Chapter Forty-Six: Arriving for the First Time (Part Two)

At four in the afternoon, drenched in sweat and smeared with grease, Kang Ning tightened the last screw on the carburetor. After inspecting every repaired part once more, he climbed into the driver's seat of the 212 Jeep, inserted the key, and gave it a gentle twist. The engine sputtered briefly before settling into a steady purr. Kang Ning pressed the accelerator a few times, listening intently to the engine’s voice. Two minutes later, he let the engine idle while he hopped out to tidy up his tools.

Yusheng exclaimed with delight, “Brother Wu, you’re amazing!”

Kang Ning, crouched on the ground gathering his tools, looked up and replied, “This wasn’t a difficult problem—just a bit time-consuming. Besides, we replaced a whole assembly and a few spare parts. If we couldn’t fix it after all that, it would be hard to justify.”

“That’s not it,” Yusheng said, his eyes shining. “This morning, Master Huang and Master Chen both checked it and said it would take at least three to five hundred yuan in parts and two days’ work to repair. But I just totaled up the materials you used, and it only came to seventy-six yuan. If you’re not impressive, who is?”

“Are Master Huang and Master Chen the ones who work on Bluebird cars?” Kang Ning pondered, sensing something amiss. The fault was tricky to diagnose, mainly due to the 212 Jeep’s design and its peculiarities in the fuel system—but with Huang Yuanqing’s fifteen years of experience, he shouldn’t have misjudged such a problem. Kang Ning asked Yusheng again to confirm.

Yusheng answered honestly, “Yes, that’s right!”

After packing away his tools, Kang Ning stood up and cautioned, “Yusheng, don’t mention this to anyone. Just pretend you know nothing, all right?”

“Why not?”

Kang Ning patted him on the shoulder. “If you trust me, just do as I say. You’ll understand in time. Now, sort the tools and put them back where they belong. Once the engine’s off, hand the key to Xiaocui—that’ll be the end of it.”

Seeing there was still some time before the end of the shift, Kang Ning walked over to where Old Li was repairing a Honda Accord. He carefully observed Old Li’s methods and the parts of the Honda engine being disassembled. When Old Li called out for a size-seventeen wrench, Kang Ning quickly picked it up and handed it over. Old Li, leaning over the fender without turning his head, found Kang Ning preparing each tool in anticipation of his next steps. So when Old Li habitually reached back for a tool, Kang Ning was already there, placing it in his hand.

Old Li worked as he praised, “Well! The mountain lad’s finally getting the hang of things today. If you’d done this sooner, you’d have finished your apprenticeship long ago. This is more like it—well done!”

Just then, the mountain lad returned from the restroom and, seeing Kang Ning helping and hearing Old Li’s praise, felt quite embarrassed. Kang Ning handed him the last two tools with a slight smile, then turned and left, leaving the young man full of gratitude.

As the end of the workday approached, Kang Ning went to the wash basin, removed his gloves and tucked them into his pocket, then used detergent mixed with sawdust to scrub the grime from his hands. Lu Jing walked up behind him and praised, “Not bad! On your first day, you earned me over two hundred yuan and cut the work time in half. Not bad at all—looks like this investment of mine is going to pay off!”

Without turning his head, Kang Ning replied, “Thank you for the compliment, boss. I’ll keep working hard and aim even higher.”

Lu Jing laughed. “Oh, get out of here! Go take a shower—we’re going out for dinner.”

“No, thanks. I have something to do later.” Kang Ning stood up, pulled down a towel hanging from a wire, wiped his hands, and turned to Lu Jing with a serious look. “A manager must treat all employees equally if they want to earn real respect.”

Lu Jing stood there, stunned, watching Kang Ning’s retreating figure as he walked back to the dormitory, silently mulling over his final words. After a moment, she muttered to herself, “Is that guy really just a mechanic?” Seeing Kang Ning close the dormitory door, Lu Jing sighed, returned to her office, did a bit of tidying up, and then left alone in her car.

After all the employees had gone, Kang Ning opened the door and walked to the gatehouse by the entrance. He saw Uncle Wang, the gatekeeper, sighing as he pulled out half a bottle of cheap Luzhou Erqu liquor. Kang Ning hesitated briefly, then stepped forward politely and asked, “Uncle Wang, are you about to have dinner?”

Uncle Wang’s wrinkled face brightened at the sight of the young newcomer. “Dinner’s ready, but there’s not much in the way of dishes. If you don’t mind, why don’t you join me?”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude, sir,” Kang Ning replied tentatively, wanting to gauge the old man’s character.

Uncle Wang responded warmly, “Intrude? Not at all! I know you’ll be living here from now on, and I was going to ask if you’d be taking your dinners here, too. It makes no difference to me—cooking for one or two is all the same. But after I saw you today, I didn’t dare bring it up, ha!”

“Why’s that?” Kang Ning asked, a little puzzled.

The old man grinned, his mouth wide. “You have an extraordinary air about you, commanding respect without saying a word. I watched you fixing cars all afternoon—you’re clearly someone destined for greater things. I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”

“Oh, come now, what are you talking about? I’m just a wandering drifter, worried about where my next meal is coming from. Wait for me, Uncle Wang—I’ll be back in a bit.”

Relying on his memory, Kang Ning walked more than eight hundred meters toward the city center and arrived at a market. After carefully observing several deli stalls, he chose the busiest one and asked the lady owner about the local favorites. He bought a pound of roasted pork intestines and a whole bangbang chicken, along with two ounces of peanuts. Then, at a grocery store, he picked up two bottles of Luzhou Erqu before heading back.

On the patch of open ground outside the little house, Kang Ning sat drinking with Uncle Wang from bull’s-eye glasses. The old man praised the food on the small table with every bite, immediately naming the stall where Kang Ning had bought each dish, which left Kang Ning deeply impressed. He also realized Uncle Wang was sharp-eared and quick-witted, not at all as sluggish or feeble as his appearance suggested. Discreetly, Kang Ning kept pouring drinks for the old man. Only when the last bottle was two-thirds gone did Uncle Wang finally open up, sighing as he recounted his past.

In his youth, the old man had been a rural schoolteacher and had fallen in love with Lu Jing’s mother, a fellow villager. But because her family was poor, her father married her off to Lu Jing’s father for a bride price of five hundred yuan. A few years later, Lu Jing’s father was imprisoned for embezzlement. In those days, corruption wasn’t like it is now—paying back the stolen money and smoothing things over wouldn’t get you off. Within half a month, Lu Jing’s father was sentenced to death and the family’s property confiscated. Lu Jing’s mother was left with five-year-old Lu Jing and her barely one-year-old sister, driven back to the village to eke out a living on a few acres of land.

Despite it all, the old man remained unmarried and quietly supported the mother and her daughters, ensuring they didn’t suffer or face abuse. He helped raise the two girls to adulthood and into jobs, but Lu Jing’s mother died from years of hard labor.

After Lu Jing had dated her boyfriend for years, he was transferred to Chengdu and, within half a year, married his boss’s daughter. Already devastated by her mother’s passing, Lu Jing was dealt another blow and, after the Spring Festival, left home for Shenzhen. She was gone for nearly ten years, only returning last spring to buy this repair shop and finally settle down.

Seeing the old man’s face lined with sorrow and hearing his frequent sighs, Kang Ning couldn’t help but feel sympathy and admiration for this devoted, kind-hearted soul. After toasting the old man, Kang Ning offered comfort: “Uncle Wang, the hard times are over. Things are much better now, aren’t they? I heard from Lu Jing that her sister found a good home too, so you can rest easy.”

Uncle Wang nodded, but finally sighed, “The younger girl was lucky—she found a man who loves her, and now she has a happy little family. But I worry about the older girl. She’s weathered ten years of storms out in the world. She has money now, but no joy in her heart. She may look successful on the outside, but inside she’s hurting…”