Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In the end, we were young and full of ourselves. We didn’t pay much attention to the warning hidden in Grandpa Wang’s words, and we had nowhere near enough respect for nature.

Just like that, our four trucks set out anyway.

Mao Hu, Xu Song, and I each drove one truck, while Wu Da drove another with Wu Si riding along.

We had only just left the station when snowflakes began drifting down from the sky.

Xu Song sounded a little hesitant over the radio. He asked if we should consider turning back.

Before anyone else could speak, Wu Da cut in. “Turn back for what? We’ve driven through snow way heavier than this before, haven’t we? Let’s hurry up and finish this delivery. I’m in a rush to get back home.”

“Don’t say things like that without any taboo. Spit three times, quick!” Xu Song said urgently.

Wu Da’s tone was full of disdain. “What’s there to be taboo about? Truck drivers aren’t afraid of heaven or earth. I’ll say it if I want-back home, back home, back home-”

Xu Song was choked speechless by that and simply stopped responding to him. The atmosphere grew a little stiff.

Fortunately, Mao Hu picked up the thread and said to Wu Da, “You just can’t help running that mouth of yours. No wonder you’ve been driving for years and still can’t land a Chongsha job.”

After saying that, Mao Hu called out to me, “Brother Long, take me with you on the next Chongsha. I’ll drive for you.”

In our line of work, Chongsha referred to driving a big truck through a brand-new route no one had ever taken before.

Public security wasn’t good back then. Newly opened routes were prone to danger, and sometimes you ran into strange things that couldn’t be explained.

Making a run like that was a real test of courage and experience, but it also paid plenty in commission and bonus money.

“Sure,” I replied over the radio. “As long as you don’t start crying for your mother while you’re behind the wheel.”

Everyone burst out laughing at that, and the mood eased quite a bit.

About an hour later, we had already left the towns and villages far behind.

By then, the snow was gradually getting heavier. Sheets of snowflakes landed on the windshield, only to be gently swept away.

It wasn’t until I came to the Northeast that I first saw such perfect six-petaled snowflakes-crystal clear, pure white, and gleaming like jade.

Although we had picked up some speed, none of us dared go too fast.

On both sides of the road stretched farmland as far as the eye could see. But by now, the dark earth had long since been covered by heavy snow, leaving everything in a vast expanse of white.

As the snow fell harder and harder, none of us had any heart left for chatting. Everyone focused completely on driving.

When we got close to the forested area, the fields were gradually divided into separate plots, and the trees became more and more numerous.

By then, the snowflakes had gone from light and airy at first to heavy and dense, and the wind had picked up as well.

My windshield kept buzzing, and the wipers were gradually unable to keep up with the rate of the falling snow.

Xu Song reminded us over the radio to drive carefully. The road was about to get rough.