"Dad, should we call our uncle and ask him to come pick us up?"
After sighing, Zhang Xu took the initiative to ask.
Since trains are often delayed, the group did not inform them of their arrival time in advance. The two parties agreed to contact each other by phone after getting off the train, which is why they asked such a question.
Zhang Chongyi waved his hand: "No need to trouble your uncle and the others, the distance is not very far anyway, let's hire a car and go directly there!"
Before getting on the bus, they checked the map. It only took an hour to take a taxi. As for why they didn't take the bus or the subway, the main reason was that they had too much luggage, couldn't squeeze in, and it wasn't very safe.
"Zhang Xu, listen to your dad." Zhang Chongde echoed, "Your uncle is not in good health, and your cousin is busy at work, so it's better not to go back and forth."
"Dad, second uncle, we are not familiar with the place. Aren't I afraid of being in danger?"
Zhang Xu defended himself.
"Okay, you'd better hurry up and find a car!" Zhang Chongyi paused, and then reminded: "Try to go as far away as possible to call for a car. There are so many people around the train station that it's not safe."
"I know, I'll go right away."
Zhang Chongde interrupted: "Zhang Xu, take Zhang Kun with you. If you encounter any situation, you will have someone to take care of you."
Zhang Xu nodded, and the brothers were about to leave when they saw a middle-aged man walking over.
"Do you want to take the car?"
Zhang Xu saw that the other party had a warm attitude and did not look like a cunning person, so he asked casually:
"There are so many of us, can we sit down?"
"You can sit down, no matter how many seats there are." Seeing that there was something going on, the middle-aged man quickly took out his ID card: "This is my ID card. Don't worry, we are not bad people."
Zhang Xu took the ID card and looked at it: "Huang Senquan? Hey, it turns out you are not from Huicheng?"
"I'm from Luzhou."
"Then we are fellow villagers, no wonder your accent sounds familiar." Zhang Xu suddenly realized.
"Are you also from Luzhou?"
Huang Senquan was immediately overjoyed.
Fellow villager meets fellow villager, this deal is settled.
Zhang Chongyi smiled and nodded: "Brother, we are from Laoshan, where are you from?"
"I'm from Zicheng."
Huang Senquan quickly replied.
"I've been to Zicheng many times, and your barbecue there is very good."
After some polite exchanges, the two parties returned to the matter of renting a car.
"Uncle, where are you going?"
Zhang Xu rushed to answer: "Do you know how to get there from Shawei Village in Huangge Town?"
"Huangge Town... I know, but I don't know much about Shawei Village, but we have mobile phone navigation, so it's not a big problem." Huang Senquan said confidently.
"Okay, but how do you charge?"
Zhang Xu continued to ask.
Set the fare first to avoid getting ripped off.
Huang Senquan glanced around and said, "I see you have a lot of luggage. How about this, including luggage, two hundred yuan per person?"
"Two hundred yuan? Isn't that too high?"
Zhang Chongyi frowned.
It doesn’t cost so much to take a taxi.
"Uncle, I really didn't bid randomly. The market conditions are just like this. If you don't believe me, go ask and see if I'm talking nonsense." Huang Senquan immediately yelled.
"Are prices so high here in Huicheng?"
Others were surprised.
"To be honest with you, the prices in Huicheng are actually pretty good and not exaggerated." Huang Senquan shook his head and then explained: "The reason why the fare is so high is mainly because the security fee is too expensive."
"Security fee? How do you say it?" Zhang Xu asked curiously.
"Since the outbreak of the war in the Middle East, Huicheng has been a little unstable, especially near the high-speed rail station, which has always been the hardest hit area. To ensure safety, we have assigned professional bodyguards to every passenger."
"Professional bodyguard? Is it necessary?"
Zhang Kun said in surprise.
Huang Senquan nodded repeatedly: "It is necessary, very necessary. I am not trying to scare you. There are many refugees in Huicheng, most of whom cannot find jobs and can only choose to take risks in order to survive.
Just yesterday, in order to save money, a family of four planned to walk to the small hotel they had reserved. As a result, they were stabbed shortly after leaving the station. None of the four people survived, and there was no chance of rescue."
"It's just robbery? You don't need to be so cruel, right?"
Zhang Aiyun exclaimed.
"Well, you have also seen that there are police officers everywhere on the streets now. The robbers are ruthless in order to avoid being exposed. They usually kill them with one strike."
Huang Senquan let out a long sigh.
Hearing this, Zhang Chongyi no longer hesitated: "Brother, two hundred yuan is just two hundred yuan. Where is your car? Let's set off quickly, don't waste time."
It is better to leave as early as possible in a place like a train station.
"Okay, everyone, follow me. The car is on the next street. It's only two to three hundred meters away."
Huang Senquan greeted loudly.
Zhang Xu's heart tightened and he quickly stopped everyone: "Wait a minute, we have so much luggage, can't we just bring the car over? Why bother?"
"Brother, a murder just happened here yesterday, and management has suddenly been strengthened. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, let's take two more steps, right?
You really don’t have to worry, our car is parked on the roadside, not in an alley, and there is a police box next to it, so safety is absolutely guaranteed.”
Huang Senquan tried his best to persuade him.
Zhang Xu glanced at his old man, and Zhang Chongyi immediately waved his hand: "Don't waste time, go over and have a look first. If the momentum is not right, let's change cars."
Five minutes later, the group finally arrived.
Zhang Xu looked at the row of more than a dozen human-powered tricycles in front of him and couldn't help but feel angry: "Brother Huang, we are still fellow villagers. What do you mean?"
Others also stared angrily, feeling that they had been deceived. What was especially intolerable was that the other party was actually a fellow countryman. This approach was simply a smear on the faces of Luzhou people.
"Brother Zhang, calm down first and let me explain to you." Huang Senquan tried to comfort him.
"Is there anything else to explain?"
Zhang Xu picked up his suitcase and wanted to leave.
Huang Senquan quickly grabbed the other person: "Brother Zhang, to be honest, in my opinion, tricycles are much safer than cars. Especially among your group, there are many old people and women, so you should choose to take tricycles."
"What do you mean?"
Zhang Xu stopped subconsciously.
"Actually, it's easy to understand. Cars are fast. If a driver wants to do something wrong, he can just drive the car into a remote alley, and most people won't even have a chance to resist.
On the contrary, tricycles are slow, and even if they are in danger, they will not be able to jump off the vehicle, and the rickshaws have no cover, so no one dares to think wrong in public."
Although they knew this was sophistry, everyone had to admit that what the other party said still made some sense, especially the few women present, who almost had a psychological shadow on the car.
Zhang Aiyun was the first to speak: "Brother, how about taking a tricycle?"
"Yes, just slow down, we are not short of that time anyway." Zhang Aiyu followed closely and agreed.
Everyone discussed in low voices, and Zhang Xu's attitude was very clear. He would rather trouble his uncle to come pick them up than take risks easily.
After all, Huang Senquan has learned from past mistakes.
Zhang Chongde and others disagreed. This was Huicheng, not a small city. Besides, there were so many policemen on the streets, so there shouldn't be any trouble.
In the end, Zhang Chongyi stood on the side with more people. He immediately looked at Huang Senquan: "Brother, we can take your car, but there is a prerequisite."
"Uncle, please tell me, don't mention one condition, we can agree to a hundred conditions."
Huang Senquan breathed a sigh of relief.
"The conditions are very simple. You must follow the route designated by us. You cannot change the route without authorization in the middle, and you cannot take shortcuts." Zhang Chongyi said straightforwardly.
"No problem, just do as you always say."
Huang Senquan agreed happily.
…
Soon, the convoy set off.
Two and a half hours later, Huangge Town arrived, and everyone couldn't help but relax.
Huang Senquan wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiled and said to Zhang Xu in the back seat: "Brother Zhang, Shawei Village is just ahead. We will arrive there in about ten minutes."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Zhang Xu immediately said something polite.
"It's not hard. It's not easy to find a job now. At least we can still rely on our strength to make a living. We're lucky."
Huang Senquan shook his head.
Zhang Xu smiled and asked casually: "Brother Huang, how is your business every day?"
"It's not bad. After deducting miscellaneous expenses, I can get a monthly salary of about seven to eight thousand."
"The income is pretty good. It feels better than most jobs, but I still don't understand. The threshold for your industry is not high. Why can't you see a few tricycles soliciting customers on the street?"
Zhang Xu said doubtfully.
"Because of this." Huang Senquan pointed at the license plate, "This kind of license plate needs to be specially applied for. It is of the same nature as a taxi. It is difficult for ordinary people to apply for it. We also rent a tricycle from a taxi company."
"Taxi company? Don't you have online taxi-hailing here?" Zhang Xu expressed confusion.
It stands to reason that with the rise of online ride-hailing, taxi companies ceased to exist in name only a few years ago.
Huang Senquan shook his head: "No, since the state of emergency was entered, the entire Zhuwan District has been particularly strict on population movement. Generally, private cars are strictly prohibited from carrying passengers without permission, and the consequences can range from fines to the direct revocation of driver's licenses.
In addition, there is another reason, that is, current electricity bills are very expensive, and car fares will naturally rise accordingly. Most people cannot take a taxi twice throughout the year, and the online car-hailing market is very limited.
In comparison, our tricycles are high-quality and low-priced, more affordable and more popular."
"Oh? How much is the current electricity price in Huicheng?"
Zhang Xu followed closely and inquired.
"Forty-eight yuan, almost breaking the fifty mark." Huang Senquan blurted out.
Zhang Xu nodded. He finally understood how the two hundred yuan fare came from. The so-called "security fee" was just a cover. The real benchmark was the charging standard of electric taxis.
"By the way, I see there are many foreigners in your convoy. Are they all refugees?"
Huang Senquan nodded and explained in a low voice: "They are indeed from the other side. There are regulations above. When many companies recruit employees, they must reserve a certain proportion of jobs for disadvantaged groups.
Compared with other truly disadvantaged groups, refugees have sound hands and feet, strong tolerance, and low wages, so they are undoubtedly the first choice of many enterprises and institutions."
"Then why not recruit all refugees?"
"Brother Zhang, you don't know something. The xenophobia here in Huicheng is very serious. Especially after the outbreak of the civil war, it has become even more serious. Now no company dares to risk the disapproval of the world."
Huang Senquan replied.
Zhang Xu was thoughtful: "I see, I didn't expect such a thing to happen."
"Brother Zhang, when I look at you, I know that you are someone who is doing big things. You should pay more attention in the future and don't recruit refugees if you can. These people are like time bombs. They might explode one day."
"Brother Huang, you're flattering me. I'm just a small self-employed person at best, not a big shot."
Zhang Xu waved his hand modestly.
Huang Senquan smiled and boasted: "Brother Zhang, although I have only just entered the industry, I have attracted as many as 800 customers, not just a thousand, but I have met people from all walks of life. I can never see the wrong person with my eyes."
Zhang Xu couldn't help but feel good after hearing this, and when he got off the bus, he gave him an extra two hundred yuan for the fare.
"Dad, Shawei Village is ahead, let's go there quickly!"
"Walk!"
Zhang Chongyi waved his hand and took the lead in walking over.
As the group approached the door, they were stopped by the security guard as expected.
"Do you have a pass?"
Zhang Xu quickly explained: "Hello, we are here to visit relatives."
"Visiting relatives? Which family? State the name and address of the head of the household. We need to verify it before we can let you in. Or, you can call your relative and ask him to vouch for it, and you can also go in."
"The head of the household is my brother, his name is Zhang Chongxin, and his family lives in..."
Before Zhang Chongyi finished speaking, he was interrupted by Zhang Xu: "Dad, don't bother me, I'd better call my uncle's house!"
After saying that, he took out his mobile phone and dialed the number.
The call was quickly connected, and Zhang Chongxin's surprised voice came from the receiver:
"Zhang Xu, are you here? Wait for me for half an hour. I will pick you up now."
"Uncle, we are already at the entrance of the village."
Zhang Xu said quickly.
"What? Have you arrived at Shawei Village?"
Zhang Chongxin subconsciously raised his voice.
"Yeah, the security guard at the gate won't let you in."
"I'm still outside." Zhang Chongxin paused, and then said: "Let's do this, you guys wait a moment, I'll ask Zhang Hao to pick you up, he happens to be at home."
"There's no need to rush, uncle."
"It's okay. I'll hang up first. Zhang Hao will be there in about ten minutes."
After a while, Zhang Hao and his wife appeared at the entrance of the village.
As soon as he got out of the car, he stepped forward and held his second uncle's arm, and then started calling people one by one:
"Second uncle, third uncle, aunt..."
Zhang Chongxin looked at Yang Huaqing next to his eldest nephew with a smile on his face: "Xiaohao, is this your wife?"
"Second uncle, hello! You can call me Xiao Yang, or just my name."