First Love First Love 08

The next day, A-Yi drove to the meeting place agreed upon with A-Ren—a public parking lot located not far from the entrance of a high-end residential complex. Although the plague had rendered many public facilities free of charge, this particular lot still collected fees; the reasons for this need not be mentioned for now.

Since A-Ren could not hail a taxi and the buses had long since stopped running, he had to follow the navigation on his phone and walk to the location. He was somewhat taken aback when he saw the parking lot filled with a variety of vans, taxis, and private cars. Though puzzled, he didn't dwell on it, his mind preoccupied with the prospect of picking up passengers.

Seeing A-Ren approach, A-Yi got out of the car and enthusiastically pulled him into the passenger seat.

"How about it? The modifications to the van aren't bad, are they?"

As soon as he sat down, A-Ren was enveloped in a pungent smell of engine oil. He glanced toward the back of the van; the original seven-seat layout had been reduced to three, with the entire last row removed.

"We were supposed to be picking up people; is it okay to modify it like this?"

"Don't worry, brother! Trust me, it'll be fine!" A-Yi said confidently, handing A-Ren a Marlboro. A-Ren took the cigarette and hesitated, "You usually smoke Da Qianmen, why this today?"

"Ha! It's the first day of business, gotta start with a bang!"

A-Ren lit the cigarette, feeling that A-Yi was acting strangely today—it didn't seem like his usual style.

The two began their "waiting for the rabbit" routine while chatting idly. Time passed, and by noon, they still hadn't seen any business, even though there were plenty of taxis parked nearby. "Just sitting by this complex doesn't make sense!" A-Ren asked impatiently. "Brother, we've been waiting for two hours. Let's move to another spot. I see those taxis picking up passengers while they move. Trees die if they stay in one place, and people die if they don't move. Hanging onto this one tree isn't the way to go!"

"It's fine, wait a bit longer. Be patient!"

Every time A-Ren asked, A-Yi would hand him another Marlboro. After four or five inquiries, they had nearly finished a whole pack. A-Yi was starting to feel restless under A-Ren's questioning.

Looking at the desolate street outside, devoid of a single soul for a long time, A-Ren felt something was wrong and grew annoyed: "Brother! Are you hiding something from me?"

After being pressed several times, A-Yi rubbed his forehead hard and was forced to confess: "Brother, let me be honest with you. We aren't just doing regular passenger pickup! You see all these cars in the parking lot? We’re all doing the same thing—taking people out of the city! The city is under lockdown because of the plague, and we are smuggling people out to earn commissions. I heard about this when I was renting the car. I had originally planned for us to go 'scrap dealing' with A-Biao, but then A-Biao ran into trouble, and that's when I thought of this method."

"Isn't that illegal? We might as well just be taxi drivers!"

A-Ren found it hard to accept A-Yi's deliberate deception and wanted to get out of the car, but A-Yi grabbed him and hurriedly said, "A-Ren! My good brother! Let me finish. This job pays better than anything else. Each trip earns at least two million yen, regardless of the distance. We only do one trip a day; in two months, we can each buy an apartment! A-Ren, my brother!"

Hearing this, A-Ren hesitated. Yes, he was tempted. Being able to buy an apartment in the city in two months—this would solve everything regarding his residency and his future with Xiao Wen! Even white-collar workers at the company couldn't afford a home in two months. This was a golden opportunity!

A-Ren closed the door and sat back down. A-Yi continued, "A-Ren, look at these cars. They are all in the same business. To park here, you first have to pay the manager a fee of one hundred thousand yen. With so many people doing it, what are you afraid of? As the saying goes, the law doesn't punish the masses! Brother, I lied to you because I was afraid you wouldn't accept it. I know you're a good person, but even good people need to make a living! If it weren't for the plague and the factory incident, I wouldn't want to do this either. We have to find a way to survive. The plague is pushing us to the brink—are we just supposed to let it kill us? A-Ren, I promise you, if you can't buy an apartment in two months, I'll give you my parents' house!"

A-Ren was completely persuaded. The word "apartment" became the final blow to his conscience. He gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, brother, I'm in!"

But then, a thought occurred to him: "Every road is blocked. How are we getting out of the city?"

By six in the evening, the early spring sky had darkened. Finally, a person emerged from the complex carrying a handbag and walked toward the parking lot. Suddenly, a loudspeaker blared from somewhere: "Number One, prepare! Number One, prepare!" As the voice died down, a sedan pulled out of the lot and stopped in front of the person. The driver got out and spoke with them, and shortly after, the person got in. A-Yi and A-Ren watched as the car drove off and vanished into the night.

A-Ren was puzzled: "That car was Number One? Why is there a queue?"

"Yes, you can't just do this job whenever you want. The numbering is for unified management."

A-Ren felt a twinge of resentment, realizing A-Yi had kept so much from him. Seeing the look on his face, A-Yi quickly comforted him: "Don't worry, we're number seven. It'll be our turn soon." He pulled a pack of Da Qianmen from his inner pocket, and they resumed smoking and chatting.

After an unknown amount of time, the familiar voice crackled: "Number Seven, prepare! Number Seven, prepare!" A-Ren checked the time; it was already past midnight. With a mix of excitement and anxiety, A-Yi carefully steered the van out of the lot. A figure appeared in front of the van and walked slowly toward them.

In the glow of the headlights, a middle-aged man carrying a suitcase reached the passenger side. A-Yi immediately got out to help with the luggage, but the man refused, insisting on loading it himself. He then said to A-Yi, "You might not know the route I need to take, so I'll sit in the front."

The man's deep, resonant voice commanded respect, so A-Ren quickly scrambled into the only remaining seat in the second row. A-Yi felt a sense of relief; he wouldn't have to worry about the route. He had been nervous about not knowing where to go, but now, he felt much more at ease.

After briefly discussing the price, they set off.