Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 45 Jin Ping, the Boss, is Extraordinary

Jin Ping was very amiable: "Don't listen to their nonsense. They're all old hands who always try to make extra money while doing a little work. We're just here to earn a wage. Whether the drivers steal oil from the boss or try to make money in other ways, it's none of our business. We do our job well and get the wages that are rightfully ours. We earn our living through our skills, and nobody can say anything about that. If you do the work and the boss doesn't pay you, I'll take care of it for you. If you find it too troublesome, just get off the bus and come to me to get your money and go home. Then I'll ask the truck owner for your wages."

Li Wei nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll take the job. What time do we get on the bus this afternoon?"

"No rush. It's too hot. You can play cards, chat, and drink tea. Cool off here, have lunch, rest for a bit, and get on the bus around 3 p.m.

What a kind person! I don't even turn on the air conditioning at home, but it's always on here! Oh! It's central air conditioning!

Jin Ping wrote a card and handed it to Li Wei. Li Wei took it and read: "Hello Mr. Liu, my company's driver Li is here to fill in for you on your bus. The daily wage is 100 yuan, calculated as one day for getting on and off the bus. The agency fee of 30 yuan has been paid by driver Li. Jin Ping."

That seems plausible. Wait, what's with the 30 yuan agency fee?

If you don't understand, ask: "Boss Jin, whose money is this thirty dollars?"

The seasoned shrew watching the spectacle scoffed, "Of course it's the boss's responsibility. You pay for it first, and he'll give it to you in cash when you finish the job."

Li Wei was immediately relieved; as long as his salary wasn't reduced, it was fine.

After paying, I casually found a small stool to sit on and watched the seasoned veterans puffing away on their cigarettes.

However, because the office was air-conditioned and the door was closed, three or four people were smoking at the same time, and soon the room was filled with smoke. The secondhand smoke was so strong that Jinping had to go out for fresh air from time to time.

Li Wei was a heavy smoker, and seeing Jin Ping's expression, he felt embarrassed to smoke inside, so he put his belongings on a stool and went outside to smoke.

Jin Ping coughed and smiled, "It's okay, I'm used to it. I just caught a cold these past few days and started coughing a bit. You can smoke in the room, it's cool there."

Li Wei shook his head: "It's okay, I'll only be smoking for a few minutes. The room is stuffy with the air conditioning on. I'll go back in after I'm done smoking."

As they were chatting, another person arrived. This person seemed quite familiar with Jinping and joked, "Hey! Who's this pale-faced guy? Boss Jin's spring has arrived!"

Jin Ping wasn't angry: "That's right! I come to Spring every day. I'll go home with you now and tell your wife that you are my Spring, so you two will divorce, and I plan to marry you."

The driver waved his hand and begged for mercy: "Please don't cause me any trouble. Last time, that old Chen touched your hand and almost got beaten to death by his brother-in-law. I was just kidding."

Li Wei's curiosity was piqued: "You joke around with the driver like that, doesn't your husband get jealous?"

Jin Ping smiled and said, "Why would I be jealous if he's dead?"

Li Wei was startled: "Dead?"

The guy tugged at Li Wei: "Can I borrow a light?" Then he whispered, "Don't ask, everyone knows this already, why are you asking? I'll tell you later."

People should never be curious.

Li Wei's gossipy nature got the better of him, and he grabbed the man and asked, "Dude, where's the restroom? Take me there."

This guy was good-natured: "Come on, I'll take you there."

Jin Ping was furious: "Don't gossip about me behind my back like that. It's just that little thing. What's there to say? If you want to know, I'll tell you."

It's awkward. It feels really bad to try to find out some inside information but get it exposed.

Li Wei and the driver, whom he was meeting for the first time, exchanged awkward chuckles.

Hearing Jin Ping's calm voice, Li Wei realized that this feisty female boss was quite good at making money, but her skills in managing relationships were just so-so.

Her child is already in the second year of junior high school, but her husband has fallen in love with a young girl and sold the house without her knowing.

Then her husband took all the family's money, drove the Passat she had bought for him, abandoned the children, and ran away with the little girl.

Jin Ping left in the morning and everything seemed normal. When she returned home in the evening, she found her child crying downstairs. The family had changed, and the property ownership certificate had already been transferred.

"Bewildered" is probably an understatement to describe her feelings at the time. She couldn't get through to her husband on the phone, and several large boxes in the living room contained some of her belongings, waiting for Jinping to move them out.

You have to admire this woman; if this happened to an average woman, she'd probably go crazy.

Jin Ping only shed a few tears, then took her child to eat. She made a phone call from the restaurant to ask for help, and that night she found a place to stay and moved there.

She then calmly asked around to find out about her husband, only saying that she wanted to meet and have a good talk, hoping that he could come back and live a good life, and this did not affect the operation of the real estate agency at all.

When Li Wei heard Jin Ping say, "Let's meet and talk, then come back and live a good life," with a hint of gritted teeth in her voice, he couldn't help but worry. If this guy foolishly came back to talk or got found, he probably wouldn't have a good time.

Following Jin Ping's words, Li Wei comforted her, "Actually, this kind of situation is very common. I guess your husband will come back to you after he runs out of money. You can give him a good scolding then."

Jin Ping nodded in agreement: "Given his meager ability to make money, and the fact that the two of them are so extravagant, he'll probably behave himself in two years at most. I'll see what he has to say then."

Li Wei asked curiously, "If your husband really came back, would you forgive him?"

Li Wei saw a strange light flash in the woman's eyes, which then disappeared, and she smiled gently, "I'm a woman! My child is already so big, let's wait until he comes back."

As they were talking, the office phone rang, and Jin Ping quickly went back to answer it.

The newcomer offered her a cigarette and whispered, "Do you know her husband?"

Li Wei shook his head.

"That's good. This Jin Ping is no ordinary person. As a real estate agent, she needs to maintain good relations with both sides. She has done a good job of earning the trust of car owners and attracting drivers."

A car dealer once harassed her, and she made him change careers. Don't be fooled by her smiling face; she's a cunning woman at heart!

"Rich people often lie eight out of ten times. If we actually found her husband, who knows what might happen?"

Li Wei smiled and said, "We just need to focus on the work. I came here because I heard the wages are reliable. I didn't know Boss Jin before."

"Oh! That's why I said you looked unfamiliar. You're basically guaranteed a decent wage here, so I've assigned you some work?"

"Okay! It's all arranged, 3 PM."

"Afternoon? Apart from the Qiantang River area, there's only Hefei and Anqing in Henan, and the peninsula. No good jobs there."

Li Wei humbly asked, "What constitutes good work?"

"It's cool to drive in the three northeastern provinces this season. If you want to be comfortable, drive in Guangdong. There are 17.5-meter-long trucks, and you don't need to close the road on the way. If you want to make more money, drive in Xinjiang. Xinjiang is divided into north and south, and the food is good. In autumn, you can eat your fill of cantaloupe and raisins. If your driving skills aren't good, that's fine. Most cars are 12-speed, and if you can't drive well, the boss won't pay you."

"You've been there?"

He said smugly, "That's for sure. I've even been to Tibet. The place is so cold on the mountaintop that you have to wear a cotton-padded coat. Coming down the steep slope is like summer, and climbing back up is like winter. It's like experiencing both ice and fire."

How can you know the origin of the phrase "a world of ice and fire" if you don't go out?

I've learned a lot.