Siheyuan: Happy life of veteran drivers

Chapter 206 Sister She’s Heartache

The door opened from the inside, and a woman in her early twenties, heavily made-up but with a graceful figure, came out from behind the door. She was holding a child in her arms, who looked to be only one or two years old.

"Who introduced you here?" Widow Zhao looked at the man in front of her warily. Most of the men who came to her were short and ugly, and there were few as tall as Wang Hongtao.

"Don't worry about who introduced me, just know that I'm here to take care of your business."

"There is a business deal right now, are you willing to do it?"

Widow Zhao smiled charmingly, and then twirled her fingers at Wang Hongtao: "So you are my benefactor, why didn't you tell me earlier..."

"50 cents for a single trip and 1 yuan for a night trip, which one would you like?"

"Stop, be quiet for a while. I'm not looking for you for this." Wang Hongtao said hurriedly.

Widow Zhao was puzzled: "Not for this? But I don't know how to do anything else."

Wang Hongtao looked around and saw that there was no one around: "Let's talk inside."

Widow Zhao curled her lips: "You've come to my place, what else do you have to pretend to be?" After all, this is the first time I've come here, so I'm shy.

After Wang Hongtao entered the room, Widow Zhao closed the door and wanted to turn on the light.

"Don't turn on the light, just say that." Wang Hongtao didn't want Widow Zhao to see his appearance clearly.

"Master, you say." Although Widow Zhao was dissatisfied, her service attitude was still very good and she did not show any emotion.

"Do you know Hou Shun from Maoer Hutong?" Wang Hongtao asked.

"Hou Shun? The guy who got drunk and beat his wife and ended up in jail?"

"Yes, I want you......"

"What? Master, do you want me to pretend to be something and trap Hou Shun in? I can't do that with just half of the door closed!" Widow Zhao said in surprise.

Wang Hongtao frowned: "You can't do this? You can do the first half as usual, and when it's over, you deny it and say you were forced to do it."

"It's not that I can't do it. What I mean is that if I, with my half-closed door, do something that harms my patrons, wouldn't that be a blow to my reputation?"

"I didn't realize that you have such professional ethics in this line of work?" Wang Hongtao said in surprise.

"Sir, you still don't understand what I mean. Forget it, I'll just say it straight." Widow Zhao sighed.

“I mean you have to pay more!”

After some bargaining, Wang Hongtao gave Widow Zhao five dollars and agreed to give her another twenty-five dollars after the deal was done.

Originally, ten dollars would have been enough for such a thing, but Widow Zhao insisted that Hou Shun was difficult to serve, and that if this matter got out it would affect her future work.

To be honest, Widow Zhao's concerns do make some sense.

There was no other way, Wang Hongtao had to accept it. Anyway, he could ask Director Li to reimburse him for any expenses, so he just let her do it.

……

"Is it done?"

In the factory director's office, Li Huaide handed over a package of special Zhonghua cigarettes and asked with a smile.

Wang Hongtao nodded: "Yes, Director Li, find a half-open door and arrange it for him. Then you can ask the security department or the police to wait near her house. How to put the hat on is your business."

Li Huaide nodded with satisfaction: "Well done, I'll give you the money for the half-closed door."

"Eighty. The one who opened the door thought the job was too risky and would damage her reputation. She refused to give in. I had no choice but to accept the offer."

Eighty? This kid really dares to ask!

Li Huaide was suspicious. He knew that Wang Hongtao must have benefited from this matter, but he didn't care.

It’s good to get benefits, because only those who have gotten benefits are our own people.

I still say, you are not after money or benefits, so what on earth are you after?

Can your leader trust you?

What Li Huaide didn't expect was that Wang Hongtao turned around and reported the matter to She Lijuan.

……

Next to the river, in the small house of the She family.

"I'm very angry now." She Lijuan said angrily while sitting at the head of the bed.

Wang Hongtao sat on the bed and gently stroked She Lijuan's shoulder: "Are you still angry?"

"Hmm!" She Lijuan panted heavily, her chest heaving, and she looked very indignant.

"I'm just confused. I've seen that woman before, but she has no pretty face and no temperament. What's so good about her rustic look?"

"Why did Li Huaide fall for her?"

Why did he like her? She has a good temper and is submissive, Wang Hongtao thought.

Of course he definitely wouldn't say that, he just patted her shoulder gently to comfort her.

In the past, She Lijuan would have grabbed Li Huaide's ears and taken him home to educate him.

But now when she heard the news, she didn't feel too much inside, perhaps because her mind was completely focused on Wang Hongtao.

And to be honest, she also owes something in this regard.

She just couldn't accept why Li Huaide would find a woman who was inferior to her in every way.

Wang Hongtao chuckled and said, "Why bother with that? Since Director Li doesn't value it himself, let me, the driver, share the burden for him."

"It is my duty to help the leader solve his problems!"

She Lijuan burst out laughing at Wang Hongtao. "Old Li is so unlucky to have someone like you as his driver. You robbed his house without telling anyone, and he still treats you as his confidant."

Then she lay down in Wang Hongtao's arms again: "Although you have always been a frivolous person, I just like you."

"As for me, I'm lucky that you're by my side now, otherwise I don't know who to turn to for help."

After a pause, he continued, "Sometimes I get angry when I think about it. I begged my dad to help Li Huaide become the deputy factory director, but he didn't know how to repay me, and he even went to support other women."

Wang Hongtao took She Lijuan over and said with a smile: "Since he doesn't know how to repay, then you should repay me instead..."

"How to repay?" She Lijuan was puzzled.

"so!"

……

Jia family.

Jia Zhang looked at the same cornmeal steamed buns and her face fell.

"Huai Ru, you can't let us eat steamed bread one day and steamed bread the next, right? I'm old and it's ok, but it's not okay for Bang Geng and Xiao Dang. Children have tender throats and need to grow. Can't they eat thin food every day?"

The Jia family has the leftovers brought by Sha Zhu, so they don’t have to buy vegetables, but they still have to prepare the staple food themselves.

Qin Huairu said with a bitter face: "What can I do? I have been working in the factory for less than a month, and my household registration has not been transferred yet. How can I get the ration? I got this little corn flour with great difficulty."

"We have to find a way. If I eat any more, my throat will be damaged." Jia Zhang looked at the steamed bun on the plate with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Yes, Mom. My throat hurts when I only eat steamed bread." Banggeng is now following his grandmother's footsteps, and he says whatever Jia Zhang says.

Jia Zhang heard that Qin Huairu's tone was somewhat relaxed, so she quickly struck while the iron was hot and said, "Why don't you think of a way to borrow some food? Even if it's just one or two small meals, it will be fine to change the taste."

"Now that the new monthly ration has just been issued, it is the easiest time to borrow food."

"Where can I borrow it? Everyone is short of food in this year. I'm afraid it won't be easy to borrow it." Qin Huairu sighed.

"Originally I could try my luck at the uncle's house, but since they adopted two children, they are not as close to Bang Geng as before."

Jia Zhang said bitterly: "This old man Yi Zhonghai should be exterminated. Who is so ignorant as to let him adopt a child?"

"How about going to Wang Hongtao's house to ask? This guy is a driver, has a high ration, and if he is full, the whole family will not be hungry. It would be perfect to borrow from him."

As soon as Jia Zhang said this, Qin Jingru was unhappy: "Aunt, Brother Wang's ration is high but he also eats a lot. The job of a driver is not easy and requires a lot of strength. Otherwise, why is the ration so high?"

"Go away, stop talking here, you freeloader." Jia Zhang waved her hand at Qin Jingru.

"Don't think I don't know because I'm old. Drivers of big trucks don't have it easy. The guy surnamed Wang drives a small jeep, which is not much more laborious than riding a bicycle."

"Aren't you from the same commune? With this relationship, I don't believe he would be so ruthless."

Qin Huairu frowned and said, "It's true that he and I are from the same commune, but there are more than 20,000 people in a commune, and I didn't even know him before!"

Qin Huairu was not wrong in saying this. When she first married and moved to the city, Wang Hongtao was only eleven or twelve years old. How could he have known him?

"You also said that was in the past? We were from the same commune and now we live in the same courtyard. It's such a coincidence that we bump into each other. What's wrong with asking him to borrow some food?"

"Listen to mom and come over to give it a try. Jingru should come along too. You are close in age to that Wang guy, so you should be able to talk better. You can't just eat for free and do nothing."

……