunately, after being fragmented, its fortunes plummeted, and it couldn't even rank in the top three in the province.

Chen Fan looked at the map and realized that he was still driving within the Yunhu area.
It had been two hours since they left, and the modified car was traveling at an astonishing speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour on the national highway, overtaking one bus, truck, and lorry after another that was only traveling at 4 or 50 kilometers per hour.

Looking at the dashboard again, it's almost 150 kilometers. When will we reach the provincial capital?

Chen Fan shook his head and sighed as he looked at the map. He gripped the steering wheel, made a turn, and then looked up again—holy crap…

I slammed on the brakes... With a screech, the tires left two scratches on the ground, and I came to a close call on the road.

Half a meter in front of the car, a woman who looked about 18 or 9 years old, wearing a red top, black pants, and carrying a large blue cloth bag on her left arm, was standing with her arms outstretched in a daze.

A drop of sweat slid down her forehead.

That car is so fast!

Chen Fan rolled down the car window, stuck his head out, and shouted, "Are you out of your mind?"

The woman abruptly pulled her arm back, quickly ran over, and asked in a low voice, "Comrade, could you give me a ride?"

Chen Fan was stunned. What did that mean?
Not a staged accident scam?
The woman was momentarily stunned when she saw his face, and she couldn't help but swallow. When she came to her senses, she said cautiously, "I'm going to the provincial capital to visit relatives. My father told me I can hitchhike on the road."

Chen Fan then realized that these days, people take buses not only from the city, where people go directly to the bus station, but also from the outskirts, suburbs, and rural areas, where people wait for buses on the roads they must travel.

Moreover, in some remote areas, because it is not easy to find a vehicle, they will stop any vehicle, regardless of whether it is a passenger vehicle or not, and ask for a ride.

Of course, whether someone is willing to help depends on luck.

That's just the reality; I can understand the frustration of waiting for the bus.

But this isn't the way to stop a car!
Chen Fan sighed in frustration and looked her over. "Going to the provincial capital? First time hailing a cab?"

The woman nodded repeatedly. "How did you know?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "Who in their right mind would stop a car in the middle of the road? Aren't they afraid of getting hit and killed?"

The woman's eyes widened upon hearing this. "If not in the middle of the road, then where is it?"

Chen Fan barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Stand on the side of the road!"

The woman scratched her head. "If I stand to the side, will the driver be able to see me?"

Chen Fan couldn't help but sigh softly; this level of intelligence was truly something else.

He patiently pointed to the road and said, "If you want to go that way, stand here and wait for the bus. If you want to come back, wait over there. When you see a bus, wave to it, and it will stop. Then you can get on and buy a ticket."

The woman looked left and right, "This way? That way?"

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, "I need to take a bus now, can you give me a ride?"

As she spoke, she reached into her large bag and said, "I'm not taking this ride for free, I have money."

Chen Fan looked at the dozen or so yuan in her hand and smirked, "Here's a piece of advice: when you're out and about, don't flaunt your wealth."

Seeing the woman's puzzled expression, he changed his explanation to plain language, "It means you shouldn't take your money out. Just put some change in your pocket and hide the rest of your money so no one will know."

The woman suddenly realized, "To protect against thieves?!"

Seeing Chen Fan nod, she grinned dismissively, "The police have already caught all the thieves, so where would there be any more thieves?" Then she continued with her previous question, "Could you give me a ride?"

Chen Fan's face fell. "It's not on the way, and it's inconvenient. You should wait for the bus by the roadside."

After saying that, he quickly shifted gears and stepped on the gas, and with a whoosh, he flew off.

The road surface is wet right now, otherwise the dust would be enough to choke a person to death.

There's nothing we can do; this section of the national highway is no longer paved, it's just a dirt road. We'll just have to put up with it.

Chen Fan looked in the rearview mirror. The woman stood in the middle of the road for a while, still looking this way. He didn't know if she was cursing him, but then she slowly walked to the side of the road to wait for a car.

He couldn't help but shake his head and exhale a long breath. He had been really scared just now and almost got into a car accident in this day and age.

There's no one or any cars on this main road, who would notice someone suddenly jumping out into the street?!
However, despite his anger, it wasn't because of this that he refused to let the woman get in the car.

The main problem is that it happened in broad daylight, a man pulling a woman along. It's not a pleasant sight, and it ruins his reputation as a virgin!

He dared not look at the map anymore, stepped on the gas and sped towards the provincial capital.

It has to be said that speeding on the highway these days is really exhilarating. Except for occasionally having to watch out for large vehicles when passing each other, he speeds along at all times, overtaking one car after another, leaving behind the legend of a generation of racing gods in the world.

After driving for another two hours, covering a distance of nearly 300 kilometers—a journey that would take an ordinary bus five and a half hours—Chen Fan completed in less than four hours.

Actually, this bus isn't slow; its speed is mainly due to the relatively good road conditions on this national highway. In some mountainous or watery areas, like the 400+ kilometer journey from Ruian to Ningbo, it would take a full 12 hours. And if there's rain or snow, forget about the time; getting there is a victory!
When he drove onto the paved road again, he knew that he had reached the provincial capital and should not be far from the city center.

Not far ahead, there is a large sign that reads "Automobile Station".

These days, there are hardly any service areas. Long-distance bus drivers often have to endure wind and rain while driving.

However, this does not mean there are no service stations at all.

In areas with heavy traffic, such as along national highways near major cities, local traffic management departments typically set up several dedicated transportation service stations.

The names vary; some are called Bus Station Guesthouse, some are called Bus Station, and some don't even have a name, just a sign with a few words written on it: "Park, Eat".

Upon seeing the car rental station, Chen Fan slowed down and drove into the parking lot to park.

After getting off the bus, I ran to the restroom first. After I finished, I went into the inn's canteen.

These days, long-distance bus drivers are basically divided into two types: those in the military and those in other social organizations.

Their resting places were naturally divided into two types.

All military vehicles are taken to the military depot, which is a place specifically for military use and generally does not accept civilian vehicles.

The military's trucks mainly consist of convoys, ranging from three to five vehicles to thirty to fifty vehicles, forming a long convoy. If a company is dispatching, the company commander will ride in the lead vehicle, and a sign will be displayed on the roof that reads "A convoy follows."

Then the instructor was in charge of bringing up the rear, and the last car had four big characters on its tail: "The convoy is finished."

Military convoys like these, besides staying at military depots, will occasionally stay overnight at roadside rest stops if they miss their journey.

Chen Fan glanced at the parking lot just now. Good, there were no military vehicles, so there wouldn't be too many people crowding together to eat.

There were even few civilian vehicles, only a few large trucks, indicating that there were very few people at the rest stop.

It was already 1:30 pm when he came out, and it was almost 5:30 pm. Although he didn't know if the magazine had arranged dinner, Chen Fan didn't want to go there to eat.

If dinner is provided, that would be ideal. If not, you'll have to find a place to eat when you get there, so it's better to fill your stomach first.

There weren't many people in the inn's canteen, only eight, and surprisingly, yet quite logically, they were gathered at two tables put together, drinking and chatting.

Chen Fan bought two dishes and a bowl of soup, as well as a large bowl of rice and two large meat buns, and sat down at a table in the corner.

Before I could even settle into my seat, someone at the next table called out, "Hey bro, which company are you from?"

Chen Fan turned his head and looked around. Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he realized that they were talking to him. He put down his chopsticks and smiled, "I'm from Yunhu."

A burly man in a blue cotton-padded jacket wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled at him, "Yunhu isn't far from here, less than 300 kilometers. Your unit assigned you to drive at this time, is it an emergency mission?"

He pointed to his table and laughed, "All drivers are one family, we're all brothers who drive long distances, you never know when we'll run into each other. You don't look very old, are you new to the job? Why don't you come over and eat with us, we can all share some experience with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone next to him laughed and said, "We all met today. We come from all over the country, but most of us are from other provinces. You're the only one from Jiangnan Province. It's fate that we've met. Why don't you come over and chat with us and tell us about this place?"

Chen Fan chuckled dryly. Aren't drivers supposed to be aloof these days? Why does this one seem so enthusiastic?
However, it was impossible for him to have dinner with them; he had to rush to report for duty.

Chen Fan hesitated for two seconds, then stood up, took out a pack of Peony cigarettes, walked over and smoked them, cupped his hands and smiled, "Thank you all for your kindness, but I have an urgent mission. I have to go into the city immediately after eating. Time is too tight. Next time, I will definitely learn from you all next time."

The man who spoke first, a cigarette in his hand, looked at him and smiled, "Young man, you've got some nerve, not easily offending even strangers like us. You've got a bright future ahead of you!"

He waved his hand and said, "We were just a little drunk and wanted to invite you to join in the fun. Since you're busy, that's fine. We won't take up your time. You can go do your thing."

Chen Fan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting before turning back to eat.

I glanced at the group a few times; they were still drinking and chatting. It seemed they were really bored.

Drivers like them, who work for social organizations and travel long distances, either pick up materials from designated locations or deliver goods to customers across the country. Of course, many more are people from professional freight companies who regularly run a specific route.

Each time a vehicle goes out, it is usually driven by two people in a group, so that they can take turns driving.

However, two people can get tired of each other after a while. In addition, there are few service stations, and it is common to drive for several days without encountering a rest stop.

So whenever we arrived at a station and ran into other colleagues, we would usually get together for drinks and meals to pass the time.

Moreover, although these long-distance drivers are arrogant, they are very close to their peers and are the most likely to understand the saying "more friends, more paths."

If you have a pleasant chat, you can exchange contact information and help each other buy local specialties in the future; it's just a small favor.

If it weren't so late and Chen Fan still needed to find the magazine's address, he would have really liked to chat with them; who knows, he might need their help someday.

But right now, the most important thing is to get to work and register.

(End of this chapter)