Chapter Five: Unable to Hold Back the Breath
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Cai Zhongsheng anxiously shouted, “Alas! Once the car leaves here, my husband and mother-in-law won’t know where I am. What if they come looking for me and can’t find me? I want to get off the car.”
The driver replied, “You stay in the car. I’ll get off and help you look for them in the market.”
Only then did Cai Zhongsheng stop shouting, though she still felt awkward inside. Watching the driver steady the car and then get out to weave through the crowd like a detective searching for someone, she began to feel a slight gratitude toward him. Yet she also harbored some resentment toward her husband and mother-in-law, who hadn’t returned for so long. She thought it was unfair that the driver had to pay the fine alone, believing that as passengers, they should take some responsibility too.
The driver made a round through the market, checking every nook and cranny, but saw no sign of Ye Huiqiong or her son.
He was very frustrated, cursing under his breath to vent his anger. He thought to himself: If this goes on, it’s all over—the business won’t get done, and it’ll be a loss.
He then went to the parking area where he had parked the car, but found no one inside.
The car door was half-open. He cursed angrily again, “Damn it! Could the woman holding the child be dead too?”
His eyes darted around, and suddenly he spotted Cai Zhongsheng crouching behind the car, helping her child urinate.
He walked over and deliberately stomped his foot to get Cai Zhongsheng’s attention.
Only then did he say, “It’s over. Your mother-in-law and husband are nowhere to be found. I searched all over the market but didn’t see them. I’ll take you home now. I’ve wasted so much time and paid a fine, including gas fees. You owe me at least 200 yuan. Go get it!”
Though Cai Zhongsheng was now a member of the Liu family, she did not control the finances. The small box under her dowry at home contained only about 30 yuan in loose change—far from enough to pay the driver’s demanded amount.
Coming from a relatively poor family, she had never spent large sums and was very frugal. In other words, she was stingy with money. Moreover, even if she had the money, she would be reluctant to pay the driver 200 yuan.
She felt the amount was excessive but avoided arguing with the driver, instead changing the subject. “Have you checked by the main gate where the car first parked?”
The driver said, “I went in and out from the main gate looking for them, but didn’t see your mother-in-law or husband. It’s unlikely we’ll find them now.”
Cai Zhongsheng stood up holding her baby, circled from the rear to the front of the car but didn’t immediately get in. Instead, she glanced toward the entrance of the market.
Suddenly, she saw her mother-in-law’s back. Then she spotted her husband, Liu Sanjun, holding a large turtle and looking around as if searching for someone. She called out loudly, “San—jun—”
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“Hey, I’m here.” Liu Sanjun saw Cai Zhongsheng from afar. He took his mother’s hand and walked toward them.
Cai Zhongsheng, holding the baby nursing at her breast, stepped forward and said, “Why did you take so long? Where did you go?”
She then looked at the large turtle in Liu Sanjun’s hand and was about to ask more.
Ye Huiqiong smiled and explained, “We were doing a good deed for you. Didn’t the monk at Huiji Temple say you released turtles in a past life? In this life, you capsized on a boat and were rescued by a turtle. To repay the turtle’s life-saving grace, Sanjun and I went to the market to buy a big turtle. We then took it to the south street to have a seal engraver carve your names—‘Liu Sanjun, Cai Zhongsheng, and Liu Haisheng,’ your family of three—on its back, which is why it took so long.”
At this point, Ye Huiqiong turned to the driver and said, “Now please drive us to the seaside mudflats to release this turtle engraved with our names back into the sea. This is a merit-making act for the Liu family, bringing blessings and prosperity to future generations!”
The already moody driver, with a stern face, approached Ye Huiqiong and Liu Sanjun, pulling out the fine ticket. “Doing good deeds is fine, but this 50-yuan fine must be paid by you. Also, your four ride fares are 10 yuan each, totaling 40 yuan, plus an extra 10 yuan since I’m taking you to the seaside to release the turtle. On top of that, I lost business waiting for you, which costs at least 100 yuan. Even if it’s just 100, the total comes to 200 yuan. Not a cent less.”
Liu Sanjun felt the harsh tone and got angry.
He glanced at the baby in Cai Zhongsheng’s arms and said to the driver, “A baby just a month old counts as 10 yuan? Students who don’t meet the size requirement ride the bus for free! Are you trying to extort us?”
The driver snorted, eyes dark and fierce. “This is not a bus. A baby is still a person; how can I not charge? If you think it’s not worth it, why not take the bus? I didn’t force you into my car.”
Hearing this, Liu Sanjun felt as if smoke was blasting up his nostrils.
He was not one to keep his temper in check. His eyes hardened, fists clenched, and he shouted, “Even if you overcharge one person’s fare, why do you want to charge an extra 100 yuan? Waiting a bit longer costs that much? You’re extorting with shameless prices. I might just file a complaint against you.”
The driver stood firm. “Even if I’m heartless, you’re generous enough to spend big money buying turtles for release but stingy with this small amount? That won’t do. Give me the 200 yuan first, then you can complain if you want. Think I’m scared?”
“Who’s scared of whom?” Liu Sanjun pounded his clenched fist on the car door, angrily saying, “What will you do if I don’t pay you extra?”
“If you damage my car door, that won’t be just 200 yuan,” the driver retorted, immediately pulling a wrench from the car, ready to fight.
Ye Huiqiong, fearing trouble, quickly pulled her son away, whispering in his ear, “You’ve suffered losses before; don’t get into fights.”
Liu Sanjun listened to his mother but still vented his anger. “You damn well know who I am? I just got out of jail. If my mother and wife weren’t here, I would’ve made you bleed today.”
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The driver was unfazed and said, “Whether you just got out of jail or a cage, I’m the driver. You owe what you owe. Playing tricks on payment—what kind of hero does that make you?”
Liu Sanjun lost control and was about to throw the turtle at the driver, but Ye Huiqiong grabbed the turtle, her face full of anxiety.
She blocked Liu Sanjun with her body and said, “Son, don’t make your mother worry. Just pay the money. It’s better to lose money than to invite disaster.”
Seeing Liu Sanjun calm down a bit, she turned to the driver and said, “We’re doing a good deed releasing the turtle at the sea. You don’t have to drive us. Can the fee be reduced?”
The driver hesitated, then said, “I’ll reduce it by 50 yuan. For your mother’s sake.”
Ye Huiqiong quickly took out 150 yuan and handed it to the driver. The crowd that had gathered gradually dispersed.
Liu Sanjun saw the driver take the money and hand the fine ticket to his mother. Without looking, he tore it to shreds.
Then, pointing at the driver getting into the car, he cursed, “Go buy some medicine with that money. You’re such a cheat and bad-hearted. Sooner or later, you’ll get hit by a car.”
The driver, having achieved his goal, pretended not to hear. He got in, pressed the accelerator, and the car drove away.
During the quarrel, the baby in Cai Zhongsheng’s arms fell asleep. She stood quietly, anxious inside, fearing something bad might happen. Now that matters were barely settled, she approached Ye Huiqiong, who was holding the turtle, and said, “Let’s call another car to take us to the sea to release it!”
Liu Sanjun suddenly said, “No more releasing. It only brings bad luck!”
Seeing her son still unsettled, Ye Huiqiong agreed, “Alright, no releasing then.”
But after saying this, she picked up the turtle and looked at the inscription on its back: “Liu Sanjun and Cai Zhongsheng, husband and wife, and son Liu Haisheng released in the year of Xinmao.” She felt that not releasing it would be somewhat inappropriate.