Chapter 30: Terror on the Road

“Damn, the brakes have failed again! This keeps happening. You two sit tight—I’m going to focus completely on steering. As long as we don’t overturn on this downhill, we’ll be fine.” Sweat beaded on Daley’s brow as he spoke to the two men.

Seeing this, Weiguo Xiao and Guanglin Shi fell silent, their faces growing serious as they stared ahead, pinning all their hopes on Daley’s driving.

In his mind, Weiguo Xiao was already considering if, in the worst-case scenario, he should pull the other two into his space to save their lives.

Daley, whose real name was Dan Niu Li, kept shifting gears rapidly to slow the truck, veins bulging on his arms as he gripped the steering wheel, managing to handle every turn on the long descent with surprising agility.

At last, when a small uphill appeared ahead, Daley quickly shifted into first gear. The truck, coasting on momentum, climbed the incline and gradually rolled to a stop on level ground.

Daley let out a long, shaky breath, his whole body drenched in sweat as if he’d been caught in a downpour.

Both Weiguo Xiao and Guanglin Shi exhaled deeply in relief—the crisis had finally passed.

Guanglin Shi opened the passenger door and got out, his hands trembling as he fumbled for a cigarette. He struggled with it for a long time but couldn’t get it lit.

“You brat, you nearly got us all killed today. What the hell happened?” Guanglin Shi demanded, turning to Daley, who had also climbed out of the truck.

Weiguo Xiao joined them, and the three stood together.

Daley, suddenly drained of all strength, collapsed onto the ground, his chest heaving as he spoke. “On long downhills, if you use the brakes too much, they overheat and fail. That’s what happened—caught it just in time. Last month, the same thing happened to old Shao from our team. He went right off the cliff with his truck—nothing left to bury. Lucky for us, I’m strong enough to keep control of the wheel in that situation. Otherwise, the three of us would be meeting in the afterlife.”

The other two shuddered at his explanation, realizing they had just escaped death by a hair’s breadth.

“Damn it, when I get back, I’m going to confess to Xiaoqin. I’ve died once—I’m not afraid of anything anymore! Who cares what my mother says, or the neighbors for that matter?” Daley declared, revealing his true feelings after surviving the ordeal.

“Oh, give it a rest. Your Xiaoqin’s husband hasn’t been gone that long, and she’s got three kids. You really want to play stepfather?” Guanglin Shi retorted, momentarily distracted from his fear by Daley’s words.

“Brother Lin, you don’t understand. When I first joined the team and saw Xiaoqin after work, she stole my heart. I’ve muddled through the past two years, but I don’t want to wait anymore.”

“Sure, there are plenty of prettier and unmarried women at the factory than Xiaoqin, but I just like her for no reason,” Daley said passionately.

“Damn straight. We’ve all stared death in the face. If there’s something you want to do, just do it! I’m going home to tell my old man I’m done with his so-called ‘tests.’ Everyone from my year is already a county magistrate, and here I am, still a team leader at this crummy factory, not even a department head,” Guanglin Shi added, his complaints revealing a rare moment of candor.

Clearly, Guanglin Shi came from a well-connected family, but for now, he was probably being tempered at the grassroots level, waiting for the right moment to rise.

“Weiguo, what about you? Got any wishes? Let’s get them done as soon as we’re back,” Guanglin Shi asked.

“As for me, I just want to move to the city, become a city man, and make sure the people I care about and those who care about me live better lives. That’s all,” Weiguo Xiao replied quietly.

“That’s practically a done deal. No big deal! When we get back, I’ll have the office introduce you to a pretty girl so you can settle down in one go,” Guanglin Shi replied.

Daley didn’t join their conversation, his mind adrift with dreams of a future with his beloved Xiaoqin.

“Daley, snap out of it. Is the truck alright now? If not, we should call for help,” Guanglin Shi said.

“Huh? Oh, it’s fine. Once the brake pads cool naturally, we can hit the road again. Just got to watch out for long downhills,” Daley responded, coming back to himself.

“Daley, why don’t you use water to cool the brake pads? It’s the heat that causes the failure, so cooling them should solve the problem,” Weiguo Xiao asked.

“What, am I supposed to stop on a downhill, hop out and splash water on the brakes?” Daley imagined the scenario and shook his head. Impossible.

Weiguo Xiao recalled that, in the future, large trucks would all be equipped with water-spraying cooling systems for their brake pads. He continued, “You don’t have to get out. You could install a water tank above the brake pads, with a spray nozzle aimed right at them. Put the switch in the cab. When you’re going down a long hill or the brakes overheat, you just flip the switch and spray water on the pads. That’ll cool them down and prevent failure.”

As a child, Weiguo Xiao had wondered why the road was always wet after trucks passed, and later learned about these systems and their uses. In winter, he’d seen how the water would freeze into a sheet of ice, making things treacherous for vehicles behind.

“Sounds like it could work,” Guanglin Shi said thoughtfully to Daley.

“Right, why didn’t we ever think of that? I’m going to try it out with the workshop guys when we get back. If it works, the credit is all yours, Weiguo—no one can take it from you!” Daley was thrilled.

“It just came to me. Daley, give it a try first. If it works, great; if not, nothing lost,” Weiguo Xiao replied modestly.

“Don’t be so humble, Weiguo. Young minds really are sharper! I bet it’ll work. Just wait and take the credit!” Guanglin Shi said.

“Let’s get moving. We need to head back,” Guanglin Shi concluded.

The three climbed back into the cab and continued toward the factory.

On the way, Weiguo Xiao asked Daley about Xiaoqin. Before Daley could answer, Guanglin Shi jumped in, “Daley’s a real romantic. Because of Xiaoqin, his mother’s tried to set him up seven or eight times in the past two years, but he always found excuses not to go. Now, no one even bothers to arrange matches for him. Xiaoqin’s husband died in a work accident and she’s left raising three kids alone. The children are always hungry and crying, and Daley helps out whenever he can. He used to hesitate, but after today, I think he’s made up his mind to step in. Daley, I’m telling you, think carefully. Since ancient times, stepping in as the second husband rarely ends well. Besides, two of her three children are boys.”