Chapter 330

Li Ye's family and Li Dayong's family both buzzed with activity for several days, until all the workers from the joint venture factory had entered and begun training, at which point everyone finally gave up hope.

The children of relatives like Uncle Biao and Auntie Gu had, after working a few days as construction laborers, indeed complained bitterly, just as Li Zhongfa had predicted.

Although the Spring Festival had passed, spring had not yet arrived.

But the joint venture factory's schedule was extremely tight; workers labored outdoors at temperatures of minus seven or eight degrees Celsius, putting in over ten hours a day, and even the strongest bodies grew utterly exhausted.

Worse still, the official workers trained right beside them, wearing brand-new uniforms and safety shoes, marching in neat rows chanting "one-two-one," while they themselves tore down houses and pushed wheelbarrows.

And even among construction laborers, the official workers from the construction company enjoyed noticeably better treatment—this psychological contrast was simply too sharp.

So they began voicing their grievances, shouting to other construction workers that they were "special," claiming to be Li Zhongfa's close friends and relatives, here not to work but to get paid, and demanding why they were being treated like beasts of burden.

But the construction workers belonged to the construction company and didn't care a bit about their claims—if you're a temporary worker, why should the official workers do the hardest, most grueling jobs?

Within a few days, they'd already gotten into several fights.

Only Xiao Gu, Li Ye's so-called "little uncle," and Ma Xiaoxiang, the grandson of Uncle Si, remained quiet and worked steadily all day.

"Uncle Xiao Gu, that Er Tiao just asked me again to go find Grandpa Zhongfa! We're both construction workers—why is his work so much lighter than ours? Shouldn't we go too?"

Ma Xiaoxiang asked Xiao Gu while loading bricks onto the wheelbarrow.

Xiao Gu silently stacked bricks onto the cart and replied in a low voice: "Got any money?"

"What?"

Ma Xiaoxiang blinked. "I've got only one yuan and sixty fen—you know that! That's the money we saved for emergencies."

Xiao Gu cut him off: "You've got only one yuan and sixty fen—and you still complain about working?"

Ma Xiaoxiang scratched his head. "What's the logic between having one yuan and sixty fen and working?"

Xiao Gu finished loading the bricks, pushed the cart forward, and said: "If you don't work, why should they pay you? Call someone 'Grandpa' and think you're his real grandson? Do you think he'll just hand you money for free? Would you even feel comfortable taking it?"

"Eighteen yuan and fifty fen a month—three months is fifty-five yuan and fifty fen—that's enough to marry a wife. Don't be greedy."

"."

Ma Xiaoxiang also pushed his own wheelbarrow and hurried to catch up with Uncle Xiao Gu.

But after thinking it over, he muttered: "If money were given to me for free, I'd feel embarrassed—but if I refuse free money, am I not being stupid?"

Although Ma Xiaoxiang felt he was slightly smarter than Uncle Xiao Gu, they were the same age; Xiao Gu was senior, and since they traveled together, Ma Xiaoxiang ultimately followed his uncle's lead.

But Ma Xiaoxiang never imagined that this tiny difference would turn his life around, shifting him from a muddy, uneven path onto a smooth, straight highway.

Li Ye drove the Volga onto the national highway between Tianjin and Beijing, just one step away from the capital.

But that one step still required two more hours of driving.

And that was with the Volga's speed—if it were an old Jiefang truck, four hours would be normal.

The Beijing-Tianjin Expressway, the mainland's first expressway, wouldn't even begin construction for another three years; at this point, daring to build a road with four lanes in both directions required immense courage and responsibility.

In a city in Dongshan Province, a young municipal official had pushed through a forty-kilometer four-lane highway against all opposition—and was branded a "kid official."

But a few years later, his foresight was proven correct, and so was the speed of the mainland's development and its transportation demands.

Compared to other roads on the mainland, the condition of the Beijing-Tianjin route was still decent, especially after six or seven in the morning during winter, when traffic was light—the Volga could reach speeds over seventy kilometers per hour.

Li Dayong, who had been eagerly anticipating the journey, finally couldn't hold back: "Brother, let me drive a bit! This stretch's empty, flat, and straight."

Li Ye turned back and said: "We've got a full car! Are you sure you want to start practicing now?"

This time, Li Ye and Li Yue returned to Beijing in two cars and asked the other eight in their group if they wanted to head back to school a few days early.

Hu Man and the others naturally agreed—it was easier to travel together without having to squeeze onto buses or buy tickets.

So Li Ye's car wasn't just him and Li Dayong—it also carried Fu Yingjie and Yan Jinbu.

Li Ye always believed that new drivers shouldn't practice with too many passengers, because if something went wrong, you couldn't bear the consequences.

But people back then clearly had poor safety awareness; Fu Yingjie and Yan Jinbu immediately said they didn't mind.

"Don't worry about us—we're fine. Let's just watch how well Dàyǒng drives."

"Exactly! Dàyǒng has a driver's license, right? If you've got a license, you can drive—no problem."

Li Ye smiled inwardly, thinking: If you knew how Dàyǒng got his license, you wouldn't be so casual.

During the Spring Festival, as the last of the "five shareholders" without a license, Li Dayong finally pulled strings and obtained his driver's license through the fastest possible process.

But before getting it, he'd barely touched a car, because when Li Ye got his first Beijing 130, he had firmly enforced the rule: "No license, no driving."

So when Li Dayong gripped the steering wheel, Fu Yingjie and Yan Jinbu immediately sensed something was wrong.

But they were both thick-skinned and didn't realize the danger—instead, they burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, Dàyǒng, you drive steadier than a tractor!"

"That's wrong—it's steadier than a bicycle! Should I get out and run to see if my legs are faster than your wheels?"

Li Dayong blushed and reached to shift into fourth gear, but Li Ye grabbed his hand and held it firmly.

"Just stay in third gear. Look far ahead—not at the road right in front of you."

"Don't turn the wheel—just 'nudge' it. Don't jerk it around—do you want to drive straight into a ditch?"

"Just press the gas halfway—it's not water you're burning."

Fortunately, Li Dayong always listened to Li Ye, so he held his temper, and they crawled slowly into Beijing, the car swerving like a sluggish turtle.

When they stopped outside Jiang Xiaoyan's small noodle shop, the giant of a man was drenched in sweat, his hair soaked through.

Yan Jinbu and Fu Yingjie were already starving; they jumped out and went into Lao Chen's noodle shop, eating while recounting Li Dayong's driving antics.

Li Ye said outside: "See? You insisted on practicing in front of them—now you're just asking to be laughed at. I promised you a Beijing 130 when we got to Beijing, not a free practice car."

The first Beijing 130 purchased by Factory Seven in Pengcheng was essentially a training vehicle—anyone learning to drive used it, so Li Ye wasn't upset about the car being damaged—he cared about Dàyǒng's safety and dignity.

But Li Dayong stammered: "Xiao Hui said she'll teach me to drive—her brother gave her a car in Beijing. If I look too clumsy then, won't I be humiliated?"

Li Ye was stunned—he hadn't known about this—but thinking of Pei Wencong's doting nature toward his sister, it wasn't surprising.

Then Li Ye smiled: "What's humiliating about that? When two people are together, the one called 'fool' usually gets more care. Don't be blind to your good fortune."

"."

Li Dayong stared at Li Ye for a long moment before asking: "Brother, are you the 'fool' in Wen Leyu's eyes?"

"Sss~"

Li Ye inhaled sharply, recalling everything from start to finish—and suddenly realized he'd never been "foolish."

Li Dayong spread his hands, sounding slightly resentful: "See? You talk nicely, but you don't want to be a fool either."

Li Ye: "."

"You two not coming in to eat? What are you talking about? Dàyǒng, you're soaked in sweat—come in! Oh, your two classmates said you really wrecked my car."

Li Yue appeared at the noodle shop's entrance, calling out to Li Ye and Li Dayong.

"Hey hey, I didn't wreck it much, sis—I only shifted into third gear!"

Li Dayong hurried sheepishly into the shop.

Li Ye pulled his sister aside and explained why Li Dayong had been practicing, telling her not to be so upset about the car—cars are inanimate, people are alive; if it breaks, just fix it!

But Li Yue whispered: "Why are you meddling? Do you know why Pei Wencong gave Pei Wenhui a car?"

Li Ye asked: "Why? Is there something behind it?"

Li Yue smiled lightly: "The other day, Xiao Hui came to ask me about Lin Qiuyan. It seems Pei Wencong looked into Li Dayong—Dayong got mocked at school because of Lin Qiuyan. Then Xiao Hui asked her brother for a car, and volunteered to teach Dayong to drive. Don't you think she's backing him up?"

Li Ye slowly nodded. He thought Pei Wenhui was truly a good girl—she thought of her boyfriend and took concrete action, far superior to those who endlessly chant "love is priceless."

Seeing Li Ye nod, Li Yue added: "So don't meddle. You think helping Li Dayong practice driving is kindness? You're actually interfering with their romance."

Seeing Li Ye nod, his sister Li Yue added, "So! You'd better mind your own business in the future. Do you think helping Li Dayong practice driving was kindness? It's actually interfering with the couple's bonding."

Li Ye agreed, but then his mind shifted—he turned to look at his older sister.

Was she saying all this because she wanted me to stop meddling in her affairs?

What? After reporting to the family, does she now think she can ignore me?

What? After reporting it to your family, you think you can just ignore me?