The six of them had dinner in Taoyuan Town, then went back to take a look at the old Zhao family estate.
The old estate had been kept all this while, waiting for its owners to think of it and return for a short stay whenever the mood struck. Occasionally a member of the Zhao family would have reason to come back this way and spend a night or two. Jinyi and Jinxiu had arranged for servants to clean and maintain it regularly. Though life must always move forward, the place held too many cherished memories for anyone to bear wiping them away.
After wandering around for about an hour, the sky was beginning to darken, and the group got in the car and headed back.
Jinyuan clenched her little fists and cried out in delight, "Wow, wow, wow! Master, the car has light bulbs on it! They're so bright! They shine so far!"
"Yes, yes, yes — please stop making such a fuss."
"Hmph! Master's mimicking people now — I can't stand you!"
"Hmph! I can't stand you either!"
"Aaagh, you're infuriating me! Big Sister, you're closest to Master — pinch him for me!"
"Heh, I haven't got nearly as much nerve as you. I wouldn't dare offend Master."
"Hmph! You just take his side! You don't care about me at all!"
The car filled with cheerful bickering all the way back to Longcheng.
They had driven down to Taoyuan Town for a meal in the afternoon and were home again by nightfall. That kind of speed was something none of them could have dreamed of before. Everyone who'd been in the car still felt slightly dazed.
"Did we really just go all the way to Taoyuan Town? I'm completely bewildered — I can hardly believe it was real!"
"Master, will you teach me to drive tomorrow? Please, please!"
Jinyuan had been quarreling with Zhao Baihui just five minutes before, the kind of quarrel that seemed to promise they would never speak again, yet the moment she stepped out of the car she wrapped herself around his arm.
"All right. Tomorrow I'll teach everyone to drive, and then we'll spread the training further and turn out a whole crop of drivers."
"There'll be plenty of cars at home in future. Anyone who wants to use one can. If you'd rather not drive yourself, just ask a driver."
Jinxiu's eyes lit up. She came over and tucked herself under Zhao Baihui's other arm. "So many cars — then, Master, I want one of my own!" Her expression suggested she would transform into another Jinyuan if he refused.
"Master, I want one too! Me too!"
"All right, all right, settle down — you four can each have one."
Among all the Zhao household, these four occupied a rather special place.
"Little by little, everyone will have one eventually."
He could afford to be generous if funds allowed, but at the moment the running costs of powering electricity across the entire region were already stretching him thin. So for now he could only procure ten cars, setting aside one private vehicle for each of the four chief maids. The others would have to wait — having so many people under one roof was its own kind of trouble; gifts alone required thirty-four portions whenever the occasion arose. Zhao Baihui had no taste for playing favorites. Even if he was genuinely fonder of one person, he would never let it show in material things.
The following day Zhao Baihui bought several more cars, then set about teaching the women to drive. Once they had a rough grasp of the basics, he left them to practice on their own. When they were able to practice independently, he asked everyone to recommend candidates to be trained as drivers — now that the cars were here, drivers needed to be found without delay.
Driving was a novelty that would soon wear off; most of the time these women would still be riding rather than driving. Selecting a group of steady, reliable drivers was therefore important. The wages set for drivers were generous — double the first-grade salary. First-grade, because the work required no particular skill and was not demanding; doubled, because the right kind of person was not easy to find. Driving for one's superiors demanded both loyalty and composure.
Today's top trending topic: Master has subdued a demon beast, and the creature has willingly become his mount!
Don't believe it? Go and see for yourself — that thing really does move on its own!
And it can transform — it can take Master inside its body to protect him!
Its eyes are bigger than a man's fist!
Though the demon seems rather lazy — its eyes are dull and lifeless during the day. But at night? My goodness, it comes alive! Its eyes blaze like beams of light — they genuinely glow! You'll see for yourself if you happen to catch it one evening!
And yet the beast has been thoroughly tamed by Master — it would never dare bite anyone!
You haven't seen it? Still don't believe it?
Good grief, have you even read Master's Journey to the West? Half the characters in that book have mounts! A man of Master's abilities naturally has to have one too.
Well, there you go — it all comes full circle!
Honk honk honk…
Li Xuanji heard the noise and glanced out the window to find Jinyuan waving at him from below.
He had been promoted. He was now Director-General of Prisons, no longer running a single facility. He received seventh-grade compensation, on a level with the town mayor and street precinct chiefs, overseeing all prison affairs, with his office here at the district government building.
He came downstairs. "Jinyuan, what is it? What's the matter?"
Jinyuan gave the car a light pat, her expression smug with satisfaction. "I made plans with Sister-in-law to take Lingshu shopping for clothes this afternoon. Want to come?"
"Sure, I'll come along."
Li Xuanji still had a few small matters unfinished, but nothing urgent. What he really wanted right now was to climb inside this legendary demon beast that Master had supposedly subdued and see what all the fuss was about.
The two of them got in. Li Xuanji looked all around, peering here, poking there. "So this is Master's… mount? Is this thing actually alive?"
"Ha! Cousin, don't be silly — obviously it's not a living creature. This thing is called an automobile."
"And besides, this isn't Master's — this is mine, exclusively. Master gave it to me!"
"Ho! You're not really here to keep Lingshu company while she shops — you're here to show off!"
"Hee hee, you figured me out. Let's go!"
"Cousin, if you ever need a car, you can borrow mine!"
"I'll take you up on that. Thank you in advance."
"Think nothing of it! Heh heh."
Jinyuan started the car with slightly unpracticed hands and pulled out onto the street.
In truth, she had slipped the car out on the sly. Master still wouldn't allow the new drivers to take to the roads on their own. They had barely had a few days behind the wheel, and some of them were too impulsive by nature — he worried about accidents. A damaged car was a minor thing, but if any of these beloved treasures of Master's got hurt, it would break his heart.
The car crept slowly to the Taoyuan Hotel. Jinyuan pressed the horn several times.
A crowd of people spilled out of the hotel to see what was happening. The ordinary guests were there out of curiosity, eager for a glimpse of what Master's legendary demon mount looked like. The hotel management, on the other hand, assumed Master himself had arrived.
Manager Wu saw that it was Jinyuan at the wheel and that her passenger was Longcheng's newly risen figure of authority, Prison Director-General Li Xuanji, and concluded they must be here for Manager Jiang. Even so, she didn't rush back inside — she was quite curious about Master's mount herself.
"Sister-in-law! Lingshu! Get in!"
Li Lingshu had been in class that morning and had come to the hotel after lunch. The sight of Master's mount made her both a little frightened and a little fascinated.
"Lingshu, don't be scared — cars don't bite."
"Little Auntie, are you sure it won't bite?"
"Ha! Don't worry. If it dares bite you, I'll tear it apart myself!"
Only then did Li Lingshu relax and come running over. Li Xuanji opened the door and lifted her in. Jiang Huanghou climbed in too, her face full of curiosity, but not before pausing to exchange a nod with Manager Wu.
Manager Wu watched Jiang Huanghou go with a pang of envy.
What a charmed life that woman led — best friends with Deputy District Chief Jinyuan, and her husband had risen to become someone important too. How had she herself ended up with no such luck? With that good-for-nothing she had at home.
Oh, never mind. Not worth thinking about. She'd go home after work and give him a good thrashing.
Useless man.