In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 184 Preparing to go to Dingcheng Yushui County to look at cars

Duan Dahai glanced at Lao Liang, then raised an eyebrow, poured some more liquor for Boss Liang, and said with a smile, "Brother Liang, look at you, I was just joking with you, why are you taking it so seriously? I was just joking with you."

"Hmph, then why don't you fill it up?" Boss Liang crossed his arms, as proud as the rooster that Yu Dawei kept in his yard.

"No problem, whatever makes you happy."

Yu Dawei sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), not knowing whether to laugh or cry. These two were over seventy years old combined, yet they were still such a lively bunch.

Whenever they get into a drinking frenzy, they start playing role-playing games, with one person playing the younger brother and another the older brother. Occasionally, they even form a united front and use various strategies to deal with their wives. In short, with the tigress at home away, they can do whatever makes them happy!
"How much money can my sister-in-law give you to get an excavator?" Boss Duan took a small sip of his liquor. Dragon Soul liquor was too strong; even a small sip was less potent than Moutai.

"Fifty thousand, I doubt they'll give more than that." Duan Dahai sighed as he sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed).

He gets very upset when this is mentioned. He earned all the money himself, but now he can't get it out when he needs it. This kind of behavior of taking without giving back is even more cruel than depositing money in a bank.

He just didn't dare tell his wife, fearing that she would remarry with their son in a fit of anger.

“Fifty thousand is no problem.” Boss Liang patted Duan Dahai’s thigh and said with certainty, “I know a friend who does business with me. He’s from Yushui, Dingcheng. He specializes in getting all kinds of construction machinery. He has a lot of connections. Whether it’s an excavator, a bulldozer, or a tanker truck, as long as you want it, he can get it for you no matter the price.”

"Is it reliable?" Duan Dahai picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth. He frowned and his eyes showed deep doubt.

"Whether it's reliable or not, Dawei is here, isn't that right?" Boss Liang turned to look at Yu Dawei. "How are you doing? Busy lately? It's the off-season for both of us. If you're not too busy, how about the three of us take some time to go check out Yushui?"

"Things have been alright lately, there are people taking care of me at the factory, but... why does this person you're talking about seem so familiar to me?" Yu Dawei picked up his wine glass, clinked it with his two brothers, and then took a small sip.

"What? You know him too?" Boss Liang asked in surprise.

"No, that's not it." Yu Dawei frowned slightly. Whenever he heard Dingcheng Yushui County, he would think of the small wheeled excavator he had brought back.

If I remember correctly, the previous owner of the small wheeled excavator bought an assembled vehicle through a friend in Yushui, and at a high price, which really ripped him off.

"Don't worry, I've dealt with this guy several times. Every time he comes to our town, he treats me to a meal at Shadapan. He's a decent guy." Seeing Dawei and Lao Duan frowning, Boss Liang persuaded them further, "Even if this guy isn't reliable, there are other places selling used excavators over in Yushui. We can go there and see if we can find anything cheap and suitable. Who knows, we might just find a bargain. I've heard that's the legendary excavator capital! Don't you want to go check it out?"

What Boss Liang said piqued Yu Dawei's interest. The wheeled excavator he assembled last time was from Yushui County, and he had always wanted to meet that skilled master craftsman. If he could exchange ideas with him like he did with Master Lü, he would benefit greatly.

“I’m fine with it. There’s nothing else to do in winter, just sorting garbage every day.” Duan Dahai looked at Yu Dawei. “But you, you have things to do at the factory. If you come with us, it will definitely take up a lot of time, and I’ll feel bad about it.”

"Brother Duan, what are you talking about?" Yu Dawei said sternly. "If it weren't for you, would I have such a nice yard to repair cars? Without you, would my rent be so cheap? Don't worry, I'm busy these days, and I'll definitely be able to go with you. Besides, I also want to see the legendary excavator capital."

"What else is there to say! Set a date, and we're ready to go anytime!" Boss Liang slapped his thigh hard, then raised his glass high. "May our trip to Yu Shui be smooth sailing, and may we meet countless beauties along the way!"

"Brother Duan, did you hear that?" Yu Dawei picked up his wine glass with a smile.

"I heard that. Old Liang's getting cocky. I wonder how his sister-in-law will react when she hears this." Duan Dahai curled up the corners of his mouth with a mischievous smile.

"Brother, dear brother! I was just being cheeky, I really didn't mean anything by it. Please, please don't tell my wife, that tigress!" Boss Liang cowered in less than a second, kneeling on the kang (heated brick bed) and begging for mercy. Holding on for even a second longer would be disrespectful to his wife.

"Tsk tsk, Dawei, you say when someone drinks, they'll tell the truth. What's that saying again?" Duan Dahai rubbed his chin, looking at Yu Dawei beside him with a smug expression.

“They say people speak the truth when they're drunk.” Yu Dawei chuckled. “I never expected Boss Liang to have this idea. Your wife must be too tolerant of you.”

"Hey, you two are really something. I was just joking," Boss Liang quickly tried to salvage the situation. "How about this, I'll cover the transportation and fuel to Yushui County."

"As expected of my good brother, I'll cover the rest of your food and lodging as well." Duan Dahai, with a smug look on his face, put his arm around Boss Liang's neck.

Yu Dawei chuckled. Drinking and having fun was nothing more than this. Given the current relationship between Boss Liang and Lao Duan, it was impossible for him to let Lao Duan drive them there in a tricycle. Taking the train was even less necessary; driving was far more convenient. It was just that talking about things while drinking was more natural than talking about them when sober, allowing one to better appreciate the pure, untainted friendship between friends, and making it less likely for the other person to feel indebted.

But Brother Duan was the oldest of the three, so he could naturally see what Boss Liang was thinking, but he didn't point it out.

The two hummed a folk song from Northeast China while drinking and eating, seemingly in a daze, and spent a happy night.

The next day, the three agreed to have a day to prepare before setting off.

Dingcheng Yushui County is located north of the Yellow River and belongs to the North China Region. It is adjacent to the Northeast region to the north, so driving there is not as difficult as driving to Qingcheng in the south.

But they still need to go home and tell each other. Yu Dawei is doing well; his wife has a mild personality, is dependent on him, and while she is reluctant to leave, she is also very understanding and prefers to spend time alone.

Brother Duan is alright. After all, although his sister-in-law likes to show off and has a flamboyant personality, she is actually very good to Brother Duan and doesn't have any bad intentions.

However, Boss Liang's wife is an extraordinary woman who has the final say. If she disagrees with the matter, Boss Liang won't leave even if he kneels on a washboard until his knees are worn out.

However, when the group met at the scrap metal recycling station on the third day, they were somewhat surprised to find that Boss Liang arrived on time. Moreover, his car had been cleaned, the dust on the entire surface of the beat-up pickup truck was gone, and even the broken headlight on the left had been repaired.

"Old Liang, you're something else! How did you manage to convince your wife? I thought you'd come here with a black eye on your face." Duan Dahai exclaimed in amazement, while also putting his suitcase in the back of the pickup truck.

"What a joke. I usually just give in to her. I make the decisions on important matters." Boss Liang proudly raised his head, but as he spoke, he kept his hands on the car door, afraid that if he let go, he would completely collapse.

"Awesome." Yu Dawei took out the tools from his car and gave Boss Liang a thumbs up.

This time, the three of them placed a large iron box from Duan Dahai's yard in the back compartment and secured both ends of the box with a chain.

The pickup truck's seats are quite cramped, so there's not much room for luggage. Putting luggage in the front of the truck isn't very safe either. In addition, Yu Dawei also brought a set of blade tools for emergencies.

To prevent thieves from stealing the box along the way, the group decided to put a large iron box, exactly the same width as the truck bed, and then lock it with chains. They would put all the luggage there and take the contents out when they went to sleep, which would definitely be much safer.

Not only that, Yu Dawei's double-barreled shotgun was also in the pickup truck, along with a small metal box of 12-gauge bullets, a total of 24 rounds, which Brother Duan had obtained through connections in the village.

It can be said that this trip of the three of them fully learned from the lessons of Yu Dawei's last return, and they were extremely cautious, ensuring that there would be absolutely no mistakes.

Boss Liang also bought some instant food and some new toiletries from the supermarket. Old Liang really went all out for Brother Duan this time. He's a true buddy.

Duan Dahai didn't bring anything else with him. In his 2.5-liter Mongolian-style iron wine vessel, he filled it to the brim with the Dragon Soul wine that Yu Dawei had given him. The rest of the items were a few pieces of clothing for his trip and some beef jerky that his wife had made, which she said was for Duan Dawei to eat on the road.

There was no share for Boss Liang, and even less for him.

Yu Dawei knew that his sister-in-law was still angry about Duan's obsession with buying an excavator, but once the excavator was bought, he could help modify it, and the work efficiency would definitely be greatly improved. At that time, his sister-in-law would definitely not have any objections anymore.

As for the things Yu Dawei brought, there was an ancient book called "Su Shu" that his wife had given him, saying that he could read it on the road if he was bored. It was a copy that his father had treasured for many years and later gave to Han Jingfan.

Besides that, there were changes of clothes, sticky rice dumplings that my mother made me bring, and a crocodile skin bag that my second uncle gave me, which contained a savings book and five hundred yuan.

Three suitcases were neatly stacked in the metal box in the back of the truck. All three suitcases were the same size and were square and black. Brother Duan bought them yesterday as a gift to express his gratitude to Lao Liang and Dawei for their help.

With that, the preparations for the trip were complete. Before leaving, Yu Dawei specially drove his little red car to Fanfan's repair shop, gave the car keys to Fuzi, and then gave Lao Ji and Fuzi a few simple instructions before leaving.

From Luhe Town to Yushui County, you have to pass through three major provinces and dozens of cities of all sizes. Nowadays, there are very few expressways in China, so the safest way is to take the national highway, passing through the oil city and heading southwest.

(End of this chapter)