The Red Era: Starting from a Truck Driver

Chapter 77: Can't Take Zhou Lingying Back to Her Parents' Home

The food was ready soon, but it was already half past twelve. If Jiang Cheng hadn't come back, dinner would have been served at twelve o'clock.

This time, with tables and chairs, the meals were moved to the main room, which was quite convenient. Jiang Cheng took out the Pingzhuyeqing that he had started last time, and everyone drank a little before the meal. But it was just a little bit, even Zhou Lingying was given a small sip.

Drinking wine and tasting the sea bass that Jiang Cheng brought back was indeed delicious.

Jiang Cheng also thought it was very fresh and tender. What he was eating was a wild perch, not the farmed ones that you buy in supermarkets in later generations. Wild ones are a little thinner and green in color. Wild ones rely on their own ability to find food, so the meat is more tender and delicious.

The farmed perch of later times is fatter and has a more bulging belly. It tastes better than other fish, but in the eyes of people who know how to eat fish, farmed perch cannot be compared with wild ones.

While drinking, Jiang Cheng told the carpenter that he and his wife would go back to their hometown in the afternoon. They would probably be back around 5:30, so they would have to have dinner later today.

After explaining everything, everyone started to eat. This time each person ate two bowls of rice, which was considered a relatively comfortable meal.

After dinner, Zhou Lingying cleaned up and everyone took a short break. Then the carpenter started working again, and Jiang Cheng locked the door of the main room and took Zhou Lingying to the transport station to get the car.

In this era, even couples walking outside holding hands would be laughed at. Jiang Cheng couldn't even hug her on the way, so he could only keep a certain distance and talk while walking.

"Lingying, your company will pay your salary tomorrow morning. It's already mid-July, and I drive a heavy truck, so I have to go on a long trip." Jiang Cheng said to Zhou Lingying as they walked.

"It's a long journey. How long does it take?" Zhou Lingying asked. She was definitely reluctant to go on a long journey just after returning from work, but Jiang Cheng had to understand that this was his job.

"It's hard to say. If the weather is good, it will be faster. If it rains or something, it's normal to take ten days or half a month to make a trip." Jiang Cheng replied.

These two people just got together, no matter what they thought when they first met, they have developed feelings for each other now, even if it is a hot day and they are sweating, they both want to be together.

Because of the driver's job, it is indeed a bit unpleasant to be separated at any time. Jiang Cheng also saw that because of this matter, Zhou Lingying's face was no longer smiling, and her dimples were gone.

But it is easy to make Zhou Lingying happy. Jiang Cheng continued, "Last time I went to Yancheng, I actually passed by Nanjing, but you didn't tell me your specific address. I should pass by again this time. Do you want to write a letter to your family? I will bring some gifts to visit them."

"Really?" Zhou Lingying opened her eyes wide and looked at Jiang Cheng with surprise. Then she thought that he was a transporter from another place, so it would be inconvenient for her to contact her family. At this time, she thought of something else and asked, "Jiang Cheng, can I take your car back to Nanjing?"

Hearing Zhou Lingying's question, Jiang Cheng shook his head.

In 1958, when communes were established in towns and villages, rural people needed letters of introduction from the commune to travel far away. And if people in the city wanted to go to other places, ordinary people could not buy train tickets without letters of introduction unless they were people of a certain level.

Zhou Lingying came here from Nanjing, and she bought the train ticket with a certificate of arrangement for going to the countryside. But if she wants to go back, she can't escape without the certificate.

I couldn't take a car, so even if I went to the city to avoid inspection, I had no place to stay without a certificate. It was almost impossible to walk 600 to 700 kilometers back home without being inspected.

Jiang Cheng had thought about taking Zhou Lingying back to her own home, but he simply couldn't do it. The last time he went to Yancheng, he actually encountered many vehicle inspections, but he had all the necessary documents, so he passed them quickly. In this era, many units would inspect vehicles from other places, and the traffic control department would check the driver's driving qualifications and vehicle documents, and even their work permits.

The public security department will also check if there are any suspicious persons or items in your car. These days, drivers may receive special missions to transport some military products, and to transport such items, they must apply for special passes.

Also, if your car is driving on some rural or county roads, sometimes when you pass by a military department or something like that, you may be asked to stop for inspection.

So it is easy for drivers to carry goods for others, but if they want to carry people, it is basically a short distance. If they really want to carry people for a long distance, unless the other party also has a certificate issued by the unit, they cannot wait for the train if they are in a hurry.

Jiang Cheng explained to Zhou Lingying about the car inspection on the road. It was okay to take the family members to a nearby city. If they were inspected outside the province, they would at least be criticized and punished. If the family members were still educated youth, it would be even more serious.

After listening to Jiang Cheng's explanation, Zhou Lingying was still very happy. At least in addition to writing letters, she could ask Jiang Cheng to help convey some words to her family. Moreover, Jiang Cheng could also go and help see what her family was doing.

The last time Zhou Lingying wrote a letter to her family was when she had just started dating Jiang Cheng. At that time, Jiang Cheng said that he would support her, marry her as soon as possible and bring her to the city.

At that time, Zhou Lingying wrote to her family and told them that she had a boyfriend in Jinhe Commune. She did not mention that Jiang Cheng was a driver. After all, Jiang Cheng had not yet reported to work and was not considered a formal driver. But she asked her family not to reply to her letter and said that she would no longer be with the educated youth team.

At that time, Zhou Lingying had already fallen, and wanted to return to the city life, and Jiang Cheng was so good. So she wrote letters and asked her family not to reply, and would write to them to tell them when she got a new address. In fact, at that time, she was inclined to marry Jiang Cheng and live in the city.

As for the fact that Jiang Chengfen and his wife had to get married earlier, it seemed like he was forcing her, but for Zhou Lingying it was just a chance to let go of her pride.

The two soon arrived at the transport station. Zhou Lingying had been to the passenger station of the bus station before, but this was the first time she knew that there was a cargo transportation area behind the station.

This transport station is much quieter than the passenger station in the south, and not as crowded and lively as the warehouse.

When Jiang Cheng arrived at the parking spot, he did not see his apprentice Feng Hua. But originally he only asked to clean the trunk, but now the whole car was cleaned.

There weren't any washing equipment these days, so people just used rags, buckets, and some brushes to clean it bit by bit.

Jiang Cheng used the key to open the car door and let Zhou Lingying get in first, then he took the rocker engine key to start the car. Every time he used this key to start the car, he could not be careless.

Especially when shaking, you must not be careless at all. If you don't hold it tightly and it slips out of your hand, it will bounce back. If it rebounds and hits you, it's lucky to get a minor injury.

After the car started, Jiang Cheng and Zhou Lingying quickly left the transport station. In the car, Zhou Lingying was sorting out Jiang Cheng's sweaty and unwashed clothes that were left in the car.

There was laundry to do in the evening. Zhou Lingying felt that life with Jiang Cheng was so good. It was a happy thing to help Jiang Cheng with laundry.

(End of this chapter)