Chapter 10
Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye. Although it's not summer yet, the weather is gradually getting warmer. The wind at night is no longer cold, and the midday sun is quite scorching.
A red sports car chases a brown SUV on a deserted highway.
The coupe would occasionally nibble at the SUV like it was teasing a mouse, closing the distance and rubbing against it to make the SUV's body vibrate and then slow down, with the aim of forcing the SUV to stop.
The off-road vehicle carefully avoided the coupe, occasionally throwing nails out the window, but it still couldn't shake off the coupe, and soon the car was covered in scratches.
The chase between the two cars quickly came to an end.
The off-road vehicle went out of control, sparks flew from the tires, the vehicle spun 360 degrees, and finally, with a loud bang, the front of the vehicle crashed into the sound barrier. The airbags deployed instantly, and the driver lost consciousness.
The sports car braked suddenly, making two loud thuds on the spot. The driver was clearly very agitated, still cursing as he opened the door: "Just give me the car, we can switch! Why did you have to make such a mess of it! What bad luck!"
Seeing that the driver was still angry, he dragged him aside and went to check the condition of the SUV. He cursed again, "Damn it, how am I supposed to use this? I don't know how to fix cars! What a waste of time!"
When they saw the SUV was full of supplies, they were even more furious: the coupe didn't have enough space.
In the end, he could only pick and choose, taking a third of it, and left grumbling.
Half an hour later, Fang Xiaoyu drove by.
The SUV was found to have crashed into a sound barrier on its front left side, and was emitting smoke. The airbags were exposed, the trunk was open, and several sealed oil drums were neatly arranged. Supplies were scattered on the ground, and the driver was lying on the ground.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stopped the car, grabbed the hanging fire extinguisher, and sprayed it all over the front of the vehicle.
After eliminating the fire hazard, she checked the fuel tank and drum. They were clean, intact, and leak-free. The surface temperature of the tank and drum was not high, and there was no odor in the air. Confirming that there was no risk of explosion, she breathed a sigh of relief.
The injured person lying on the ground was unconscious, with his chest still rising and falling slightly.
Fang Xiaoyu casually placed the empty fire extinguisher on the ground, took out her phone and quickly searched for information, learning on the spot and comparing the photos to check the condition of the injured.
The head appeared intact, with only a bruise on the forehead. There was no bleeding from the ears or nose, and the pupils were the same size. The pulse... I don't understand the pulse, but it felt similar to mine. The bones were intact, without any signs of breakage or deformation.
He was probably just knocked unconscious?
Fang Xiaoyu wasn't quite sure. She carefully compared and contrasted the two, feeling three parts certain and seven parts doubtful.
She decided to let the injured person speak for themselves, so she pinched the person's philtrum and said, "Hey, wake up, where does it hurt?"
The injured person's eyelids were moving, as if struggling to wake up, but without success.
Are you just going to leave people here like this?
It's still quite sunny at midday; what should I do if I get heatstroke?
Or he might be robbed, and someone might take all his belongings while he's unconscious, leaving him with no choice but to wait for death.
You should bring it with you.
However, the longer Fang Xiaoyu stayed here, the more vigilant she became, and she didn't want to easily bring strangers into the car.
She got up to check the off-road vehicle. The engine wouldn't start, the power seemed to be faulty, and the tow rope wouldn't extend from the control lever or winch. Fortunately, the off-road vehicle had a separate tow rope inside.
So she drove the white car to a suitable position, used a tow rope to tie the two cars together, and placed a weight in the middle to hold the rope in place.
Then he opened the passenger door of the SUV, adjusted the seat, dragged the injured person over by their clothes, placed them in the seat, and fastened their seatbelt.
In keeping with the spirit of thrift, he gathered the items that had been scattered on the ground and were only in slightly worn packaging into his arms, threw them into the back seat of the SUV, and then gently closed the car door and trunk.
After doing all this, she returned to her little white car, pulled the SUV onto the road, and glanced at the rearview mirror every now and then.
An hour later.
The SUV was slowly being pulled forward. The injured passenger in the front seat slowly opened his eyes, momentarily disoriented.
When he regained his senses, he was momentarily stunned by his surroundings.
It wasn't the car chasing him.
Save him? Or rob him along with his car?
Fang Xiaoyu had been paying attention to the movements behind her. When she noticed that the person had woken up, she immediately stopped the car and came over: "Are you alright? Is anything bothering you?" She felt a little guilty after asking, because even if she knew, she wouldn't be able to fix it.
The injured person touched their head, unable to move too much, feeling a little dizzy and nauseous.
But none of them were major incidents; being able to escape with one's life is already a great stroke of luck.
He said, "I'm alright. Did you save me? Thank you!"
Fang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief: "When I found you, you were already lying on the ground. I just put out the fire and dragged you to the passenger seat. I didn't do anything else. You were just lucky."
The injured man glanced at the front of the vehicle to assess the damage, then looked in the rearview mirror, having a clear idea of where the lost supplies had gone.
He said, "This is a life-saving favor, I have to thank you. Take anything you need from the car."
"Really?" Fang Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. Without standing on ceremony, she decided to take a case of water and leave most of the supplies behind: "This is enough, thank you."
The injured man shook his head, which triggered his nausea, and he turned to the side and gagged a few times.
Fang Xiaoyu had originally planned to remove the tow rope and say goodbye, but seeing this, she couldn't leave immediately.
The injured person noticed this and said, "You can go now, I'm fine, I just need to rest."
Fang Xiaoyu shifted her toes and came back: "...How about I give you another ride, and then I'll drop you off when we find a service area?"
The injured man smiled and said, "It's okay, I can fix the car. Once it's fixed, I can drive it myself."
Fang Xiaoyu looked surprised: "You can fix something like this? The front of the car was even smoking."
The injured man was still lying weakly, and the car hadn't been inspected, but he smiled calmly and said, "It's generally fine."
Fang Xiaoyu is familiar with this expression.
That's the humility of a top student; a common meme used by high achievers when they fail.
She was even more captivated, finding the other man's ordinary appearance charming, and even her way of addressing him unconsciously changed: "Can you teach me? I can exchange food and medicine with you." She lowered her posture greatly, as if she could offer him a cup of tea at any moment.
The injured person was somewhat surprised, but also somewhat expected: "You don't need to pay tuition. When I'm feeling better, you can watch me repair the car. How much you learn depends on yourself."
Fang Xiaoyu nodded happily and generously handed the injured man a box of pain-relieving medicine for women to help him recover as soon as possible.
The injured patient took the pills with a normal expression, silently swallowed two, and perhaps due to psychological effect, his face became slightly rosy.
The two reached an agreement.
Fang Xiaoyu continued to pull the off-road vehicle slowly forward with the tow rope, while the injured person closed their eyes to rest and recover as quickly as possible.
Two hours later, Fang Xiaoyu stopped to rest, cooked a pot of porridge, and generously shared a bowl with the wounded.
Two hours later, the injured person felt he could walk normally and showed great mobility, and took the initiative to signal to Fang Xiaoyu that he could begin.
Once the car came to a smooth stop, he pulled out a bunch of tools from under the seat, opened the hood, and skillfully began the repairs. If he weren't still feeling a bit dizzy from the long ride, he could have done even faster.
After obtaining permission, Fang Xiaoyu picked up her phone and began recording and learning.
To help her cooperate, the injured patient would explain the underlying principles behind each step.
One technical term after another came out, and Fang Xiaoyu felt like she was listening to gibberish. She could only try her best to memorize them and ask questions whenever she had a spare moment, but the questions were all very basic.
The injured person was very open-minded and answered seriously, but this also revealed her limited knowledge. All I could say was that I did my best, and whether the other person understood was another matter.
After the injured person successfully started the off-road vehicle, more than four hours had passed and it was getting dark. Fang Xiaoyu had only completed the basic literacy training, memorizing the names and functions of some parts. She would digest the rest by watching videos later.
Feeling he still had the strength, the injured man took the initiative to help Fang Xiaoyu check her car, skillfully disassembling and reassembling it on the spot, and the replacement parts were all provided by him as a favor.
Seeing that the tires were almost worn down, he reminded him, "You shouldn't drive too fast in the future. If you come to a service area, you should change all the tires first."
Actually, there is another way: take someone else's tires and put them on your own car.
However, only his car was present, the two were not familiar with each other, and he wasn't in a good mood. If he said something that aroused the other party's covetousness for his tires—she didn't seem to know that off-road vehicle tires couldn't be put on sedans—it could lead to some uncivilized situations that would require more words to resolve, which would be bad.
Thinking of this, he changed the subject: "Tire pressure also needs attention. It's not always good to inflate it too much, especially as the weather gets warmer later on."
Fang Xiaoyu looked on with a humble expression, taking notes of the key points he made.
Perhaps because she was more familiar with her own car, and because they were all minor issues, she learned what tire pressure was best for different seasons, how to clean and maintain the fuel tank, and how to replace spark plugs and brake pads, so she could go straight to work at the shop after putting them back.
New skill +1.
Although the injured patient was initially wary, perhaps because Fang Xiaoyu was being too cooperative and supportive, he gradually relaxed and the conversation veered off course.
"Considering the safety of traveling alone, you can reinforce the rear and front of the car, like mine does." Blah blah blah.
"If you don't care about the appearance, you can also add a toothed steel ring around the outer edge of the rear of the car. I suggest you use electric welding." Blah blah blah.
"If supplies are insufficient, and you happen to encounter someone with poor manners, add another piece to the front of the vehicle... that way, if the other party's vehicle is damaged, yours will remain intact." Blah blah blah.
Fang Xiaoyu nodded repeatedly, listening with great interest.
Finally, the white car was upgraded to a higher level in his hands. Although it still looked dusty and worn, Fang Xiaoyu drove it for a short while and found it to be indescribably comfortable and smooth.
This is amazing!
It's a pity I lacked the aptitude and only learned a little bit, but even that little bit is enough.
Seeing that she was satisfied, the injured man waited until the car stopped, then removed the tow rope and put it away, smiling faintly: "The debt of saving my life has been repaid, and we are even now."
Fang Xiaoyu paused, then nodded. Just as she was about to say thank you, the people and car in front of her had already disappeared.
Looking at the empty highway, she realized she hadn't asked him his name.
Having been his apprentice for a few hours, let's call him Teacher Xiao Shi.
Having decided on the name in her mind, she was about to get back into the car when she suddenly noticed that the road had changed.
The originally neat four lanes were expanded outwards slightly, with half on each side, making it exactly the width of one lane when put together.
So highways aren't static after all?
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