In his previous life, Dong Qing had driven all kinds of vehicles, so driving a tractor was no problem for him. But in this life, he had never touched a car and couldn't say that he knew how to drive.
Dong Qing finally said, "There's nothing to drive a tractor. You know how to drive, right? Just give me a little pointers and you'll be fine."
The brother-in-law was a little embarrassed after hearing this. Was driving a joke? After hearing his brother-in-law's words, he looked at his wife.
Dong Damei said, "Why are you looking at me? If he can't drive, are you going to teach him? You can just take a week off and run a errand for him, then he'll learn. How hard can it be to learn to drive a tractor?"
These days, as long as you can drive, you're good to go. There are very few licensed tractor drivers on the road.
My brother-in-law said, "Okay, your sister and I are going back to our hometown today, let's go."
Around 9 a.m., the group of them rode their bicycles back to their hometown.
Dong Damei asked, "Dad, has that tractor in our village been sold?"
My father-in-law said, "That car is practically useless now. We'll sell it to anyone who wants it. Why are you asking about it?"
Dong Damei recounted her younger brother's purchase of a truck for hauling goods, saying, "Dad, go to the village office and ask. If the price is right, my brother will buy the truck."
My father-in-law said, "Okay, you guys go take a look at the car first. I'll go to the village to discuss it and set a price."
My brother-in-law said, "Dad, we can set a price, but we need to borrow this car for a week first. If business is good, we'll buy the car; if not, we'll return it to the village."
Since they were all relatives, Dong Damei's father-in-law said it was no problem, stood up, and walked towards the village.
Dongqing and his wife, carrying their son, followed their sister and brother-in-law out of their house.
The four arrived at the village entrance, where the tractor had been parked for years.
Dong Qing walked around the tractor and looked at it. The vehicle looked good. An original cab was installed later. There was a trailer next to the vehicle. The trailer was huge. It had four axles, all with dual tires, for a total of sixteen tires, plus a spare tire.
Such a large trailer was extremely rare in the 1970s and 80s, and this vehicle was left idle for two years.
Half an hour later, the eldest sister's father-in-law came over to them. He said that it had been agreed that they could drive the car back first, and if the business didn't go well, they could return the car; if it did, they could leave the car behind.
Dongqing asked, "Uncle, how much are you planning to sell this car for?"
This is the key point Dong Qing needs to know, since he is currently penniless and he really can't afford to buy it if the price is too high.
Dong Damei's father-in-law just convened a meeting with the village cadres. The village cadres are very concerned about face. The car was worth eight thousand yuan at the time, but the village decided to give it a discount and sell it to Dong Qing for seven thousand yuan.
Dong Damei's father-in-law said, "Drive the car back first. We'll pay you whenever we have the money. If the business doesn't go well, you can return the car!"
Dong Qing asked, "Can this car still be started?"
He said, "This vehicle has been sitting here for too long, the battery is probably dead. You can take the battery out and replace it with a new one. You can also load the plow from the tractor next to it onto the vehicle and take it with you."
These old-fashioned plows became useless after the land was distributed to individual households. All five plows turned the soil in one direction, so nobody used them for plowing. To put it bluntly, they were just a pile of scrap metal.
Dongqing said, "Let's leave the plow here for now, I'll come back and get it later."
The eldest sister's father-in-law said it was fine, and then introduced the history of the car.
This vehicle was purchased in the spring of 1978. The following year, the village implemented the household responsibility system, and the village held a meeting to decide to buy a trailer. When the trailer was purchased, an original fully enclosed cab was installed at the factory. Behind the cab was a sleeper berth, which was suitable for resting while driving long distances.
When the brigade bought this trailer, they planned to use it for transportation to generate some profits for the brigade. However, they couldn't find a source of cargo to haul, and it was only used to transport fertilizer a few times. This was the biggest mistake made by the brigade cadres. The overall condition of the vehicle was very good, and Dongqing got a bargain.
After Dong Damei's father-in-law left, her brother-in-law went to a villager's house to fetch a bucket of water. Dong Qing stood on the front tire, took the bucket, and added the water into the water tank.
After Dongqing finished adding water and got into the car, he inserted the key into the lock and turned it, but the battery had no power at all, and the starter motor did not respond at all.
The brother-in-law delivered the water buckets to the villagers' homes and called a few people in the village. They could only put the car on hold for the time being.
After the person arrived, Dong Damei saw her younger brother sitting in the car and not getting out. She said, "Little brother, you can't drive, why aren't you getting out? Let your brother-in-law get in and drive?"
Dongqing said, "Big sister, you guys push the cart, watch me drive it."
Dong Damei was speechless after hearing her brother's words. Just as she was about to speak, her husband said, "I'll go up too."
My brother-in-law stood next to Dongqing as he got on the train and said, "You guys push the cart."
The group pushed the tractor forward slowly, with Li Yuzhu holding the child and pushing the tractor with one hand.
The tractor sped up, and eventually everyone pushed it along. Once it reached a certain speed, Dongqing released the clutch with his left foot and lightly pressed the accelerator with his right, and the tractor instantly caught fire.
Dong Qing drove for two hundred meters, then stopped, turned around, and said with a smile, "This car is really good; the engine seems to be working fine."
Watching his skillful driving, his brother-in-law asked, "Little brother, you don't seem like someone who can't drive?"
Dong Qing said, "I once said that there's nothing to drive a tractor; I can drive it as soon as I get on it!"
The brother-in-law was speechless after hearing this, thinking to himself: "You're just bragging. This fully demonstrates that you can drive."
He just thought about it but didn't say anything. As long as he could drive, that was fine. Otherwise, he would have to make the trip for him. Sister Dongqing would definitely not agree if he didn't make the trip. Since he could drive, it would save him a lot of trouble. It didn't matter where he learned to drive. The important thing was that he could drive. Being able to drive would also give him some peace of mind.
The brother-in-law shook his head without saying anything, pushed open the car door, jumped out, and casually closed the door.
Dong Qing shifted into reverse and backed into the trailer, quickly attaching the trailer.
Dongqing jumped off the vehicle and said, "Big sister, you and brother-in-law go home first. I'll leave my bicycle at your house. The tractor can't be turned off. We'll go to the county town to change the battery and fill up the tank. We'll go straight to Yuzhu's parents' house tonight to load the goods tomorrow."
“Okay.” Dong Damei took out two hundred yuan from her pocket and handed it to her younger brother. She said, “You need at least some money for gas. Your brother-in-law and I just got paid, and I brought you the money from home when I came.”
Dong Qing said, "I made some money fishing a while ago..."
Before her brother could finish speaking, Dong Damei said, "Don't forget what I told you. I know you have some money. Take it. I'll feel more at ease if you carry more money with you when you go out."
Dong Qing took the 200 yuan and thanked her, "Sister." Dong Da Mei said, "Don't be so polite, Sister. Hurry up and go. You don't have much gas left in the car. Don't run out of gas and you won't even be able to get to the county town."
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