You Accompany Me to Grow Up, I Accompany You to Grow Old

Chapter 28: You Grow Up With Me, I'll Grow Old With You

After briefly arranging the day's itinerary with his parents, Wu Xiaozhong rotated the gear selector of the Jiuzhou Mini.

The gear shifted to reverse, and his toe tapped lightly.

Instead of the roar of an engine, a low hum of an electric motor could be heard.

The sound was quieter than a normal car engine, but it still felt full of power!

He drove the car out of a large group of waiting Jiuzhou Minis and onto the main road.

He then rotated the selector again, shifting to forward gear.

His toe tapped lightly again, and the electric car instantly shot forward.

The advantage of the electric motor, its superior initial acceleration, was fully displayed.

"Huh, this feeling is actually pretty good!" Wu Xiaozhong exclaimed in surprise.

He wasn't like most elderly people who had never driven before. As someone who loved cars, Wu Xiaozhong had driven quite a few.

He had driven not only his own vehicles but also many of his friends' cars, from domestic cars costing tens of thousands of yuan to luxury brands costing hundreds of thousands.

While not an expert, he had at least experienced the distinct driving feel of twenty to thirty different cars.

Overall, domestic cars still lagged far behind joint venture cars.

But this electric car gave him a different feeling. The loose chassis he had expected didn't materialize.

Instead, it felt solid. And as for the power, there was no situation where the engine revved loudly but the car didn't move, as with some other cars.

"It actually gives the illusion that the power is there whenever you need it!"

"The driving feel is much better than those tens-of-thousands-yuan domestic cars."

On the not-so-long road within the Jiuzhou Automobile Factory, Wu Xiaozhong gently pressed the accelerator. The car's speed increased in a short time.

However, this was followed by the car maintaining a maximum speed of just over forty.

"But this is only at low speeds. If you accelerate a bit more, the lack of power at higher speeds will be fully exposed."

Wu Xiaozhong said with some regret.

"The initial power is comparable to some ordinary sedans with large displacement engines, but only up to forty kilometers per hour.

When the speed reaches over forty, even with the accelerator fully pressed, the speed remains just over forty."

It was similar to some electric two-wheelers. When starting, a slight twist of the throttle would increase the speed.

But once the motor reached its speed limit, no amount of throttle manipulation would help.

However, as a vehicle for the elderly, for driving around the city, a speed of around forty is sufficient. There's no need for very high speeds for long-distance driving.

And there are benefits to low speed. Even if the accelerator is fully pressed, the damage in an accident will not be too great as long as it doesn't collide with high-speed cars.

Especially compared to motorcycles, the safety is greatly improved!

It was as if it were specifically designed for the elderly.

And it was quite nice to drive. If conditions allowed, getting one to drive around would feel pretty good.

For going out to buy groceries, it could carry more than an electric scooter, and it wouldn't be affected by wind, sun, rain, or snow. You could even drive directly into some larger markets to shop!

Besides the elderly, it would also be good for some female drivers.

For younger men, wealthy individuals could buy it as a toy car to play with.

Just like Wu Xiaozhong now, after driving around the not-so-long road a couple of times, he was reluctant to get out!

Large cars have their advantages, but driving these small electric cars is also quite good. They are agile and easy to park.

"It's a shame. If it were used as a normal car, it wouldn't be practical for work that requires traveling to farther places."

"Perhaps in the future, with more advanced technology, shorter charging times, increased range, and faster speeds, such cars could be used as primary vehicles!"

After driving around twice and getting a simple feel for it, Wu Xiaozhong finally moved to the passenger seat under his father's eager gaze.

"Next, Dad, you drive. I'll be here to guide you!"

"The brake is on the left, the accelerator is on the right. Press the accelerator lightly and gradually increase speed."

His father patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, your old man has been riding motorcycles for over ten years. This is a piece of cake. Besides, I've driven Old Li's car before!"

As he spoke, under his father's driving, the vehicle slowly began to move, driving smoothly on the short road.

From time to time, they met other elderly people driving their Jiuzhou Minis, and his father didn't seem flustered at all!

His father wasn't bragging; his driving skills were much better than Wu Xiaozhong had anticipated.

Since that was the case, he decided to increase the difficulty!

After driving around the not-so-long lane within the Jiuzhou Automobile Factory for more than ten laps, under Wu Xiaozhong's guidance, this top-of-the-line Jiuzhou Mini entered the driving practice area, which was crowded with vehicles.

Upon entering the practice area, his father seemed slightly more flustered.

The lanes here were not as wide as the outside lanes, and there might even be situations where two or three cars had to pass each other.

But after a brief moment of panic, Dad was still able to steady himself!

After slowly maneuvering past a dozen or so Old Man Happy vehicles driven by elderly men and women, things became much smoother.

He's truly an experienced driver. Although motorcycles and cars are a bit different, they share many commonalities.

He skillfully controlled the accelerator and brakes. With practice, he naturally got a feel for how much to turn the steering wheel to make the vehicle deviate left or right by a certain angle.

In less than an hour, he was already weaving through traffic. Then, the progress reached the final stage.

Reversing into a parking space and parallel parking!

Thanks to the compact size of the vehicle and the parking sensors, the simulated parking spaces, built to normal garage dimensions, were quite large for this little car.

As long as he found the right direction, a little bit of skill was all it took to park it in one go.

It was much more convenient than those sedans!

However, since it was part of the test, it was still a bit complicated. Under the guidance of Wu Xiaozhong and the instructor outside the car.

It took nearly two hours for Dad to skillfully master the techniques for reversing into a parking space and parallel parking, reaching the point where he could do it in one smooth maneuver.

This level of proficiency was basically sufficient.

After all, it wasn't a real exam, and in future driving situations, he wouldn't need to park it perfectly in one go. If he couldn't get it in, he could always adjust it.

Several hours passed, and it was already noon.

He parked the vehicle in the designated area for Old Man Happy vehicles and used the charging cable brought over from the Jiuzhou Automobile Factory to charge it.

After a ten-yuan boxed lunch that tasted quite good, the family spent a few more hours learning about traffic safety regulations.

The instructor personally explained how to drive safely on the road, when to use turn signals, and how to alert vehicles ahead and behind by activating them in advance.

How to read traffic lights: when there's only one light, a red light allows right turns, but not if there's a clear "no right turn" sign.

The meanings of solid double lines, single dashed lines, and single solid lines on the road, and so on.

They were incredibly thorough!

And Dad studied very diligently!

He would occasionally mutter to himself.

"Oh, so that's how this light works. No wonder other cars used to honk at me when I was riding my motorcycle."

"When meeting oncoming traffic, I need to switch from high beams to low beams? I definitely need to remember that.

When I rode my motorcycle, I really hated cars that used high beams, especially those with very bright lights that made it impossible to see the road.

I won't become that kind of driver!"

During the two to three hours of rest, he learned most of the common road safety regulations. Then, Dad resumed practicing driving.

This time, he didn't practice for long. He had already mastered reversing into parking spaces and parallel parking to the point of rote memorization. Not to mention things like right-angle turns and starting on a slope; he had no problems with any of them!

When he felt he was ready, Wu Xiaozhong said to his dad in the car.

"Alright, let's head home now. Mom will ride with me, and Dad, you can follow me. Remember, once you pick up speed, don't turn the steering wheel abruptly."

"No problem. Even on a motorcycle, you can't suddenly turn the handlebars too much when you're moving fast. I feel like I can drive back myself!"

Wu Xiaozhong drove his Passat, leading the way with his mom, at a speed of about forty miles per hour. Dad followed closely behind in his newly purchased Jiuzhou Mini.

It took nearly three hours to cover over a hundred kilometers, finally returning to their home in the neighboring city.

Under Dad's skillful control, the Jiuzhou Mini executed a practiced reverse parking maneuver into their home garage.

Perfectly centered, with just enough space on either side, and just enough room front and back. Everything was just right!

"Only 30% battery left, gotta charge it quickly!" Dad excitedly found an outlet and took out the charging gun to refuel his beloved car.

Meanwhile, Wu Xiaozhong had to park his own car on the side of the road.

"Can't be helped, there's only one garage at home. Looks like I won't be parking my Passat here anymore."

With a hint of regret, Wu Xiaozhong arrived home to see his dad beaming with happiness, calling a friend to brag.

"Hey Lao Liu, when you have time, let's go for a drive. My son gave me a Jiuzhou Mini!

You don't even know the Jiuzhou Mini? It's quite a popular car these days, much better than riding a motorcycle. Let's go out for a drive together sometime!"

The happy smile on his face was impossible to hide!

This scene suddenly felt strangely familiar.

Once upon a time, it was his dad who worked hard to buy him his favorite remote-controlled toy car, making him feel so proud in front of other kids...

Now he was grown up, but his parents were also getting old.

Every time he returned home for the New Year, his parents' appearances had changed significantly.

Their hair had gone from jet black to white, and their skin from glowing to dull.

Perhaps it was time to consider returning to his hometown to work. Even though the salary would be much lower, being able to spend time with his parents and family was more important.

You grew up with me, and I'll grow old with you!