Substitute Driver's Notes

Chapter 46 Envy but Can't Do It

As Li Wei listened to this man boasting about his superb driving skills and how far he had been, he nodded in approval from time to time, joining in the conversation.

After a while, the man changed the subject again, enviously calculating Jin Ping's income. He said that each driver was paid 30 yuan, and she arranged at least 50 yuan a day. He had seen her arrange more than 100 people a day at most, earning at least tens of thousands of yuan a month, without having to work overtime, etc.

Li Wei interrupted his rambling with a laugh: "You could open one too! It's not like it's a monopoly."

The man shook his head in frustration: "No chance. Others started early. If you want to get into this industry, you need to invest in attracting customers in the early stages, and you also need the drivers' trust before they will come to work for you."

You won't make money for at least one or two years, you can't afford to offend anyone, your reputation will be built up very slowly, but it will be ruined very quickly.

If a few drivers go out and complain that someone found them a job without pay, many people will stop coming. What's the point of running a brokerage if there are no drivers? I can't do this kind of work.

"Just you wait and see. Today is your first day here, and Boss Jin will definitely treat everyone to big steamed buns, and maybe even try to win you over as the newcomer."

Li Wei scratched his head: "Huh? I might not come often, so she'd be at a disadvantage if I treated her to a meal."

"You won't lose money. A big steamed bun is only worth a few dollars. If you come ten or more times a year, she'll make a fortune. Next time you come, she'll arrange for you to leave in the morning. After a few times, you'll be hooked, and she won't have to provide meals anymore."

It's a scam! Even small companies that make such little profit each month have their tricks up their sleeves. How am I supposed to survive if I can't think straight?

Wait a minute, this isn't just a small profit, it's tens of thousands! Holy crap! Tens of thousands every month!

This guy's something else. After chatting for so long, he finally wiped his sweat and said, "Let's go inside and cool off for a bit before we talk again. This awful weather's going to catch fire!"

The two entered the room and were immediately choked by the fumes, coughing twice and shivering a few times before sneezing out, "Achoo, achoo!"

In the office, Jin Ping was yelling into the phone, her voice echoing throughout the entire space:

"Since the driver I arranged for you is fine, why are you deducting his salary? If you can't load the goods, it's because your people are incompetent; if you can't find a source of goods, it's because you're useless."

If you stay in another city for a few days, you have to pay for those days. Even if you stay for ten years, you can't blame the driver. If you pay me even a penny less, I'll burn your car.

"You want to hire someone to beat me up? Go ahead and kill me if you dare. If you don't dare, then obediently hand over your wages. I'll fucking kill you, and I'll never do business with you again!"

Li Wei stared dumbfounded as Jin Ping cursed him with a ferocious expression, feeling his worldview completely shattered.

"Come on, if you have the guts, come and kill me. If you don't dare to kill me, you're a good-for-nothing I gave birth to." Then came another round of vulgar and offensive insults.

After a brief "click," Jin Ping hung up the phone and sat there listlessly, head down, lost in thought.

After a while, Jin Ping suddenly looked up, picked up her phone, and made a call. This time, she changed her voice, speaking in a very gentle and polite tone:

"Old Sun, don't worry about your salary. Come to me and get your money first. It's okay, we won't go to his car next time. I'm also going to tell my colleagues to go out and spread the word about him. Write down his fleet's license plate numbers, and I'll call on everyone to boycott him."

Li Wei wondered if he could have cursed so elegantly and calmly, and then quickly regained his composure to appease the substitute driver he had introduced. After thinking for a moment, he obediently sat down.

I'm okay at fighting, but I'm not good at swearing. Face-changing is for Sichuan opera, I'm just a blockhead.

Jin Ping hung up the phone, clutching her head and ruffling her hair, muttering to herself, "That Sun Laoshi is too honest. Damn it, fight him! Why should I deduct his salary if he hasn't done anything wrong? I'll beat him to death."

Unlike the others, these seasoned veterans were probably used to Jin Ping's outbursts and simply ignored her.

Li Wei, with his sharp eyes, had been watching Jin Ping closely. He noticed a few tears silently falling between her arms as she held her head, landing on the desk. She quietly wiped them away with her sleeve, as if they had never happened.

After a moment, she raised her head, her face returning to calm, as if nothing had happened.

Pick up a pen and ask everyone where they want to go.

After registering everyone, I took out a notebook to check the records and soon arranged everyone's accommodations.

During this time, I kept getting phone calls, some looking for a replacement driver, others asking where there was work available that day.

Li Wei suddenly remembered Xiao Sun from his last visit and asked him a question while Jin Ping was on the phone.

The seasoned veteran replied that two other people had gone to the parking lot to find large trucks to distribute GG (gifts) to attract customers.

Li Wei sat there, watching people come and go. Some people came in, paid thirty yuan, took the card, and left. Others said they just came in to cool off, and that they weren't going to work today and were going home to rest.

At noon, as expected, Jinping called and had a large bag of steamed buns delivered, inviting everyone to come and eat.

Li Wei had been sitting there blankly drinking tea for half the morning, but he was already hungry. When he heard the call, he quickly followed the others forward.

Since everyone was unfamiliar with each other, no one was polite. They all opened their mouths wide, stretched out their molars, and stuffed large meat buns into their mouths with their right hands, while holding two more in their left hands, as if afraid there wouldn't be enough to eat.

What a bunch of good-for-nothings! Were they reincarnated starving ghosts? They're a disgrace to the driver!

Li Wei was inwardly complaining, but his hands were just as fast. He was a latecomer who caught up quickly, leaving the first few people far behind in both quantity and speed.

Letting out a satisfied burp, Li Wei glanced smugly at the group of gluttons who were choking and rolling their eyes from eating too fast, then got up and returned to his seat. He politely asked Jin Ping, "Hey? Boss Jin, why aren't you eating?"

Jin Ping stood up, looked at the empty plastic bag, shook her head, and sat down again: "I'm not hungry."

Women who love beauty are terrifying! They even stop eating in order to maintain a slim figure.

After lunch, a few more people left, leaving the bench empty. The guy who had traveled all over the country, with his experience, put his bag down as a pillow and took a nap on the bench.

Li Wei felt embarrassed to lie down on another chair, as he felt it was inappropriate to have a woman in the room, so he leaned against the corner of the wall and dozed off.

Jin Ping said, "Master Li, it's alright. You should lie down for a while. You'll be staying up late tonight, and you won't sleep well in the car."

Li Wei shook his head, closed his eyes, and said, "No need."

The speed of time is relative. As one insightful person once said, the length of a minute depends on whether you are squatting inside the toilet or standing outside it.

For Li Wei, two hours depends on whether he is asleep or extremely tired from staying up all night.

In his hazy state, Li Wei seemed to hear mice munching on something. He glanced over and saw Jin Ping stuffing a cookie into her mouth.

As long as it wasn't a rat, Li Wei closed his eyes and continued sleeping.

A short while later, Li Wei was nudged and opened his eyes to see Jin Ping standing beside him: "Master Li, it's past two o'clock, you should go to the car!"

Li Wei rubbed his face to clear his head, asked for the car's location, stood up to stretch, then picked up his bag, went out, and hailed a red tricycle.

On the way, Li Wei contacted the driver, and hearing the impatient voice on the phone, he had a bad feeling.

This job is likely to run into some trouble.