Siheyuan: Starting to work in the street office

Traveling long distances nowadays is not as convenient as it is in later generations. Taking a train is still okay, but taking a car is a hassle. First of all, the road conditions are not that good, and in many places you have to take small roads and take a long detour, unlike in later generations where there are direct routes.

The road is not good and the car cannot be driven too fast. Moreover, the cars nowadays do not have power steering or anything, so it all depends on the driver's arms.

It is very common for cars to break down on the road, so now drivers have to know how to repair cars. Otherwise, if the car breaks down on the way and there is no village or shop nearby, it will be very troublesome.

After a bumpy ride, Zhong Shan felt like he was about to fall apart. It was hot and bumpy, and his face was covered with a layer of dust. After noon, the convoy stopped in a shady place to eat.

Of course I couldn't have a proper meal when I was away from home. I took out the dry food I brought with me and had a bite, then cooled down a bit and continued on my journey in the car.

A new driver was changed in the afternoon. The driver in Zhong Shan's car also sat in the passenger seat to rest, and Zhong Dahai drove.

As one of the eight major members, the current driver is very arrogant. Once he turns the steering wheel, he would not change it even if he is given a county magistrate. This is not just talk. After the driver was replaced, he kept talking and bragging to Zhong Shan and Zhong Dahai.

Although Zhong Dahai is a section chief and Zhong Shan is a deputy director, the driver doesn't care at all. He doesn't care what position you hold, but he can't control me.

The afternoon's tasks were also heavy. In addition to hurrying on the road, we also had to find a safe place to set up camp before dark.

People are very tough nowadays and it is not safe to drive a sports car at night. Although Zhong Dahai has driven a car twice, he is not very familiar with it and needs an experienced driver to give directions.

These drivers often travel long distances, and they know exactly where to rest, where is safe, and where the customs are bad.

It was even hotter in the afternoon. There was no air conditioning in the car at this time and the windows were always open. Although there was a little wind, it was still a drop in the bucket compared to the hot weather. In addition, sometimes driving on the road would stir up gusts of dust.

The car finally reached a relatively flat road, and Zhong Shan breathed a sigh of relief.

Later on in the journey, the convoy was facing the sun and it was not so hot at last. Zhong Shan finally had the energy to talk.

"Master, in this season, you drivers really have a hard time!"

The driver pouted and said, "Hey, that's nothing. Winter is hard work, and no matter how hard it is, you can overcome it. As long as you don't run into robbers, you can endure it no matter how hard it is!"

After hearing this, Zhong Shan asked curiously, "Are there many robberies?"

"A lot, of course it's not a lot, but usually you give a little to those who run a single business and they leave, but I'm afraid of those who have too many people, they are greedy!"

The driver then said, "But we are not afraid. There are quite a lot of us here this time, and we all have weapons. Even if there are more people, we will have to behave ourselves!"

There were quite a few people from the security department following us this time, and there was at least one armed person from the security department following us in each car, so the safety was relatively reassuring.

The first day was smooth. I walked more than half of the way before dark. Before dark, I stopped at a bus station, where long-distance buses stopped to rest. It was just called a big truck shop, but later there were more trucks coming and going, so it was expanded and turned into a truck station. (This is not made up, it really exists!)

After everyone got off the car, Zhong Dahai took the letter of introduction to find the person in charge, the driver checked the car, and the security department checked whether the cargo was tied firmly.

Zhongshan was unable to help in any way and just wandered around the station aimlessly.

At the innermost part is a row of houses, all with large dormitories. You can forget about having a single room here, and having a dormitories is considered good enough.

After a while, Zhong Dahai returned to the base after checking in. "Everyone, hold on for a while. Let's eat something casually today. I'll treat you to a good meal when we get there. Let's eat first. The driver will go to the car store to rest at night. Our brothers in the security department will work harder at night and take turns sleeping in the car. The first half of the night and the second half of the night are on duty separately. Don't fall asleep!"

Everyone went to get some hot water first. The team brought dry food from the canteen. When traveling away from home, these things are not important. It is good enough to be full.

As the head of the security department, Zhong Dahai did not follow the driver to the carriage shop to rest at night. Instead, he stayed in the car with the security staff, so that it would be easier to give command if there was any emergency.

Zhong Shan thought about it and decided not to go. He was a rather pretentious person. He was not really willing to sleep in a dormitory. In the middle of summer, there were dozens of grown men in one room, all of whom were long-distance travelers. Once they took off their shoes, the smell in the room was indescribable. He couldn't even open his eyes when he entered the room.

It's even more so when you sleep at night, with snoring, farting, grinding teeth and talking in your sleep. Whatever you can think of, among so many people, there will always be one or two who can satisfy you!

Seeing that Zhong Shan was unwilling to go, Zhong Dahai advised him: "You should go in and sleep. I'm used to it. My military service was much harder than this. I can sleep whenever I want in the wild. You haven't been out of the city much, so don't commit this crime!"

Zhong Shan could only explain to his elder brother: "I think that room is not as good as the car. It's summer anyway, and it's cooler in the car. And look at that room. My goodness, the smell pushed me out when I went in just now. I'd better stay in the car!"

Zhong Dahai smiled and said, "That's fine. It's just one night anyway. You have never suffered before. There are inns along this route. We can suffer less. If we really go to a place where there is no village or inn, it will be much more uncomfortable than this!"

Zhong Dahai had been out with the escort truck many times, but this was the first time for Zhong Shan. Now there were only the two of them in the car. Zhong Shan asked, "Aren't the lights all working? It should be better to go at night. It'll be cooler. It's too hot during the day!"

"That's true in terms of weather, but at night the visibility is poor and it's too dangerous. I'm afraid that if we go to remote places, we might get robbed and you won't know where they ran off to. Although we all carry weapons, everyone has a family to support, so it's better not to take risks if we can. Unless we're in a hurry or the goods are particularly important, we usually don't travel at night!"

After hearing the explanation, Zhong Shan understood. This is not the future. There are street lights and surveillance cameras everywhere. Many people nowadays do not have enough food. If people are hungry, they will do anything for a bite to eat. Moreover, many families now have guns, homemade guns, old foreign cannons, hunting rifles and so on. Many families have them. If a conflict really happens, it is indeed quite dangerous. It is still necessary to do this.

The two chatted in the car as the sky gradually darkened. There was a slight chill at noon and a breeze blew, and Zhongshan felt refreshed all over.