My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 19: Driving is easy, repairing is hard; saving people is easy, getting along with people is hard
Weidong refused without hesitation.

"I don't understand the big principles, but knowing that this is a piece of iron, you still insist on hitting it head-on, that's stubbornness. The problem now is not how dark society is, but the difference in understanding between developed regions and our inland mountainous areas. You insist on growing a daffodil in a cesspool, isn't that sick? Either do it quietly or go elsewhere. You insist on confronting it head-on here and challenging the authority of regional leaders, that's a serious illness."

He also didn't realize that he actually had no authority in his eyes.

He said he wanted to cling to the thighs of the richest man, but if something was wrong, he would not worship or follow him blindly, and he would not say it to his face, but would just do it quietly.

Dong Xueying's face was filled with anxiety and disappointment. "I thought you were a brave man! A great hero who stood tall and proud..."

Rang Weidong quickly waved his hands, "Don't flatter me. You've been brainwashed and fed chicken soup. And that P, what's that P? Anyway, it's him who achieved great success and became famous, while all of you were sacrificed. This isn't an enemy-enemy conflict, it's just that the understanding of progress is a little different. People can't teach people, but things can teach people once. Once the reform and opening up have developed in the better-developed areas, they will naturally teach the lagging areas to change their mindsets. I don't agree with exacerbating conflicts like this."

If he had not gone to Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, he would not have such a clear understanding.

The spring breeze of reform is blowing all over the ground. There are willow catkins flying high in the wind, fruits falling to the ground, and leaves falling into the stinky ditch. It is impossible for them to be exactly the same.

The Shuchuan Basin is famous for being impervious to water and fire, otherwise why would people say that the road to Shu is as difficult as climbing to heaven?

Dong Xueying frowned: "But they are still suffering in the detention center!"

Unexpectedly, Wei Dong actually said, "That's what he deserves. If I were selling TVs, I would sell them quietly instead of showing them off outside every day to show how prosperous my business is. The old saying goes, 'The first bird to stick its head out gets shot, while those who keep quiet make fortunes.' It's your own choice, so you have to bear the consequences."

Dong Xueying was indeed very determined: "But for such a great cause, someone has to shout and run for it..."

Weidong didn't want to argue anymore. "Have you found a good place? I want to see if it's convenient for me to help you move the goods during the night or day. We're lucky this time that Brother Ba Zi and his men died in the bloody incident. Otherwise, they would definitely dig deep to find the whereabouts of these goods. I only sympathize with your efforts, not approve of your actions. So you won't report me for this sympathy, right?"

Dong Xueying had obviously never heard of this kind of argument, and her mind began to shake in a mess.

Weidong couldn't bear to look at it, so he turned around and found the notebook in the crack of the wall at home: "Old You threw it into my backpack at that time, you can keep it."

Unexpectedly, Dong Xueying continued to shake her head: "This is because Old You trusts you, and I trust you too. If you have a chance, you can return it to him... I'll help you move. Our house is empty and it's more convenient to live in than here."

Indeed, it is very inconvenient for a family of three to live in a single room the size of a palm. Weidong had to sleep on the floor with a bamboo board, all thanks to his youthful energy.

But the weather is getting colder.

But Weidong was more aware of the difference between men and women: "It's inconvenient to live with you, and you must be under the government's scrutiny. Wouldn't it be exposing me if you come to see me every day? I told you not to contact you."

Dong Xueying went away with a look of grievance, biting her lip.

Weidong just thought you were annoying, so he immediately took his bag and went to Shancheng to learn how to drive from the transportation company.

Different fields are like different worlds. Only when you get really close will you be surprised.

There were no driving schools at that time, so learning to drive was just like learning a lathe from a master in a factory. It was a production skill, so you couldn't learn it without connections, let alone get a certificate. The relevant unit had to organize a skill certificate exam.

Rang Weidong just said it casually at the time. The city didn't give him any employment quota. They just asked him to come and learn how to drive. He was not even a temporary worker in the transportation company.

Then Weidong realized that private individuals were not allowed to own cars at that time. Of course, those capable people would register their cars with their work units, but that was rare. At least in Shangzhou, if anyone did so and was reported, it would be a big problem.

Because cars are means of production and tools of production, private ownership of production tools makes one a capitalist. Isn't this a major historical regression?

So there are many people who want to learn how to drive, but it is quite rare to be able to learn and drive a car.

Weidong was just given the title of a good young man who bravely stood up for justice, but he didn't take it seriously. He found a master who was hauling sand and stones by the river and worked as his assistant to learn from him.

Driving is not difficult these days because there are not many traffic rules and not many cars affecting road driving. Just coordinate the gas and clutch and drive slowly. The key is to learn how to repair a car.

Because it breaks down every other day.

Even if Weidong was no longer smooth, at least he could still treat people well and speak nicely. He vividly described to his master how he caught the rapist and invited his master to have some wine and food at the dock.

Relations quickly warmed up.

The master ate and drank with great relish, and then even he knew: "I heard that the young wife has been looking for you every day these days?"

Weidong scoffed, "I don't even bother to look at the bad guys who have been in jail. I'm the only one who's been visiting relatives these days. My mother is from the countryside and doesn't understand. I don't know why a married woman like her would come to my place."

The master was clearly a graduate student from Gossip University. "Divorced, divorced. I heard she was arrested with You Dazui and the others. Her husband was assigned the task of taking the divorce papers and threatening her to explain herself because she wouldn't reveal any of her account books or contact information. So, she ended up signing the papers, and that man regretted it so much. What a shrewd young wife!"

Wei Dong was confused: "Don't bother me, Shui Lingling is burning, if she doesn't burn, the rapist won't bother her. Now I just want to learn how to drive! Repair cars! Yes, I'll find a childhood friend to help me learn how to repair cars for free."

The master looked at him helplessly and said, "You've never eaten meat before, and you know how to do this repair job. Just ask someone for help. Once they learn it, it's not yours anymore. If you worked at a transportation company, I definitely wouldn't teach you."

Let Weidong quickly slip another pack of cigarettes over. Of course, the master taught with all his heart.

Anyway, the gas money is provided by the government.

It was after nine o'clock when I went home humming a little tune, wondering whether I should get a bigger house to live in.

But the problem lies with this family. The father works as a security guard and earns 30 yuan a month, while the son works as a porter and earns less than a yuan a day.

How can I live in a big room, have a camera, brand new bed sheets, quilt covers, pots and cooking utensils, and win a 98-cent lottery at Shancheng?
Anyone with a little intelligence and attention would suspect that there might be some evil ways of stealing and corruption.

In a small place like this, matters concerning a young wife can spread immediately to all walks of life and are transparent to everyone.

I knocked on the door and saw Shi Linyan and her mother sitting on the bed covered with a brand new quilt. She jumped up excitedly and said, "I heard you were back, so I came to see you. Thank you!"

He extended his hand quite gracefully.

Even with a bandage wrapped around her arm, it couldn't hide her pretty face.

But this old woman has quarreled with many people since she retired and is very aggressive.

She never made the old man angry, as everyone knew that the severed hand was chopped off for her. So she received many curious looks when she went in and out. She moved out after getting married, and tried to avoid contact with her parents when she came to visit them.

But Old Shi was very popular in the 1990s. Even after his retirement, he was still able to enjoy retirement benefits in the compound and lived in the leader's large flat.

The daughter who made great contributions retired from the local university a few years later and came to live with her parents. It was said that she had been divorced a long time ago, and only then did they often see each other.

So in Rang Weidong's mind, this is just an old lady: "Ah, my hands are dirty, I need to repair the car and move the tire, etc., let's go back, it's so late."

Shi Linyan couldn't help but look at this unusual porter more seriously with her beautiful eyes flashing: "They all said you were going to learn how to drive. Do you like driving?"

Rang Weidong casually said: "Isn't it said that the three passes of the new era are driving, foreign languages, and computers? Of course I should seize the opportunity to learn how to drive."

This statement will be very common forty years later, and people will even laugh at it.

But the idealistic and ambitious young intellectuals in the 1980s took these words as their guiding principles.

The English teacher's eyes almost exploded into fireworks: "Great, how are your foreign languages? Have you used a computer?"

I was so excited that I clenched my fists on my chest.

I can even play Honor of Kings with one finger, so Weidong is so proficient with a mouse. "No, but I read in a magazine that computers will be integrated into every aspect of life, including office work and taxation."

In the 1990s, when the country launched the Golden Tax Project, many grassroots tax bureaus didn't know what to do.

It just so happened that Shi Linyan had been transferred to the only technical college in the city as a teacher at that time. She was considered a technical talent who took the lead in teaching computer courses. She assisted the tax bureau in establishing a high-quality technology center that was the first in the province, and finally won a national award.

This is the shining point in the lives of both father and daughter.

Let Weidong just give you a casual reminder now. Maybe it would be a pity to miss it because he has changed many nodes of his destiny.

Even the one who was chila was changed to Miss Dong. God knows what will happen in the future.

Shi Linyan nodded heavily: "Yes! I saw that you bought a lot of magazines and studied..."

It was boring to observe what was being said in this era, and what Weidong needed most was to look at the various advertisements in magazines and newspapers and judge the commercial level from the advertisements.

Anyway, I don’t see any ads for selling houses at the moment.

Now I don’t want to waste time talking to this old woman or girl: “It’s late, go back and rest, it’s not safe outside.”

Teacher Shi pouted, feeling interrupted while she was in the middle of something interesting. "I haven't finished asking you yet. How are your foreign language skills?"

Weidong looked at his mother who was watching from the side with a big smile on her face and inexplicably proud.

So as to avoid any unrealistic fantasies: "Come on, let's go. I'll walk you a few steps. The little English you learn in rural high schools is a mess. You might as well learn some Russian."

Wouldn't it be useful when changing planes?

(End of this chapter)