Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 57 A Man of Principle

Chen Guojun sighed: "To be honest, I've met quite a few rich people, but I can hardly get along with any of them. You know the nature of my job, but I've managed to get quite a few rich people into prison."

Li Wei knew Chen Guojun's predicament. Even if there were legitimate ways to make money, he wouldn't take them. It was only because housing prices had recently started to rise, and he had overheard experienced drivers chatting that prices would definitely skyrocket in the future. They suggested that if there was a way, one could buy a few houses, leave them there, and then sell them when prices rose, thus making a fortune.

Of course, the old hand's words are unreliable. What if housing prices stop rising in a couple of years and even fall instead? I heard that housing prices in the capital are only a few thousand yuan per square meter now. Ours is a third-tier city in a developing country; prices can't be too high. Ordinary people only earn so much money; if prices are too high, who can afford a house? (Note: This is one of the author's most regrettable and heartbreaking experiences. Back then, housing prices in the capital were only a few thousand yuan per square meter. A friend asked me to buy a house, but I thought it was too expensive and refused. My friend bought two houses for over 300,000 yuan each, and sold one a few years ago for 4.8 million yuan. I'm going to cry for a while now.)

Today is just an excuse to discuss the potential problems after the house swap, with both families present to avoid any future disputes.

I've heard that wives of officials are often petty and narrow-minded. If things aren't made clear, who knows what will happen in the future?

The daughter-in-law told her son a story from the Three Kingdoms period about Yang Xiu, who stole a piece of pastry from Cao Cao. When Yang Xiu was little, he took a lollipop from a corner store. The story goes that Yang Xiu stole a piece of pastry from Cao Cao and was discovered by the petty Prime Minister Cao. Instead of apologizing and paying compensation, Prime Minister Cao had him beaten to death.

Although that's not entirely true, the principle is the same. At the time, the son was so scared that he quickly went to apologize and give money, and the shop owner was very happy.

Fortunately, by helping Chen Guojun, I was able to completely resolve this matter, which would allow the families to visit each other more often in the future.

Li Wei raised his glass again to toast: "Let's not talk about this anymore. I earn quite a bit of money from my work. I'll need you to take good care of Lu Feng in the future."

Lu Feng said with dissatisfaction, "What are you saying, brother-in-law? The boss has been very kind to me."

Chen Guojun downed his drink in one gulp: "Brother, I won't lie to you, there's really no way to make big money. But if you're willing, I can put in a good word for you at my brother's unit and arrange for you to be an auxiliary police officer at the provincial border toll station. It's a bit far from home, but at least the cigarettes you smoke will be much better than what you're smoking now."

Li Wei picked up the wine bottle, filled it with wine, stared blankly at the glass, remained silent for a long time, then picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp. He turned to the side and whispered, "Brother Chen, I appreciate your kindness, but that's all I can do. I'm ordinary and unremarkable, but when it comes to connections, I'm no worse than the average person. The Li family's ancestral motto is: 'We will not take ill-gotten gains, and we will always repay any debts of gratitude.'"

Chen Guojun was stunned. After a while, he raised his glass and said, "Let me toast you! Actually, there are some unspoken rules that I can't stand either. But let's just keep a shred of conscience in our hearts and know how to be respectful. If you ever need anything, you can always come to me."

Li Wei tilted his head back and downed his glass, gleaming it: "If there's a chance, I'll introduce you to my senior brother. We're from the same system; maybe you two can hit it off."

"Oh? Your senior brother? Who is that?"

"Liu Zhongguo from the provincial headquarters."

Chen Guojun suddenly choked, tilting his head and spitting out a mouthful of wine. Coughing, he pointed at Li Wei and laughed wildly: "That 'Brother Long' thing last time, wasn't it you who caused it? Back then, Liu Zhongguo went back to the province cursing and swearing, saying he would beat up certain people if he saw them again. But speaking of which, Captain Liu is a very principled man. He does things based on evidence and would rather take the blame himself than abuse his power. I, Chen Guojun, admire him."

"Huh?" What's going on? They know each other?

Lu Feng leaned closer: "Back then, someone in the team took out their phone and read a text message aloud. During the military exercise, a shell went very far off course. The soldiers sent to investigate found that the shell had landed in a farmland. There was a farmer standing in the farmland, his clothes tattered and his face covered in soot, with tears in his eyes, saying, 'Is it worth shelling someone for stealing a cabbage?' Captain Liu was so angry that his face turned pale."

Li Wei opened his mouth but couldn't say a word; he had really offended his senior brother this time.

"How about you come work as an auxiliary police officer in the team? I'll arrange for you to work with Lu Feng. You'll have five insurances, and you can take care of each other," Chen Guojun suggested with a smile.

Lu Feng's eyes lit up: "That's great! If my brother-in-law works for me, I'll definitely take good care of you."

Li Wei shoved him aside and said impatiently, "Get out of here. I'd rather be bossed around by you than work for you. Your wages are too low, let alone for temporary workers."

The two pointed at Li Wei at the same time and said in unison, "Foolish, short-sighted."

Li Wei curled his lip. If he wanted to do it, he would have done it already. Back then, when his senior brother said that the salary was so pitiful, even lower than that of a casual laborer, who would want it? It was said that even a regular policeman's salary was less than that of a bricklayer.

Afterwards, the group ate, drank, and chatted, and after they were full, they went home.

"By the way, Lili, what were you all talking about that was so lively?" Li Wei asked curiously after getting home and putting the kids to bed.

Lu Lili gave him a charmingly disdainful look: "Why are you asking about women's business?"

"Tch, so mysterious. Fine, don't tell me then."

Li Wei sat there blankly for a moment, then saw Lu Lili looking radiant as if she wanted to devour him, so he quickly lay down and pretended to be dead.

"Stop pretending to be asleep. Didn't you say you were going to punish me?"

Lili snuggled closer, resting her head on Li Wei's arm, and whispered sweet nothings.

What's wrong with me today? The world is changing so fast. I'm perfectly healthy, but I'm not in a good mood.

It wouldn't be good to ignore her; why not take advantage of someone who's offered themselves up? We're an old married couple, so I can handle this well.

After a long while, looking at Li Wei who was fast asleep, Lu Lili breathed a sigh of relief. It's not that I didn't want to tell you, but I was afraid that you would say something silly like "principles" again. Let's talk about it another time.

Having learned from his experience, Li Wei arrived at Jin Ping's place unhurriedly the next morning, definitely not because his legs were a little weak.

Upon entering, you'll see that the old hands are still there, but they've been transformed. Several unfamiliar faces are sitting there, holding teacups filled with goji berries and red dates, engaging in lively conversation.

Jin Ping was engrossed in playing on her computer behind her desk and didn't even see Li Wei come in. Li Wei leaned over, and Jin Ping nervously looked up, tapped her finger, and a loud bang came from the speaker: Minesweeper failed.

"Oh! Master Li is here. I was so engrossed in my game that I didn't notice." Jin Ping put down the mouse and greeted him warmly.

Li Wei asked curiously, "Are computer games really that fun?"

"Of course, I didn't know before. Someone told me that computers come with built-in games, such as Minesweeper and Solitaire, which are quite mentally taxing."

"Really? I heard there are a lot of online games available, and they're supposedly better than the ones that come with it." Li Wei showed off what he'd heard.

Jin Ping had clearly heard about it: "I've heard about it too, but internet fees are so expensive! I'll get internet when it gets cheaper. I bought this thing just because it looks nice; people who don't know any better will see it and think, 'Wow! This company even has computers now.' By the way, Mr. Li, where are you planning to go today?"

Li Wei scratched his head: "I only know the roads in Qiantang. I can't go to other places even if I wanted to!"

Jin Ping smiled and said, "It's okay. There's a job a little further away than Qiantang. Let's go to Jinhua! If you don't know the way, just ask someone with a car. The pay is ten yuan more a day."

"Okay, as long as they don't mind, I'll have to try their ham." Li Wei rubbed his hands excitedly.

The seasoned veteran immediately perked up: "Hey! Who wants this lousy job?"

"You still want to eat ham? You should be grateful you have pickled vegetables to eat."

"The Zhang brothers' beat-up car, anyone who drives it knows how bad it is."

Li Wei looked at Jin Ping with suspicion and remained silent.

Jin Ping was embarrassed: "Nonsense, at least they don't dock wages. All you people know is how to eat!"