After Zhou Wen said goodbye with Hong Xiu on his back, he put a small hand to his mouth. Zhou Wen opened his mouth and took a piece of sweet fructose in his mouth. The brother and sister ate sweets happily and wandered around the village. The radio batteries, etc. were naturally sent to the transport team station.
When I walked to Zhuangzikou, I saw a long line of trucks with smoke billowing in the distance. I knew that this was another supply coming from the rear. Zhou Wen looked at the car with his red sleeves on. The car thing was new to Hongxiu. The little girl was chattering curiously on Zhou Wen's back, asking questions, and finally asked: "Have you ever ridden in a car? Can you drive it?"
Then he pretended to sigh and said: "Hey! I wish I could sit down for a while."
Zhou Wenana still didn't know what this little girl was thinking. Now, any request he has for Hongxiu must be met if there are conditions, and even if conditions are created, he must meet them if there are no conditions. Immediately, I followed the truck to the warehouse.
I saw all the truck drivers jumping out of their cars to take a rest. They gathered together in twos and threes to smoke and chat, waiting to unload their cargo. Zhou Wen walked over and asked a big man with a beard and a beard who looked like a leader: "Master, your clothes don't look like those in the army. Where did they come from?"
The bearded man saw that it was a young major officer who was asking the question. He quickly threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and replied with a smile on his face: "Sir, we are not soldiers. We are drivers hired by the National Army. We are all from Shanghai." I was also surprised at how this officer was so young. He looked no older than twenty. He was probably the son of some high-ranking official. The strange thing is that he is actually carrying a beautiful and cute little girl on his back. Is this a child bride?
Zhou Wen didn't know the dirty thoughts of this bearded man, so he started talking to him.
It turns out that the army of this period did not have automobile soldiers, and trucks were only introduced into the country not long ago. Most of the trucks used by the army are paid to hire drivers from big cities to drive them. The wages are not low, about sixty yuan a month. This is more than twice their usual salary income.
The price level during this period was not high. In the early 1930s, rice in Shanghai was 0.04 yuan per catty and beef was 0.3 yuan per catty. For a family of three, the monthly living expenses will not exceed 10 oceans. Therefore, a monthly salary of 60 yuan is considered a high income, so many worker drivers were invited to drive for the army.
Zhou Wen and Lu Xihu soon became familiar with each other, and they also knew his surname was Wen, so they said: "Brother Wen, this is my sister, who has been ill recently. She hasn't been in a car yet. You can take her with her after you see her for a while." Let’s go out for a walk. Let my frail girl have a try too.”
Only then did the bearded man realize that he had misunderstood them just now. They turned out to be brother and sister. Looking at Hongxiu's big, watery eyes, looking at him eagerly, with a weak and pitiful expression, I felt weak in my heart, and blurted out: "I have no problem here, you just need to tell Mengang, Otherwise, they won’t let you drive the car casually.”
Zhou Wen didn't need to look at it to know what Hongxiu's expression was now, and he felt funny in his heart. This little girl can go to Hollywood to make blockbusters.
He smiled and said, "It's okay, they will let me go if I sit on it."
The bearded man was suspicious, so he took Zhou Wen and the others to an empty truck that had been unloaded. He asked Zhou Wen and the others to get into the passenger seat, and he started the car with the joystick in front of the front. This kind of old-fashioned car requires a rocker to start.
"Boom---" sounded, and Hongxiu was startled by the deafening sound. Zhou Wen quickly comforted him: "This is the sound of a car engine. The engine is the heart of the car. Only when the engine rotates can the car run forward." "
At this time, the bearded man who got into the car heard it, looked at Zhou Wen in surprise and said, "I didn't expect Mr. Zhou to understand this. Have you ever driven a car before?" Then he drove the truck towards the gate.
Zhou Wen smiled and said: "I've touched it before, but I'm not very familiar with it. I have to ask Brother Wen for guidance on the way."
While they were talking, the car had already arrived at the door. When the guard on guard saw Zhou Wen waving to them, he quickly pulled up the door lever, stood at attention and saluted, and smiled as he watched the truck drive out.
Just kidding, who among the various units in the command headquarters doesn’t know about the transport team? Who doesn’t know Captain Zhou? Is that Commander Qian's confidant? Is it good for a little boss to be brothers with several bosses and superiors?
The beard now strengthened the suspicion that Zhou Wen was the son of a high-ranking official. On the way, he tried his best to introduce the functions of various components of the cab to Zhou Wen.
Zhou Wen learned that this was an American Ford 1.5-ton truck. The structure of the cab is similar to that of later Jiefang cars. The gear lever, oil brake, and clutch layout are all the same. Know you can drive too.
After the car drove for a while, the little girl with red sleeves could no longer act, she was no longer calm and became excited. She started shouting and hooting happily, sometimes asking her to open her beard faster, and sometimes stretching her head out to let the wind blow. Zhou Wen almost couldn't hold her, fearing that she would fall off the car.
The bearded girl was puzzled. The little girl who was so sick and weak and would fall down when the wind blew suddenly suddenly became lively and lively. His brother couldn't hold back that wild energy. Can my car cure illnesses?
Zhou Wen was even embarrassed. Where are your acting skills? What about the image of a lady?
He quickly changed the subject and pretended not to understand, asking questions to draw the bearded man's attention.
After the car had driven more than ten miles, Zhou Wen signaled Luo Xihu to stop. He held a ten-dollar bill in his hand and handed it to Luo Xihu. How could a bearded man from Shanghai not recognize U.S. dollars? He was shocked when he saw it, and quickly declined: "Sir, Xiao Zhou, you can't do this. I'm just going out for a walk, but I don't dare to accept money."
Zhou Wen smiled and said: "I still have something to say, Brother Wen, just take it. Get the money first and let's talk about something later." The bearded man took the dollar bill suspiciously and stared blankly at Zhou Wen, waiting for him to speak.
It turns out that after Zhou Wen got in the car, he had an idea to let his brothers learn to drive. He knew that this team was under the control of the Logistics Department, and the Logistics Department was now his family. Find a way to leave two cars and two drivers to teach the brothers how to drive.
After Zhou Wen stated his plan, he made an offer that Lu Xiu couldn't refuse. "Two masters, each with six apprentices, will be apprentices for a week. The requirements are to be able to drive alone and learn basic maintenance. If you bring out one apprentice, you will be given ten dollars. If you train all six apprentices, it will be sixty dollars. I will keep you for a month. Four weeks. Forty-eight disciples are brought out as teachers, and each of you can get two hundred and forty US dollars."
After saying that, he looked at Beard, whose heart was beating so fast that it was about to jump out of his mouth. It’s two hundred and forty US dollars a month, which is nearly a thousand dollars if converted into oceans. I’m obedient.
