A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1445 Encounter with Robbers! (Please Subscribe!)
In those days, the cab of the Jiefang truck was only designed with a single row of seats, which could seat three people, or even four if squeezed in. But Hua Shier and his group had six people. After Zhuang Tunan saw the truck, he volunteered to sit in the truck bed and keep an eye on their cargo.

Hua Shier waved his hand and said:

"No need, I think it can seat six. Shanshan can sit next to me, Li Jia and Lin Dongzhe can sit in the middle since they're short, Tu Nan, you can sit by the window, and then Xiaoting can sit on Shanshan's lap. When Shanshan gets tired, Xiaoting can sit in the middle, and Dongzhe can sit on Tu Nan's lap. We can switch every half hour, it'll be no problem at all!"

Zhuang Tunan thought for a moment: "That's possible, but I'm afraid we'll be stopped by the police, and that would be troublesome!"

Hua Shier said nonchalantly, "I don't even have a driver's license, what trouble could I possibly have? If someone stops me, I have to stop too!"

Zhuang Tunan:
Lin Dongzhe reminded him, "But if someone writes down the license plate of this car, they can find you too!"

Hua Shier suddenly realized: "If you hadn't reminded me, I would have forgotten. We need to take the license plate off in a bit!"

Everyone: "."

Hua Shier then laughed heartily: "Don't worry, this is a supply and marketing cooperative vehicle. Usually no one will stop it. If you see a police officer, Xiaoting can just lower her head!"

He gestured for the others to get in the truck, then shifted gears, accelerated, and released the clutch. The truck started and drove off, its operation as steady as a rock.

In fact, Hua Shier was just joking with them. He was in the car, so how could the problem Zhuang Tunan mentioned occur? Look up "Feng Hou Qi Men" and "Mirror Space". Whether Jiao J can see his car is entirely up to him.

He could even enter the mirror space at any time if he wanted, and there would be no car accident, making it extremely safe.

The truck bumped along the uneven county road, moving at an unusually slow pace compared to the speed of vehicles in later times.

Outside the car window was the scene of winter in Jiangnan. The leaden sky hung low, and the rice fields by the roadside had long been harvested, leaving neat stubble. A thin layer of white frost covered the ridges of the fields, brought by the third cold wave of the year.

The pond by the roadside was frozen over, the ice surface gleaming with a bluish-white light, and several children were cautiously testing the ice.

The bare branches swayed in the cold wind, and the smoke rising from the distant village was blown crookedly by the wind.

Although it was freezing cold outside, it wasn't cold at all inside the train. Except for Zhuang Tunan, who treated this trip to the countryside to sell goods as a job, the others treated it like a leisurely outing, their mouths never stopping, chatting enthusiastically.

While driving, Hua Shier also took out several glass bottles of orange soda from the storage space and gave them to the group:
"Have a couple of drinks, especially Dongzhe, your throat looks so dry from talking!"

Wu Shanshan asked in surprise, "Where did you get this drink?"

Hua Shier casually replied, "It was prepared a long time ago, and it's under the car seat. Otherwise, we'd be driving for a long time, and we'd just be sitting here doing nothing!"

Lin Dongzhe used his teeth to open the bottle cap, took a sip, and then laughed:

"Brother Pengfei is so thoughtful. By the way, Brother Pengfei, do you think we can make money selling home appliances in the countryside?"

Upon hearing this question, Wu Shanshan and Zhuang Xiaoting also became concerned. After all, they weren't really going on a wild trip, and if they didn't make any money, the trip would have been for nothing.

Even without Hua Shier explaining, Zhuang Tunan already provided the answer:
“Pengfei and I have discussed it, and making money shouldn’t be a problem. We’re going to the market in the county town. The workers there also earn wages and have money in their hands, but they don’t have coupons, so not many people can buy home appliances!”

"Our refrigerators and radios don't require coupons, and they're the latest models. They're also cheaper than those in state-run stores, so as long as we don't go to the lowest-level rural areas, there's no reason why we won't make money!"

Hua Shier smiled and replied:
"Actually, you can make money in the countryside too. Farmers no longer earn work points. I read in the newspaper that township enterprises are springing up everywhere in the Jiangnan region, and many people have gone into factories. In addition, various places are encouraging farmers to raise livestock. The average annual income of farmers has increased from 204 yuan in 1978 to 944 yuan. So don't look at people with old eyes, and besides."

Hua Shier smiled and ended the topic at this point.

Seeing that he stopped halfway through his sentence, Lin Dongzhe quickly asked, "What else? Pengfei, why don't you finish what you're saying!"

"Besides, I won't say anything more, I doubt you'd understand anyway. Just drink your beverage!"

What Hua Shier was actually trying to say was that even if farmers didn't have money, who didn't have a few antiques in this day and age, like Ming and Qing dynasty porcelain?

These antiques were used as tableware in farmers' homes and were not valued at all. Many collectors made their fortunes by going to the countryside to collect old objects during this period.

Hua Shier felt that even if people in the countryside couldn't afford to buy home appliances, they could use these old items to settle their accounts, which would earn them more money than paying with cash.

The journey was monotonous, the roads were bumpy, and the swaying of the vehicle even had a sleep-inducing effect, so everyone's excitement wore off in less than two hours.

Lin Dongzhe yawned: "Brother Pengfei, how much longer until we get there?"

Hua Twelve looked at the sky:

"It will take us about eight hours to get to Guangde, so we'll probably have to drive through the night!"

Lin Dongzhe had just learned that they were going to Guangde and his eyes widened: "Why not somewhere near Suzhou? Guangde is so far away, it's practically outside the province!"

"Yes, in Anhui, when I borrowed the car from the supply and marketing cooperative, I promised them that I wouldn't sell it near Suzhou, so I had to go further away!"

Speaking of this, Hua Twelve complained:

"It's just that this road is so bad that it's hard to drive on. Otherwise, the journey of more than 100 kilometers would have only taken two or three hours!"

Zhuang Tunan thought for a moment and said, "Driving at night is too dangerous. Let's spend the night on the road after dark and continue our journey when it gets light!"

For Hua Shier, driving at night was not a problem at all, but he came out to travel with the intention of making some money for them, so spending the night in the wild was more in line with his purpose of traveling.

He immediately laughed and said, "Okay, then let's spend the night outdoors!"

Seeing the worried expressions on the girls' faces, he comforted them:
"Don't worry, I brought a tent and blankets in the car. The girls will sleep in the tent, and the three of us guys will take turns keeping watch over the car at night!"

Hearing him say that, Wu Shanshan, Li Jia, and Zhuang Xiaoting finally felt relieved.

As darkness fell, the truck rounded a bend in the mountain and a relatively flat section of road appeared ahead. There was an abandoned road maintenance shed by the roadside, with mud walls and a tiled roof. Although dilapidated, it could still block the wind.

"I'll stay here tonight."

Hua Shier pulled the car over to the side of the road: "Dongzhe, you and Tu Nan go find some firewood. Shanshan, Li Jia, and Xiaoting, you take out the dry rations from the car. I'll go to the truck bed and get the tent down!"

He pretended to climb to the top of the cargo, and from an angle where no one else could see him, he took out a simple, easy-to-use tent like those in later generations from the storage space, and after thinking for a moment, he also made three sleeping bags.

After coming down, he easily set up the tent and then taught the girls how to use the sleeping bags. As for the origin of the items, he simply passed the explanation to Lao Bai, saying that they were brought over from Hong Kong Island by a Hong Kong businessman.

As darkness fell completely, a small fire was lit in the shed, and several people gathered around it, eating steamed buns and pickled vegetables with hot water.

The cold wind howled outside, and occasionally the barking of dogs could be heard from afar, truly giving one the feeling of sleeping in the wilderness.

Lin Dongzhe was so preoccupied with something that he even pulled Hua Shier and Zhuang Tunan aside to talk about selling goods.

Hua Twelve said speechlessly:

"Alright, don't worry. We're doing business with no capital investment. We don't even have to pay anything upfront. We settle accounts after we sell everything. Plus, our prices are 20% cheaper than the supply and marketing cooperatives and department stores. We make a profit no matter how much we sell. What are you worried about?" Lin Dongzhe chuckled and scratched his head. "That's true. This isn't my first time doing business!"

As night deepened, the girls all went into their tents and slept in their sleeping bags, where they weren't cold at all.

Seeing that Lin Dongzhe was also a little sleepy, Hua Shier told him to take some bedding to the driver's cab to make do for the night, while he and Zhuang Tunan chatted around the campfire.

As night deepened, Zhuang Tunan was also struggling to keep his eyes open, but he still spoke to Hua Twelve:
"Pengfei, you go to sleep first. I'll keep watch for a while. If you don't sleep, you won't be able to drive tomorrow!"

Just as Hua Shier was about to refuse, his ears twitched. He heard the sound of a car engine in the distance, getting closer and closer.

"Are there still people driving at night this late?"

Zhuang Tunan also heard it and looked curiously in the direction from which the sound came.

Hua Shier smiled but didn't say anything. He already knew that the person who came was no good. In this day and age, highway robbers and bandits were quite common, so it wasn't anything unusual.

The two men saw two headlights approaching on the winding dirt road. When they got closer, they finally saw that it was a minivan. It stopped not far from them, the headlights went out, and then they heard the sound of an open door. They could vaguely see four or five figures getting out of the vehicle.

Zhuang Tunan instantly snapped out of his daze: "Could it be a bad guy?"

Hua Shier smiled slightly: "Guess!"

The two exchanged a glance, and Zhuang Tunan quickly went to the driver's seat to get the crowbar that had been prepared beforehand, and also called Lin Dongzhe over.

The three men stood guard beside the truck, each holding a stick.

When the figures saw the three of them carrying weapons, they also revealed their prepared weapons. Some carried daggers, others carried short steel bars. Fortunately, they didn't have any firearms or anything like that, but they didn't look like anything good.

Lin Dongzhe may be young, but he's bold. He shouted, "What do you want? Get lost! We're not to be trifled with!"

Zhuang Tunan also shouted, "That's right, we're not to be trifled with!"

Among the newcomers, a young man wearing bell-bottoms asked loudly:
"Brother, what kind of cargo are you carrying in the truck? It's customary here that you share when you meet. If you don't give us something, you're definitely not leaving today!"

At that moment, the girl in the tent heard the noise, pulled open the tent and poked her head out. When she saw what she saw, Zhuang Xiaoting screamed "Ah!"

Among the group opposite, one of them called out to the man in the middle, "Brother, there's a woman here!"

Hua Shier, fearing that a fight would frighten the girls, said:

"It's not easy for you guys to come out at night to make a living. Take as much as your truck can carry, it's on me!"

Zhuang Tunan and Lin Dongzhe were both anxious: "Brother Pengfei!"

A refrigerator costs a thousand yuan, and a radio cassette player costs over four hundred yuan. That's a lot of money. Moreover, when they sell the goods, they still have to pay back the SDX factory for the cost. If these people are allowed to take them at will, they will lose their own money.

Hua Shier was speechless.
"Should we tell them where I live? You don't need to tell them, I've made the decision!"

Hearing his words, the two didn't say anything more, but they both glared fiercely at the people opposite them.

The one who had spoken first, who had been the leader, smiled and said:
"Brother, you know how to handle people. Well then, we won't stand on ceremony. Guys, let's get moving!"

The other person who had spoken earlier reminded them again:

"Hey bro, there are women here."

The older man slapped him across the face.

"Haven't you ever seen a woman before? We're stealing now, if we get caught we'll only get two years in jail at most. But if you dare touch a woman, you'll be eating peanuts. Stop talking nonsense and get moving your stuff!"

Lin Dongzhe scoffed, "What theft? This is robbery!"

The leader laughed and said, "Hey, this is what your brother said he wanted to give us. If you ask me, this isn't even theft!"

The men he brought climbed into the truck bed, shone their flashlights on the cargo, and exclaimed in surprise:
"Brother, refrigerators and tape recorders are hot items!"

The man looked back at his van, reluctantly gritting his teeth as he said:
"The refrigerator takes up too much space, let's install a tape recorder instead!"

The group unloaded twenty tape recorders, filling the van to the brim. The leader beckoned his men to get in, then waved to Hua Shier from the passenger seat: "Brother, we'll meet again someday. Let's be friends!"

Hua Shier smiled and waved, "Have a safe journey!"

The van reversed onto the dirt road and then sped off back the way it came.

At this moment, Hua Shier picked up a handful of pebbles from the ground. When the van got onto the dirt road and the headlights were visible at the first bend, he threw the pebbles out.

Then I heard a series of crackling sounds in the distance. First, the two headlights of the van were extinguished, and then the windshield shattered into a spiderweb pattern.

After the headlights went out, the area was plunged into darkness. Zhuang Tunan and Lin Dongzhe couldn't see clearly, but Hua Shier watched helplessly as the van veered off the dirt road and overturned into a ditch.

Then a clanging sound came from behind, and Hua Shier smiled and said to the dumbfounded Zhuang Tunan and Lin Dongzhe:
"They drove the truck into the ditch. Let's go, let's retrieve our goods. We might even make a small fortune!"

The three men grabbed flashlights and ran to the side of the dirt road. They shone them into the ditch and saw that it was only a little over a meter deep. The van had clearly rolled several times; all the windows were shattered, and the body was riddled with dents. The man who had been leading the van was covered in blood, while the others were groaning and crawling out. Fortunately, no one had died.

Zhuang Tunan and Lin Dongzhe breathed a sigh of relief, while Hua Shier wasn't worried at all. He picked up a crowbar and went downstairs, smiling and asking with concern:

"You guys are so careless! Let me help you!"

As he spoke, he immediately launched into a beating, aiming for the ribs and groin!
These people had just experienced a car accident and were all suffering from mild concussions. They were powerless to fight back and were begging for mercy as they were beaten.

After Hua Twelve had finished beating him, he said:
"If you don't want to get beaten, bring out all your valuables and take off your clothes!"

These people only had a little over two hundred yuan on them, but each of them was wearing a nice watch, so it was clear they weren't planning on this one purchase.

After these people took off their clothes, Hua Shier set them on fire. He originally wanted to take the money and watch, but then he thought it wasn't worth it for such a small amount of money, so he threw them into the fire.

After Hua Shier and his two companions had moved all the tape recorders back to their truck, called the girls, and driven away that very night, the guys finally couldn't hold back their tears and burst into sobs.

"You beast! Burning someone's clothes in the dead of winter! You have no sense of honor, that's despicable!"

They won't freeze to death, but they'll probably have to huddle together for warmth. A few grown men, huddled together naked at night... ugh.
　Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!

　　(End of this chapter)