Chapter Twenty-Five Fear
"One two three four... My god, I'm shocked! This truck actually has twenty-two tires, what's the use of such a big truck?"
"You don't know! They're transporting liquid nitrogen, special transport vehicle, be careful!"
Two trailer drivers, after unloading containers at the port, were towing several small boxes and preparing to return to Nanning. On the first-class highway from Nanning to Fangchenggang, which is a two-way six-lane road, there were many large trucks, extra-long trailers, and big trailers coming and going, all loaded with various goods, mostly standard containers, but these two drivers may have seen such a huge guy for the first time.
"At least it's pulling several tens of tons, and if it can be overloaded, over a hundred tons is absolutely no problem." The co-pilot picked up the mineral water bottle and took two sips, still not forgetting to glance through the rearview mirror at that big guy moving in the opposite direction with 22 wheels, carrying liquid nitrogen past him. Except for feeling a slight vibration on the ground, there was actually nothing special about it.
"When can we drive a car like that? Help me open a bottle! The road is well-maintained, but there's just too much dust from all these cars!" The driver, wearing white gloves, was intently watching the trailer, but even on this sweltering day, there was no air conditioning or cooling equipment in the cab, and the stifling heat would soon make one feel parched. "I bet that car has air conditioning. Last time I went to Liuzhou Automotive Third Factory for a friend's birthday, he said they'd be coming out with even bigger and better trucks - I reckon it was that special vehicle we just passed!"
"Hey, pull over for a bit. It's my turn!" The co-driver reminded the driver to switch shifts after opening the water bottle. They set off from Nanning at 1 am, carrying two standard containers to Fangchenggang Port and then rushing back, so they would get sleepy quickly when daylight broke, and the frequency of switching drivers naturally increased.
After changing positions, the driver can finally drink from his mineral water bottle. "This weather is so hot, it's making me sweat like crazy! When will our logistics company get us some air-conditioned vehicles? But the boss used to be a big landowner, I think he's too stingy to change cars. We'll just have to endure."
"Why don't we just raise the money ourselves and buy one? Running errands can also make a lot of money!" Now he's having a taste of the "fun" of driving, and soon comes up with an idea.
"We? Do you know how much this trailer is selling for?" After wiping off the sweat and taking a break, looking at the scenery outside the window flying by, he said: "The latest price for this car is 12,000 yuan. I heard that due to the war in Europe, they urgently need a large amount of supplies and transportation tools. In Germany, the price of such trailers converted to our RMB would be around 24,000 yuan, while in England and France it's slightly less, but still around 18,000 yuan. We make 15 yuan for each round trip, how much can we earn in a year? Buying a car will have to wait until the end of the year, and we'll also need to borrow some money."
"We can take out a loan! Those wealthy landlords back then could borrow money to start factories and companies, we can do the same. They just had more capital and slightly wider connections. We also have skills and some capital, what's there to be afraid of!"
Just then, a red-painted trailer with a familiar license plate came driving towards them from the opposite direction. The driver honked the horn as a greeting. "That was Old Chang and his brothers just now, they have similar ideas too. When we have time, we can discuss it with them, who knows, maybe the four of us can join forces and start a small logistics company."
"Anyway, drive carefully! I'll take a nap, wake me up in an hour!" After finishing speaking, the boss quickly checked the seatbelt and fell asleep leaning on the chair.
The car quickly fell silent, the humming of the engine behind the driver's cab and the occasional whizzing of passing vehicles did not affect the people sleeping inside. Of course, such busy transportation trucks were driven by two drivers taking turns, on the endless highway, half of them were driving while the other half was catching up on sleep.
In the endless stream of cars, there were three cars that looked different from the others. It wasn't because they were sedans speeding at sixty kilometers per hour, but because of the vertical car flags, the unique five-star red flag of the autonomous government fluttering in the wind. The three cars, spaced less than thirty meters apart, maintained a uniform speed as they headed south towards Nanning.
"The on-time delivery rate of German orders has dropped significantly over the past three months. The Germans understand, but we must solve this problem! Zhang Yusheng is very dissatisfied with the recent actions of the Allied Powers led by Britain. Ships heading to Germany often have to go through a lot of difficulties before arriving at German ports, and as the war situation becomes more urgent, it's likely that the Allies will cut off the sea transportation channels of the Central Powers. 'If we're really cut off, we'll lose many customers!' Zhang Yusheng sighed helplessly, looking at the transport trucks constantly whizzing by on their way to the port."
"The severance is definite and absolute, the war on the Eastern Front is extremely tense, and the Germans' accumulated war potential cannot be consumed in one or two days. Even if we hadn't opened trade with them, it's absolutely impossible for the Allies to defeat the Central Powers in a short period of time. Didn't our presence give Germany more resources for war? The Allies also gained quite a bit from it. The British, who occupy the oceanic advantage, must not want outsiders to continue trading with Germany. Germany was once the world's second-largest trading nation; their wealth is unknown when it will be consumed. Therefore, cutting off the oceanic trade routes as soon as possible is extremely necessary for Britain and even the entire Allies."
"Ah!" Zhang Yusheng suddenly wanted to say something, but after a moment of mental sorting, he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth.
"We can take advantage of the current trade channels that have not been completely cut off, and put most of our transportation power into trade with Germany. Then we'll be prepared to only trade with the Allied Powers, but we mustn't let them get away easily. We can sell some of the military equipment blueprints to the Germans for a price, they have a very complete industrial production system, as long as the drawings and materials are complete, relying on their strong production capacity, they will quickly manufacture a large number of weapons. In short, these weapons will eventually be eliminated, it's better to let the Europeans bleed more...". Zhang Yu scratched his head for half a day before expressing his own views, but judging from Zhang Yusheng's expression, this was probably the last resort.
"It seems that's all we can do!" Zhang Yusheng was also very reluctant to give up such a big customer, but the reality had to make people make such a preliminary choice. "Little Wang, when can we arrive in Nanning?" After looking at the roadside for a while, not seeing the expected road sign, Zhang Yusheng anxiously asked the driver in front.
"It will be about three hours before we arrive!"
He got such an answer, and looking at the traffic on the highway, Zhang Yusheng could only shake his head helplessly, turn up the air conditioner and prepare to sleep well. And beside him, Zhang Yu had already ended the fight between his upper and lower eyelids, and was closely combined with them, just short of using a snoring sound to indicate that he was asleep. Yesterday, they rushed to send a batch of people to Germany, busy for half a day before finally finishing, as a result, all factories in another industrial development zone in Nanning had moved in, waiting for the two to go and attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but unexpectedly encountered heavy traffic on the road.
It wasn't until the European war broke out that this large province in southwestern China truly became busy. Previously, many people thought that the highways were built too wide and good, and the railways were built too densely and excessively, all of which were considered serious budget waste. As a result, the roads that used to have few vehicles are now crowded with traffic; the railway lines that occasionally had trains passing by are now seeing trains whizzing by every few minutes.
Cement and steel are not the main objects of transportation, nor are they the main causes of transport saturation. The war brought about a demand for materials such as food, ammunition, and industrial production. For Guangxi, it is impossible to export grain, but what can be pushed out for sale is a large number of light and heavy industrial products. Previously, the transportation capacity of railways, highways, and inland rivers had not reached saturation, and external transportation was mainly composed of various enterprise products and external resources controlled by the autonomous government. However, it has developed to the point where it is vastly different now, as the autonomous government strongly encourages entrepreneurship, and many people, including landlords, have changed their mindset, abandoning the traditional idea that "land is the foundation of survival" and transitioning to starting businesses and opening companies. A large number of light industries have emerged with government support, greatly making up for the previous imbalance in the proportion of light and heavy products in exports, and also enriching the product export series. At the same time, it has provided a large amount of import and export tax revenue for the autonomous government.
Of course, there is a price to pay for every gain. The large-scale foreign trade exports in the autonomous region have indeed stimulated economic development, but they also bring many problems, such as ecological environment and traffic pressure. As for the first problem, the leaders of the second generation naturally know how to achieve sustainable development, but this is also a problem brought about by the urgent production period after the war. However, the second problem is likely to be a bit more troublesome.
One by one, the heavy trucks drove to the port in an orderly manner, while team after team of empty or semi-empty cars also sped quickly towards the inland. Just as the two people on the back seat were sleeping comfortably, a sudden screeching and huge inertial force immediately woke up Zhang Yu and others on the back seat. "What's wrong?" Zhang Yu rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked the driver in front.
"It should be a car breakdown, and Captain and others have already passed by to check the situation in detail!"
Driver Xiao Wang finished speaking, and Zhang Yu Sheng only then noticed that the position of the co-pilot was empty. The vigilance of this guard team leader is commendable. Before they had even waited a few minutes, the crowd had already waited for Yu Ran and his two companions to finish investigating the situation. The other two were also the co-drivers of the front and rear cars, naturally also highly vigilant personnel at all times. Suddenly stopping on the highway would naturally cause them to get out of the car together to check the situation.
"The prime minister, the front trailer's tire burst, the driver might be a novice who heard an unusual sound and slammed on the brakes, resulting in the car behind skidding out of control but still lightly rear-ending it. A super-long trailer collision is no ordinary thing, 16.5 meters long trailers are not just a few meters longer than sedans."
"Trailers all have a dozen or so tires, and if one blows out, it's no big deal. How long will it take to clear up the traffic?" Zhang Yu opened the window and took a glance, two or three large trailers were parked on the road, blocking his view completely. He looked for a while but still felt that asking someone who had seen the scene would be best. "Also, go to the traffic management team on this road later and see if you can get a detailed report or record of recent tire blowout accidents on this road. I need it!" Before anyone could respond, Zhang Yu added.
"It'll probably take about ten minutes to recover! I'll deal with the report as soon as possible." Yu Ran nodded at Zhang Yu, which was a way of showing respect. When you're out and about, it's not popular or allowed to salute wherever you are.
Unexpectedly, ten minutes later, the two cars that caused the accident had completed all the procedures and the highway was quickly restored to normal. Except for the long skid marks and some collision debris at the scene, the entire highway was unobstructed again, and the two people were ready to go back to sleep.
Not even five minutes had passed when the car in front stopped again, and the one Zhang Yu-sheng was on also had to stop. "What's going on now?" This time it was Zhang Yu who asked first, he hadn't fallen asleep at all, and felt very confused. Those who can drive large vehicles like this on the highway are at least experienced drivers or have exceptional skills, they should know all about the car's performance, including the condition of every tire. How could two experienced drivers make such a mistake? All the speculation only proved one thing: either the car was seriously overloaded before, or there was a problem with the tires that couldn't withstand such frequent torture.
So Zhang Yu thought about this issue, after all, the automotive industry is the foundation of dreams and also the cornerstone of the rise of future nations. Whether it's a car, an engineering vehicle, or a truck, in order to establish a strong industrial technology country, Zhang Yu had no reason not to be interested in these small problems with cars, and maybe even drive the progress of chemical technology.
"In front, there was a group of people, all waving their hands to the cars on the road, so everyone stopped to see what was going on. The one who reacted the fastest was Yu Ran, while Zhang Yu was still thinking about his damn problem, he had already run back and forth to understand the situation in detail. It turned out that an old lady was dying, those waving were her relatives, they wanted to find a car to send the old lady into town to see a doctor."
"Do we need so many people and cars to stop here?" Zhang Yu didn't think about that question anymore, and still felt that solving the current matter was more important.
"It's mainly because there is a girl kneeling by the road, and all the people beckoning are wearing mourning clothes. I guess they want to treat the old man again, but everyone has also prepared for the worst, so it's so eye-catching!"
"Alright, let's go take a look!" Zhang Yu thought there was something interesting about Yu Ran's words. He knelt on the cement road that could cook and fry eggs, and it was a girl, which really piqued his interest. "How old is the girl? Is it her grandmother who is going to enter the world of extreme happiness?" As they weaved through the many cars, Zhang Yu didn't forget to ask Yu Ran about the specific situation.
"It should be her granddaughter, and judging from what she's wearing, she should be a people's teacher!"
"Teacher?" The word entered Zhang Yu's ears and made him even more interested. You know, this autonomous government has always treated anyone as a treasure, especially those who eat technical rice and merit rice. Being a people's teacher is such an honorable profession. Although it is said that education is the foundation of a hundred-year plan, in fact, this "foundation" must be established on the basis of having enough good teachers.
The two of them quickly arrived at the scene where the drivers were gathered, and everyone was busy helping and talking. However, the teacher was no longer kneeling on the scorching highway as Yu Ran had said. "What's wrong with the old lady? Does she need emergency treatment?" Zhang Yu squeezed into the crowd with his height and physique, and saw a woman in a light blue teacher's uniform taking care of an elderly woman who was gasping for breath on a stretcher. This situation immediately sparked Zhang Yu's curiosity.
"Just now, the female teacher said it was pneumonia. The old lady has been yawning continuously and even had a nosebleed. Especially recently, her appetite is almost gone, eating very little. Relatives and friends around have advised the female teacher to prepare for the worst for the old granny, but the female teacher still thinks she should take the old granny to see a doctor in the city. However, it's not easy to find a car at the moment, so that's how things are..." A person standing next to Zhang Yu, wearing gloves and a uniform of a certain logistics company, enthusiastically explained all this."
"Let me take a look!" Zhang Yu said, walking forward and opening the old lady's eyelids to examine her eyes, slightly opening her mouth to check the color of her tongue and teeth. Then he looked at her nostrils and felt her pulse before saying, "What the old lady needs is not emergency treatment in the city. She has suffered a cerebral thrombosis, a common disease among the elderly, more commonly seen in men but also prevalent among older women."
These words came out, and many people looked at Zhang Yu in a daze. "My point is that the old lady is not in danger of her life, but needs long-term medical care. There's nothing to see here, everyone hurry up and disperse, the highway has been blocked for half a day!" After finishing speaking, Zhang Yu gestured to Yuran and others beside him to urge these people to disperse.
"Are you a family member of the old man?" After the crowd dispersed, the old lady's relatives, including the teacher, all gathered around Zhang Yu, hoping to get some answers from him. However, Zhang Yu only said to the tearful female teacher that if it weren't for the clothes on her body symbolizing the sacred education industry, he would have taken her as just a little farm girl.
The female teacher just nodded slightly, but when she looked up and saw Zhang Yu and the three big men beside him, including Zhang Yu's attire, she quickly lowered her head. "You all disperse, oh right, Yuan Ran, you guys find a cool and well-ventilated place for Grandma, then have them bring the car over to give Grandma oxygen." After arranging things for the others, Zhang Yu gestured for the female teacher to go to the side under the tree shade, preparing to discuss the old man's detailed condition.
"Are you from the autonomous government? Thank you!" Before Zhang Yu could speak, the female teacher who was kneeling on the scorching hot asphalt road spoke up first, and her previous tears had already been wiped away with her sleeve, looking like she was prepared to accept the worst outcome.
"What's important is not whether it's an autonomous government or not, but you should know: as a people's teacher, on such a good day, instead of teaching and educating in school, you're stirring up trouble on this transportation route. Does that match your identity? If I were to do something like this, at the very least, I would take off my people's teacher uniform first." Zhang Yu started lecturing this woman who was just a filial daughter and a people's teacher a moment ago, but now seemed like a female strongman. It's said that the Republic of China promoted equality and enlightenment for all citizens, which is good, but in Guangxi, where men and women have always been relatively equal, these winds blowing again brought out many female figures who were more capable than men in their careers. Zhang Yu had seen many such women, but never one who could change her face so quickly like this female strongman.
"I'm not helpless, am I? My grandmother who has been raising me with great difficulty got seriously ill, so I had to take leave and come back to take care of her. In the rush, I forgot to bring some spare clothes...". The female teacher's voice became softer and softer as she spoke, until Zhang Yu couldn't hear a word anymore. And this female teacher quickly transformed from the tearful beauty earlier into a strong person ready to face the worst news, but now she had become a pure-hearted little girl again, tugging at her own hem with an action that made Zhang Yu feel extremely awkward, probably this was what his brother Zhang Yusheng meant by the world-renowned art of changing faces.
"I'm not going to pursue these issues with you now, I'm sorry about your grandmother's situation. If you want to send her into the city, I can arrange for a car to take you there, but...". Zhang Yu didn't dare say any more, and soon after, the sound of cars stopping came from behind, and Zhang Yusheng and others had arrived, which quickly reminded him that he should solve this matter as quickly as possible. "Your grandmother is already showing signs of hemiplegia, sending her to the city will only provide a better living environment and medical care after she becomes paralyzed. Taking care of a bedridden elderly person is an extremely difficult task, you'd better make psychological preparations for it."
Zhang Yu's words made the female teacher change again, and the tears indeed came out as Zhang Yu thought, quickly flowing out of her black and shiny eyes like clear water. "Cerebral thrombosis is based on cerebral atherosclerosis and plaque, under the conditions of slow blood flow and low blood pressure, the formed elements in the blood adhere to the inner membrane of the artery to form a blood clot, called cerebral thrombosis. The most common sequelae of cerebral thrombosis are hemiplegia, and your grandmother will soon belong to the category of hemiplegia caused by cerebral thrombosis."
"What is hemiplegia?" At this time, the female teacher stopped performing her "changing face" skills and her tears mixed with hopeful eyes made Zhang Yu feel that she was helpless enough.
"Hemiplegia refers to the weakness or inability to move one side of the body. In patients with cerebral thrombosis, hemiplegia occurs on the opposite side of the brain lesion. For example, if there is a left-sided cerebral hemorrhage or infarction, it will cause right-sided hemiplegia, and vice versa. However, before the onset of hemiplegia, many patients with cerebral thrombosis may experience various symptoms, such as severe impairment of speech function, significant decline in intelligence, loss of self-control, and so on. But this is not the time to talk about these things, you should make a decision quickly. Are you going to send your grandmother to the hospital in the city or take care of her in the countryside?"
Zhang Yu had already sensed that someone was staring at him from behind, and without guessing, he knew it was Zhang Yusheng. They couldn't afford to delay any longer with important matters, but after glancing at the old man who was receiving an IV drip and oxygen, Zhang Yu really didn't have the heart to abandon such a mess. After looking at the girl's expression, Zhang Yu didn't say anything else. "We can make one car available for you, the one in front is specially for your use!" After finishing speaking, he signaled to Yuan Ran and others not far away to carry the old man into the first sedan.
Soon, the old man was settled in the back seat, and a soft blanket barely served as a quilt, while the girl could only curl up her body, honestly holding the infusion bottle, watching her grandmother breathe steadily under oxygen.
"Thank you!" Just as Zhang Yu and the others were about to leave, squeezing into the remaining two cars, the girl suddenly turned her head and said to Zhang Yu, who had helped roll up the car window. Her genuine smile and delicate face once again showed Zhang Yu the art of changing one's expression.
"Serve the people!" With that, Zhang Yu carefully closed the car door and quickly slipped away. He didn't want to see that woman again, who could change her expression in a matter of minutes. Of course, his heart was still racing with fear, it was the first time he felt scared since coming out of the test tube and culture dish.
"When did you learn to practice medicine?" Zhang Yusheng, who had just finished talking to Yu Ran in the front seat, quickly turned around and said to Zhang Yu beside him. "Can even diagnose cerebral thrombosis? When are you going to take a closer look at me, do I have some kind of serious illness?"
"Stop messing around over there, we've already encountered a witch who's enough to get on our nerves. But your kidney deficiency is something that I can see even if you don't say it, right? Xiao Wang and Yu Ran both know about it, don't they?" Zhang Yu said with a smile, giving the back of the chairs of the two people in front of him a tap, reminding them that the car in front had already started moving.
"Witch? I thought you, Zhang Dage, weren't afraid of anything? How can you be scared of a little female teacher?" As soon as he said this, Zhang Yusheng suddenly realized something and quickly reached out to pat Yuanran on the back. The two of them exchanged whispers and then sat down with evil grins on their faces. Of course, Zhang Yu didn't see any of this because he was staring blankly out the window, wondering why he had been scared by that girl's smile earlier...
