Fang Bai finished correcting the errors on his test paper and left school at four in the afternoon.
He returned home, got on his motorcycle, and headed out.
He estimated that Wang Dakai's father should have been discharged from the hospital, so he bought a few pounds of fruit and put them in his backpack.
Starting the motorcycle, Fang Bai once again drove towards Wang Dakai's home.
...
Wang Dakai was hand-washing clothes at the outdoor faucet. The water in the morning was too cold, so he had to wash them in the afternoon, but the temperature was only five or six degrees Celsius. His hands were red from the cold, and he didn't want to use hot water.
He was scrubbing clothes, lost in thought about the past few days. He had already decided to follow Fang Bai. The day before yesterday, he had told his parents that he would not continue his studies.
That day, his father was furious and hit him with a homemade bamboo stick. He endured it, and even after the stick broke, he remained resolute in his decision not to repeat the year.
After a fierce argument, he clearly explained to his parents that he couldn't possibly get into college, and his parents finally agreed to let him drop out and work.
He still remembered his parents' words.
"You foolish boy, why would someone lend you money? You don't have any skills or abilities, so why would someone pay you hundreds of yuan a month? You're trying to fool your old man; I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice."
At that time, his father's tone was full of contempt, as if he had seen through society.
"Dad, Fang Bai's family isn't short on money. Besides, if he wasn't a friend, how could he lend me a thousand yuan?"
"Foolish boy, even if he's a friend lending you money, we should indeed be grateful. But what skill do you have for him to pay you hundreds of yuan a month? Your old man works himself to death moving things at the wharf for only about a hundred yuan a month. If there's no work, getting fifty yuan is good enough."
"I don't know. I'll just do whatever Boss Fang tells me to do. I'll learn if I don't understand."
"Son, if he wanted you to join the underworld, would you join too?" his mother interjected at that moment.
"How is that possible? Boss Fang's grades are excellent; he was third in his grade last time. He's material for a key university. How could he be involved in the underworld!" Wang Dakai had actually already figured it out. If it really was about being involved in society, then it didn't matter. Anyway, it was all about making a living. Otherwise, how could he get so much money a month?
If he just worked a dead-end job, earning a hundred yuan a month would be good enough.
After another argument, his father finally stopped trying to persuade him and said:
"Forget it, your old man can't persuade you anymore. I don't have much ability now, so I'll have to rely on my son in the future. You've grown up, so you can weigh things yourself."
Wang Dakai believed that his parents probably agreed to his plan after understanding Boss Fang's family situation and realizing he wasn't involved in the underworld, but rather doing legitimate business.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a motorcycle and looked up to see Fang Bai riding a motorcycle towards his house. He quickly washed his hands with clean water to greet him.
"Boss, you're here! I went to your family's stall yesterday to look for you, but I didn't see you there."
Fang Bai saw Wang Dakai's simple smile, parked his motorcycle, and said, "My mom told me. She didn't recognize you and thought you were a hoodlum looking for me, haha."
"No way, I look so honest."
Wang Dakai touched his face, then looked at his rugged physique, and somewhat believed it.
The day before yesterday, his dad worried about him getting involved with the underworld. People who didn't know him probably thought Fang Bai was involved with the underworld through him, and that he himself was the gang leader.
Fang Bai took off his backpack, pulled out the fruit, and handed it to Wang Dakai: "How's your dad doing?"
"He's already been discharged from the hospital and is staying indoors."
"Oh, what are your own plans? Have you thought about it? I went to school this morning, and Zhang Xiaoai said you haven't been to school recently."
"I'm not studying anymore. My mind is made up."
"What do your parents think?"
"They don't have any objections. They agreed to let me go out and work."
"Oh, your parents are so easy to talk to? How open-minded!" Fang Bai smiled, a little disbelieving.
In this era, which parents didn't hope their children would get into college?
"I got a good beating with bamboo shoots and sliced pork, and it still hurts. Besides, no matter how hard I try, I won't get in, so it's better to enter society early. In the end, they just had to agree." Wang Dakai scratched his head, a little embarrassed as he rubbed his backside.
Fang Bai realized and couldn't help but laugh: "Haha, so that's it. You're thick-skinned and can take a beating."
"My dad often moves things, so he's really strong. He even broke the stick. Damn, he really laid into me."
Wang Bing, who was sitting in the main hall, heard the motorcycle and his son talking to someone. He came out leaning on his crutch and saw a young man with a motorcycle parked nearby.
It seemed this was the Fang Bai his son had spoken of. He looked quite sunny and handsome.
Hearing his son talk about him like that, he rolled his eyes and shouted, "Da Kai, a classmate is here, why don't you invite him inside for tea? Isn't it cold standing outside?"
Fang Bai heard the voice and saw a robust middle-aged uncle, about 1.8 meters tall, with a dark, rough complexion, holding a bamboo crutch under his right armpit.
Indeed, without strong genes, you couldn't produce a Da Ge Zi like Wang Dakai.
"Uncle, hello. How's your recovery going?"
"Very well, but a hundred days for bones and tendons to heal, so I'll have to wait patiently for a full recovery. You're Da Kai's deskmate, right?"
"Yes, my name is Fang Bai, and Da Kai and I are good friends."
"Da Kai is truly fortunate to have a friend like you. You're good at studies and kind-hearted. Uncle is very grateful for the thousand yuan you lent. Once my leg is better, I guarantee I'll earn money to pay it back quickly."
Fang Bai walked over to support him and smiled, "Uncle, what are you saying? Da Kai and I are good friends. When a friend's family is in need, one should help. I'm not in a hurry for the money."
A moment later, the three of them sat in the main hall. Fang Bai drank a cup of hot tea, and Wang Bing casually asked some questions.
"Little Fang, Uncle doesn't know how to thank you. If this child, Da Kai, doesn't do well helping you, feel free to hit and scold him."
"Uncle, don't worry. If he really earns money and messes around at nightclubs, not showing filial piety to his parents, I'll definitely hit and scold him." Fang Bai understood the inner thoughts of Wang Dakai's father, it's just that some things weren't explicitly stated in front of him.
Wang Dakai sat silently to the side, just smiling foolishly with his head down.
His old man saw his son's expression and couldn't help but tap him with his crutch: "Did you hear that? When you go out into society, you can't just mess around. If you don't listen, you deserve to be beaten and you can't resist."
"Heard it, understood."
"Uncle, here's the thing: I want Da Kai to learn to drive first. It's better to have a skill. All the expenses for learning to drive will be covered by my side. Da Kai's salary will temporarily be based on a driver's salary level. He'll earn as much as his abilities allow."
Fang Bai said that if the subscription certificate layout goes smoothly next year, buying a car would have to be put on the agenda.
Moreover, for his family's mall business, it would be best to have a trustworthy person who can drive to help.
It's not easy to hire a driver now; the cost is too high. It's better to train one himself, give them a great future, and foster more loyalty.
Learning to drive in this era was not easy. Not only did one have to learn to drive, but also how to repair cars. The learning period generally took more than half a year.
Currently, there were no electronic tests; everything was manually judged. There were also theoretical exams and practical skill exams. In-field driving generally only involved parallel parking and bay parking. Hill starts were only tested in Subject Three, otherwise, it was directly about practical driving skills.
The examination situations varied from place to place, but the tuition fees were simply unaffordable for ordinary families. Learning to drive in Wen City cost over three thousand yuan, not including the money for cigarettes and alcohol for the instructor.
Some places cost at least a thousand yuan, and individual places could be as high as four or five thousand. For this era, learning to drive was truly a luxury.
There was no way around it; cars weren't cheap, so it wasn't something ordinary people could learn.
Most drivers who could drive learned in the military, like Zhang Guoping.
Precisely because of this, truck drivers' salaries in this era were very high, even higher than most factory middle managers, and they were very arrogant. Their assistants would light cigarettes for them and put them in their mouths. State-owned drivers would eat whatever good food they wanted outside, and while the red flag at home didn't fall, colorful flags fluttered outside.
Unlike later generations, where it was steamed buns and instant noodles every meal. If it was a special period, they could be anywhere.
If he could drive himself, he wouldn't need to take the exam. He could just throw money at it and get a driver's license anyway, without needing too strong connections.
For driving schools, getting money without having to teach much was certainly welcome.
Fang Bai planned that after the college entrance examination, he would spend some time at a driving school and then throw money to get a driver's license.
Wang Bing and his son, upon hearing Fang Bai's words, could hardly believe their ears.
Learning to drive!
That was too high-end!
It was something they, father and son, had never dared to dream of.
"This isn't too good, is it? It will cost a lot of money. Doesn't this need your parents' approval?" Wang Bing felt that his son would owe too great a favor.
"Uncle, I can make decisions on these matters directly.
After Da Kai spends some time with me, he'll quickly learn some things. I won't hide it from you, Uncle. All the business in my family is led by me.
Let's settle it this way. After Da Kai sorts out his own affairs, I'll arrange for him to learn to drive. The learning period might be quite long, a few months at least.
It's getting late, so I'll head back first as I have something to do."
Fang Bai felt it was about time; he had said all he needed to say and would let Wang Dakai discuss it with his family.
Whether Wang Dakai would come or not depended on the family's decision. He had already invited him twice, like Liu Bei's three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage, and there wouldn't be a third time.
Before leaving, he told Wang Dakai that his home was on the street near the school, and that he should come find him directly after finishing things at home.
Watching Fang Bai ride away, Wang Bing and Wang Dakai, father and son, felt quite complex emotions. Fang Bai's words about learning to drive left the father and son unable to calm down for a long time.
Also, Fang Bai was leading all the business in his family!
Wang Dakai had told his father that Fang Bai's family sold televisions. Wang Bing, as a porter at Oubei Wharf, naturally knew about that television stall. They owned at least a hundred thousand in assets.
Otherwise, how could they afford a motorcycle worth ten to twenty thousand yuan, a pager on their hip, and set up a stall to sell dozens of televisions worth tens of thousands every few days, employing many people?
Wang Bing sat down in the house. Seeing his son also sit down, he remained silent for a moment before asking him, "Son, what do you think?"
"Of course I want to learn to drive! I'll follow Boss Fang. I believe this path will definitely not be wrong.
He's already so successful now, and he'll be even more formidable in the future. If I don't follow him now, where will my place be later?" Wang Dakai didn't hesitate much.
"Besides, he's come twice already. If I'm not sensible, there definitely won't be another chance."
"Hmm, Little Fang Boss looks very steady and has an air of prosperity. I never thought he'd be doing such a big business at such a young age. It's clear he knows how to do things. Since you've made your decision, then work well for him."
"That's right, your son's judgment is still very good." Wang Dakai chuckled, very satisfied to receive his father's approval.
Wang Bing's weathered face revealed a smile: "You're asking for a beating. Hurry up and pack your things. Go handle your withdrawal from school yourself. Don't be sloppy when doing things."
Finally, his son had a good job.
Learning to drive and becoming a driver, that's really good! It's something to be proud of.