The person was "invited" out, and a quiet settled around them.
The village chief invited Lin Chuxia into the house. The village chiefâs wife had almost finished cooking, and the two daughters-in-law from the Sun Family were helping in the kitchen. Before long, the dishes were served on the table.
Lin Chuxia and Wang Tianyu were not outsiders at the Sun Familyâs house. Since they were driving and not drinking, they enjoyed a lively, simple family meal.
After the meal, Lin Chuxia returned to Qin Family Village.
As soon as she entered the house, she heard another piece of good news.
Previously, due to transportation issues, they had wanted to establish their own fleet of vehicles.
Before the festival, Wang Cheng had already ordered vehicles from the sales company, and tomorrow they could finally pick them up.
Wang Cheng came to the house to report to Lin Chuxia about work. Since Lin Chuxia wasnât home, he went to the market first.
Nowadays in Qin Family Village, almost every household has a vegetable greenhouse, with some families even having two.
In the winter, the fields in other villages were yellow and barren, and the green areas were just wheat.
Only in Qin Family Village, from afar, one could see a vast expanse of white, all vegetable greenhouses.
Of course, in northern rural areas, this is generally the most leisurely time for each household, but the villagers of Qin Family Village remained busy. From the second day of the New Year, quite a few vegetables were being transported out of the greenhouses.
People of this time had traditional thinking deeply rooted and were more dedicated to the New Year than future generations.
So, transportation vehicles were extremely hard to find at this time, which was why Wang Cheng considered organizing a personal fleet for the vegetable wholesale market.
When they arrived at the wholesale market, Wang Cheng was on the phone.
Without their own fleet, before the New Year, Wang Cheng had arranged a few vehicles to help with the transportation these days.
Seeing Lin Chuxia approaching, he quickly ended the call.
"Happy New Year, Mr. Lin! Wishing you a belated New Year!"
Wang Cheng had only met Lin Chuxia once before the New Year, and this was their first meeting after.
Lin Chuxia smiled and wished him well for the New Year too, then asked, noticing his restrained smile, "How are things going? I heard thereâs good news over there, and we can pick up the vehicles tomorrow. Have you decided who will go?"
"Itâs decided. There are a total of 5 vehicles. Manager Su from Xiyang Food Factory dispatched two drivers here. Qin Han is one of them. From the wholesale market, thereâs me, Sun Guodong, and Qin Jianshe."
"How is that young Qin Jianshe doing? During the New Year, I heard from my older sister-in-law that youâve been quite attentive to that kid, and I really appreciate it."
Although Qin Jianshe was his nephew, Lin Chuxia didnât feel that anyone had the obligation to look after him.
Wang Cheng laughed and said, "That kid is sharp. Although your eldest brother always complains that the kid isnât good at studying, not every child is talented academically. But when it comes to learning how to drive, that kid is quicker than anyone. Itâs purely based on his own efforts that he got the opportunity to tag along this time."
Deciding to establish a fleet also meant having their own drivers. If it werenât for work, no one would bother learning how to drive.
Wang Cheng had long seen the development trend of the market. Last year, he started having a few young men from the market prepare to take the driving test.
Getting a driverâs license back in those days was not a trivial matter. Their salary from working at the market wasnât enough, so they had to rely on their families for funding.
However, hearing it was Manager Wang from the market asking them to take the test, the families didnât hesitate to think of borrowing money if necessary.
Back then, there were no driving schools. If one wanted to learn to drive, they first had to find an experienced master to learn both driving and auto repair skills.
The drivers at that time had high credentials. Not only did they have to know how to drive, but also how to repair cars.
Fortunately, after years of reform and opening up, since 1984, when the regulations allowing private purchase of cars were clarified, the state has completely relaxed the management of private cars.
One no longer needed to be affiliated with a unit to take the driving test, and there were more test slots available.
An experienced master was easy to find. Back in the team at Sun Guodongâs time, he was the tractor driver in the village, and he later obtained a license to drive a car.
So, Sun Guodong taught them basic driving and repair skills.
But before it was even time to take the test at the traffic brigade, Sun Guodong had already flunked two out of them.
Some were just not cut out for driving.
Let alone the repair knowledge, some couldnât even differentiate between left and right when driving. No matter how much you explained, their minds were in a muddle.
If such people were taught to drive, they would become hidden dangers on the road. At critical moments, lacking extremely agile reaction ability would endanger themselves or others.
The earlier such hidden dangers are eliminated, the better.
Conversely, among these people, Qin Jianshe learned the fastest. Not only was he quick to learn, but he also had a knack for drawing inferences. When Sun Guodong was unavailable, he could also explain to the other trainees quite clearly.
If it werenât for Wang Cheng registering them all for the exam together, that kid would definitely have passed the test faster than the others.
And those lads all wanted to go along for the new car purchase this time.
Wang Cheng gave them a suggestion, setting up a few roadblocks at the market. Whoever could pass through quickly and stably, would be the one to go.
In the end, without a doubt, Qin Jianshe secured the spot.
Just as they were speaking, Qin Jianshe ran in from outside, "Auntie Four."
"Speak of the devil, and he appears. Manager Wang and I were just talking about you. Howâs your work going? Any difficulties?"
Since childhood, Qin Jianshe had been mischievous, and in front of Lin Chuxia, he didnât have the steadiness or restraint of Qin Jianjun.
"Iâm doing well, Manager Wang and the others take good care of me. I got my learnerâs permit. Manager Wang said I could go drive the new car tomorrow." He looked quite proud of himself.
As he spoke, he handed a little booklet solemnly to Lin Chuxia.
Getting a driverâs license back then required not only learning the two major categories of repairs and driving but also numerous sub-tasks. Only after passing could they get a learnerâs permit.
Then they would go on the road with a master. After about half a year of internship and with the masterâs signature approval, they could exchange the learnerâs permit for a driverâs license.
Anyone who could obtain a driverâs license in those days, regardless of age, had impeccable driving skills.
Lin Chuxia praised, "Good job. Manager Wang just mentioned that you performed excellently in the driving test; keep it up."
"Thank you, Auntie Four," Qin Jianshe was overjoyed, momentarily forgetting that his immediate boss was beside him. He quickly turned to bow to Wang Cheng.
He then jokingly said to Lin Chuxia, "Auntie Four, when will you tell my mom what you just said? My mom keeps saying Iâm not as good as my older brother, be it at school or work. I admit Iâm not as good as him, but Iâm trying hard too, right? My mom just doesnât see my good side and scolds me every day."
After speaking, he scratched the back of his head embarrassedly.
Lin Chuxia replied without hesitation, "Sure, the next time I see your sister-in-law, I will praise our familyâs Jianshe well. I must tell her that a childâs excellence isnât just about academics. Struggling with studies doesnât imply incompetence in other areas. Our Jianshe excels in mechanics, and as long as you work diligently and earnestly, youâll surely achieve something."