The Female General Dominates All After Transmigration-Chapter 99 - 98: Xiaoyu’s Comfort
Wang Liansheng: "I just got the notice yesterday, asking me to report to the district office next week."
Ling Chengyan nodded and asked, "What about Chen Wenxuan?"
"Director Chen’s stomach problem has flared up, and he’s still in the hospital for treatment. We’ll have to wait until he feels better to arrange work for him. If there’s no accident, probably he’ll also be at the district office."
Ling Chengyan nodded and greeted Xiaoyu, "I’m repairing the car these two days, not going on assignments."
Xiaoyu quickly agreed, "Okay, then I’ll make the dough later. Let’s have dumplings for lunch? Eggplant dried with cabbage stuffing."
Ling Chengyan smiled, "I still have meat coupons this month, buy some more meat."
Xiaoyu laughed and replied, "I talked to Sister Liu at the supply office yesterday, she promised to save me a piece of pork belly and two bones... Xiao Xin and Shi Tou love bone soup."
At the garage, Ma Dajun was already there, checking around the car. When he saw Ling Chengyan coming, he quickly approached, "Sister Ling, after unloading the car later, can we drive out for some practice..."
The icy road during a snowy day is quite special; you can’t learn it just by theory and observation. The best connection is to actually drive a couple of rounds, to experience firsthand; driving on ice is completely different from driving on a regular road.
Ling Chengyan nodded pleasantly, "I’ll go and notify the Captain later; whoever’s free can come along to practice."
Ma Dajun was excited and about to inform other new recruits but was stopped by Ling Chengyan, "Training is voluntary, no pressure."
Ling Chengyan didn’t go out for two days, not only because of the poor road conditions due to the snow but another reason was that tomorrow the new recruits would finally have their theoretical exam. Only those who pass can officially start learning driving operations.
Ma Dajun learned through a combination of theory and practical study brought by Ling Chengyan, without the need to recite books rigidly. Most other new recruits are learning theory first... Different teaching methods lead to different states facing the exam; most new recruits are likely to want to cram their bookwork before the test, unwilling to practice driving at this critical juncture.
Ma Dajun was a bit confused about why Ling Chengyan said so; aren’t those people eagerly looking forward to getting hands-on driving?
But Ma Dajun had developed a habit of being obedient; whether he understood or not, listening to Sister Ling couldn’t be wrong.
He agreed and went to find the new recruits.
Ling Chengyan walked around the car, checked the gas tank, and then went to the company office.
Zhao Guangrong wasn’t late either, snatching the first unloading task. After parking the car and jumping down, he saw Ling Chengyan entering the company office in the blink of an eye.
When Ling Chengyan returned from the company office, Ma Dajun had already finished unloading the car and was tidying up the tarpaulin and ropes.
"I’ve already told them, and several are willing to come along; they went to ask for leave from their mentors, and they’ll be here in a while."
Ling Chengyan acknowledged while taking the anti-skid chains out from the truck, checked over them to make sure there was no damage. The new recruits familiar with were Zhang Wanxiang, Wu Qingyun, Zheng Hongwei, along with Ma Dajun, totaling six people.
Ling Chengyan wanted them to see the anti-skid chains, then learn the practical operation of installing them, install and dismantle them, with each person practicing at least twice before she called everyone to get in the car, and Ma Dajun drove out of the yard.
The snow on the city streets had been cleared, the ice wasn’t too serious, so Ling Chengyan let Ma Dajun drive all the way out of town to a place outside the city where the road ice was more severe, where they parked to install the anti-skid chains.
These five people had a common feature; they’ve all driven cars before, although not much, they know the basic operations. This allowed Ling Chengyan not to teach from scratch and could directly take them into experiencing driving on an icy road.
The biggest problem with driving on ice is slipping; the speed must be slowed down, and the steering must be stable. It’s crucial to maintain an even speed, avoiding sudden braking...
Ling Chengyan first explained the points to note to a few people, then they took turns getting in the car to experience and practice.
After everyone had a turn, Ling Chengyan stopped speaking much, allowing each person to experience and feel it themselves.
By lunchtime, everyone was familiar with driving on ice, and Ling Chengyan called them back for lunch, then took them out of town again to find a section of icy uphill and downhill road for them to practice.
Uphill and downhill are already more challenging than flat roads; with the ice, the difficulty of driving increases. Initially, there was a car slipping phenomenon when they started hands-on. Under the guidance of Ling Chengyan, they practiced twice before gradually mastering it.
During the practice interval, nobody was idle. They mutually asked questions about the theoretical knowledge of driving and maintenance, and when they didn’t know, they asked Ling Chengyan for guidance.
At the end of the day, all six people felt they gained a lot and on the way back, they all wanted to invite Ling Chengyan to dinner, but she declined.
"It’s nice of you guys; wait till you get your licenses to talk about it; there’ll be plenty of opportunities in the future."
Back at the site, Ling Chengyan waved at them to let Ma Dajun park the car, while she went straight home.
As she approached home, she saw Wang Liansheng carrying a schoolbag, walking home alongside Xiao Xin.
"Mom, my dad came to pick me up from school." Seeing Ling Chengyan, Xiao Xin announced excitedly, as if declaring some great news.
Wang Liansheng smiled, "I just happened to be out on an errand, on the way."
Xiao Xin didn’t care if her dad was on the way or not, she just knew it’s a thing of pride when there’s a parent coming to pick you up after school.
Ling Chengyan didn’t pay attention to Wang Liansheng, instead asked Xiao Xin about her school situation.
Xiao Xin was excited today, feeling she had many things to tell her mom: "...Our teacher said that on Sunday we’ll go to deliver warmth; we’re supposed to bring cloth and brooms..."
Seeing Xiao Xin with rosy cheeks, Ling Chengyan reached out to ruffle her little braid, "Okay, you can go to deliver warmth, but be sure to stay safe." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
Xiao Xin nodded repeatedly in agreement, but Ling Chengyan could tell the little girl wasn’t really listening.
The three of them arrived home, and Xiaoyu had already prepared the meal. Without any prompting, Wang Liansheng washed his hands and went to the kitchen to help set the table.
At the table and after the meal, Wang Liansheng made a conscious effort to chat with Ling Chengyan. Ling Chengyan wasn’t enthusiastic but didn’t ignore him either. This kept Xiao Xin oblivious to any odd atmosphere between her parents, but Xiaoyu, who was a few years older, noticed something off.
After the meal, Xiaoyu for the first time asked Ling Chengyan to accompany her to school.
The two walked out of the courtyard, with nobody in sight, Xiaoyu spoke up, "Sis, are you and my brother-in-law..."
Ling Chengyan glanced at her, "Don’t overthink; nothing’s going on."
Xiaoyu clearly wasn’t convinced by Ling Chengyan’s response. After a slight hesitation, she continued, "Actually, my brother-in-law really cherishes Xiao Xin and Shi Tou... Shi Tou cried so much, he was terribly anxious... Later, when he found that thing, his face was really bad. He kept watch over Shi Tou by the bed for most of the night after we went to sleep... When he got up in the morning, his eyes were sunken."
Xiaoyu clumsily advised, and Ling Chengyan felt warmth in her heart as she listened, raised her hand to put it on Xiaoyu’s shoulder, patting her, "It’s fine, don’t worry about me."
