National Tide 1980.

Chapter 401 Four-Wheeled Iron Horse
In Beijing in 1902, a strange thing called "Four-Wheeled Iron Horse" came to the Forbidden City.

Its body is wooden and open, with a roof above and double rows of seats.

It looks like there are still traces of European carriages in the [-]th century.

This is well documented, the first car that first appeared in Beijing.

However, this fashionable car that Yuan Shikai managed to get from the United States and paid tribute to the Empress Dowager Cixi of the Qing Dynasty was thrown into the cold palace after only driving it once.

Not for anything else, just because cars can't solve the problem of dignity.

The Empress Dowager Cixi will not allow anyone to sit in front of her, including Sun Fuling, the imperial driver who drives for her.

However, the resistance from feudalism and the rejection of ignorance did not stop the progress of science and technology.

After 44 years, the people of the Republic have a completely different perception of cars.

In Beijing in 1956, almost everyone was excited that our country had successfully produced its first car.

At that time, the National News Film Studio made a special trip to shoot a documentary on this event that caused a national sensation.

The film not only completely records the process of the 54-year-old driver Ma Guofan driving the first domestic car off the production line.

And there is also a picture of Master Ma shaving his head, face, and tidying up just for this matter.

These details are the most contagious, and a writer even composed a song "Old Driver" based on them.

It's a pity that 26 years are fleeting, and the manufacturing capacity and technical level of our domestic automobiles have not been significantly improved as we expected, but have been stagnant.

In 1982, the number of motor vehicles in my country was still pitifully low, and the total number of motor vehicles in the whole country was less than 200 million.

Compared with before the reform and opening up, no matter the type or number of cars driving on the streets of Beijing, there is still not much change.

Most of the motor vehicles that can be seen are Jiefang brand trucks, Songhuajiang brand buses, 630 medium-sized station wagons, 130 medium-sized trucks, and 212 jeeps.

Even three-wheeled motorcycles are not out yet.

This year, our Shanghai brand cars have just begun to consider the issue of installing air conditioners in the car.

This year, my country's plan to jointly produce cars with well-known foreign automakers is still in the stage of negotiation and investigation.

Among all domestically produced cars, only the Hongqi brand car is barely upscale.

As for other imported small cars, Warsaw, Victory, Jim, Austin, Stenda and other old vehicles that are close to being eliminated account for the majority.

So not to mention German Mercedes-Benz, French Bairu, and American Chrysler, these truly high-end international famous cars are rare for Chinese people.

Even economical Nissan vehicles like Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, Datsun, and Toyota, or toys-like gadgets like Polonaise and Fiat, are rare good cars.

To be honest, in this era when automobiles were not yet popular, even the technical content of the driver profession made ordinary people extremely envious and adored.

Not to mention that in each unit, car drivers are respected high-end talents.

You can play your temper according to your temper, put on airs, take the first place in the bonus, make fun of the leader, and show the face of the superior.

The profession of taxi driver is even more high-end among high-end professions, with a very special brilliance.

Since the reform and opening up, due to the increasing number of foreigners in Beijing, the income of this group has also skyrocketed.

Taxi drivers have not only become frequent customers of western restaurants and high-end consumer places, but also have very high requirements for choosing a spouse.

It is not uncommon to find a teacher, find a flight attendant, or fall in love with a beautiful actress.

Then think about it, even the drivers in charge of driving are so bullish these days, so what about the people who can ride in small cars all year round?
It can be seen from this that Ning Weimin can own a car that he can use at will, and it is still a relatively new imported car.

What an enviable and staggering thing!
To a certain extent, this meant that his status was already on par with that of the bureau chief and the county magistrate.

There is no exaggeration in this statement.

Because of the current national conditions, the 1979 declaration that the country allows individuals to own private cars is not yet feasible and legal.

The limited domestic automobiles are used as production resources, and they are all allocated to personnel of a certain level, which are called public vehicles.

As far as the specific situation in the capital is concerned, only those who are at the top level can enjoy the treatment of being equipped with a bus, and even the deputy department has no role.

If you want to jump out of the category of off-brand cars and 212 jeeps, and get in a serious car, you have to be at least at the Secretary level.

If you want to take a step higher and take a red flag car, you have to be at the ministerial level anyway.

It is precisely because of this that Hongqi cars have the nickname of "Minister's Car".

That's right, of course Ning Weimin had his own car in his previous life.

In 2020, in order to avoid the number restriction policy as much as possible, he owns a Grand Cherokee and an Audi A8 under his personal name alone.

The company also owns a Toyota Accord, a Buick GL8, and two Jinbei Dapan.

And he has touched a lot of luxury cars in his life.

Or rent or borrow, Mercedes-Benz, Bentley, Lincoln, Hummer, Ferrari, Cadillac, have all tried.

But to be honest, it is because cars are too special and scarce in contemporary times.

The happiness he felt driving this small pickup truck on the road was far from comparable to those luxury cars he drove in his previous life.

He didn't even think about it, the taste in it was so wonderful.

The first difference is reflected in the road conditions.

What was the road condition in Beijing in 1982?
It cannot be denied that the roads outside the city are bumpy and rugged, and many places are covered with loess and gravel.

But it is different in the city, the Second Ring Road is open to traffic, and the urban area of ​​Beijing is full of asphalt roads.

And because there are few motor vehicles, although the road is not wide, it is enough for use.

Even crowded places like Beihai, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, Wangfujing, and Shichahai can pass smoothly.

There is no bus expressway, no matter whether a passenger car or a truck, once parallel with a small car, they will often actively avoid it.

After all, everyone understands that the person sitting in the car must not be an ordinary person.

There are absolutely no worries about monitoring, taking pictures, deducting points, speed testing, and checking for drunk driving.

For inspections of violations of traffic regulations, the traffic police can only catch the current situation.

Secondly, parking is also extremely convenient.

There is a specially designated parking lot in a large place, and you can park along the side in a small place.

Not only did no one charge for parking, but all those who watched the cars were voluntary labor.

Moreover, no one is grabbing a parking space, and it saves you the trouble of driving around in the basement.

I believe that as long as the driver has been to the capital, compare the road conditions and costs in the capital in 2020.

I know how cool it was to drive around the capital in 1982.

In addition, Ning Weimin's pickup truck has an advantage that some others can't compare to, that is, the license plate is terrible.

Of course, the Peel Caton company is a black brand car, 31-00446. The traffic police went all the way to see the brand of the pickup truck, and they knew it was a foreign-related vehicle.

(At that time, there were 30 provinces and cities in my country, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan were not counted, and Qiongyu was not established. In order to avoid conflicts with the 64-style license plate, the 01 was suddenly changed to 31, and the black plate was only used by foreign-related institutions)
So I often take the initiative to give some special care.

Often when there are not many vehicles, the traffic police will use the hands that control the traffic lights to turn the red light into a green light for Ning Weimin to pass.

That was a pleasant surprise!

No number limit, no traffic jam, no red light, all the way is smooth!

If you want to walk through things, go to Chang'an Avenue.

If you want to travel between the north and the south, you can take the Second Ring Road.

No matter whether you run east-west or north-south, as long as you don't go through the alleys, the speed will be as fast as Nezha on a hot wheel, and you will arrive in a blink of an eye.

This is called driving!It embodies the convenience that the car should have!
Once time passes and you miss this era, you will be the richest man in the world and come to the capital, and you will no longer be able to enjoy such a smooth experience!
More importantly, the weight of cars in the hearts of most people these days is also extraordinary, and it is too satisfying for people's vanity.

After Ning Weimin first drove his car back from the company, the first thing he did was to drive back to Fan'er Hutong. He wanted to take Kang Shude, who was resting at home, out for a stroll.

As a result, when the neighbors in the alley found Ning Weimin driving back a car, they were really shocked.

Although this pickup has only seats for two people, the back is just like a truck.

But after all, this is a new car that has been driven for less than two years, and it has the head of a sedan.

Anyone who lives in Shan'er Hutong, regardless of whether they are familiar with Ning Weimin or not, how many people sneak in here.

There are no other requirements, as long as you can look at the cab of the car and touch the steering wheel of the car, the big guy is quite satisfied.

"Look at the people of the people, it's really awesome, the cars are all driving, it means that you are an official..."

"Let's put it down, Weimin foreign company has done a good job, mainly because their unit is rich. They didn't watch "News Network" and they put up their company's advertisements every day. In the past, it was controlled by Casio..."

"I know, I know, my company sells fashionable clothes, and now young people like it the most. A set of old noses is expensive, at least more than 100..."

"Oh, aunt, don't tease me, there are more than 100, several hundred, okay! Don't you see what kind of clothes are those? They are from Paris, France. Pierre Kacrot..."

I don't know if this last sentence was a joke on purpose, or if I really remembered it wrong.

Anyway, it scratched the big guy's itchy flesh, which immediately caused a burst of laughter.

So in such an atmosphere, Ning Weimin couldn't leave quickly even if he wanted to.

He had to patiently and kindly let the neighbors have their eye addiction, and take everyone in the car for a tour.

Unexpectedly, after all these people were fooled, Aunt Bian and Aunt Luo were drawn out by the bustle outside.

For these close neighbors who are similar to relatives, of course he has to be more considerate.

Then he took Aunt Bian and Aunt Luo respectively, and drove to Tiananmen Square for a circle.

After tossing around until it was almost time for lunch, he finally asked Master Kang Shude to sit in his car.

After discussing in the car, the master and apprentice simply went straight to the north and went to Ma Kai Restaurant on Gulou Street to eat Hunan cuisine.

This is November, seeing the neighbors watching them go away with envious eyes.

Look at the bikes pedaling against the wind in the strong wind outside the car and the pedestrians whose eyes were blinded by the blowing.

In Kang Shude's heart, he couldn't help being proud of his apprentice.

But he really can't praise Ning Weimin for his ability and good job.

Because of Master, the main responsibility has to be to pour cold water, not to make young people cock their tails.

So instead, he kept admonishing Ning Weimin.

Tell him to come back in the future, treat the neighbors more kindly, more humble, and not arrogant.

Otherwise, it will appear tasteless and easy to be hated.

Of course Ning Weimin could understand what Master was thinking, and nodded while driving.

"Don't worry, I understand. I don't know my last name because of a car. I'm not stupid, why do I have to ask people to spit on my car and slap my tires behind my back."

But Kang Shude was a little annoyed at his comprehension that deviated from the point.

"You boy, why do you always think badly about others? How can our neighbors behave like this?"

Ning Weimin didn't care about the truth.

"Hey, why is it impossible? What you said is too idealistic. As the saying goes, the king of Hades is easy to see, but the little ghost is hard to deal with. You yourself always say that the five fingers are not on the same side, and the heart of defense is indispensable. ..."

Kang Shude even blew his beard and stared in anger.

"Presumptuous! You haven't eaten yet, and you are trying to make me full?"

Ning Weimin couldn't help but want to laugh, but his mouth didn't relax.

"You're still 'bold'. You have learned all the words of the emperor in Liu Baorui's cross talk "The Fighting of Monarchs and Ministers". I would like to ask you, is it not tiring to scold me every day when you see me? Are you so displeased with me? That’s me, who gets scolded every day, and treats you like a god.”

"I'm your master! What's the matter, I can't be your god? I scold you for your own good. I don't bother to teach others a lesson. I don't have that obligation."

"Yes, then do you still eat at noon today? Don't go there for a while, you are full again..."

When Kang Shude heard this, he quickly changed his tone.

"Are you playing tricks on me again, aren't you? I'm not old enough yet. I won't be fooled by you. If I can't eat enough, I'll order food, and I'll have to pay you 100 yuan later. I'm happy to see it."

"Come on, you can do whatever you want. But don't be angry if I tell you something. My wallet can be taken into your room, and I forgot to bring it."

Kang Shude's eyes widened immediately.

"Wait, what do you mean? Didn't bring any money? Didn't bring any money and you dragged me there! Did you premeditate it? Did you co-author want to eat me today?"

"I don't mean that. We can order food and eat first when we arrive. At worst, you can sit and drink tea later after eating. I'll drive back to get the money. Isn't there a car here..."

Kang Shude flatly refused.

"Don't mind, that won't work. Turn around and go back quickly. You have a car, so it's the same when you go back to get money..."

This time Ning Weimin really laughed.

"Look at you, you can't even trust your own disciples, and you're still talking about me. Is it right? Tell you the truth, in fact, I am teasing you, and I have my wallet with me."

Kang Shude was completely speechless this time.

My heart said, good boy, you are Ma Sanli, are you kidding me?
Alright, let's go back after this meal, hey!
I'm the first person to spit in your car today...

(End of this chapter)