Reborn in 1977

Chapter 469 On the Road

After receiving the funds sent by Sister Zhou and topping off the fuel at the health center,

Sister Zhou suddenly took out a portrait of Mr. Li just as he was about to drive away, got into the driver's seat, and hung it on the rearview mirror.

She explained in a low voice, "I got this from the head of the drivers' team at work. Hanging a portrait when driving long distances is not only a sign of respect but also a way to ask for Mr. Li's protection.

The old man fought in so many battles and never got hurt. He's a god of safety!"

Chen Fan suddenly understood why so many veteran drivers hung portraits in their cabs.

He said "Thank you" to Sister Zhou.

Then, he waved goodbye to the farewell party from the health center and drove off in his car.

After driving for two blocks, Chen Fan held the steering wheel with one hand and the map given to him by the head of the drivers' team at the health center with the other.

But he needed a free hand to scratch his head.

This map didn't have directions; how was he supposed to read it?

Did he need to get a compass?

(National transportation maps from the 1970s were essential for long-distance drivers.)

Fortunately, there weren't many long-distance routes in those years. After asking for directions and circling the city for a while, he finally found the exit and drove onto the national highway, which was as flat as a pancake.

The air leak in the car had been greatly improved thanks to Chen Fan's redesign and modifications. He could barely feel it.

The shock absorption system had also been significantly improved, making the ride very comfortable.

However, even though it wasn't drafty, his hands and feet still felt cold in the middle of winter, which limited the comfort.

Fortunately, old Russian cars were equipped with air conditioning. Although it only had heating and no cooling, it was sufficient.

Chen Fan turned on the car's heater, and a stream of warm air blew out, making him feel much more relaxed.

After getting on the national highway, the traffic and pedestrian flow decreased significantly.

The entire highway was his racetrack! … Then, he saw a long-distance bus.

He didn't know which bus station this bus came from, but the roof was piled high with luggage, and it was full of passengers.

Chen Fan honked twice, and the bus immediately slowed down and moved to the right.

There was no other way. The national highway was too narrow, so he had to notify the bus in front to make way; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to pass.

Chen Fan sped up and passed on the left, glancing at the passenger cabin.

It was very quiet and safe. Even the passengers with standing tickets were calmly holding onto the seat backs, swaying their bodies in the aisle. He wished them a calm five-hour journey.

Stepping on the gas, the car quickly passed the bus, and the road ahead was once again as flat as a pancake.

After driving for a while, he didn't know if he had left the Yunhu area.

He probably hadn't. Before Yunhu was divided into pieces in the 1980s, it was the largest area in Jiangnan Province, without a doubt. It occupied the largest area and had the best resources in Jiangnan, and its comprehensive strength in terms of economy and population once surpassed the provincial capital.

Unfortunately, after being divided, it declined sharply and couldn't even rank in the top three in the province.

Chen Fan flipped through the map, so he was still driving within the Yunhu area?

He had been driving for two hours, and the modified car was achieving an astonishing speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour on the national highway, surpassing one bus, truck, and more trucks after another, all traveling at only 40 to 50 kilometers per hour.

Looking at the dashboard, it was almost 150 kilometers. When would he reach the provincial capital?

Chen Fan shook his head in dismay at the map, turned the steering wheel around a bend, and looked up again. Oh, crap…

He slammed on the brakes… With a screech, the tires left two marks on the ground, narrowly stopping on the road.

Half a meter in front of the car, a woman wearing a red top and black pants, with a large blue cloth bundle slung over her left arm, about 18 or 19 years old, was standing there in shock with her arms outstretched.

A drop of sweat rolled down her forehead.

This car was so fast!

Chen Fan lowered the car window, stuck his head out, and shouted, "Do you have a death wish?"

The woman quickly retracted her arms, ran over, and asked in a low voice, "Comrade, can you give me a ride?"

Chen Fan was stunned. What did she mean?

Wasn't she trying to scam him?

The woman saw his face and was a little dazed. She couldn't help but swallow. When she came back to her senses, she cautiously said, "I want to go to the provincial capital to visit relatives. My dad told me I could hitchhike on the road."

Chen Fan realized that in this era, people who wanted to travel, except for city dwellers who went directly to the bus station, including some city dwellers, people from outside the city, suburban counties, and rural areas waited for buses on the roads they knew they would pass.

Moreover, in some remote places, because it wasn't easy for a car to come by, they would flag down any car, whether it was a bus or not, and ask for a ride.

Of course, whether people were willing to give them a ride depended on luck.

That was the reality, and he could understand the feeling of waiting for a car.

However, this wasn't how you hitchhiked!

Chen Fan sighed in frustration, looked her up and down, and asked, "Going to the provincial capital? Is this your first time hitchhiking?"

The woman nodded repeatedly. "How did you know?"

Chen Fan's lips twitched. "Who in their right mind flags down a car in the middle of the road? Aren't you afraid of getting killed?"

The woman's eyes widened when she heard that. "If not in the middle of the road, then where should I do it?"

Chen Fan barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Stand on the side of the road!"

The woman scratched her head. "If I stand on the side, will the driver be able to see me?"

Chen Fan couldn't help but sigh. Her IQ was something else.

He patiently pointed to the road. "If you want to go that way, stand here and wait for a car. If you want to come back, wait over there. When you see a bus, wave, and the car will stop. Then you can get on and buy a ticket."

The woman looked left and right. "Here? There?"

She tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I want to get a ride now. Can you give me a ride?"

As she spoke, she reached into her large bundle. "It won't be for free. I have money."

Chen Fan looked at the dozen or so yuan in her hand and twitched his lips. "Let me give you some advice: when you're out, don't flash your money around."

Seeing the puzzled look on the woman's face, he rephrased it in plain language. "Don't take your money out. Keep some change in your pocket and hide the rest so no one knows you have it."

The woman suddenly understood. "To prevent thieves?!"

Chen Fan nodded. She grinned, not taking it seriously. "The police have caught all the thieves. Where are there any thieves left?"

Then, she continued with her previous question. "Can you give me a ride?"

Chen Fan's face fell. "It's not on my way, and it's not convenient. You should wait for a bus by the side of the road."

With that, he quickly shifted gears and stepped on the gas, flying away in a flash.

The road surface was wet, otherwise, the dust would have choked people to death.

There was no way around it. This section of the national highway was no longer a hardened surface but a dirt road. He just had to put up with it.

Chen Fan looked in the rearview mirror. The woman stood in the middle of the road for a long time, still looking this way. He didn't know if she was cursing him. Then, she slowly walked to the side of the road to wait for a car.

He couldn't help but shake his head and let out a long breath. He had been really scared just now. He almost had a car accident in this era.

There was no one and no cars on this road. Who would notice someone suddenly jumping out onto the road?!

However, his anger wasn't the reason he wouldn't let that woman get in the car.

Mainly, it was broad daylight, and for a man like him to pick up a woman, it would be hard to explain. Did he even care about his reputation as a young, unmarried man?!

Now, he didn't dare look at the map anymore. He stepped on the gas and sped up, heading towards the provincial capital as fast as possible.

I have to say, speeding on the highways these days is really exhilarating. Except for occasionally paying attention to large trucks passing by, he was speeding all the way, overtaking car after car, leaving a legend of a generation of speed gods in the world.

After driving for another two hours, a journey of nearly 300 kilometers that would take an ordinary bus five and a half hours, Chen Fan completed in less than four hours.

Actually, the speed of this bus was not slow, mainly due to the good condition of this national highway. If it were replaced by some places with many mountains and rivers, such as from Ruian to Ningbo, a journey of more than 400 kilometers would take as long as 12 hours. If you encounter rainy or snowy weather, don't even ask about the time; arriving is victory!

When he drove onto the cement pavement again, he knew he had reached the boundary of the provincial capital and should be not far from the urban area.

Not far ahead, there was a large sign with the words "Automobile Inn" written on it.

In these years, there were no service areas, and it was common for long-distance drivers to eat and sleep in the open air.

However, it doesn't mean that there are no service stations at all.

Generally, in areas with dense traffic, such as next to national highways near big cities, local transportation management departments would set up several stations specifically for transportation services.

The names vary. Some are called Automobile Station Guest Houses, some are called Automobile Inns, and some don't even have names, just a sign with a few words written on it: "Parking, Eating."

Seeing the Automobile Inn, Chen Fan slowed down and drove into the parking lot to park the car.

After getting out of the car, he first ran to the toilet. After finishing comfortably, he turned around and entered the inn's cafeteria.

These days, long-distance truck drivers are basically divided into two types: one is from the military, and the other is from social units.

Their resting places are naturally divided into two types as well.

Military vehicles all enter military stations, which are places dedicated to serving the military and generally do not receive social vehicles.

Military trucks are mainly organized into convoys, ranging from three to five vehicles to thirty to fifty vehicles, forming a long convoy. If it is a company's departure, the company commander will sit in the first vehicle, and a banner will be hung on the roof, "Convoy Behind."

Then, the instructor is responsible for escorting the rear, and there are also four large characters on the tail of the last vehicle, "Convoy Complete."

Such military convoys, in addition to staying in military stations, may occasionally stay overnight at social automobile inns if they miss the journey.

Chen Fan glanced at the parking lot just now. Good, there were no military convoys, so there wouldn't be too many people crowded together to eat.

There were not even many social vehicles, only a few large trucks, indicating that there were few people in the inn now.

It was already 1:30 PM when he came out, and now it was almost 5:30 PM. Although he didn't know if the magazine had arranged dinner, Chen Fan didn't want to eat there.

If dinner was prepared, that would be great. If not, he would have to find a place to eat, so it's better to fill his stomach first.

There were indeed not many people in the inn's cafeteria, only eight people, and unexpectedly, but reasonably, they gathered at two tables put together, drinking and bragging.

Chen Fan bought two dishes and a bowl of soup, and also got a large bowl of rice and two large meat buns, and took them to a table in the corner to sit down.

Before his butt was even settled, someone at the next table shouted, "Hey, brother, which unit are you from?"

Chen Fan turned his head to look, and looked left and right. Seeing that the group of people were looking at him, he confirmed that he was talking to him, so he put down his chopsticks and smiled, "I'm from Yunhu."

A burly man wearing a blue cotton coat wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled at him, "Yunhu is not too far from here, less than 300 kilometers. Your unit arranged for you to drive at this time, is it an emergency mission?"

He pointed to his table and laughed, "Drivers all over the world are one family, all brothers running long distances. You never know when you'll meet. You don't look very old, did you just start working? Why don't you come over and eat together, and everyone can pass on some experience to you."

As soon as he finished speaking, another person next to him also laughed, "The people at this table also just met today, from all over the place, but basically all from other provinces. You are the only one from Jiangnan Province. Meeting is fate, why don't you come over and chat and introduce us to this place."

Chen Fan chuckled twice. Weren't they saying that drivers these days are quite aloof? Why do they seem so enthusiastic?

However, it was impossible to eat with them. He still had to rush to register.

Chen Fan pondered for two seconds, stood up, took out a pack of Peony cigarettes, walked over and handed them out to everyone, cupped his hands and smiled, "Thank you for your kindness, big brothers, but I still have an urgent task. I have to go into the city immediately after eating. Time is too tight. Next time, next time I will definitely ask you big brothers for advice."

The man who spoke first held the cigarette in his hand, looked at him and smiled, "Little brother is quite the socialite, not easily offending even strangers like us. You have a bright future!"

Saying that, he waved his hand, "We just drank too much and wanted to pull you in to join the fun. Since you're busy, it's okay. We won't waste your time. You go ahead and do your thing."

Chen Fan smiled again and cupped his hands. Only then did he turn around and go back to eat.

Taking the time to glance at the group of people, they were still drinking and chatting. It seemed they were really bored.

Drivers like them from social units who run long distances either go to designated units to pick up materials, or run across the country to deliver goods to customers. Of course, more of them are from professional freight companies, running a fixed route.

Each time they drive, they are generally in groups of two, so they can take turns driving.

However, two people get tired of being together for a long time. In addition, there are few service stations, and it is very common to not encounter an automobile inn for several days on the road.

Therefore, every time they reach a station and encounter those peers, they basically temporarily get together to drink and eat, which is considered a way to relieve boredom.

Moreover, although these long-distance runners seem to have their eyes on the top of their heads, they are very close to their peers and are most likely to understand the saying "More friends, more paths."

If they chat happily, exchanging contact addresses with each other, it's a small matter to help buy some local specialties in the future.

If it weren't for the fact that it was too late now and Chen Fan had to find the address of the magazine, he would really like to chat with them, maybe he would need it sometime.

But now, it's still important to register quickly.