Sorry, Newbie on the Road

"Yeah, I'll take the van." Lin Li said to Wang Xiaoming.

"Mr. Lin, our vans come in four colors: black, yellow, white, and silver. Which one would you like?"

Wang Xiaoming picked up a brochure from the table beside him and handed it to Lin Li.

Flipping through the brochure, Lin Li, who wanted to keep a low profile, naturally chose the most common color—silver.

This newly opened car rental company, called "Jixing Car Rental," was surprisingly efficient.

After registering his ID number and filling out a form, Lin Li paid the rental fee and deposit, and within fifteen minutes, he had the keys in hand from the salesperson.

"Vroom..."

A silver van drove out of the Jixing Car Rental parking lot. Though it was a used vehicle, it was still in pretty good shape.

"From today on, I guess I'm technically a car owner now!"

Lin Li had gotten his driver's license years ago but hadn't touched a car since. As he drove the silver van onto the road, he immediately slowed it down to a painfully sluggish pace.

A car behind him couldn't stand the slow-moving van anymore and changed lanes to overtake it.

As it pulled up alongside the van, the driver, a man in his forties, angrily shouted at Lin Li, who was gripping the wheel with a tense expression.

"Hey, do you even know how to drive? Going this slow, you might as well ride a bike!"

Lin Li wasn't unreasonable and knew the fault was his. He apologized sincerely to the driver, "Sorry, I'm a new driver."

"..." The angry driver was speechless when he heard that. Then he gave a kind reminder, "You'd better find a place to get familiar with the car first. Avoid causing accidents on more complicated roads."

"Okay, thanks for the advice."

After offering his reminder, the angry driver sped off.

As a new driver, Lin Li drove the van to a stretch of road with light traffic. He went back and forth a few times, gradually getting the hang of driving again, and his speed returned to normal.

"Whew... that's better. Now I need to head to the supermarket for some shopping." Having regained his driving feel, Lin Li stepped on the gas and drove toward the large supermarket he usually frequented.

"That'll be five hundred and twenty yuan, sir. Do you have a membership card?"

"No, I'll pay by phone."

"Alright, please show your payment code."

"Beep."

After paying, Lin Li walked out of the supermarket carrying two large bags full of items.

"Click..."

"Thud."

He placed the two big bags on the passenger seat, shut the door, and then drove off toward the pharmacy.

On the way to the pharmacy, when the van entered a deserted stretch of road, Lin Li slowed down, reached out his right hand, and touched the two large bags on the passenger seat.

With a thought, the two bags full of items vanished instantly from the seat—they had been stored away into the Mysterious Small Island.

Everything he'd just bought was convenient food for his upcoming wilderness excursions, with shelf lives of at least a few months. Stored on the Mysterious Small Island, he didn't have to worry about spoilage.

Of course, Lin Li didn't plan to stay overnight in the wilderness. Even if he brought fresh ingredients, they could be kept on the island.

As long as the flesh of exotic beasts wasn't less than an hour fresh, it could be safely stored on the Mysterious Small Island.

After buying a tube of Healing Ointment at the pharmacy, Lin Li then went to the market to pick up some groceries.

At 10:20 a.m.

Lin Li drove his rented van into the Ping'an Garden Residential Area.

As he entered the neighborhood, he stopped at the security booth to register his vehicle's information.

"Creak."

He parked the van in a spot, opened the door, and got out.

Looking at the parking space, he muttered to himself, "This spot has been sitting unused for years, and today it finally gets some use... I used to think about selling it or renting it out since I didn't need it. Good thing I never made that decision—otherwise, I'd have to go to the property management and pay to rent one now."

After grumbling to himself, Lin Li headed toward his home.

"Hey? Xiao Lin, did you buy a car?"

A somewhat familiar voice rang in Lin Li's ears. He turned around, and when he recognized the speaker, he thought in surprise, "Auntie Wang again? I've run into her three times in two days!!!"

"Hello, Auntie Wang." Lin Li greeted her with a smile. "This car isn't mine—I rented it..."

"Rented?"

"Yeah." Lin Li nodded but didn't explain why he'd rented a van.

Just as Auntie Wang was about to ask why he needed a rental, her phone suddenly rang in her pocket.

It seemed a family member needed her, so after answering the call, she hurried off.

"What's up with Auntie Wang? We must be fated to run into each other!" Lin Li muttered to himself as he watched her walk away, then turned and headed home.

This time he didn't have to take the stairs—the elevator was finally fixed. About time, too; it had been ages. If they'd dragged it out any longer, the residents probably would've called to complain.

"Ding."

The elevator reached the sixth floor, and the doors slid open.

Lin Li stepped out and pulled his keys from his pocket. Just as he was about to unlock his door, he heard a door open behind him.

"Click."

Two figures, one tall and one small, stepped out from the neighboring apartment.

"Hello, Mr. Lin!" Xia Qing, with a bag slung over her shoulder and her daughter Zhou Tongtong's hand in hers, greeted him as soon as she spotted him.

Hearing the voice behind him, Lin Li turned around after opening his door.

Xia Qing had long hair cascading over her shoulders and an oval face. Today she wore a floral-print dress and low-heeled sandals.

Her daughter Zhou Tongtong was dressed in the same style of floral dress—clearly a mother-daughter matching set.

"Hello, you two. Heading out?" Lin Li replied with a smile.

"Yeah! I'm taking Tongtong to her swimming lesson." Xia Qing nodded with a smile.

"Isn't it almost lunchtime? A swimming lesson now?" Lin Li asked, a little puzzled.

"Tongtong's lesson is in the afternoon. I'm taking her to stroll around the streets first, grab some lunch, and then head over," Xia Qing explained.

PS: Thanks to "chenky1993" for the 100-point tip, thanks to "08a" for the 2100-point tip, and thanks to "灲敩" for the 3000-point tip.