Chapter 1820
Heading to JY County
An hour later.
Mu Xue got out of the car, Wang Li sat in the passenger seat, and Wang An and Huang Zhong sat in the back seat. There was a bunch of guns in the trunk of the car. The four of them drove together towards JY County.
The road to JY County is not too far, but it is not close either. If you start from DJ County, it is only 60 or 70 li away, but if you start from Kaoshantun, it is more than 100 li away.
However, the distance mentioned here refers to the distance to the area of JY County. If you want to go to the county seat of JY County, you will have to travel another 80 or 90 miles.
In total, Wang An and his three companions drove for nearly 200 li (about 100 kilometers).
So if things go smoothly, Wang An and his three companions should be able to return easily before dinner.
As soon as the car left Kaoshantun, Wang An instructed Mu Xue to leave the three of them:
“JY County is different from our DJ County. The scoundrels there should be much more decent. If we can avoid fighting them, we should try our best not to. But if we do fight, it's no big deal. We can just kill them. But there's one thing you three need to remember: don't touch the guns if you don't have to. Got it?”
Although guns are not banned, using guns is always a big deal, no matter when, and even small things can become big things.
It's said that a habit takes seven days to form, and Wang An and his three companions had only been out of the mountains for a few days, yet they had already developed the habit of shooting without hesitation. Therefore, Wang An was genuinely worried that the three of them might impulsively open fire on people without regard for consequences.
Shooting in the deep mountains and forests is not a big problem, but shooting in a county town is definitely a death sentence.
After Wang An finished speaking, Wang Li glanced at the back seat, blinked, and said:
"So, we're using such a powerful weapon like the Type 56 assault rifle mainly to intimidate people?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xueli said to Wang Li:
"Isn't that obvious? It's obviously just bluffing. What? You want to shoot a few people to death?"
Wang Li rolled her eyes at Mu Xueli and retorted mercilessly:
"Get the hell out of here! You're all so full of nonsense. I wasn't even talking to you."
Mu Xueli said with a grin:
Whether you talk to me or not, he's still the same; you're just not smart enough to understand human speech.
Wang Li said with a completely nonchalant expression:
"Yeah, I can't understand human speech, but I understand animal language. As long as I can understand what you're mumbling, that's fine."
I must say, Wang Li has improved a lot by no longer using profanity when he swears.
Mu Xueli, naturally not to be outdone, retorted:
"I can speak a little animal language, and it's pretty impressive that you can understand it."
Unsurprisingly, the two of them started arguing in a very magical way, and Wang An and Huang Zhong just listened to their banter without interrupting.
Perhaps because of the large-scale sanitation campaign, or perhaps because everyone was busy with the autumn harvest, Wang An and his three companions traveled through DJ County with exceptional ease, encountering no troublesome people or situations whatsoever.
Even so, Wang An and his three companions proceeded with extreme caution, carrying fully loaded Type 56 assault rifles, ready to either engage in a fight or scare someone with a gunshot. Unbeknownst to them, the GAZ truck had entered JY County. Not far into JY County, they encountered a tollbooth operator collecting tolls by the river.
There are actually many places like this where tolls are charged for crossing bridges, because the bridges over the river are built with money from private individuals or village collectives, and many ferry crossings charge even locals to cross.
This fee is very reasonable, because not to mention the cost of building the bridge, the annual maintenance cost alone is quite substantial, and it is common for bridges to be washed away in the event of floods. All of these costs are the responsibility of the people who built the bridge or the collective that built it.
It's worth mentioning that the normal toll for crossing the bridge is between 20 and 50 cents, with 50 cents being the highest price. However, the other party insisted on charging 1 yuan, claiming that the car was too heavy and they were afraid it would damage their bridge.
Mu Xueli wanted to argue with them, but Wang An stopped her with a shout. Although charging 1 yuan was indeed unreasonable, Wang An really didn't want to get into a conflict over a few cents.
So, Mu Xueli reluctantly paid 1 yuan for the bridge toll, and the toll collector didn't hesitate for long, quickly lowering the iron chain used to block the bridge, allowing the GAZ truck to pass over it.
As soon as they crossed the bridge, Mu Xueli frowned and complained:
"These guys are so damn greedy. The little bridge is so short, only a few meters long. 5 cents would be a lot of money, but they dared to charge us 1 yuan. I really wanted to shoot them all down with a burst of bullets."
Wang Li also said indignantly:
"Yeah, the toll on our way to Anguo is normally only 5 cents. This tiny place dares to charge a dollar. I think they really deserve to be fucked. Damn it."
Although Mu Xueli and Wang Li are now considered wealthy, they haven't changed their attitude towards money. They still spend money where necessary and save where necessary, carefully considering every penny they spend.
Wang An was also a little uncomfortable. After listening to their rambling, he said rather impatiently:
"You two are really something, supporting only 5 cents. What's the point of fighting them? It's such a waste of time!"
Mu Xueli and Wang Li smacked their lips and fell silent.
What Wang An and his companions didn't expect was that, right after they crossed the bridge and left, the toll collector, smugly tossing the one yuan he had just received, said to the three people beside him:
“Let me tell you guys, we can’t spoil these people who drive cars. They all have money, so we should ask for more. See? Didn’t we ask for an extra 80 cents? Hahahaha, come on, no more, no less, we brothers will each get 20 cents.”
As he spoke, the man put the one dollar into a box, then took out four two-mao coins from the box, put one in his own pocket, and gave one to each of the other three people.
The other three people felt that what they were doing was somewhat inappropriate, but in the end they could not resist the temptation of money.
After dividing the money, the guy collecting the fees arrogantly said:
"When they get back, we'll just charge them two yuan, hahaha."
After the young man finished speaking, another older man said:
"Taking just one dollar from them is already quite a lot. It's not worth getting into a fight if we provoke them."
The other two also offered their advice:
"Yeah, that's a lot of money to take a dollar from someone. Brother Tieming, didn't you see that the kid driving was getting angry?"
"Yeah, Brother Tieming, if it weren't for that kid in the back of the car calling him, those two guys sitting in the front would have gotten off."
It's clear that these three people are relatively rational, though it's also possible they're just a bit timid. (End of Chapter)