Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 1181 BMW R607 and Volvo 264, Guangzhou Medical Team Arrives in Beijing (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

When we arrived at the entrance of the courtyard house, the streetlights outside were already on. Under the streetlights, a car and a motorcycle were parked at the bottom of the steps in front of Fang Yan's house.

The first one was a motorcycle for my father, Fang Zhenhua; it was a silver BMW R60/7.

The fuel tank has a full, curved shape, painted with matte silver paint. If you look closely, you can see the fine orange peel texture on the surface. The blue and white circular logo on the side shines under the streetlights, and the chrome-plated edging around the edge looks like a silver ring.

The handlebars are angled upwards at just the right angle, and the grips are wrapped in dark brown anti-slip rubber sleeves, with the exposed metal parts gleaming in a honey color.

The shock absorbers on the fork were spotless, with even the nuts tightened neatly. The mudguards were made of a thin alloy material with slightly inward-curving edges, and the spoked rims underneath looked like scattered fine wires, each one polished so smooth you could see your reflection in them.

The most eye-catching feature is the large 24-liter fuel tank, which is longer than those commonly found on motorcycles in China. The roll valve on the cover gleams with a silver light, and the engine block is matte black with cooling fins that resemble a row of fine teeth.

The pedals were folding; my dad could easily pop them open with a light touch, and the metal shaft still smelled of fresh engine oil.

The sidecar next to it was covered with a canvas, and a thin iron chain was attached to the frame with a small brass lock at the end. It looked much more refined than the sidecar tricycle that Fang Yan had.

"What a beautiful car!" Song Jian couldn't help but exclaim.

Others nodded.

My dad, a true motorcycle enthusiast, was also captivated, his eyes sparkling as he couldn't take his eyes off it. He touched it as if admiring a rare treasure.

"Dad, are you satisfied?" Zhu Lin asked Fang Zhenhua.

"Satisfied! Absolutely satisfied! This car is simply a work of art!" Fang Zhenhua responded.

Fang Yan thought the car was nothing special, and he thought the design was quite "retro," but then he realized it was 1978 and understood.

As long as Dad is happy.

Then he pointed to the Volvo 264 sedan behind him and looked at his father-in-law.

Smiling, he said to Zhu Guangnan, "Dad, take a look at your car too. I specially chose black; it looks understated."

Zhu Guangnan had been itching to get started. After hearing Fang Yan's words, he walked a few steps to the car, reached out and gently touched the car body. The cool paint was as smooth as jade, and the sound it made was delicate.

Xiao Lin handed the car keys to Fang Yan, who then gave them to his father-in-law.

Zhu Guangnan took the key, pondered for a moment, and then opened the car door. With a soft "click," a faint scent of leather mixed with the unique smell of a new car wafted out. The leather seats in the back were laid out flat and smooth, with fine stitches in the texture.

"This smells really fresh," Zhu Guangnan said to Fang Yan.

Fang Yan said to his father-in-law:
"Then we definitely have to buy the new one! This car hasn't been out for very long, and there aren't any older models."

The father-in-law smiled and nodded. Instead of getting into the car, he walked around it.

The streetlights cast their light on the car, like a thin veil over its dark surface. When you reach out and touch it, the cool paint is so smooth you can almost grasp the light.

The chrome grille on the front of the car is neatly arranged, like two rows of shiny silver bars. Four round headlights are embedded in the black bumper, and the glass covers are so clean that they reflect the image of the entrance to Concord across the street.

He turned to the rear of the car and stared at the silver "VOLVO" lettering for a long time. Then he reached out and touched the taillights; the red plastic covers were stiff and the edges were rounded. The gap in the trunk lid was so narrow that a piece of paper could be inserted through it. He tried pressing the switch, and with a soft "click," the lid popped open slightly, revealing a black velvet lining that felt soft to the touch, even finer than the fabric of his comforter.

“These wheels are bigger than other cars.” Zhu Guangnan squatted down and looked at the tires. The treads were deep and neat, the rims were silver with five spokes, and the nuts still had the blue markings from when they left the factory.

He straightened up and smiled at Fang Yan:
"Look at this car door. You don't even need to use any force to close it. It's so easy to pull it shut and it's perfectly tight. It's much more sophisticated than the Soviet truck at school."

Fang Yan smiled and pointed to the car:
"Dad, please sit inside and take a look!"

As he spoke, he directly opened the driver's side door.

Zhu Guangnan glanced at Fang Yan and said somewhat nervously:
"Well... why don't you drive it? I've never driven this car before, but you've driven it in Hong Kong, so you can..."

He said in dialect:

"Don't worry, the principle is the same. I'll sit in the passenger seat and explain it to you, and you'll understand!"

Just as Zhu Guangnan was still hesitating, the sound of a motorcycle came from ahead. Fang Zhenhua had already gotten on the motorcycle and started it, saying to the crowd:

"Haha, I'll go out for a quick stroll and see what I think of this new car!"

The engine sounded like a tiger roaring.

His mother, He Huiru, said to him:
"Hey, be careful! Don't ride into the ditch in the middle of the night!"

The old man said:

"No way! Look how bright these headlights are!"

He then drove off.

Seeing his in-laws react like this, Zhu Guangnan asked the crowd watching by the car:
"Why don't we all get in? There's room for three people in the back passenger seat!"

Zhu Lin said:

"No, no, you guys go ahead and drive!"

Zhu Guangnan hesitated before sitting down, gripping the steering wheel. The new seat felt like a sponge, gently lifting him up.

He took a deep breath and as soon as his fingers touched the steering wheel, he sensed something was wrong. This wheel was half again as thin as the steering wheel of the Jeep he had ever touched, and it was wrapped in black leather with tiny stitches embedded in the texture.

“Look here,” Fang Yan said, getting into the passenger seat and pointing to the dashboard. “The speedometer is on the left, the small dial in the middle shows the fuel level, and the coolant temperature is on the right. Insert the key into this hole and turn it all the way to the right.”

Zhu Guangnan's hand trembled slightly as he held the key, and it took him two tries to align it with the lock. With a "click," the dashboard lights suddenly came on, and the green needle jumped on the black background, startling him so much that he pulled his hand back.

Fang Yan said to his father-in-law:
"The power is on. Now step on this pedal and turn the key to start the engine."

The father-in-law did as instructed.

The engine woke up with a "hum," but the sound wasn't like the "clanging" of a Jeep; it was more like a busy bee working steadily in the front of the car.

Zhu Guangnan stared at the steering wheel, his palms sweating slightly. He was so nervous that his mind went blank for a moment. He asked, "No... this... where is the gear shift?"

“The pedals are on your feet. The left one is the clutch, the middle one is the brake, and the right one is the accelerator.” Fang Yan pointed to the pedals under his feet. “The gear lever is here. Push it forward to shift into first gear.” He reached out to help shift into a low gear. “Release the clutch slowly, give it some gas… Yes, keep it even.”

Zhu Guangnan gritted his teeth and slowly released the clutch. The car suddenly lurched forward, startling him so much that he quickly slammed on the brakes, and the car came to a sudden stop.

The onlookers were startled. Fu Zhaojun shouted from outside the car:
"Don't be afraid, Lao Zhu, drive slowly!"

He said in dialect:

"Don't be nervous, it's the same as driving a Jeep."

The second time went much smoother. The car moved slowly along the alley like an obedient big dog. Zhu Guangnan stared ahead, his lips pursed tightly, his hands gripping the steering wheel straight.

Then it quickly turned onto the main street, which was now almost deserted with very few cars.

Zhu Guangnan finally got used to it, slowly exhaled, and then started driving towards the main street ahead.

As the car picked up speed, the night wind rushed into the half-open window. Zhu Guangnan instinctively gripped the steering wheel, but found that the car was more stable than he had imagined. Even when it ran over small stones on the side of the road, the car only swayed slightly, unlike a jeep that could make people jump.

"Look, just follow the streetlights," Fang Yan pointed ahead. "The steering wheel is light; it responds to even the slightest turn."

Zhu Guangnan tried to increase the car's speed, and the gauge needle slowly climbed to thirty. The engine sound remained steady, like muffled thunder coming from afar.

The poplar trees lining the street receded faster and faster, their leaves shimmering under the lamplight. He suddenly laughed out loud: "This is much more comfortable than riding in a jeep!"

As I approached the intersection, I panicked a little: "Should I slow down?"

"No need, just go slowly." Fang Yan gently tapped the accelerator for him. "Look, the brakes are very responsive, they work instantly with just a light touch."

Sure enough, as they approached the other side, Zhu Guangnan gently applied the brakes, and the car slowed down with a "whoosh," coming to a steady stop behind the white line. He turned to look at Fang Yan, a hint of pride in his eyes: "This thing really isn't difficult to operate!"

The two of them drove around the city.

On the way back, he became bolder and even dared to let go of one hand to rub his lower back.

As I passed the alley entrance, I bumped into Fang Zhenhua riding his motorcycle back. When the two vehicles were side by side, Fang Zhenhua slapped the handlebars and shouted, "Old Zhu, your motorcycle is as slow as a snail!"

Zhu Guangnan rolled down the car window and laughed: "No matter how fast your iron donkey is, can it be as comfortable as my ride?"

As the car slowly pulled back to the entrance of the courtyard house, his mother-in-law, Fu Zhaojun, was already waiting on the steps. Once the car had come to a complete stop, she reached out to help him down.

"Your legs didn't go weak, did they?"

"What are you saying? It's hard!" Zhu Guangnan slapped his thigh, but almost tripped over the car door when he turned around, which made everyone laugh.

Even Fang Yan couldn't suppress a laugh; it was rare to see her father-in-law so nervous today.

The older brother-in-law leaned over and touched the car door: "Dad, your driving skills are amazing! I saw it at the alley entrance just now. It's even more stable when turning than the military vehicles!"

The sister-in-law stared at the tire tracks: "These tires are so clean, they didn't get much mud on them after driving out."

Zhu Lin said with a smile, "Dad, you'll finally have your own car from now on. You won't have to wait for the bus to go to meetings at school anymore."

The father-in-law said to Fang Yan:

"Thanks to my son-in-law! I'm finally enjoying a life of happiness!"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yan said to his father-in-law:
"Dad, we shouldn't talk about these things as family!"

Just as he finished speaking, Fang Zhenhua parked his car and said to Zhu Lin:

"My daughter-in-law bought a great car. It seems to perform well in all aspects, and the design is also very reasonable!"

"This gift is just too much. Your father and I never thought we would be able to drive a car like this in our lives."

Zhu Lin smiled and said upon hearing this:
"There's a long road ahead. As long as you both stay healthy, it's the right thing to do is to drive for a few more years."

The two fathers smiled and nodded. Fang Yan and Zhu Lin were so filial. When their colleagues found out about this car when they opened school, they would probably be shocked.

Whose child would buy a car for their father-in-law and father-in-law?
And it's this kind of car, which isn't even available in China!

No sooner had he finished speaking than the younger brother ran out of the yard and said to Fang Yan:

"Brother, I just received a call from Grandpa Xie. A professor from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine has arrived."

"They've arranged for you to stay at the Jingxi Hotel and asked if you'd like to go there?"

PS: I got 200 more monthly tickets, so I owe you 8000 words after finishing this chapter.

That's all for today, please come early tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)