The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

Time flies.

The day has come for Li Kaixin to start work.

At breakfast, the father pulled a carefully preserved ticket from his pocket and pushed it in front of Li Kaixin. It was a slightly wrinkled Class B liquor ticket.

"Take it." The father's voice was concise, yet carried an undeniable concern.

"I'm going to the supply and marketing cooperative today to buy a bottle of wine. It's my first day on the job, it's not right to go empty-handed. When I see Director Xie, I'll be sweet-talking and quick with my hands."

Li Kaixin felt a surge of warmth and accepted the heavy ticket.

"Oh! Thank you, Dad!" He solemnly put the ticket into his inner pocket.

After the meal, Li Kaixin, carrying the wine tickets, went to the supply and marketing cooperative first.

With the ticket, I bought a bottle of Fenjiu liquor and two packs of economy cigarettes that didn't require a ticket but weren't too bad, for a total of 2.2 yuan.

Looking at the many goods in the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Kaixin realized for the first time that having money but no coupons was also a kind of suffering.

Then step into the transportation station compound.

Li Kaixin, familiar with the place, knocked on Director Xie's office door first.

"Come in."

"Good morning, Uncle Xie!"

Li Kaixin walked in with a smile and gently placed the bottle of Fenjiu liquor in his hand on the corner of the desk.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. Thank you, Uncle Xie, for giving me this opportunity."

Director Xie looked up and saw that it was Li Kaixin, and a genuine smile immediately appeared on his face.

He pointed to the chair: "Sit down, have fun. You little rascal, still trying to pull this on me."

Despite saying that, the smile in her eyes was unmistakable.

Director Xie brought up the black bear incident, clearly in a great mood: "Last time with that bear, I really made a name for myself in front of the leaders, I have to thank you for that."

Li Kaixin shyly touched her head.

"This is all thanks to Uncle Xie. If you hadn't lent me the gun, I wouldn't have made such a big gain. I should thank you!"

"Hey kid! Don't be so modest with me. I don't have anything else to do right now, I'll personally take you to the job!"

Director Xie smiled and stood up, then gestured for Li Kaixin to walk out.

It's clear that Director Xie gained face in front of the leaders because of this incident, and consequently, he valued Li Kaixin even more.

With the deputy director personally involved, everything proceeded smoothly and efficiently, with the personnel department handling forms filling, registration, and stamping with great efficiency.

Li Kaixin's apprentice salary is 18.5 yuan. After he gets his driver's license and becomes a full-time employee, his salary will be 42 yuan.

After completing the formalities, Director Xie personally led Li Kaixin to the parking lot and repair workshop at the back.

The air was thick with the smell of gasoline and engine oil. Several old green Jiefang brand trucks were parked there, and a few mechanics in oil-stained work clothes were inspecting the vehicles.

"Old Chen! Come here for a second!" Director Xie called out to a middle-aged man with a dark complexion who was squatting next to the car wheel.

Upon hearing the sound, the man put down his tools, wiped his handles, and quickly walked over.

"Chen Dabing is one of the most skilled veteran drivers in our station," Director Xie introduced to Li Kaixin.

Then he said to Master Chen, "This is the new apprentice, Li Kaixin. He'll be working for you from now on. This kid's smart and has potential, so you'd better mentor him!"

Chen Dabing's eyes flashed like lightning as he glanced at Li Kaixin from head to toe, then nodded and said in a loud and clear voice, "Okay, Director, don't worry."

Director Xie offered Li Kaixin a few more words of encouragement before turning and leaving.

The atmosphere relaxed a little after Director Xie left.

Li Kaixin immediately put his familiarity to use.

He took out the economical cigarettes he had bought that morning, offered one to Master Chen, and then distributed them to the two young apprentices and several veteran masters who were curiously watching.

"Master, please take good care of me in the future!"

Li Kaixin lit the fire for Master Chen while speaking respectfully.

This action immediately livened up the atmosphere considerably.

Master Chen took a drag of his cigarette, looked at Li Kaixin, and a hint of curiosity flashed in his eyes: "You kid, are you related to Director Xie?"

Li Kaixin shook his head with a smile: "How could that be, Master? I was just lucky. I helped Director Xie with a small matter. Director Xie is a good person and he flattered me."

Master Chen grunted in agreement and began testing him: "Have you ever driven a car before? Do you know how to hold a steering wheel? Can you distinguish between the clutch, accelerator, and brake?"

Li Kaixin answered cautiously, not daring to be presumptuous despite having the experience and memories of her previous life.

As Master Chen listened, he nodded and shook his head.

Then he asked about Li Kaixin's knowledge of car parts and how to repair them when they broke down. Li Kaixin walked around the car and pointed out each part, with Master Chen occasionally interjecting to correct him.

Li Kaixin was criticized all morning, but he also realized that his master was truly teaching him real skills.

During this time, Li Kaixin also met two apprentices of two other experienced drivers.

One of them was named Wu Tian. He was tall and thin and looked quite shrewd.

The other one was named Qian Dazhuang. As his name suggests, he was burly and honest.

At noon, Li Kaixin took out the food coupons and money his father had given him and went to the canteen with the rest of the group.

The canteen at the transport station was a bit better than home; you could even see a few specks of oil in the dishes, although it was still mostly boiled cabbage and potatoes.

In the afternoon, there weren't many transport tasks at the station, so the workshop seemed rather quiet.

The master craftsmen chatted and drank tea, while the apprentices helped wipe the tools and clean up.

Li Kaixin was a little puzzled and asked Master Chen in a low voice, "Master, don't we have any work all day?"

Chen Dabing took a sip of strong tea and explained, "What's the rush? Transport jobs don't come every day. We just finished a batch of urgent tasks last weekend, and the first two days of this week are for rest and maintenance. When a task comes along, you'll be working non-stop—you'll be in for a tough time!"

Li Kaixin suddenly realized that even drivers' jobs have a rhythm these days.

I'm off work.

Unexpectedly, just as he reached the alley entrance, he bumped into that unlucky figure again. Jia Zhangshi was sitting by the door chatting with several old women. When she saw Li Kaixin, she rolled her triangular eyes and muttered something filthy.

Li Kaixin was too lazy to argue with the old hag, treating her like a buzzing fly, quickening his pace and walking past her with a sullen expression.

He was thinking that he needed to deal with that old hag as soon as possible.

As soon as they reached the courtyard gate, two small figures rushed out like cannonballs.

"Brother! You're back!"

"Hey bro, is the transport station fun? Aren't the big trucks really cool?"

His younger brother and sister grabbed him from either side, chattering away with questions, their little faces full of curiosity and admiration.

During dinner, Li Kaixin shoveled at the porridge in his bowl and asked his father seemingly casually, "Dad, I heard there's a lot of stuff in Pigeon City?"

The father paused, holding his chopsticks, looked up at his son, and remained silent for a few seconds.

He sighed and said, "I knew you couldn't stay still. It's in the northeast of the city, behind that abandoned brick kiln. It's a remote place, so be careful when you go. Keep your eyes open and your ears open."

The mother immediately replied worriedly, "Kaixin, that place is very chaotic, try to avoid going there!"

"Mom, don't worry!" Li Kaixin quickly assured her.

"I'm just curious and going to take a look. I absolutely won't cause any trouble! If I do buy anything, I'll be extremely careful."

In the dead of night, when the entire courtyard was quiet, Li Kaixin quietly got up.

He changed into his most worn and inconspicuous dark clothes, half-covered his mouth and nose with a cloth, listened carefully to his parents' room next door for any sound, gently unlatched the door, climbed over the courtyard wall, and disappeared into the deep night.

Just as Li Kaixin gently closed the courtyard gate, his father, Li Mingde, on the kang (heated brick bed) in the inner room, slowly opened his eyes, gazed at the roof in the darkness, sighed silently, and then closed them again after a long while.

My son is grown up; ultimately, he has to walk his own path.