Wandering in the vast darkness

036 How about we do it together?

"Come here, come here, Xiao Yu." Old Yao greeted Yu with a wave.

Yu Wenhao stood up, walked over, and sat down on the sofa to the side. Old Yao looked at Yu Wenhao and said:

"Xiaoyu, how about we do it together?"

Yu Wenhao was startled. He asked, "What did you say?"

"I mean, how about we do it together?" Lao Yao said. "You're currently driving for ride-hailing services part-time, which is a second job, right? If you come with me, how about we start a business together? If there's anything, we can discuss it together, which is better than doing it alone."

Yu Wenhao understood, but he immediately rejected it in his heart. Starting a business is risky, and Yu Wenhao felt that he could not afford any risks right now. Driving a ride-hailing car would earn less money and be very hard work, but at least it was a risk-free thing.

Yu Wenhao pondered for a moment, then said to Lao Yao:

"Old Yao, I also want to remind you that starting a business is a risky business, and you can't always think the best of everything."

"I know, if I didn't even know this, I'd be an idiot, and I wouldn't be starting a business," Lao Yao said. "I've been hesitating these past few days. Once I've decided to start a business, I'm definitely prepared for failure. What I meant by 'taking a gamble' is this. If I succeed, I succeed; if I fail, I'll sell the house, rent a place to live, my son will drop out of school, and my wife will have to go out and work..."

Old Yao gave a bitter laugh as he spoke: "Like you said, besides lowering my standard of living, I've also lowered my expectations. I'll find a job that pays ten or twenty thousand a month. Even with my old bones, I can probably still find one, right?"

Yu Wenhao nodded: "It's good that you're mentally prepared for this."

"How about we take a gamble together, Xiao Yu?" Lao Yao said. "I think the two of us are quite compatible."

"I wouldn't dare, I'm a coward." Yu Wenhao shook her head and said, "To be honest, I also have some savings, but I don't dare to use them, much less gamble them or take a chance. My situation is different from yours."

"Why is it different?"

"If I lose the bet, it's not as simple as just lowering my standard of living. If it were just lowering my standard of living, I would definitely gamble with you. Anyway, my standard of living wasn't that high to begin with," Yu Wenhao said. "This money is for saving my life. I can't afford to gamble. I'd better just stick to driving my ride-hailing car."

"Help? What do you mean?" Old Yao asked.

Yu Wenhao thought for a moment and said, "I'll tell you about this later."

Yu Wenhao didn't want to be like those contestants in talent shows, constantly complaining about how hard they were working, like a broken record. No matter how hard or tiring it was, he felt it was what he should do, and there was nothing to complain about. He saw a glimmer of hope in his hard work, and he even felt fulfilled.

"But don't worry, Lao Yao, although I won't be fighting alongside you, I will definitely do my best to help you in any way I can," Yu Wenhao said sincerely to Lao Yao. "I also hope you can succeed, and I will be very happy if you do."

Old Yao asked with a smile, "When that time really comes, won't you regret it?"

"No regrets." Yu Wenhao shook his head. "People can only do what they are capable of doing at the time, and I didn't have that ability. Besides, your success is due to your own abilities. Your success only proves that whether you have me as a collaborator or not makes no difference."

Old Yao sighed and said, "Okay."

Yu Wenhao stood up and said to Lao Yao, "Rest now. You need to be well-rested so you can think things through properly."

Old Yao nodded and collapsed back down.

As evening approached, Lao Yao and Yu Wenhao "left work" on time and drove off in their respective cars.

Yu Wenhao was driving to the west of the city, to eat at the food street behind Wanda Plaza, downstairs from San San's company. San San had already sent him her location and a WeChat message with the phrase "three no's" to him:

"You're not allowed to skip class, or I'll get angry; you're not allowed to be late, or you'll regret it; you're not allowed to leave early, or someone will get angry with you!"

Yu greeted him with a smile and put down his phone.

Driving on the road, Yu Wenhao felt reluctant to leave. He had only done business in the morning, although he was lucky enough to make a round trip on the big order from Baima Apartment to the airport. He hadn't done any business in the evening, and he still felt empty inside.

Yu Wenhao opened the app to see if there were any business opportunities along his route. The system immediately sent him an order, which he accepted. However, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be completely out of his way; he had to drive a long distance to Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital to pick up the customer.

Yu Wenhao thought about it for a moment, then turned around and went ahead. Whatever, it's just a get-together. These guys aren't going to break up anytime soon, so what's the big deal if they're a little late? He'll take this order first.

At six o'clock in the morning, Yu Wenhao picked up two women, one older and one younger, at Baima Apartment. The younger one was in her forties, and the older one was probably in her seventies with a full head of white hair. Once in the car, their heads were close together, and they whispered something to each other. Their hands were clasped together the whole time.

Based on experience, Yu Wenhao immediately deduced that they were a mother and daughter. The daughter was probably going on a long trip or working in another city, and now that they were about to part ways, both of them were a little reluctant. Although Yu Wenhao couldn't hear what they were saying, she could tell that the mother was nagging and giving instructions.

The daughter kept nodding and responding with "uh-huh" and "okay," unlike a typical daughter responding to her elderly mother. With each response, she would add, "I understand, Mom," or "Okay, Mom."

Looking at them, Yu Wenhao felt a warmth in his heart. He thought that when Qianqian was as old as this daughter, Cao Fang would be like this mother. But what about me? Where would I be? Yu Wenhao asked himself in his heart, and then suddenly laughed. Of course, I would still be driving in front, just like today. It's just that by then, I would probably be all white-haired.

As they approached the airport, the daughter greeted Yu and said, "Driver, when we get to the airport, could you wait ten minutes before picking up my mother?"

Yu Wenhao said, "Of course."

"Then I won't place another order. When we get to the airport, I'll transfer you the same amount of money via WeChat for the transportation fee, okay?" the daughter asked.

Yu said hello.

"Just this QR code?"

Yu Wenhao said yes. There was a similar reminder on the back seat as on the front passenger seat, with Yu Wenhao's QR code on it. My daughter scanned it and said:

"I've added you, Master, please add me back."

Yu said hello.

The daughter continued, "My mother has a heart condition, driver. When you come back later, could you please drive like this, not too fast?"

Yu nodded and said, "Don't worry."

Yu Wenhao drove to the departure hall for Hong Kong and Macau and stopped. It seemed that the daughter was going to Hong Kong or Macau. The mother was reluctant to part with her daughter and insisted on seeing her off in the hall.

Yu greeted the old lady and said:

"Auntie, please wait here in ten minutes. You can't park here. I need to go down first and come back up later."

The old lady agreed.

Yu Wenhao said, "Auntie, if you come out and don't see me, don't worry. Just stand here and wait. I must have come here and then gone down to look around again because I didn't see you."

The daughter told her mother, "Did you hear me? Just wait here and don't go anywhere until this master comes."

The old lady smiled and said to her daughter and Yu Wenhao, "I understand, I understand."

Yu Wenhao drove down to the parking lot, where the first fifteen minutes were free, and he wanted to park for ten minutes.