It had only been about three hours, and something like this could happen?
"Should we report it?"
Zhou Jinbei, accustomed to civility, thought this was Nancheng and was about to report it.
A Zhong shook his head, started the car, and grabbed a tissue to stuff into the hole in the windshield.
"Forget it. There's no surveillance in the village, and it would take too long for them to investigate. Let's just take the loss and fix it ourselves when we get back."
"Then I'll have to tell my second brother to reimburse you."
Zhou Jinbei was speaking the truth.
After all, they couldn't work their hearts out here, risking their lives, and then have to pay out of their own pockets.
A Zhong smiled and said nothing.
He shifted into reverse, preparing to back the car out.
However, as soon as he stepped on the accelerator, the car veered to one side, and a strange hissing sound came from outside.
"Damn it!"
He angrily punched the steering wheel.
It seemed they had no choice but to report it!
Someone had deliberately targeted them and let the air out of the tires!
A Zhong angrily got out of the car and went to check the rear right tire.
He hadn't noticed before, but the tire had been slashed, and it was completely flat.
He got back into the car, soaking wet, gritting his teeth in anger.
As he was about to call to report it, the brick factory manager who had just dealt with them happened to be passing by on a motorcycle.
Perhaps seeing the terrifying damage from a distance, the manager rode his motorcycle directly to A Zhong.
A Zhong rolled down the car window, stuck his head out, and asked,
"Is there any surveillance nearby? If the police come, how likely is it they'll find the culprits in a situation like this?"
The manager shook his head.
"Do you know why none of us drive? Why we ride bikes to work? It's because of this."
"The brick factory has made the people in their village arrogant and lawless. The children are spoiled beyond belief."
"Slashing tires, smashing car windows, and scratching car bodies are common occurrences. They all cover for each other, and there's no evidence. Even if the police come, it'll just be a formality, useless."
"Do you have a spare tire? If you do, change it yourself. If not, call someone to tow it."
"I'm not trying to scare you. It's really not worth reporting. The amount isn't large, and they won't take it seriously. It's a waste of time."
As he spoke, he saw a few children huddled at the corner of a house ahead, peeking over furtively.
He gestured for A Zhong to look.
"Maybe it was them. What can you do about them?"
A Zhong really didn't have time to argue with a few children.
Fortunately, there was a spare tire in the car.
He prepared to get out and change the tire.
However, there was no umbrella in the car, and the tire wouldn't be changed in a moment. She couldn't possibly stand out in the rain the whole time, could she?
Zhou Jinbei tugged at him.
"Don't rush. I'll go find a villager for you. To borrow an umbrella."
"Forget it. With these uncivilized people, they'll probably give you a cold shoulder. You stay here and don't get your clothes wet."
It wasn't easy for one person to jack up a car in a place like this.
How could she bear to stay in the car and add weight?
As A Zhong spoke, he opened the car door and got out. Zhou Jinbei left her high heels in the car.
She also squeezed out.
Stepping on the wet, sticky mud and facing the pouring rain, he ran towards the children.
The children, probably thinking he was coming to settle the score, chattered a few times and scattered like birds.
A Zhong opened the trunk and took out the tools and the spare tire.
He felt a shadow flickering in front of him. When he looked up, it was Zhou Jinbei going out.
He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to her.
But the rain was too heavy, and she couldn't hear him.
Never mind, since she had already gone out, so be it.
A Zhong began to loosen the lug nuts.
It was the first time she had run barefoot in the mud, and it felt agonizing.
The ground was covered in small stones and sand, as if a single misstep could pierce her flesh.
But thinking that borrowing an umbrella would make it more comfortable for A Zhong to change the tire, she gritted her teeth and endured it.
By the time she reached someone's eaves, she was completely drenched.
She pushed the hair sticking to her face behind her ears and, with a thick skin, knocked on the door.
Soon, a middle-aged man with a rough face, who didn't look very friendly, poked his head out.
A little boy, about five or six years old, stood by his leg.
"What do you want?"
He asked in the local dialect.
Zhou Jinbei explained to him briefly, wanting to borrow their umbrella.
The man mumbled a few words in the local dialect.
It was probably something like, "What's it to me? Some outsider."
He then slammed the door shut.
Was it really necessary?
Just borrowing an umbrella, not taking their food!
She tried another house.
It was a woman with a child, not very old.
Unexpectedly, her attitude was also very bad.
She threw an umbrella into the yard. The frame was completely broken, with only a bit of the fabric hanging on.
She pointed the old, tattered umbrella at Zhou Jinbei and then closed the door.
Zhou Jinbei was so discouraged that her confidence was completely gone.
In Nancheng, borrowing a hundred yuan from a stranger probably wouldn't have been as difficult as this.
Since she was already wet, she might as well just accept it.
With a dejected expression, she walked back.
The raindrops fell in strings, flowing down A Zhong's hair, the bridge of his nose, and his jawline, drop by drop.
He had already removed the old tire, jacked up the car, and was pressing the new tire into place.
Sensing Zhou Jinbei's return, he turned his head and saw her empty-handed.
"What were you doing?"
Zhou Jinbei, shivering from the cold, walked closer to him, squatted down, and hugged her arms.
"I went to borrow an umbrella, but I couldn't. I didn't expect the people here to be so bad."
Given the situation, A Zhong was quite composed.
He smiled, "It's okay, we'll be able to leave soon. Are you very cold?"
"I told you not to come down earlier, but you insisted. Now the car is tilted, and we can't get back up. Just bear with it for a bit."
He knelt on one leg in the mud, his large hands powerfully rotating the lug nuts.
His profile was resolute, his muscles firm, exuding a very manly aura.
She had only seen him dealing with administrative matters before; this was the first time she had seen him doing something so physically demanding.
Zhou Jinbei's heart, which she thought had calmed down, began to pound again.
She just watched him intently.
Watching him tighten the lug nuts with all his might, lower the jack, push the flat tire into the grass to discard it, close the trunk, and wash his hands in a nearby puddle...
Everything was so manly and moving.
After finishing, A Zhong started the car and turned on the seat heater before speaking to Zhou Jinbei.
"It's uncomfortable to wear wet clothes. Once the car warms up, I'll sit in the front, and you can take them off in the back."
"Cover yourself with a pillow, and it shouldn't be too cold. I'll take you straight back to the hotel."
Huh?
She was supposed to take off her wet clothes?
Zhou Jinbei subconsciously asked, "What about you?"
"I can't. I'll get caught by the traffic police."
Zhou Jinbei fell silent, feeling that A Zhong's suggestion wasn't a good one.
Besides, without her clothes, how would she get back to the hotel later?
Seeing her silence, A Zhong glanced at her.
"I'm just afraid you'll catch a cold if you stay wet for too long. I'll buy you new clothes on the way..."
"If you feel it's inconvenient, you don't have to take them off. Let's go, get in the car."