Chapter 271: Are You Blackmailing Me?

Chapter 271: You’re Ripping Me Off?

Due to Ren San's insistence, Su An didn’t argue further, and the two decided to stay in this together.

The next day, when Liu Hongtao drove to the entrance of the urban village early in the morning, Su An and Ren San were already waiting by the roadside, each holding a youtiao (a long fried dough stick).

"Hey, Su An, over here, over here~" Liu Hongtao stretched his arm out from the driver’s seat and waved at her.

Su An’s eyes widened as she stared at the Yuejin truck. "Yours?"

Liu Hongtao sighed. "What are you thinking? This is a Yuejin heavy truck—village committee’s shared property. At best, I can only afford a Benma trike. No way I could afford something this fancy!"

"Quit gawking. Hop in."

Su An glanced at the truck, realizing she’d have to climb onto the cargo bed at the back. Seeing her move toward the rear, Liu Hongtao pointed to the seat beside him. "Front seat! Why’re you going to the back? You two are small—just squeeze in. There’s no space to sit back there."

Once inside, Liu Hongtao glanced at Ren San. "Kid’s tagging along?"

Ren San immediately grew wary, shooting him a sharp look.

Liu Hongtao quickly explained, "Not what I meant. Let me make this clear—once we get there, keep your mouths shut. Don’t ask unnecessary questions. If I didn’t have leverage over them, they wouldn’t risk ruining their future for this kind of deal. When we arrive, the kid stays in the truck and waits for us."

"And look, we’re friends, but… you’re covering the rental fee for the truck. I’ll cover the fuel. If it were just me, my Benma would’ve been enough."

Su An nodded. "Fine, I’ll pay."

"How much is the rental?"

"A hundred fifty."

"What? One hundred and fifty? Are you trying to rip me off? How much does a month’s salary even pay these days? You’re asking for one hundred a day? So renting this car for a month would cost four thousand five hundred? That’s over fifty thousand a year?"

Liu Hongtao chuckled bitterly, "Oh, why are you shouting so loudly?

This is a big truck, worth tens of thousands of yuan. The villagers in our village use it to help construction sites, and the most profitable month can earn over ten thousand.

Go ask around at the trade fair; the big truck fleets are doing such booming business that the phones ring non-stop from morning till night. Is one hundred and fifty too much?

Most people can’t even rent one for a few hundred a day. To get this car, I had to take my old friend out for drinks last night, to make him pretend to be sick today. And the fuel costs are on me, too."

Su An’s lips twitched, "Earning over ten thousand a month? That’s incredible. Why are you still selling stuff on the street? As long as you can drive..."

Liu Hongtao replied, "Do you think anyone can do it? My old friend is the village chief’s nephew."

As Su An continued chatting with Liu Hongtao, Ren San’s gaze swept through the car and quickly focused on a box by Liu Hongtao’s feet.

His scalp tingled, and his breathing grew heavy.

Su An felt Ren San’s hand grip her arm tightly. She turned her head subtly and followed his gaze to the box by Liu Hongtao’s feet.

Despite the dirty towel covering it, it was easy to see that inside were a handgun and a machete.

"Sis An!"

Su An patted Ren San’s hand, reassuring him that everything was fine. In those times, almost all drivers of big trucks or taxis carried guns or cold weapons for self-defense.

Liu Hongtao, whom she had dealt with twice, seemed trustworthy, but despite this, Su An remained cautious.

"Brother Tao, isn’t driving dangerous? Does your friend drive alone? I remember in our area, big trucks always have two drivers, and there’s usually a dedicated guard to prevent any trouble."

Liu Hongtao stared straight ahead and replied, "How could it be safe? Take a look at what's by my feet."

Seeing Liu Hongtao openly show them the weapons, Su An and Ren San both let out a sigh of relief.

Not noticing their reaction, Liu Hongtao continued, "This is a dangerous job. Construction hauling isn't bad, but before, when our village helped transport grain over long distances, we passed through a remote village. Not only was all the cargo robbed, but we nearly lost both the truck and our lives too."

"There was a woman holding a crying child in the middle of the road. My uncle stopped to ask what was wrong."

"As soon as the truck stopped, the village chief led half the villagers out from the mountain pass, carrying blunderbusses, bird guns, Arisakas, Hanyang rifles, and even semi-auto rifles—they surrounded my uncle."

"My uncle handed over the entire truckload of grain, but they still wouldn’t let him go. In the end, he took his chances, gunned the engine, and plowed through, knocking down two people before escaping."

Su An gasped, "Was he okay?"

"He suffered minor injuries but survived. The losses were heavy, though. Luckily, on the way back, he managed to haul back a load of coal from a mine to cover some of the losses."

"Driving a truck is lucrative, but I still prefer running my stall."

"Don’t get me wrong—my buddy driving trucks might seem flashy, but he definitely doesn’t earn as much as I do. He’s just collecting a wage, and most of the profits go to the village committee."

The truck had set off at around seven in the morning and didn’t pull in till eleven.

Leaving Su An and Ren San in the truck, Liu Hongtao grabbed a carton of smokes and went to find someone.

After about ten minutes, a man wearing a mask and hat followed Liu Hongtao out. Despite the warm May weather, the man was covered head to toe, even wearing gloves.

Liu Hongtao had some quick words with him, then waved Su An over.

Su An got out with a burlap sack in hand, and Ren San whispered, "Be careful, sis."

Su An followed the two men, leaving Ren San on pins and needles inside the truck. As time dragged on, Ren San was about to go look for them when Liu Hongtao and Su An finally returned.

Without a word, they got back in the truck and drove off immediately.

The fully covered man stood by a warehouse and waved them in as Liu Hongtao’s truck approached, letting them drive inside.

Su An jerked her head for Ren San to follow, signaling him to get out. Under the watchful eyes of the masked man, the three of them began moving goods—sacks, wooden crates, and large cardboard boxes.

Some boxes were so heavy that it took all three of them to lift.

Once the goods were by the truck, Liu Hongtao climbed aboard while Su An and Ren San passed them up.

Sweat soaked their backs, and each could hear their own pounding heartbeat. Yet, they worked with wordless teamwork...

After loading everything, they covered the cargo with black tarpaulin.

"I’m heading out," Liu Hongtao said to the fully covered man.

"Alright, remember what's mine," the man replied hoarsely.

Liu Hongtao waved. "Got it, got it."

Once the truck was back on the road, all three of them finally breathed easy.