Other taxi drivers usually work as a husband and wife team, one driving during the day and the other at night.
But An worked alone for the sake of earning more money, driving day and night.
He only stopped to rest when he was absolutely too fatigued to continue, finding a place to park and dozing off for a bit.
He knew this wasn’t good, not only for himself but also for his custors.
Drivers who are too tired tend to be especially prone to zoning out, but he really had no choice.
As the family’s breadwinner, he could only muster all his strength and keep going.
Today was his wife’s birthday, and Xue Ming rarely decided to finish work early and head back.
It was past eleven o’clock when Xue Ming dropped off the last custor and ordered two small dishes at a food stall before he turned the car around.
His wife had been looking after their two kids all day and night, and he really appreciated her hard work.
No matter how difficult life was, after giving it so thought, Xue Ming gritted his teeth and stopped by a flower shop before it closed to buy a rose.
On the way back, his wife called him to make sure he was on his way ho and only after reminding him to drive safely did she hang up.
Right after the call, Xue Ming saw a girl in a dress waving for a cab by the roadside ahead.
Originally, Xue Ming didn’t want to stop. He was eager to get ho to celebrate his wife’s birthday; if it passed midnight, the occasion would be missed.
Yet as he drove past the girl, the urgency on her face sparked his compassion.
What if she was in dire need?
At this hour, it was very difficult to hail a cab on this stretch of road.
By the ti Xue Ming realized it, he had already shifted his car into reverse.
He might as well ask....
Rolling down the window, Xue Ming shouted, "Miss, where are you going?"
The girl, who had waited a long ti without getting a cab and was nearly in tears when she finally saw Xue Ming stop, quickly said, "Driver, I need to go to a friend’s place in West Suburb."
On hearing ’West Suburb’, Xue Ming hesitated.
It was really far and out of the way from here.
It was getting late, and a return trip would take at least three or four hours to complete.
Seeing Xue Ming’s reluctant expression, the girl outside placed her hands on the car window, looking pitifully at him, and pleaded, "Driver, please do a favor... I’m rushing to my best friend’s house. She called saying she was being abused by her man, and I’m worried about her, I need to get there."
Xue Ming incredulously blurted out, "What use will you be, a young girl going over there? If you’re worried about her, call the police."
The young girl said awkwardly, "I... I didn’t think of that.... Besides, however it is, that man is still my best friend’s husband."
Hearing this, Xue Ming was baffled, "Rushing there in the dead of night won’t help. It’d be better to wait until daylight, bring the police with you, and deal with the man all at once...."
Xue Ming still offered advice; he felt that for a young girl to venture alone to the ho of a man capable of dostic abuse in the middle of the night was unreliable and unsafe.
But the young girl wouldn’t listen to Xue Ming’s persuasion and insisted on going.
"Driver, please be a Good Samaritan and take ... I’ll pay double the fare."
Seeing that Xue Ming was still unconvinced, she gathered her resolve and said, "Triple, no, quadruple the fare..."
After saying this, the young girl opened her purse and held up a stack of red banknotes to Xue Ming, "Take there, and all this money is yours."
Xue Ming estimated the stack to be about four thousand yuan.
He earnestly warned her, "Young lady, this is dangerous. If I weren’t a good person, you would be in trouble."
"Driver, you look like a good person."
The young girl said this with such seriousness that it made Xue Ming laugh.
He couldn’t deny it; he was tempted.
That money was nearly equal to several days, if not more, of around-the-clock work, before even accounting for the share he had to turn over to the company.
If he could earn this sum, his wife and kids could eat better every day.
The young girl noticed the driver’s temptation and stuffed the money into Xue Ming’s hand without even counting it.
Then she promptly opened the rear door and sat in the car.
Feeling guilty, Xue Ming called his wife.
Thankfully, his understanding wife did not mind and only asked him to be careful on the road.
The envious young woman in the backseat exclaid, "Driver, you really have a good relationship with your wife."
Xue Ming replied, "Yes, despite not having a house or much money, she is willing to endure hardship with , and she’s given two adorable children. I’m truly grateful to her."
"Driver...."
"What is it?"
"Nothing. Go ahead and drive, driver."
The girl sitting in the back seed like she had sothing to say, hesitated for a mont, then swallowed her words and silently shrank into her seat.
Xue Ming assud she was just worried about her friend and feeling down, so he didn’t pursue the matter.
Midway through the journey, the young woman suddenly said, "Driver, turn left here. Take the shortcut. Speed up."
This wasn’t on the navigation, which made Xue Ming anxious, not to ntion the small road to the left was unlit and enveloped in darkness, looking incredibly unsettling.
Suddenly, Xue Ming rembered recent news about a colleague who was murdered in the wilderness, his cash stolen.
That case hadn’t been solved yet.
Xue Ming said, "Miss, let’s stick to the main road, shall we?"
Unexpectedly, the girl beca stubborn as a mule, refusing to agree and insisting on taking the back road.
Xue Ming was getting unhappy, "How about this, I won’t take so much money from you...."
"No, that’s not okay."
Xue Ming felt sothing was wrong, "Then let’s turn back, I won’t take any of your money."
He still believed safety was more important.
"Stop the car..." Before Xue Ming could finish speaking, several bulky n with Qilin Arm tattoos burst from the roadside bushes.
They were either holding machetes or long iron bars, blocking the road.
The car made a jarring noise, as if sothing punctured the tire, which promptly deflated, forcing him to stop.
At this mont, the young woman had already opened the door and stepped out, grinning as she joined the group of n who clearly had ill intentions.
Xue Ming’s only thought was, "It’s over."
His phone had been borrowed a few minutes earlier by the girl, claiming her own phone was dead, so even calling the police wasn’t an option.
And even if the police were called, by the ti they arrived, he’d likely be long gone.
Reviews
All reviews (0)