After the meal of bread soaked in broth, Wei Zijin felt warm all over, and her cheeks had a healthy rosy glow. On the way home, the atmosphere was noticeably more relaxed than it had been on the way there. Wei Zijin was no longer the girl constantly bracing herself for questions. She took the initiative to chat with Wang Xiaoliang about the buildings along the road and smiled as she listened to Zhao Xiuqin tell embarrassing stories from his childhood.
Wang Xiaoliang drove much more confidently on the way back. His body relaxed, his gear changes gradually grew smoother, and he held the accelerator steady as his confidence increased.
But that confidence shattered completely in front of the last parking space by the entrance to their residential complex.
It was a parallel parking space, not particularly small, but not spacious either. The trouble was, a brand-new Mercedes-Benz S-Class was parked in front, and a black BMW X5 behind it. Both cars gleamed with expensive polish, reflecting a "keep your distance" glow in the winter sunlight.
Wang Xiaoliang's palms began to sweat against the steering wheel.
He had passed parallel parking on his driving test in one attempt, and his instructor had even praised his feel for the car. But back then, his reference points had been poles and lines painted on the ground, not luxury cars worth hundreds of thousands or over a million.
He took a deep breath, shifted into reverse, and began backing in cautiously.
In the rearview mirror, the BMW's headlights drew closer and closer. He slammed on the brakes, leaving the car stuck diagonally in the road, blocking half the lane.
No, too close.
He pulled forward again to readjust his angle.
Then reversed again.
This time, the angle felt right, but he could not