Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 640 Novice on the Road
YP District, Da Ba Temple, driver training school examination site.

On the vast field, Jiang Tiantian gripped the steering wheel with trepidation, her eyes fixed on the cones in the rearview mirror, repeatedly reciting the reversing techniques in her mind, slowly reversing the car into the lines.

She only breathed a sigh of relief when the car came to a complete stop, without crossing the lines or hitting the poles.

Nowadays, there are no different subjects for taking a driver's license test; it's only divided into theory and practical driving.

The theory test covered traffic rules and mechanical knowledge. After a few days of training from Chen Fan, she and her sister passed the theory test with ease.

The practical test is now divided into a road test and a parking test. The parking test is to reverse the car into a parking space. The parking test is conducted first, followed by the road test.

Reversing into a parking space is a skill that requires real expertise; touching the pole or crossing the line will result in elimination. The road test mainly focuses on starting and stopping on an uphill slope, shifting gears and stopping on a downhill slope, and driving on the road.

The vehicle used for the test was a special test vehicle from the bus company, a GAZ-51 medium-sized truck that was older than all of them.

(Training vehicle from the 70s)

Well, at first, the two sisters couldn't even turn the steering wheel. That's when they realized why the older instructors next to them were secretly laughing when they got in the car.

That steering wheel was really heavy; it felt even heavier than the valves in the boiler room where my father used to work.

It wasn't until she instinctively looked at Chen Fan and saw him make a Baguazhang pushing palm gesture that she suddenly realized what was happening. She put both hands together and vigorously rotated them in a circular motion on the steering wheel.

Once you get the steering wheel turning, you can use the momentum to your advantage, and things will be much easier afterwards.

The two sisters practiced driving in a van on the open ground of the large estate that was still under renovation, and quickly learned to drive.

Now that they've switched to medium-sized trucks, Chen Fan spent half a day practicing with them at the training ground, and he mastered the driving techniques for large trucks. So, near the end of the workday, he applied to take the test early.

The head of the driving school didn't care. The person who had received a note from the director of the transportation bureau and a personal phone call was already doing well enough to take the exam properly. What more did they want?!

Let them take the exam earlier if that's fine. It would be best if they could pass. That way, they'd be free from the burden of having to rely on favors from two other students, and they'd be more at ease.

So even if they only studied for one day, the driving school still arranged an exam for them.

Jiang Tiantian parked the car in reverse and glanced at the examiner sitting in the passenger seat.

The experienced driver nodded in satisfaction. "Passed. Now for the road test."

He had encountered people like this before who came to learn for a day and then take the test. Most of them had learned to drive from acquaintances outside and were just going through the motions to get their licenses here. These two people were probably like that, so he didn't pay much attention to them.

Upon hearing the instruction, Jiang Tiantian immediately restarted the car and drove off in the designated direction.

The current YP district is an important industrial and residential area in Shanghai. In addition to major factories, many workers' new villages are also built here, so there are many people and cars coming and going on the road.

Once on the road, the old instructor, holding a tin megaphone, kept shouting, "Driver's test time! Driver's test time! Make way! Make way! Make way, everyone make way!"

This process is repeated continuously.

People who were leisurely cycling and walking on the road just moments before turned around to look, only to see an old-fashioned truck chugging along. They quickly made way for it.

Some people simply stood aside and watched the spectacle.

"Wow, that's interesting. The person learning to drive is a young girl."

"This little girl looks so thin and frail, how come she can drive a big truck?"

"Mr. Li said that women hold up half the sky. What, are you looking down on us women?"

"No, no, how could I dare? I mean, that steering wheel is really heavy; most men couldn't even turn it, but this woman can handle it so easily. She must be quite strong!"

"That's why they say women hold up half the sky. I doubt most men would dare to marry this girl. One slap from her could knock out half a tooth."

"Not necessarily. She's good-looking, so there's a good chance someone will dare to marry her."

"Yes, I agree. Besides, being strong doesn't mean having a bad temper. I think we can take a gamble."

……

After half an hour.

The big truck that had just turned back came chugging back again.

"Hey, why is the car back?"

"It's not like only one person was taking the exam; they must have changed the person."

"No, it hasn't changed. Look, it's the same girl from before."

"Yes, it's her, she hasn't even changed her clothes."

"No, that one had a long braid, but this one has two small braids. They're different."

"You're looking at her so closely? Tell me honestly, are you interested in her?"

"There are two of them, which one do I like?"

……

After her sister finished her exam, Jiang Lili drove through the entire road test, and when she parked the car back at the test center, she turned around and stared intently at the examiner.

The experienced mechanic didn't say anything, he just looked at the handbrake.

Jiang Lili's pupils dilated instantly. She quickly pulled the handbrake and gave the examiner a silly grin.

The experienced craftsman nodded gently, "Passed."

He sighed inwardly, feeling utterly exhausted.

They were fine during practice, but made mistakes during the exam. Even such a smart and pretty girl is no exception.

Jiang Lili immediately nodded her thanks, "Thank you, Master."

She then jumped out of the car, ran to her sister, and hugged her tightly, saying, "I passed the test too!"

Jiang Tiantian touched her face, "You'll be a qualified driver from now on."

Chen Fan gave each of the experienced drivers a pack of filtered Zhonghua cigarettes in exchange for two driver's licenses.

He walked over with the driver's licenses, handed them to them, and said, "You are currently only probationary drivers. You can only get your full driver's licenses if you don't have any traffic violations or accidents within a year, so be careful during this period."

There's nothing we can do. This isn't Yunhu, and the two sisters aren't him. They certainly won't issue a formal driver's license directly. They can only start with a probationary driver's license and then exchange it for a regular license after the probationary period.

Jiang Lili took the driver's license, feeling a little uneasy, and looked at him expectantly, "What if I get a traffic violation this year?"

Jiang Tiantian poked her forehead, "Silly girl, couldn't you have opened it carefully?"

Jiang Lili's features scrunched up, and she said with a conflicted expression, "Then I think I won't drive for the first year."

Chen Fan snapped his fingers, signaling them to follow, and said, "There's no need for that. There aren't many cars on the road right now. Just drive slowly. As long as there's no major accident, the traffic police usually won't bother with it."

These days, apart from a few major intersections, where do so many traffic police officers come from? And there's no all-encompassing Skynet system monitoring them.

So unless you're extremely unlucky and have a major accident that happens to be caught by traffic police, nobody will care.

This year-long internship was more of a formality, mainly to put a tight rein on the trainee drivers.

Or, to put it another way, it's like being an apprentice in a factory. After all, drivers are also workers, and they can't be treated specially.

After waving goodbye to the experienced workers, Chen Fan got into the van.

Seeing that he was sitting in the passenger seat, Jiang Lili quickly jumped into the back seat, grinning and giggling.

Jiang Tiantian glared at her helplessly, then looked at Chen Fan and let out a groan, "Uh... we just got our driver's licenses and you're already letting us drive?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "It's good that I'm still here. You guys can take this opportunity to familiarize yourselves with the road so you won't get confused when you drive on your own later."

Jiang Tiantian thought it made sense, so she shook her head and said, "Okay."

After speaking, he walked to the other side, opened the door, got into the car, and under the watchful eyes of Chen Fan and his sister, inserted the key, started the engine, pressed the clutch, shifted gears, and slowly drove off. ...

The next morning, Chen Fan stretched and came downstairs. The two sisters were just about to leave for school when they saw him come down and were quite surprised.

Jiang Lili looked at him curiously, "Are you going out?"

Chen Fan walked to the shoe cabinet by the door, took the car keys, and said, "Starting today, you will drive yourselves to and from school."

The two sisters looked at each other, wondering what it meant.
Then I quickly understood.

Jiang Lili sat in the driver's seat, gripped the steering wheel, took a few deep breaths, and turned to look at Chen Fan. "What was I supposed to do again?"

Chen Fan remained expressionless, feeling that he should postpone his return to school for a few more days, otherwise the girl's driver's license might be revoked in the first month.

After a two-second pause, he sighed and pointed to the keys, "To start the engine."

"Oh oh oh."

Jiang Lili blushed and quickly turned the key to start the engine, then heard her older sister laughing loudly behind her.

Seeing her younger sister glaring at her in the rearview mirror, Jiang Tiantian glared back defiantly, "Who told you to make fun of me yesterday?"

Jiang Lili suddenly lost her confidence and felt it was necessary to reconcile with her sister. "Then, I won't laugh at you anymore, and you're not allowed to laugh at me either."

The two sisters pondered for two seconds, then nodded seriously in unison, as if they had reached a consensus.

However, ... it stalled as soon as it was started, and then laughter started again.

Jiang Tiantian bent over and lay on the seat, laughing incessantly. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it."

Jiang Lili blushed and was burning with anger, leaving Chen Fan leaning against the car window, covering his face and silently gazing at the sky.

He suspected that without his personal instruction, these two would never pass their driving test in their entire lives.

No, the stay must be extended by another week. We must make sure they all become true veterans!
Hearing her sister's merciless mockery from behind, Jiang Lili's pretty face flushed red and then turned dark. She snorted heavily, took a deep breath, went through all the procedures in her mind, and started over. Finally, she drove out the door smoothly.

After stopping at the door for a while, Chen Fan got out of the car, closed the door, and then got back in before the car started moving again.

After arriving at the school, Jiang Lili finally felt relieved, quickly got out of the car, and stood aside.

Jiang Tiantian got out of the back, sat in the driver's seat, and looked at her younger sister standing beside her. "Why aren't you leaving yet?"

Jiang Lili smiled and said, "I'll go in after you leave."

Jiang Tiantian's face fell, and she suddenly felt that her younger sister was not cute at all.

She turned to look at Chen Fan, who sat silently, but just like when Jiang Lili was driving, he was using all his teaching skills, his gaze sweeping from one place to another.

Jiang Tiantian suddenly had a flash of inspiration, took a deep breath, and decisively started the operation according to the standard procedure.

The series of movements were fluid and seamless, and the car was turned around and driven away smoothly.

Jiang Lili was left standing there with a look of regret on her face, muttering to herself, "How could this be?"
Only then did he walk into the school, turning back every few steps.

Jiang Tiantian drove steadily to the school. After parking, she turned to look at Chen Fan, grinning and giggling, with a hint of lingering enjoyment in her eyes.

Chen Fan looked at her and smiled, "Wasn't it a lot of fun?"

Jiang Tiantian nodded, "I didn't know driving was so interesting."

Chen Fan said, "Then practice hard and try to master it in the next few days. Once you've mastered it, I should go back to Jiangnan."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tiantian's smile faded slightly. She tried to compose herself and appear less disappointed, asking in a calm voice, "Going back so soon?"

Chen Fan shrugged and laughed, "There's nothing I can do. Although I've completed all the courses and earned all the credits, the teachers will still assign some other courses in addition to the credits."

One of the requirements is to return to school once a month to report on your learning progress and insights to your teachers. I missed last month, so I should return to school by the beginning of this month at the latest.

Jiang Tiantian pursed her lips, forcing a smile, "Yes, studying is the most important thing, that's right."

The changes in her facial expressions naturally did not escape Chen Fan's notice.

Looking at her face and her unfocused eyes, Chen Fan suddenly had a thought and a vague guess formed in his mind.

But before she could think any further, Jiang Tiantian pushed open the door and got out of the car, waving to him through the window, "I'm going in now, drive carefully on your way back."

After saying that, she smiled sweetly, turned around, and ran towards the school gate.

Watching her figure disappear into the school gate, Chen Fan shook his head, burying his earlier guess in his heart, moved to the driver's seat, started the car, and drove back.

……

The next few days were exactly the same as this day.

Whether going to or from school, the two sisters would take turns driving, while Chen Fan would sit on the side observing, just in case.

The effect is also very obvious.

Over the first two days, even though Chen Fan didn't speak or even give any guidance, the two sisters' driving skills improved rapidly, becoming comparable to those of licensed drivers who had been driving for over a year.

Two days later, Chen Fan simply sat in the last row and let the two of them sit in front.

As a result, the two of them went from not daring to drive at the beginning to now fighting over the steering wheel. The small van is in their hands as if it were their own limbs, and they can control it with ease.

At this point, Chen Fan's career as a sparring partner should come to an end.

……

That afternoon, the atmosphere in the little house was a bit somber.

Jiang Lili was packing Chen Fan's luggage with her head down, while Jiang Tiantian stood to the side, wanting to do something but not daring to move. She could only twist her hands together, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

Chen Fan propped himself up on the table, looked at Jiang Lili and laughed, "It's not like I'm never coming back, why do you have to act like this?"

Jiang Lili immediately turned around and glared at him, "Don't talk nonsense."

She paused for a moment, then lowered her head and muttered, "I just can't bear to part with it."

Jiang Tiantian stood leaning against the door frame, pursed her lips, and didn't say anything.

Chen Fan smiled. "Today is October 7th. I'm going back to Jiangnan tomorrow. I'll come back to visit you before New Year's Day."

He glanced at Jiang Tiantian unconsciously, then added another word, "...you guys, it hasn't been that long, cheer up, okay?"

Jiang Lili pouted and looked at him with a wronged expression, "Let's forget it. Every time you fly, it costs more than a hundred yuan for a round trip. It's too expensive."

Just as Chen Fan was about to speak, the doorbell rang downstairs, followed by a security guard's voice, "Old Chen, are you home? Open the door, open the door, hurry up and open the door."

Jiang Tiantian suddenly came to her senses and quickly walked downstairs, saying, "I'll go open the door."

Just as Chen Fan was about to get off, Jiang Lili came over, hugged him tightly, and whispered, "I've been practicing driving these past few days and haven't had time to practice martial arts."

Hearing this, Chen Fan couldn't help but grin and gently pinched her nose, "Then I'll leave the door open for you tonight."

Jiang Lili blushed slightly, but ultimately shook her head. "No, my sister will find out."

She didn't know how she suddenly became so bold. When she came to her senses, her face was burning hot. She quickly let go of Chen Fan, covered her face, and ran downstairs.

Chen Fan clicked his tongue, scratched his head and sighed. This girl, if you say she's bold, she still knows how to be cautious; if you say she's timid, she actually knows how to flirt.

He shook his head, smiled, and turned to go downstairs.

Just as Anquan entered, he greeted me with a beaming smile, saying, "Old Chen, my new house is all set up! I'm moving in tomorrow, and I'd like to treat you all to a meal. How about that? Pretty generous of me, right?"

(End of this chapter)