Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 35 Observations and Discussions

Okay! I heard that meals here are charged per person, regardless of portion size, so let's try our best to leave with our legs stretched out.

In the blink of an eye, a bowl of soup was served. The soup was rich, fragrant, and thick. The wilted bamboo shoots complemented a few pieces of caramelized duck, along with several shreds of ham as thick as toothpicks. The knife skills were superb; most people couldn't cut to this extent.

Wang Fuyou opened a beer, placed it on the table, poured some into a small glass, and slowly savored it.

Li Wei picked up the soup spoon and tasted it. It was slightly better than his own cooking. If he had this skill, he wouldn't have to travel so far to work.

Beer in Qiantang is 500ml, while back home it's 630ml. Thumbs down! What? Beer here costs four yuan a bottle? Absolutely terrible!

After venting his frustrations, Dongdong finished his drink in two gulps and prepared to start eating.

Wang Fuyou looked at Li Wei and weakly pointed to the sterilizer behind him: "The bowls are all over there, take them yourself. The rice is in the wooden bucket next to you, fill it yourself. Nobody serves you in this kind of small shop."

Li Wei looked at the small bowl in the sterilizer and felt embarrassed to use it. People would laugh at him for being such a glutton if he kept refilling the bowl. He decided to find a bigger one instead.

Looking at the soup bowl, he had an idea. He ran to the kitchen, grabbed a soup bowl, and then used it to fill the wooden bucket with rice.

Wang Fuyou lowered his head and drank, his face blank as if he were wearing a mask.

Li Wei ate a lot at noon and then slept for half the afternoon, so he didn't burn much energy and didn't eat much.

Under the astonished gaze of the restaurant owner who came out to cool off after cooking, Li Wei ate two bowls (or basins) of rice.

"Brother Wei, this isn't in line with the principles of health preservation!" Wang Fuyou said in a low voice.

"Didn't you say you had to work in the middle of the night? Eat more so you don't go hungry."

"Next time I'll buy a few pounds of pancakes to take with me; you can't afford to eat like this!"

Li Wei's eyes widened in anger: "I've calculated everything carefully. I haven't eaten much these past two days. Are you trying to embezzle my food allowance?"

"Brother Wei, is it worth spending that little bit of money on this meal? I've written it all down in my notebook, you can calculate it yourself later."

"Hmph! I knew you wouldn't dare."

Wang Fuyou threw down his chopsticks: "I'm not eating anymore, I'm going back to sleep."

"Oh ho! So petty, throwing a tantrum?"

"No, I'm full. Boss, the bill."

The boss strolled over lazily, glanced at the empty soup bowl, and said, "Thirty-seven."

Wang Fuyou counted the money, gave him thirty-five, and asked, "Is this alright?"

The boss glared at him: "No way, you ate enough for three people by yourself. We're already being lenient by not charging you extra."

Li Wei was furious: "What are you talking about? Why don't you say the food is expensive? And the portions are small? And your rice bowl is as big as a teacup."

The boss uttered a string of gibberish before finally explaining in comprehensible language: "Go ask around here, who doesn't say my dishes are the best and the portions are generous? I've worked at a top-tier restaurant in Shanghai."

Wang Fuyou quickly took out two more yuan and handed it over: "Alright, alright, I didn't say your cooking was bad. My friend suggested you go to Northeast China and order a few dishes at a local restaurant to see how much they serve. Just my personal suggestion."

The boss was furious: "I've been there before. Is that food for humans? It's more like pig feed."

"Bang!" Four guests who were discussing the unique features of this alley slammed their fists on the table. "What the hell? What's wrong with our restaurant?"

The owner quickly explained, "I didn't say it was bad, I just said the portion was too big and it would be a waste if we couldn't finish it."

Wang Fuyou smoothed things over, saying, "When you're traveling, harmony brings wealth!"

.........

"Stop talking nonsense. We're not paying for this meal. Consider it an apology for hurting the feelings of the people from our area."

Li Wei couldn't stand it anymore: "The boss isn't having an easy time either. We can give our opinions, whether he listens or not, we can just not come next time. It's a small business, we should still pay him."

"Who do you think you are?..."

After a few words of argument, Li Wei flew into a rage: "If you keep spewing profanities, I'll beat you up."

The four people at the table stood up simultaneously and glared at Li Wei upon hearing his words: "Go outside and try it if you dare!"

"Give it a try? Sure!"

Just as tensions were about to rise, the boss ran back to the kitchen, came out with a cleaver, pointed at the four of them, and shouted, "You guys pay your bill first. It's 123 yuan in total, not a penny less."

After saying that, he handed Wang Fuyou two yuan: "I'll round it down for you. Welcome to come again next time."

Li Wei and Wang Fuyou exchanged a glance. Wang Fuyou spread his hands and teased in his hometown dialect, "I think you're just bored out of your mind, acting like government jobs are so easy. I'm not going to take that."

Li Wei sneered, "You think I can't beat these few scallions?"

As they were talking, two patrol officers came in through the door: "Boss, hurry up and get us some food. We're about to start work. Hey? What are you doing?"

Despite there being only two patrol officers, the four heroes from Northeast China immediately forgot their grudges and hurt feelings, stepped back, took out their money, and said with smiles on their faces: "Boss, here's one hundred and twenty-five yuan, keep the change, hehe, we're leaving."

The boss took the money with a stiff face and turned to go into the kitchen.

Wang Fuyou picked up the two yuan on the table, put it in his pocket, sat down, and slowly drank his herbal tea.

Li Wei asked, "What's wrong? Weren't you going back to sleep?"

Wang Fuyou lowered his voice: "Wait a minute, go with the patrol officers to avoid running into them outside. Those young guys are definitely waiting outside. Are you really planning to fight them and then spend a few days in jail? It's better to avoid trouble! Don't worry, it'll only take ten minutes or so at most. They won't have the patience."

Li Wei didn't want to go to the police station anymore, so he obediently sat down and drank tea.

A moment later, two servings of fried rice were brought over to the patrol officers, who thanked them and began to eat.

Seeing the two patrol officers about to leave, the boss ran over and whispered something in their ears, and the officers nodded with a smile.

Seeing this, Wang Fuyou pulled Li Wei away.

This time they went quite far, and Li Wei asked, "Why didn't you take the alleyways? Did you take a detour?"

"The shortcut is no longer an option. Didn't you see those four people are here to see the young lady? Take the main road to the front gate, and there's bound to be some excitement to watch later."

"lively?"

"Trust my judgment."

The two strolled back to the hotel, greeted each other, and went up to the fourth floor. As soon as they entered, they sneezed several times.

Li Wei complained, "It's freezing! Why do you have to set the temperature so low?"

"There are no mosquitoes. If you feel cold, just wrap yourself in a blanket and open the window to look out."

Li Wei tidied himself up, then curiously opened the window and peeked out.

Even under the dim lights, it was still bustling with activity. In the alley below, a group of young women looked around and flirted with potential customers.

Suddenly, someone appeared at the alley entrance and said a few words, and the group of young women quickly left.

A little while later, a dozen or so policemen arrived at the alley entrance and headed straight for several storefronts with their roller shutters down.

Then things got much better. The police burst through the door and rushed in, only to find four martial arts masters and four disheveled young ladies being led out.

Li Wei gasped in fright, pulled back, and complained to Wang Fuyou, who was huddled under the covers, "Is this restaurant owner cunning? They gave him extra money and he still did this? He has no conscience at all."

"Tch, you're making a fuss over nothing. Otherwise, why would so many Southerners become officials or businessmen? I'm not looking down on you, Wei-ge! But with a brain like yours, if you went into government, you'd definitely get sold out and still be helping the seller count the money. If you went into business, you might even lose your wife."

Li Wei trembled with anger: "Isn't this looking down on me? I'll make a fortune in business and show you. I'll buy a luxury car and hire you as my driver, so you'll know I'm not someone to be trifled with."

Wang Fuyou looked at Li Wei with disdain: "Fine! Anyway, I'm just destined to be a driver. I have to work hard for whoever I work for. Just tell me how many policemen have come down here!"

"More than ten? What's wrong?"

"Why are there only a dozen or so? Did the girls all leave before the police arrived? Check again in ten minutes, do they all come back? Why is that?"

"Of course I know, but I can't say. Who would dare to say something like that? It's just a matter of the police and the people being one family."

"Hmm! If you understand this, there might still be a sliver of hope for doing business. Go to sleep! The truck will be loaded by eleven at the latest, then we'll head back."

Hmph! You look down on me. I've read plenty of books and autobiographies by successful people, and they all say that honesty is the foundation of business. Officials should be incorruptible, upright, and dedicated to the country and its people.

I don't have the education to become an official, but I should be able to do business honestly and fairly, without any problems... right?