"Okay, then tomorrow morning, at the Jiuzhou Automobile Factory."
"I'll bring my parents over to pick up the car, and we can practice together while we're at it."
"Great, it's settled."
After hanging up with Jiuzhou Automobile's sales department, Wu Xiaozhong smiled.
There were only a few days left before the New Year. He'd thought the toys he'd ordered for his parents wouldn't arrive until after the holiday.
He hadn't expected the factory called Jiuzhou Automobile to finish making them early and let him know it was time to pick them up.
"Even better!"
Wu Xiaozhong came back in from the balcony and announced loudly to his family, who were getting dinner ready.
"Dad, Mom, let's go out together tomorrow. I'll take you to Jiangzhou City next door for a look around, and we can pick up some New Year's groceries while we're there."
His mother, wearing an apron as she cooked in the kitchen, poked her head out at the news. "We've got everything we need at home. Why waste money? And why go all the way to the neighboring city?"
Wu Xiaozhong replied, "They have local specialties there. I asked someone to get me something nice. I'll buy Dad some good liquor, too. There isn't much left in the fridge for the New Year, so we can stock up."
His father, who was helping peel potatoes, was curious as well. "What kind of specialty? Jiangzhou City doesn't have anything particularly famous, does it?"
Wu Xiaozhong smiled. The gift had to stay a secret to make the surprise even better. "That's a secret for now. You'll find out when we get there tomorrow."
His father laughed. "You've grown up, and now you don't listen to us, huh?"
His mother poked her head out of the kitchen again and nagged, "Forget about gifts and all that. Getting married is what matters. Look at the boy downstairs, Auntie Liu's son. He got married and had a kid at just twenty-two."
"You're almost thirty, and you're still not worried about getting married. We're already anxious to hold a grandchild."
Wu Xiaozhong was exasperated. "I'm only twenty-six, okay? And what's with this lousy apartment building? We'll move next year. I'll get you a villa!"
"Hey, instead of reflecting on yourself, you're complaining about our building now?"
Seeing his mother on the verge of getting angry, Wu Xiaozhong backed down and quickly said, "No, no, I'll do my best. I'll do my best."
Seeing that her son had given in, his mother pressed her advantage. "Your dad and I are living examples. We got married too late, and by the time you grew up, we were already old."
"While we can still help, you should get married and have a child sooner. We can help take care of the baby..."
His parents were wonderful, but the more he aged, the more relentless they became about pushing him to get married.
Still, in Wu Xiaozhong's experience, they nagged him the most during the first few days after he got home. They might even arrange blind dates for him. After a while, when their efforts went nowhere, they would give up.
Well, all he had to do was stay as unmoved as a mountain.
It was an ordinary, everyday family scene. It could be annoying sometimes, but for Wu Xiaozhong, who spent most of the year working away from home, it was a rare moment of warmth.
Early the next morning, Wu Xiaozhong drove his Passat toward Jiangzhou City with his parents.
Fifteen years had passed between 2008 and 2023.
It didn't seem like that long. Computers and the internet were around, and many familiar online games had already come out.
But smartphones hadn't become widespread yet. There was no Wi-Fi at home, and cars didn't have convenient, smart infotainment systems. Naturally, there was no navigation either.
After asking for directions twice along the way, Wu Xiaozhong finally found Jiuzhou Automobile Factory in the industrial park in the south of the city.
He greeted the security guard at the entrance, then followed the man's directions and drove into the factory grounds, heading for an empty lot beside the factory area.
Soon, a large open space to his left came into view, filled with rows of brand-new Jiuzhou Minis. Several salespeople in formal clothes stood nearby.
There was another open space on his right. One by one, Jiuzhou Minis were moving slowly across a mock driving-test course under the instructors' guidance.
The course had been built to match a standard driving-test course. Reversing into a parking space and parallel parking were usually quite simple, but with dozens of cars on the course, it seemed a little cramped. The Jiuzhou Minis often had to pass one another!
The Jiuzhou Minis lined up one after another to reverse into parking spaces!
A huge group of senior citizens listened attentively as an instructor in his thirties gave them a lesson!
Wu Xiaozhong parked the Passat in an empty spot. A salesperson immediately jogged over. Once Wu Xiaozhong had turned off the engine and gotten out, the man came forward to ask:
"Hello. Are you here to pick up your car?"
Wu Xiaozhong nodded. "That's right."
The young salesperson smiled politely. "Could you please show me your order receipt?"
Wu Xiaozhong took the receipt he'd received after paying out of his wallet and handed it over.
While he spoke with the salesperson, his parents got out of the front passenger and rear doors.
"Where are we?" His mother looked at the scene in front of her, still a little confused.
His father knew more. He said to his wife, "These are Jiuzhou Minis. You've been seeing them around the city lately."
After handing over the receipt for verification, Wu Xiaozhong glanced at his parents, who had gotten out of the car, and cut in. "Heh, this is the gift I was talking about. What do you think? Are you happy?!"
His mother glared at him. "You silly boy. Wouldn't it be better to save your money for a wife? You're always spending it recklessly."
That was what she said, but as she looked at the rows of cars in the lot, there was still joy in her eyes.
"We've got a motorcycle at home. That's enough," his father said in a slightly subdued voice.
Wu Xiaozhong smiled. "That won't do. Riding a motorcycle means getting battered by the wind and sun. It's freezing in winter and hot in summer, and you're exposed, so it's not safe. Having this car will make things much easier."
"The highest trim only costs a little over thirty thousand yuan, and it even has airbags. I'd feel much better knowing you had this to drive instead of riding a motorcycle."
"I've already ordered one. It took a lot of effort to get a spot in the queue. And just think how much face you'll get driving one around. I've seen plenty of families in the city with these."
His father hesitated. "Old Li bought one too. I've ridden in it a few times, and it really is nice. Since you've already ordered one, let's take a look."
Seeing this, his mother couldn't have failed to notice what her husband was thinking. He was clearly tempted!
She didn't object any further. "Let's have a look first."
After all, the rows of little cars looked quite nice all parked together!
Soon, the salesperson led them over to the lot where dozens of cars were parked.
The salesperson went to check the details of their order, asking them to wait for a little while.
Wu Xiaozhong took his parents over to look at the cars up close.
The family gathered around a little white car and studied it carefully.
"Pretty nice!" "It's boxy, but it looks quite good," his mother said after looking it over.
His father was more familiar with this model. He spoke to his wife with some excitement. "It's a bit small, but it'll be enough for everyday driving. Best of all, you don't need a driver's license."
Wu Xiaozhong agreed. "Yeah, that's one of the main advantages of this kind of car. Since you don't need a license, both of you can drive it."
His mother became a little interested. "I can, too?"
Wu Xiaozhong hesitated, then said, "But I think Dad should drive it first. After Mom gets more familiar with it, she can take it out on the road too."
"I've driven Old Li's car once. I don't think there'll be any problem. I'll drive it around a lot at first, then help you get familiar with it. You'll be able to drive it too," his father said with a smile.
After all, he'd been riding motorcycles for more than twenty years. Although motorcycles were different from electric cars,
electric cars were much simpler to learn than manual-transmission cars. His motorcycle experience would still come in handy!
There'll be another update tonight.
Rolling around and begging you to keep reading, and for recommendation tickets and monthly passes.
Before you continue