Chapter 234: Heart-pounding
In Treasure Mountain Village.
Third sister's house.
Seeing the determination in his nephew Bu Zhongshi's eyes and hearing him say, "I want to make a lot of money and stand out in the world," Deng Shirong knew that his nephew had made his final choice among the paths he had laid out. Unless he, as his uncle, stepped in to object, even Bu Zhongshi's parents wouldn't be able to change his mind.
Thinking about the freight business, Deng Shirong realized that the chance of accidents wasn't actually that high. As long as he taught his nephew some travel experience, it wasn't impossible to succeed.
With this in mind, Deng Shirong stopped his third sister from continuing to object and asked seriously, "Zhongshi, have you really thought this through?"
Seeing his uncle's reaction, Bu Zhongshi knew there was hope. Without hesitation, he said, "Uncle, I've made up my mind. I want to do freight!"
Deng Shirong didn't comment immediately. Instead, he turned to his other nephew and asked, "Xiao Shi, what about you?"
Although Bu Xiaoshi also wanted to make a lot of money in transportation, he saw his parents' opposition and heard his uncle's warnings about the risks. After some thought, he said, "Uncle, I think I'll choose to contract the mountain slopes and grow sugarcane at home."
Deng Shirong nodded. "Okay, then you can contract all the public hills and slopes in the village with your parents. You can't make much money by planting a small amount of sugarcane, but if you scale it up, you can still earn a decent income."
Bu Xiaoshi nodded repeatedly.
Deng Shilan was very satisfied with her youngest son's choice.
When Bu Zhongshi heard that his younger brother had chosen to grow sugarcane at home, he wasn't disappointed. Instead, he felt relieved. He wanted to take a risk and create a better life for himself, but he didn't want his younger brother to face the same dangers. If something went wrong, their parents would lose not just one son, but two. That would be too much for them to bear.
After confirming his youngest nephew's decision, Deng Shirong turned back to Bu Zhongshi and said, "Zhongshi, it's not impossible for you to do freight transportation, but you can't do it alone. You need at least one other person with you. It's much safer for two people to drive together than one. On long trips, you can take turns driving. That's very important."
Bu Zhongshi immediately thought of his childhood friend and said, "That's no problem. When you came over earlier, I was about to go swimming with someone. He and I grew up together. I can take him along."
Deng Shirong nodded. "It's better to work with a close friend. You can buy the truck with a loan, and your friend can be the driver. This way, you're also providing him with a good job. I'm sure he'll be willing."
Bu Zhongshi smiled. "This is perfect timing. He was just worrying about having nothing to do. If I can offer him such a good job, he'll be thrilled. How could he refuse?"
Deng Shirong hummed in agreement. "Since you've decided to take this path, find some time to go to the county town with your friend and learn how to drive."
Bu Zhongshi responded happily, "Got it!"
Hearing this, Deng Shilan was still a bit worried and asked, "Brother, will this really work?"
Deng Shirong reassured her, "Third sister, you don't need to worry too much. There are risks in freight transportation, but they're not as severe as you might think. If it were that dangerous, who would dare to drive trucks? As long as they stay alert and try to team up with other truck drivers on the same route, the risk will be greatly reduced.
If they're unlucky enough to encounter car thieves, they should act according to the situation—spend money to avoid disaster and prioritize their safety. If they lose money, they can earn it back. But they shouldn't take unnecessary risks or fight with desperate people. It's just not worth it."
Deng Shilan felt a little more at ease after hearing this. She looked at her second son and said, "Since you've decided to do freight, listen to your uncle. Be careful when you're out there. Don't take unnecessary risks if you run into trouble. Safety is the most important thing. Do you understand?"
Bu Zhongshi nodded repeatedly. "I understand, Mom. Don't worry!"
Next, Deng Shirong gave his second nephew some detailed advice based on his own life experience. Then he stood up and said, "Third sister, third brother-in-law, I'll be leaving now."
Deng Shilan tried to persuade him to stay. "Brother, why are you in such a hurry? Stay for dinner before you go back!"
Bu Erzhu also chimed in, "Yeah, there's nothing to do when you go back anyway. Why don't you have dinner here first? I'll have a few drinks with you."
Deng Shirong smiled and waved his hand. "I won't stay for dinner. I still need to go to Yuntai's uncle's house. Their children also asked me to bring back their wages."
Hearing this, Deng Shilan didn't press further.
After a few more polite words, Deng Shirong rode away on his bicycle.
After watching his uncle leave, Bu Zhongshi said, "I'm going to find Dajun to discuss learning to drive," and ran off toward the river.
…
Ten minutes later.
On a patch of grass about a few dozen meters from the river, Bu Zhongshi and his childhood friend Bu Dajun sat facing each other.
Bu Dajun asked, "Zhongshi, why did you call me here instead of going swimming to cool off on such a hot day?"
Thinking about the path he was about to take, Bu Zhongshi said excitedly, "Dajun, weren't you worried about what to do before? Well, now the opportunity to work is here!"
Bu Dajun looked curious. "My job opportunity? You mean your job opportunity, right? Tell me, what job has your uncle arranged for you? Are you going to help out in the county town like your brother?"
Bu Zhongshi smiled. "My uncle did show me the way. Not only do I have a job opportunity, but I also plan to bring you along. I wonder if you're willing to follow me."
Bu Dajun's eyes lit up, and he said in surprise, "Of course I'm willing! What kind of job is it?"
Bu Zhongshi said with great enthusiasm, "Driving a big truck!"
Bu Dajun was shocked, his face filled with disbelief. "Driving a truck? Being one of the Eight Great Officials?"
"Yes, exactly. Being a driver among the Eight Great Officials."
Hearing his friend's confirmation, Bu Dajun could no longer sit still. He jumped up from the grass and said, "Zhongshi, are you serious? You're not joking, are you?"
Bu Zhongshi understood why his friend was so shocked. After all, the Eight Great Officials of that era were highly enviable professions, especially the driver who controlled the steering wheel. It was a dream job for many boys.
"Of course I'm serious. I'm busy with important things right now. I don't have time to joke with you!"
"That's amazing!"
Bu Dajun was so excited that he did several somersaults on the grass and laughed. "I never thought I'd become a driver one day."
Bu Zhongshi smiled. "Don't get too excited yet. Neither of us knows how to drive. If you want to become a driver, you'll have to go to the county town with me to learn how to drive and get a license."
Hearing this, Bu Dajun finally calmed down and asked nervously, "Zhongshi, learning to drive costs money, right? Do you know how much it costs?"
Bu Zhongshi knew his friend's family was struggling financially. Asking his parents to pay for driving lessons would be difficult, and he'd probably have to prove to them that he could really become a driver after learning.
As a future boss, Bu Zhongshi felt it was his duty to help his friend. He said generously, "Don't worry about that. I'll cover the tuition for you. When you go back, let your parents know. We'll take the bus to Bobai tomorrow to learn how to drive."
His uncle had already told him where to go in the county town to learn driving.
Moreover, his brother, cousin, and his wife were all in the county town, so they didn't have to worry about food or accommodation. They could set off anytime. Since his uncle had agreed to let him take this path, his parents wouldn't object anymore, and he wouldn't be short of money for driving lessons.
Bu Dajun buried his gratitude in his heart and said, "Okay, I'll go back and tell my parents now. We'll set off tomorrow."
…
After leaving his third sister's house, Deng Shirong went to his two brothers-in-law's homes. He brought a pork butt weighing over ten pounds for each family. He still had plenty of thank-you gifts from matchmaking and braised pork stored up, so it was perfect to share with his relatives.
When Chen Dacong and his wife, as well as Chen Daming and his wife, received the wages their children had asked their brother-in-law to bring back, they were overjoyed.
Especially Chen Dacong and his wife. Their eldest son and daughter both worked in the county town, making them the talk of the village.
Now that the children had just worked for a month and sent back 40 yuan in wages, the couple had something to brag about. They could enjoy the admiration of the village for a while.
…
After visiting three brigades—Temple Lotus, Datong, and Zhouwang—in one day, Deng Shirong returned home just in time for dinner.
Dinner was prepared by his niece Bu Dafang. It was a simple meal of stir-fried pork with water spinach and rice. It tasted pretty good.
After all, yellow fried pork was a local specialty. Every cook had made it countless times, so there was no technical difficulty. As long as you weren't completely inept, the taste would generally be decent.
As for water spinach, it was the most commonly eaten vegetable in Bobai all year round. If someone who cooked regularly couldn't even prepare this dish well, it proved their family had no interest in food beyond filling their stomachs.
After dinner, as Deng Shirong sat under the longan tree burning incense, Deng Changping and his wife, Chen Xiaohua, arrived carrying two loads of grain.
Ever since Deng Shirong had lent all his family's fields to Deng Changping to farm, the couple would bring two loads of rice after every harvest.
Every time, Deng Shirong would tell them they didn't need to bring so much—just one load a year as a token of appreciation would be enough. But Deng Changping and his wife would just smile and continue to bring more after the next harvest.
The character of this couple was truly among the best in the village.
Especially in his previous life, Deng Shirong had received a lot of care from them in his later years.
If there was ever an opportunity to help them, he would definitely do so.
(End of this chapter)