Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

This outfit, coupled with Li Xiaodong's temperament, made Niu Meng stare at him intently: "Master, you are so handsome!"

"Niu Meng, you are a girl, why do you learn to peek like others?" Li Xiaodong blamed.

"Hmph, it's just a little more meat, what's the big deal!" Niu Meng muttered, closed the door and ran away.

Li Xiaodong rubbed his forehead helplessly. Nine out of ten drivers are unruly. Even a simple girl like Niu Meng is affected.

Wearing a brand new uniform, Li Xiaodong was undoubtedly the most eye-catching person among the crowd as he walked around the factory.

Be it the security department cadres, the workshop workers, or even the doctors, none of them can compare to him.

The eyes of the middle-aged women passing by flickered, the cheeks of the young girls flushed, and they tightened their legs straight.

Behind him, Niu Meng was holding a bag of dirty clothes, her little mouth pouting so much that it could hang onto a horse's head.

"Master, I don't even wash my brother's clothes at home."

"I am your master, and I am older than him."

"Then why don't you let your mistress help you wash?"

"That's my wife. How can I bear to let her suffer?"

"..."

"If you don't want to wash, we will officially end the master-disciple relationship."

"Well, that won't work..."

Niu Meng looked at the cafeteria in the distance and couldn't help swallowing. As long as he had food to fill his stomach and could practice driving, washing clothes was nothing.

Alas, I still underestimated the determination of those big eaters!

When I walked into the cafeteria, the person serving the food was still that Sha Zhu.

"As usual, thirteen steamed buns, four ounces of Chinese cabbage, and two boxes of noodle porridge."

Li Xiaodong reported his appetite amid the workers' surprised gazes.

Sha Zhu glanced at the little girl behind Li Xiaodong, curled his lips and muttered in a low voice: "Wei Zi, sooner or later you will be bankrupted by this girl."

"Hey, is it appropriate for you to say that? My master is now a level 5 driver, earning 49 yuan a month, with a daily subsidy of 60 cents for a sports car in the city and 80 cents for long-distance driving. How can he not afford to support an apprentice?

Besides, my salary is about to be paid. You, a silly cook, really don't understand the ways of the world. How about we go out and practice?" Niu Meng raised his eyebrows slightly, with obvious provocation.

Sha Zhu had already found out all about Niu Meng's background and was a little afraid of her, so he could only smile foolishly.

Niu Meng took the steamed buns and food, and without paying any attention to Sha Zhu, he went straight to the corner and devoured the food.

Li Xiaodong tasted and chewed slowly.

Yu Haitang, who had been observing for a long time, came over with an aluminum lunch box and asked in a low voice: "Brother-in-law, is this your apprentice?"

"Yes, the new apprentice is called Niu Meng." Li Xiaodong nodded in confirmation.

"Very good, very good." Yu Haitang said something incomprehensible and left in a hurry with the lunch box.

Li Xiaodong was a little confused. Was his sister-in-law confused again?

At this time, Niu Meng raised his little face from above the lunch box and asked in confusion: "Hey, Master, was there anyone here just now?"

Li Xiaodong: “…”

...

Back to the fleet, the GIL 150 had already driven out of the maintenance workshop.

The impact marks on the front of the car have been repaired and are almost invisible, and the body of the car has been repainted blue.

The only thing that bothered Li Xiaodong was a crack on the front windshield.

In this cold winter season, if you drive it on the road, you will definitely be frozen into an ice stick.

Thanks to the help of the apprentice, under the name of Niu Yong, they found a piece of "chemical paper" from the logistics department and pasted it on the windshield.

The so-called 'chemical paper' is actually plastic paper.

Plastic materials were precious in that era, so it was given such a high-sounding name.

A 'chemical soap box' costs 75 cents and can be exchanged for a pound of mutton.

A pair of "chemical sandals" costs two dollars and a half, and a "chemical comb" costs thirty-three cents.

...

Due to the shortage of factory drivers, Li Xiaodong got his driver's license and the truck was ready, so he naturally started working immediately.

Trucks are like women. Each car has a different personality. Only by being familiar with its temperament and catering to its preferences can you control it with ease.

Therefore, new drivers joining the fleet need to get used to the trucks for a while and are not suitable for long-distance missions.

Li Xiaodong was assigned to the factory and was responsible for short-distance transportation.

The specific job is to deliver the raw materials sent by the small train to various workshops.

This kind of life is popular in the team.

Although the subsidy has been reduced by two cents, there is no need to dine out.

When the announcement comes on, he only needs to pull over to enjoy a hot meal.

Of course, Li Xiaodong understood that this job was not easy to come by, and this was exactly reflected in the value of those thirteen steamed buns.

There are disputes everywhere, but the world of Jianghu is not about swords and sabers, but a mixture of human relationships and worldly wisdom.

The benefits of the thirteen steamed buns soon became apparent.

Li Xiaodong walked into the lounge, distributed cigarettes to the veteran drivers, exchanged greetings with Old Bai, and then started his afternoon work.

In this era, there are no 4S stores, and the condition of trucks depends entirely on the drivers' daily maintenance.

A comprehensive inspection before each trip can avoid many emergencies.

First, Li Xiaodong opened the oil cap and confirmed that the coolant level was above the safety line.

For that old truck, which is suspected to be a GILL 150, coolant is more critical than fuel.

Next, he turned his attention to the tires, carefully removing even the tiny stones in the tire treads.

Niu Meng looked at his concentration and couldn't help but smile.

"Master, we are transporting goods in the factory. If there are any problems, just ask Lao Zhang and others to handle it."

In Niu Meng's eyes, Li Xiaodong's behavior seemed a bit redundant.

If they set out now, they would have arrived at the material yard long ago.

Li Xiaodong stroked the badly worn tire and said seriously: "It's okay if the tire bursts, but have you ever thought that if the tire bursts while fully loaded, it may cause the vehicle to lose control. What if there are workers on the road?"

"This……"

Thinking of the possible tragedy, Niu Meng fell silent, the anxiety on his face disappeared, and a hint of fear appeared in his eyes.

"We drive big vehicles, we hold the steering wheel, and our feet are on people's lives, so we must be respectful when we are on the road."

At this moment, Li Xiaodong felt for the first time the heavy responsibility on his master's shoulders.

"Master, what do you mean by 'hand grip'?" Niu Meng took out a notebook from his canvas bag.

"..."

Li Xiaodong walked around the truck and crawled under the vehicle to check carefully. Only after confirming that everything was normal did he prepare to set off.

The temperature is rising at this time, so there is no need to risk heating the oil pan.

He got into the driver's seat, rolled down the window, and shouted to the outside: "Apprentice, start the car."

"Okay!" Niu Meng ran over happily, pulled out the black iron rod from Li Xiaodong's hips, and turned the starter hard.

She is very strong and can turn with great power easily.

In less than twenty seconds, the truck started to move.

Li Xiaodong lightly stepped on the accelerator to keep the engine running steadily.

Niu Meng climbed onto the truck, looking very proud: "How is it?"

Li Xiaodong gave a thumbs up and commented: "You have enough strength, but your skills still need to be honed. When you crank the starter, you must crank it in a clockwise direction and apply force evenly, not too hard..."

These are all valuable practical experiences!

Niu Meng quickly took out a notebook from his bag and wrote it down stroke by stroke.

Her dream is to drive a big truck.

However, Niu Yong thought that girls were not suitable for driving and always wanted to stop her.

The experienced drivers in the team all understood Niu Yong's thoughts and were unwilling to take her with them.

Only Li Xiaodong, a newcomer who is unaware of the situation, would be entangled by her.

Li Xiaodong gently pushed the accelerator, and when the truck vibrated slightly, he released the handbrake. The truck let out a low roar and immediately drove out of the parking lot.

Looking at the yellow dust following behind, Old White Man came to Niu Yong and asked, "Captain, do you feel any regret?"

"What do you regret? I can't afford to support that girl. Now I have someone to provide me with food and drink. I'm happy for it!" Niu Yong's face was livid, and he returned to the office full of complaints.

"After get off work, all of us drivers held a meeting. This is a new era, and we must abandon the traditional bad habits of masters exploiting their apprentices."

What you call discarded is my treasure."

With Niu Meng as his capable apprentice, Li Xiaodong's pressure was greatly reduced and he only needed to concentrate on working with the GIL-150.

When learning driving skills, Li Xiaodong found an article in the library titled "Detailed Explanation of the Soviet Truck - GAZ-150".

The author is a Soviet transport hero who participated in many battles. The subtitle is:

[If you can handle the GIL 150, no truck is too hard for you to handle. ]

The fact that this old Soviet driver made such an evaluation shows his complicated feelings towards this truck.

In 1956, the magazine "Above the Wheels" published an interview with Ignat, a Soviet armored vehicle driver.

Ignat firmly believes that his outstanding performance in the military is due to the fact that he had mastered the skills of flying the ZIL-150 before serving.

In this case, is the difficulty of driving a ZIL 150 comparable to that of operating an armored vehicle?

Moreover, the ZIL 150 driven by Li Xiaodong is the first batch of mass-produced models.

At that time, the Soviet Union had just experienced war and thin steel plates were extremely scarce, so the cockpit adopted a steel-wood hybrid structure.

The cockpit problem was not a big deal, but in that era, if a truck got into a serious accident, even a metal cockpit could not guarantee the driver's safety.

Not long after Li Xiaodong started driving, he noticed a slight "click" sound coming from under the car.

The sound was so faint that it would be almost imperceptible if he had not been concentrating fully.

"Click!" He slammed on the brakes.

Niu Meng almost hit the windshield due to inertia.

"what happened?"

"Maybe there's something wrong with the long drive shaft."

"Which axis?"

Although he looked confused, Niu Meng still laid the tarpaulin under the car. Li Xiaodong got under the car and indeed found that the old stains on the edge of the drive shaft were loose and about to fall off.

"Wrench, hammer!" he shouted.

Niu Meng ran to the cab, took out a tool from the toolbox and handed it to him: "Master, do you want to ask Uncle Zhang and the others to come over to help?"

At this moment, Niu Meng, who was always confused, also remembered that the trucks in the fleet had long drive shafts that often had problems.

These types of problems are beyond the driver's ability to repair and can only be solved by a professional mechanic who is more proficient in the vehicle.

Once, Zhuganzi's car broke down while delivering goods to the northeast, and he walked more than ten miles before finding a phone.

There wasn't even anyone in the town who could repair the tractor.

In desperation, it was still Old White who drove the truck and took the repair team to the town and repaired it after three days.

"No, I can handle it myself!"

Li Xiaodong's steady voice came from under the car, followed by the sound of metal collision.

Half a minute later, Li Xiaodong crawled out from under the car and handed Niu Meng a wrench and hammer with his greasy hands.

"It's fixed."

"It was fixed so quickly?" Niu Meng opened her eyes wide in surprise. Li Xiaodong's skills were beyond her understanding.

"The long half axle is just loose, not falling off. You just need to knock it in with some force. If it had all fallen off, you would have to dismantle the underbody of the car," explained Li Xiaodong.

Fortunately, this didn’t seem that scary. Niu Meng didn’t know much about the semi-major axis, so he could only nod silently.

I was so worried about my new gloves that I didn’t want to wear them, and now my fingers have become greasy.

Seeing Niu Meng still standing there in a daze, Li Xiaodong urged, "Why are you standing there in a daze? Go get some water for the master, he needs to wash his hands."

"This is engine oil. Why is it washed off without waiting for someone to take a look?" Niu Meng said in disbelief.

Engine oil is the glory of truck drivers, and usually experienced drivers will treasure it.

When they get off work, they will show it to their colleagues in the workshop, and when they get home they will show it off to their families before they will be satisfied and wash it with hot water.

How vain!

How can one be so vain?