Chapter 175 Chapter 175 Father's Favoritism 24
The mud and water were rolled over by the wheels, splashed onto the windshield, and were then scraped away by the wipers.
Zhuozhuo sat in the corner, Zhao Hongwei's hand tightly grasped. She stared at his legs, then at the steel bar he gripped with his other hand. Zhao Hongwei's calm, smiling voice echoed in her ears. "Zhuozhuo, remember? We're about to start playing hide-and-seek. When the game begins, all sorts of terrifying noises will be heard outside to lure you out. You must hide well. Don't go out on your own accord. If you do, you lose. Don't come out until Daddy says, 'Game over, Daddy loses.'"
Zhao Hongwei stared intently at Zhuozhuo's face. Having noticed the fear in her eyes, he'd instinctively adjusted his expression and tone, almost without thinking, concocting this rhetoric to comfort her. Seeing the uneasiness and fear dissipate from Zhuozhuo's face, her eyes gleaming with fighting spirit, he breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but repeat the rules of the game.
Zhuozhuo listened carefully and said in a baby voice, "I know..."
The speeding car came to a sudden stop, the brakes screeching. Guo Qingshui shouted, "Go down and move the tree. If anyone tries to stop you, fight them. Don't be afraid!"
"Watch Zhuo Zhuo!"
Zhao Hongwei pushed open the car door and jumped out. He ran toward the fallen tree, scanning his surroundings for a rough idea of where everyone was hiding. He bent over, hugging the tree, about half a meter in diameter, and moved to the side. Veins bulged in his neck, his face flushed. He had barely moved a few centimeters when footsteps and shouts echoed from the ditch in front and behind him.
Ma Xia ran over and stood behind Zhao Hongwei, pointing a steel bar at the four or five men who rushed over, "What are you doing!"
The men were holding shovels and hoes, and one was holding a sickle. When they saw Ma Xia holding his tools and looking prepared, they didn't dare to go forward and just shouted, "Don't move the tree."
Zhao Hongwei ignored him, but he didn't have the strength to move any further, and a strange confrontation ensued.
Zhuozhuo came out from the corner and looked out on tiptoe.
[Baby! Don't show your head!]
9972 was very nervous. Zhao Hongwei was just an ordinary person with no power, no influence and no magic. If a fight really broke out, what if those robbers came to take advantage of the weak?
Zhuozhuo stared at Zhao Hongwei and Ma Xia, and said in his mind, "I know."
After a breath, she continued, "Zhao Hongwei is a liar."
Zhuozhuo had been genuinely fooled by Zhao Hongwei's lies, but once she saw what was happening, she understood. But she also knew she couldn't cause more trouble, so she took a quick look before retreating back into her corner. They hadn't made any noise the entire time, and Guo Qingshui, staring intently outside, hadn't noticed Zhuozhuo move.
9972 comforted her, "Don't be afraid of Zhuo Zhuo. Zhao Hongwei is a formidable fighter. These guys look cowardly, but they're just strong on the outside, but weak on the inside."
In the original plot line, after Zhao Hongwei bought a car to transport goods, he also encountered robbers. He always faced them head-on, sometimes forcing people back with his momentum, and sometimes he would fight with extremely vicious people, fighting hard, beating them to death, and even fighting even if he got his head cut open.
Anyway, Zhao Hongwei has never lost any goods.
Zhuozhuo didn't say anything and curled up into a ball.
Suddenly, Guo Qingshui rushed out of the car. Zhuozhuo looked out and saw him dragging Wan Ping into the driver's seat. He shouted, "Why are you rushing up? Aren't you just delivering food? This is the accelerator, this is the brake, turn the steering wheel left and right. Remember, when the tree moves and there's an opening, you step on the accelerator and rush through!"
He slammed the car door shut, and regardless of Wan Ping's confusion and mess, he strode towards the two groups of people who were confronting each other.
The people across from him squinted their eyes at him. A man with a pointed face and monkey cheeks backed off a bit, muttering, "Why are there so many people in this small car?"
Another one, with a face full of flesh, moved his lips and said, "There are many people, which means it's good stuff."
Another person's eyes flashed with greed, and he asked excitedly: "Is that cigarettes or alcohol in the car?"
The fourth person said, "Even if it's stolen gold, we have to get it. These guys are no pushovers. Do we really want to fight them? It's already daybreak, and everyone who's been working in the fields will be here soon. I don't want to be seen and gossiped about."
Several people were silent. They were all farmers, and they just planned to make some extra money at night. They didn't dare to be criticized by the villagers if they found out.
Seeing Guo Qingshui coming, he directly asked Ma Xia to go and move the trees with Zhao Hongwei. The man with a pointed face and monkey cheeks shouted, "You have damaged our village road, pay the toll!"
Guo Qingshui shook off his fat body and said, "The three of us brothers have emptied our family's savings and are trying to make a living. Even a penny less would cost us our lives."
"Then you can't cross this road!"
Two people rushed over to pull Zhao Hongwei and Ma Xia, but they were grabbed by steel bars and swung away. They immediately picked up hoes and shovels to fight back.
Zhao Hongwei's eyes were fierce as he smashed the steel bar against the hoe, the force so strong that his knuckles were broken and bleeding. The man holding the hoe let out a cry and stumbled back, nearly falling.
Zhao Hongwei ignored him and similarly knocked the other man's shovel away, turning to glare fiercely at the three others who were about to charge forward. He tightened his grip, blood trickling down the steel bars, his whole body radiating a frenzied, "I'm here for the goods!" energy.
The three of them immediately became intimidated and looked at each other, "You guys are awesome!"
He hurriedly helped the other two people, picked up his things and ran away.
Zhao Hongwei immediately called Ma Xia and Guo Qingshui to move the tree. He watched those people run away and said, "Hurry up and get in the car!"
Zhuozhuo stood on the chair and watched Zhao Hongwei run over. "Dad! Dad is bleeding!"
"It's okay." Zhao Hongwei held Zhuozhuo in his arms, stretched his right hand out the window, and said to Wan Ping who got out of the car, "Give me a rinse."
Wan Ping glanced at Ma Xia, who had wandered into the back of the car like a ghost, and unscrewed the kettle to pour water over Zhao Hongwei's bloody hands. The blood gushed out, creating a startling visual effect. Zhao Hongwei curled his hands, met Zhao Hongwei's watery eyes, and pretended to be nonchalant. "Wash it clean, and it won't hurt anymore."
Guo Qingshui stretched his head to take a look. "It's not serious. No need to bandage it. Apply some Yunnan Baiyao. It's hot, so it will heal faster if you leave it uncovered."
Zhuozhuo didn't believe it and asked 9972 in his mind, "Tongtong, Zhao Hongwei is bleeding so much, is he going to die?"
[…Of course he won't die. This amount of blood isn't much; it only becomes noticeable after flushing. It's warm now, so it should scab over in two days.]
"oh."
Although Zhuozhuo knew Zhao Hongwei's injuries weren't serious, she still lay motionless on him, so quiet that she seemed like a different person. Zhao Hongwei looked so solemn that he wanted to call her back. The little girl pondered deeply as the truck rocked and swayed, and whispered, "Zhao Hongwei, let's not drive the truck anymore. Let's take the bus."
Zhao Hongwei patted Zhuozhuo on the back, his voice soft and gentle, "Are you scared? This time is an exception. Why are there so many bad guys?"
Guo Qingshui subconsciously said, "Actually, this group of people is relatively easy to deal with. They don't have families waiting for money to save their lives, nor are they poor and arrogant. I've heard that in some places, the entire village relies on robbery for a living. They simply dig up the roads, and every day the whole village goes out to rob. No matter how big your car is or how many people are on it, you have no choice but to pay the money and the goods. In some places, people are killed..."
"Brother Guo!"
Zhao Hongwei interrupted Guo Qingshui, intending to let Zhuozhuo hear something more serious so they could realize their problems weren't serious. But his words only grew more frightening. Rubbing Zhuozhuo's head, Zhao Hongwei said, "Zhuozhuo, don't listen to Uncle Guo's nonsense. He heard it from others, and it's just as fake as a ghost story. If it were real, they'd have been arrested by the police long ago."
Guo Qingshui wanted to say, "There's no surveillance, no one saw it. He killed someone and ran away. Even if the family reports the crime, they don't know where the deceased is. How can the police catch him?" But he was afraid of really scaring Zhuozhuo, so he laughed and said, "You got it. I just like hearing these nonsense. Otherwise, the journey would be so boring. Zhuozhuo, Uncle Guo, stop talking nonsense. Can you tell me a story?"
Zhuozhuo opened his eyes wide, looked at Zhao Hongwei, then at Guo Qingshui, pursed his lips, and said listlessly, "Don't try to coax Zhuozhuo. Road robbers are dangerous. We were in a large group this time, so we were safe and our car keys weren't stolen."
Just now, after Guo Qingshui got out of the car, Wan Ping subconsciously rolled down the window and called for help. 9972 reminded Zhuozhuo to roll up the window, because the first thing robbers usually do is to pull out the car keys. Zhao Hongwei and his team discovered the people in advance, and because there were too many people, they stopped the robbers, so they were not blocked in front of the car.
Guo Qingshui didn't think much about it and chuckled, "Zhuozhuo also knows this."
Zhao Hongwei looked around thoughtfully, then leaned over to Zhuozhuo's lips and whispered, "Is your uncle here?"
Zhuozhuo shook his head slowly.
Zhao Hongwei thought that Wu Jiaren had left and was not around, so he did not ask any more questions. He just said unconfidently: "If Zhuozhuo wants to take the bus, then take the bus. Dad will listen to you." As long as you don't leave with the elusive uncle who has a broken TV, it will be fine.
Guo Qingshui raised an eyebrow. Others would probably just be saying this to coax their daughter, but Zhao Hongwei was absolutely planning it. He smiled and said, "There aren't many robberies on this route, only in the more remote areas. These are all large provinces with good security, so ordinary people generally wouldn't risk it. Let's finish this trip first and see how it goes."
Zhao Hongwei didn't respond immediately. After seeing Zhuozhuo nod, he said, "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Guo."
Guo Qingshui's mouth twitched. This daughter slave. I can only say that it's a good thing that Zhuozhuo is different from ordinary children.
Fortunately, as Guo Qingshui had said, the road was relatively smooth after that. Although the tires got stuck in potholes several times, they took the wrong road twice, and were caught in a heavy rain, they encountered no more robberies and were able to safely deliver the goods to various county towns.
When they returned to the courtyard in the afternoon, Zhuozhuo lay sleepily in Zhao Hongwei's arms. He heard Wanhai suppress his joy and say that people from two counties had contacted him to purchase goods. He planned to set out to investigate in the afternoon. If he was quick, he could place a new order before they returned from Hai City.
Zhuozhuo cheered softly in her heart and decided to give Wanhai a raise when she woke up. Her consciousness began to fade, but just as she was about to fall into a deep sleep, she heard Wanhai ask worriedly, "Why don't we have that much stock?"
Zhuozhuo also pricked up his ears and listened. Yes, why?
Zhao Hongwei said: "If I drive myself, I might encounter robbers on the road. It's not safe."
"Shall we find a few more people to join us?"
"There are too many people and no room to load the goods."
Wan Hai groaned, "How about this, Hongwei, you and Zhuozhuo shouldn't go. Ma Xia has been with you so many times, you should be able to negotiate orders with the boss. It's time for you to take charge. You just stay home, take charge of the rear, control the overall direction, and be the boss comfortably."
Zhao Hongwei said calmly, "You've only just started, and you're already the boss at home? And even if Zhuozhuo and I don't go, you guys can't get hurt. No one's risking their lives for money."
Wan Hai was moved. Ma Xia stiffened his neck and shouted, "Brother, I'm not afraid! If you retreat because of this, I will secretly find a car and a driver without telling you. If we encounter a robbery, that would be dangerous."
Under Zhao Hongwei's cold gaze, Ma Xia's voice gradually lowered, and the last few words sounded like the hum of a mosquito.
Zhao Hongwei covered his scorching ears and said in a deep voice, "If you do this, don't call me brother. I don't have a brother like you!"
Zhuozhuo woke up, closed his eyes and shrank his neck to avoid Zhao Hongwei's hand, with the ups and downs of 9972's emotions in his mind.
In the original storyline, Zhao Hongwei fought alone, fearless and unwavering. Now, with you, he's worried and pondering, his heart trembling with anxiety. This time, only his hand was injured. In the original storyline, he didn't even blink when his arm was broken during his first race. After unloading the cargo and refueling the car, he set off for Hai City without stopping.
Seeing Zhuozhuo's face tense, 9972 comforted him, "Don't worry, baby. Even if Zhao Hongwei continues to take the bus to carry the goods, it's just a return to the plot line at this point. It definitely won't hinder him from making a lot of money in the future."
Zhuozhuo didn't respond. She tugged at Zhao Hongwei's sleeve and said with a tilted face, "Zhao Hongwei, is Zhuozhuo holding you back? Because of Zhuozhuo, you're afraid of this and that, and you can't do a lot of things."
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