Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 44 Earning Money to Support a Family Isn't Easy

Watching the brother and sister enjoying their meal, Li Wei felt a sensation he had never experienced before.

I couldn't help but secretly blame myself. In the past, when I had meals with friends, my child was still young, and I rarely thought of taking my child out for a meal alone.

Later, I always thought that we ate together at home every day, and after getting married I was used to spending money extravagantly, so we were struggling financially, and my wife was good at managing money.

I felt there was no need to spend extra money to make the child happy, and the child had never asked for anything, so it seemed that I hadn't done enough.

Li Wei didn't eat a single bite of the meal. Although he was a little hungry, he was in a good mood.

Lu Lili tried a bite of each flavor, then picked up a hamburger and started eating it. She stopped eating before she had eaten half of it and handed it to Li Wei.

With so many people around, it was hard to refuse. Li Wei took a bite, frowned, and forced himself to swallow.

It doesn't taste good, that's my first reaction. If you ask someone who likes salty, fatty meat to eat a hamburger, the taste is really not to their liking.

Li Wei particularly disliked the lettuce leaves mixed in, and shook his head, resolutely refusing to eat them.

He even argued vehemently, "I'm not a cow, sheep, or rabbit; I don't eat grass."

"This is lettuce, not grass."

This time, the mother and her two children formed a united front and refuted Li Wei's claims.

"It's not even as good as a pancake. If you and your children like it, take it home and eat it. There's so little sauce and it's not salty enough."

The siblings argued over whether to let Li Wei try the chicken strips and other dishes, but Li Wei shook his head and refused: "It really doesn't suit my taste. I'd rather go drink mutton soup and eat roasted meat; you can adjust the flavor yourself there."

The siblings both looked down on him, saying, "Dad, you're out of touch. There are no guys eating mutton soup on TV."

"You two silly girls, does being a guy mean you're good?"

"Of course, having a boyfriend is always a good thing."

Li Wei scoffed, "Childish. Your mother didn't become a gigolo, so what do you two think of her?"

Even Xiao Qiwu wasn't fooled: "Mom isn't food, so not having to be a father is the best thing."

"Eat quickly, eat quickly, and then go home. You two haven't done your homework yet, have you?"

That's a really powerful statement; it can kill a conversation instantly.

Lu Lili was thoughtful. Seeing that the siblings couldn't finish their food, she asked the waiter for some plastic bags and packed the food to take home.

The siblings were overjoyed and skipped towards the motorcycle.

In summer, it gets dark late, and the lights are only turned on after dinner is finished.

Just like when they arrived, under the bright streetlights, a motorcycle carrying a family of four sped by.

After turning a few corners and driving along a main road, a police car pulled up behind us. The passenger window rolled down, and a traffic officer leaned out and shouted, "Motorcycles, pull over!"

Perhaps fearing an accident, the police car didn't swerve suddenly as rumored, but instead kept its distance and shouted warnings.

Stopping? Stopping would mean at least another meal that he couldn't afford. Thinking of this, Li Wei shouted "Hold on tight!" and slammed on the gas, speeding away.

The police car behind them switched to loudspeakers and shouted urgently, "Slow down, slow down! We're not chasing you, you bastard! Don't you want your wife and kids dead?"

Hey, you police officers, why are you swearing? If I weren't carrying my wife and kids, I would have filed a complaint against you.

After running for a while, they proved they were indeed police officers who kept their word and didn't chase after the other officers.

Taking advantage of his familiarity with the terrain, he navigated through the streets and alleys back home. Looking at his mother and her two children, who were silent but pale-faced, Li Wei suddenly felt very guilty.

"I'm sorry, we won't go out together again until I buy a car. I can't let you and your children live in fear anymore."

Lu Lili shook her head: "A woman should follow her husband wherever he goes. We should try not to do this again. It's just a fine, but this will scare the child. If something happens, it will be too late to regret it. But buying a car is too expensive. We still need to save money to pay his grandfather back."

Li Qiwu was overjoyed: "You're buying a car? That's great!"

Li Siyu tugged at her younger brother: "Don't be naughty, Dad doesn't have the final say."

Li Wei glared at his daughter angrily: "Who said I don't have a say? I didn't say we should buy now. I heard used cars are pretty cheap, I'll go check them out later."

Xiao Qiwu's face fell: "Second-hand!"

Li Wei tapped the kid on the forehead: "You're so picky. As long as the car doesn't get wet in the rain, it's fine."

The parents used their influence to suppress the child's objections.

Lu Lili's attitude was: it doesn't matter. She'll take a car if she can, and if not, she can make do with a motorcycle. Anyway, her salary won't change. As long as Li Wei can make money, buying a plane would be the best option.

I can't keep this stinky wife. If I work every day, my salary plus the money I save on food is equivalent to three of yours. Can't you maintain respect for your husband?

To urge his child to do his homework, Li Wei called Gao Youcai to ask what to do tomorrow.

On the phone, Gao was incredibly arrogant, constantly complaining that Wang Fuyou had caused him trouble and made him earn less money, and telling Li Wei to wait for his call.

Li Wei hung up the phone in a daze, and looking at his busy family, decided not to say anything.

I sighed secretly, told Lili I was going out for a walk, and went downstairs and out of the community amidst Lili's nagging reminders not to drink alcohol secretly.

It's only been a few days! Once again, he couldn't find his way. Looking at the crowds of people strolling with their families on the street, Li Wei wandered over to a small restaurant.

The most common combination is a dish of peanuts, a plate of braised pig's head, and a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

Li Wei found himself enjoying this feeling. Looking up, he saw no one in the small restaurant who recognized him. Everything was silent, accompanied by the spicy, throat-irritating high-proof liquor flowing into his stomach, being digested and integrated, and then forgotten.

Slightly tipsy, I went home and, amidst my wife's complaints of "you're being disobedient again," washed up and went to bed.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but no one likes the clichéd stories of nighttime interactions, so let's not mention them.

Sure enough, girls are afraid of young men, but men are afraid of married men after a long time.

Early in the morning, Li Wei, afraid of hearing me ask for more, quickly got up while his wife was still sound asleep.

Humming a little tune, I went downstairs to buy breakfast and woke up my family to wash their faces and eat.

After sending the child off to school, and amidst Lili's disapproving gaze, he recalled the things Wang Fuyou had brought, packed them up, told her he was going to work, and went straight to Jinping's real estate agency with his bag.

There weren't many people in the agency, but Jin Ping still forgot who Li Wei was and politely asked if he had any experience.

"I have experience. I've worked in the Qiantang River area. I've registered here before and worked for Gao Youcai."

It has to be said that this circle isn't very big. Jin Ping knew Gao Youcai, and upon hearing this, her face immediately lit up with a smile: "I happen to have a job going to Qiantang this afternoon. It's 100 yuan a day, paid for both getting on and off the bus, and I'll get paid as soon as I get off. Is that alright?"

Li Wei was overjoyed: "Great! Three hundred yuan for a round trip of forty-eight hours, that's more than I make in Changgan!"

The few veteran drivers sitting idly chuckled dismissively: "You don't manage the accounts, do you? Do you know how much extra money you make per trip? How much do you earn on your salary alone? Take advantage of your youth and find a car fleet to work for; the extra income is more than your salary."

"Yeah, kid, this job Boss Jin gave you isn't very good! He's notoriously stingy; he won't even give you five yuan for the fare when you get off."

"Boss Jin is being unfair, bullying the newbie? They won't want to come next time, let's see how you make money then."

"They even take jobs from stingy old Liu. This boss doesn't even feed his employees properly. Boss Jin, are you having trouble finding a car? If not, we'll have to go to another agency."

What's going on?