But unexpectedly, there was no driver in the private car to take the job. Zhang Simiao suddenly panicked. She couldn’t walk back home, it was pretty far to walk. And unfortunately, there was no shared bicycle near the school.
Seeing the raindrops getting denser and denser, Zhang Simiao could only raise her schoolbag on the top of her head and readied herself to run to the next intersection. Maybe she would run into a taxi.
After running for 20 meters away, a black car stopped in front of Zhang Simiao. The window in the driver’s seat was rolled down. A man in his forties looked at Zhang Simiao with a smile and said “Little girl, do you need a lift?”
The drizzle hit her face, and Zhang Simiao couldn’t help but sneeze. Her body was shivering due to the cold. She didn’t have time to care if the car was black or not, she busily asked: “How much does it cost to get to Hexiang City?”
“You live in Hexiang City, there are all villas there.” The driver said with a smile: “Today the weather is bad and the price is more expensive. 50 yuan is enough.”
50 yuan, it was twice more than the usual price.
If the driver asked for the original price, Zhang Simiao might hesitate but the driver’s aggressive way of asking for money made Zhang Simiao put her guard down. She felt that the driver only wanted money.
The rain was getting denser and denser, and Zhang Simiao couldn’t think of anything else. She opened the door and got into the car. The car kept moving under the wind and rain. The air-conditioner was turned on and soothing music was playing. The comfortable temperature and atmosphere made Zhang Simiao’s tight body gradually relax.
She took out a handkerchief from her bag and carefully wiped the rain on her face and head, and then wiped her school bag to avoid staining the driver’s seat cover. After finishing all this, Zhang Simiao looked out of the car window. Who knows when the light rain became heavy. The water kept flowing down from the car window, blocking her line of sight from the outside. She could only see a faint yellow light outside the car window.
Zhang Simiao lowered her head and took out her mobile phone to call his parents. They didn’t know what was going on today. However, her call couldn’t get through them. Zhang Simiao put down the phone a little depressed, and then she raised her head and looked in front. Suddenly, she became a little confused.
The road outside was a bit strange to her.
Zhang Simiao has been going back and forth from home to school for more than a year. She can’t be any more familiar on the roadside. She can remember the name of most of the shops. However, she has never seen this road.
At this time, she suddenly remembered what Lin Qingyin said: Don’t ride in a black car, it’s not safe.
Zhang Simiao suddenly panicked. Her heart pounding like it was about to jump out. Seeing the driver driving faster and faster, Zhang Simiao couldn’t help asking: “Where is this going? Why doesn’t it look like the way to my house?”
“I went around a little bit.” The driver said frankly: “When I came over from Central Avenue just now, four cars crashed together which blocked the road. It took me an hour to get passed through it. It’s faster to go around here rather than take Central Avenue.”
This explanation made Zhang Simiao felt a little at ease. Central Avenue was a two-way four-lane road. Usually, there was a lot of traffic jam. When it was windy and rainy, the car couldn’t move at all.
When the car came to a stop at a red light, the driver’s cell phone rang. Looking at the red light for more than ninety seconds, the driver answered the call and didn’t know what the other party said. The driver was a little impatient: “I came out and picked up a student. I will go home after sending her… … How can I leave a student in the middle of the road? Why are you so… …”
Halfway through the conversation, the driver suddenly got stuck. He glanced at the phone and slapped the steering wheel in annoyance: “Why is there no battery!”
The driver threw the black screen mobile phone to the windshield in front of the car, then turned his head and asked embarrassingly: “Can I borrow your mobile phone? Just now my wife is still saying a few words over the phone when the power went out. If I don’t call her back, I’m afraid I won’t be able to get in the house tonight.”
Seeing the driver look a little anxious, Zhang Simiao handed him her mobile phone kindly.
A hint of joy flashed on the driver’s face when he took the phone. When he just wanted to call, the red light in front of him turned into a green light, so he put the mobile phone on his lap and stepped on the accelerator.
After crossing the intersection, the number of cars ahead was much less than the road just now. The driver stepped on the accelerator and drove to 60, and kept at this speed for two consecutive intersections. Usually, this speed was fine, but the rain made Zhang Simiao feel a little flustered. She reached out and grabbed the back of the chair to identify the direction from the front windshield, but she couldn’t recognize the vaguely visible buildings.
Zhang Simiao’s voice tightened a little: “Sir, please turn to the side.”
The driver chuckled twice, then she heard his inexplicably wretched voice: “Don’t worry, we will get there soon.”