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

Chapter 280 Caterpillar E200B Excavator: What to Do Without a Crane?

The entire truck excavator overturned two and a half times, and finally lay there like a "royal concubine" on the Hanyang trailer.

However, given that it is a relatively reputable excavator brand, there were no damaged parts on the exterior of the machine, and even the three windows of the cab remained intact.

Yu Dawei crawled across the snow to the side counterweight of the excavator. He squatted down and peered through the gap in the excavator cover at the engine, distributor, and other components.

It was indeed more unbelievable than I had imagined. Despite being thrown so far away, the contact points of the hydraulic hoses inside did not break. However, the outer cover was dented, but fortunately, the impact was not significant.

"How's the excavator?" Old Yu also climbed up the path that Yu Dawei had just traversed and squatted down with him to look into the scaffold.

"Fortunately, the engine, distributor, and hydraulic lines are all in good condition. The large pump on the side door is also not leaking oil. It should be able to work after adding oil. If there is nothing wrong with the vehicle itself, it doesn't need any repairs at all." After saying this, Yu Dawei stepped onto the overturned track and then slowly returned to the ground.

He also reached out his hands to help the old man down.

"Go cut it over there, I'm not old enough to need help." Old Yu was a man of great pride, and it was absolutely impossible for him to be helped down by his son.

How did he get up here? And how did he slowly come down?

Yu Dawei sighed helplessly, but after checking the general condition of the two vehicles, he felt better. At this point, more than half an hour had passed since they arrived, but there was still no sign of the crane.

Just as Dawei was about to ask the driver what was going on, a yellow taxi drove up from a distance.

The car stopped in front of them, the door opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a black cotton coat stepped out.

The middle-aged man had a slightly hunched back, graying temples, and a few strands of white hair that stood out against his black hair.

The middle-aged man, with a briefcase tucked under his arm, paid the taxi driver before wearily turning around to look at the crowd.

When he looked at Yu Dawei, his eyes showed a hint of embarrassment: "This must be Master Yu. I'm so sorry to trouble you to come over during the New Year."

Yu Laonian glanced at the middle-aged man, then at the taxi driver who had already turned and left, and roughly understood the other party's situation: either he hadn't agreed on a price with the crane driver, or he hadn't been able to hire a crane operator.

Anyway, this whole mess will probably fall on my eldest son's shoulders.

Sure enough, the man sighed and complained the next second: "I've called all the crane operators around here, but they're either not from around here or they've gone to their mother-in-law's house for the New Year. I've been all over Qing County, but I still haven't found a suitable one."

“Master Yu, that’s why I thought I’d have to trouble you again. See if you have any drivers willing to come out and work. Money isn’t a problem.” The man pointed to the driver next to him. “Anyway, the two of them, master and apprentice, will pay for it.”

“Yes, Master Yu knows people who can come out and work. Just call them. Money is no object.” The driver glanced at Boss Li first, then gritted his teeth and said.

He started to get angry at his apprentice again. This little bastard's eyesight is really off the charts when he drives. He can't even see what's in front of him on this smooth road worn smooth by the traffic!

Yu Dawei naturally saw the driver's gloomy face clearly, but the problem of finding a crane operator also stumped him.

Normally, if he needs to lift something while repairing a car, he can easily find a machine rental shop at the market near the entrance, so he doesn't need any contact information.

Moreover, these two things in front of us are heavyweight products, and it would be impossible to handle them with ordinary small cranes. Those cranes weighing tens of tons or more are really hard to find.

"Don't you know anyone?" The middle-aged man noticed the predicament on Yu Dawei's face and realized he was at a loss.

The group of people looked just like telephone poles in the snowstorm, standing still in the wind and snow.

“Just standing here in the cold wind isn’t a solution.” Seeing that the people in front of him had fallen silent, Yu Laonian sighed helplessly. “I have an idea, but I can only try it if this boss agrees. It might not even work, but it’s better than freezing here.”

"Please be bold and tell us if it's feasible or not, and we can discuss it together." Boss Li was at a loss for what to do, and it was perfect that Master Yu's father could step forward and say something at this time.

“My son and I just checked that Caterpillar excavator. So far, it hasn’t leaked any oil, and it’s in pretty good condition.” Old Yu pointed to the Caterpillar E200B excavator not far away. “Look, can we figure out how to get this thing up? Once we get it up, we can use the excavator to turn the truck over, and then we won’t need a crane.”

"However, this might not work out. On one hand, the boom and forearm are lying there on their sides, and on the other hand, starting the machine while it's lying down is very risky. If any part of the excavator falls and breaks, starting it could very well exacerbate the problem." Old Yu said this, afraid of taking responsibility, and then quickly added a couple more sentences.

Yu Dawei took the old man's words to heart. His eyes lit up when he heard the first part, but narrowed and his brows furrowed when he heard the second part.

Actually, he had thought of this method earlier, and he had indeed observed the Caterpillar excavator and found no problems.

But what if something goes wrong? If something really happens, it's not necessarily the car that will be damaged; the driver could also be at risk.

Among this group of people, it seems that besides myself, only Xiao Agui is truly capable of operating an excavator.

Ultimately, if someone really has to operate that excavator, it will fall on their own shoulders.

So before his father made this suggestion, he was weighing the pros and cons, thinking that it wouldn't be worth risking his own life to fix the car.

The truck driver next to him looked at Mr. Li with hopeful eyes. After all, this matter seemed to be beneficial to his truck. Moreover, there was no guarantee when a crane could be found, so it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

“It seems there’s no other way now.” Mr. Li frowned and paced back and forth in thought. “But who will drive the excavator? My driver is in Lanxi County and definitely won’t be able to get here anytime soon.”

When Mr. Li spoke, his gaze fell on Yu Dawei.

He was well aware that starting his car was a dangerous task, but driving it was also a dangerous job.

He knew his own excavator skills weren't enough, so he had to turn to Master Yu.

When he went to Luhe Town to inquire about mechanics who repair imported excavators, he heard that the shop owners all recommended Master Yu, especially a parts shop owner surnamed Liang, who praised Master Yu highly.

He can do repairs and is also incredibly skilled at operating excavators. It was from him that Boss Li found out Master Yu's home address.

Just as Yu Dawei was hesitating, the old man beside him spoke again.

“My son can drive, but this is no small matter. It could be quite dangerous if things aren’t handled properly.” Standing beside Yu Dawei, Old Yu took over the conversation. “Besides, we didn’t discuss the price beforehand. Everyone just wanted to come and help. Now that this matter has been added, it’s better to clarify the price beforehand.”

Mr. Li didn't care about this, since he wasn't the one taking the blame anyway. He turned to the driver and asked him to say something.

He had already made a concession, starting the excavator sideways. He had been raising excavators for several years and had never heard of any boss daring to do this.

If it weren't for the freezing weather and the fear of wasting time, he wouldn't have backed down. Even if the sky were to fall, he would still be in the right.

"Mr. Yu, how much do you think is appropriate?" The driver was also groaning inwardly, but fortunately, he was prepared to be ripped off when he asked someone to repair his car in the wilderness.

Otherwise, they'd just pack up and leave, leaving all three of them dumbfounded.

He could only silently plead that the old man was a kind-hearted person and that they shouldn't let him get too drunk.

"Five thousand," Old Man Yu said calmly.

He certainly didn't disappoint the driver, offering a fixed price that left the driver breathless.

Yu Dawei raised an eyebrow. To be able to quote such a price was a bit unlike the old man's usual style.

Standing next to the large truck, Xiao Agui was so shocked that he couldn't speak. He marveled that the advisor was indeed worthy of being called an advisor. Just the price he quoted was something that neither his master nor he could have said.

The two of them usually only charged 2,800 yuan for the most rescues they ever did in the wild.

"This... Mr. Yu, your price is really a bit high. Even if I drove 800 Caterpillar trucks, I still wouldn't earn it back." The driver exaggerated, but he did express that Mr. Yu's asking price was indeed too expensive.

"Yes, Master Yu, we're practically colleagues. Could you please help me out in this emergency? I'd be very grateful." The young man next to the driver was also anxious and quickly pleaded with Yu Dawei.

He messed things up today and overturned the truck. If he gets charged 5,000 yuan for repairs, he won't be able to pull the truck with his master anymore.

"Well, this price..." Yu Dawei couldn't stand the old man's asking price anymore and was about to lower it.

"Price my ass! Get out of my way, what business is it of yours what I'm saying?" Yu Laonian suddenly interrupted, his eyebrows raised and his face hardening. "Five thousand yuan, take it if you can, otherwise forget it and we'll just leave."

After glancing at the three of them, Old Man Yu decided not to indulge them any longer and turned to leave with his son and grand-disciple.

(End of this chapter)